The co-producer behind the first two KISS records insists guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss were never anything more than hired hands.
Richie Wise, who fronted New York metal outfit Dust between 1969 and 1972, assisted behind the desk when Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and co recorded their 1974 debut record and its follow-up, Hotter Than Hell, the same year.
He tells KissFAQ, “Ace and Peter had no focus. They were hired hands as far as I was concerned. I knew they auditioned for the band-and the band was Gene and Paul, period.
Ace, I understood exactly what he was doing. He listened to Page and Clapton and all those guitarists that I listened to, so I understood him well.
Peter was, at best, a poppy adequate drummer. But he was solid; he really didn’t get in the way and laid down the proper fundamental beat.”
And Wise believes the musical abilities of Simmons and Stanley have been overlooked throughout the band’s career.
“Gene wasn’t a traditional bass player, playing with his fingers,” says the producer. “He was more of a guitar player bass player. But he played with a lot of melodic sense, like McCartney in a way. Paul was excellent behind the mic. They had, right out of the box, good technique. They worked well together. I worked well with them.
The first album was six days, and then some mixing, I think a total of 13 days. It went very well. And I think it was very organic and real.”
Criss recently suggested there was less musical integrity to the current KISS lineup, featuring guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer. He told our own Eddie Trunk, “Although Gene and Paul are the major members in the band, Eric and Tommy, to them, it’s a job.
He’s playing Ace Frehley licks to a tee; Eric’s playing my drum licks to a tee. They’re still playing the same songs that we made famous.
There’s a whole new generation of kids that are clueless about what KISS is all about. They go to see them now, and they think, ‘That’s KISS.’”
additional source: classicrockmagazine.com
29 Responses
I must agree. before you talk about Ace and Peter, we really need to address your competince as a studio producer/engineer. Great songs still shine thru but when you were done mixing it did you really think you did a great job? Thank God Eddie Kramer came along in the 11th hour and saved these songs on Alive! Been wanting to say that for like 38 yrs.
I’m sorry this is dumb.
Ace and Peter were never founding members, they were original members. It was Gene and Pauls band from the beginning, they tried out for them and they chose them because the chemistry was great. When it wasn’t they left. I loved Ace since 1975 when I got into KISS. Peter is a just a old complainer who Eddie loves to get on show and bitch about things that happened 10 years ago.
Realistically, it s been a total of maybe ten years of Peter ace gene and Paul and 30 years of gene Paul and others. Peter s book was great but at the end it seems like he still thinks that he could make it as a solo artist which he cant. Ace is a good guitarists but historically unreliable and selfish. Good for Gene and Paul for reinventing KISS and entertaining fans all these years. People need to get over the original line up and appreciate more recent accomplishments. If Ace and Peter are so great why don’t they form their own line up and tour and make new music. Why? Cause they can t.
Eric Singer is a more fundamentally sound drummer than Peter and I believe that Eric Carr was better than both. The fact that Peter cannot get anything going unless he is wearing the Cat makeup is testimony to his ability. Eric Singer has toured with a number of bands and is known as a true professional in the industry. The fact that Eric and Tommy are playing the songs the way they are created shows the respect they have for the legacy of KISS. Why don’t Ace and Peter put something together and do some original material and play some of their KISS classics live? Stop belly-aching over who is in the band when you had your chance!!
Agreed Greg. Too bad Eric passed away so soon. He was a phenom. If were still alive, I wonder how everything would have played out.