Fan-filmed video footage of KISS performing the band’s hit ballad, Beth, on July 12th at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user Chromeboy2003).
Although, original drummer Peter Criss is credited for writing the song. along with the late Stan Penridge and producer Bob Ezrin, Paul Stanley claims that Criss had very little to do with it. Stanley reportedly told Rolling Stone. “Peter can’t write a song, because Peter doesn’t play an instrument. Penridge came up with [sings], ‘Beth, I hear you calling…’ Peter had nothing to do with it. Because if you write one hit song, you should be able to write two. That’s the reality. Devastating? It’s the truth. It was a lifeline that Peter hung on to validate himself, but it wasn’t based on reality.”
Criss responded to Stanley’s comments by saying, “Paul is so full of f–king shit’cause as a lead singer of the band he never got to write the hit. That’s his problem. They hated the fact that I wrote a hit record and won a People’s Choice.”
In a 2000 interview, Penridge was asked how Beth (originally called Beck after Becky, Chelsea bandmate Mike Brand’s wife) was written and how much of it Criss was really responsible for, he said, “Beck was written, almost word for word, from Mike Brand’s responses to his wife’s constant calls that interupted our rehearsals. It got to the point where I wrote down his remarks over a period of 3 or 4 days in what I called my ‘wizard book.’ It was merely a small notebook I carried to jot down silly sayings, sketch in, anything….to save ideas. If you look at the lyrics and view them as a hen-pecked hubby’s remarks to his nagging wife, you’ll see what I mean. Just pause after every sentence and pretend there’s a bitch at the other end of the line. You’ll catch it — I’m sure.”
He added, “[Peter was] absolutely not responsible [for it] at all. Another poorman’s copyright by me in ’70.”
KISS is currently on their End Of The Road farewell tour. Remaining dates are as follows:
August:
6 Sunrise, FL @ BB&T Center
8 Charleston, NC @ North Charleston Coliseum
10 Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
11 Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
13 Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
14 Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
16 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
17 Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
20 Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
21 Hershey, PA @ HersheyPark Stadium
23 Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
24 Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
27 Syracuse, NY @ St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
29 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
31 Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
September:
1 St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
3 Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena
5 Little Rock, AR @ Verizon Arena
7 Bossier City, LA @ CenturyLink Center
8 San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
9 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
11 Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
12 Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
14 Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
16 Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
additional source: blabbermouth.net
35 Responses
NEVER! NEVER!! NEVER!!! I didn’t watch the video, and NEVER will!!! Nobody sings Beth except for Peter Criss!!! And maybe (with his blessing) the late great Eric Carr! Doesn’t play an instrument?? What the f–k do you call the drums?? Paul, after all these years, I am so disappointed in what a giant a–hole you turned out to be! STOP all the f–king backstabbing bullsh-t drama already you f–king drama queen!!
Guilty too Dana
I appreciate the passion of these comments – but geez – we are talking about Kiss – We need to laugh more – as Kiss laughs their asses to the bank
As Robert Plant once said – Does anyone remember laughter???
I’m not even gonna watch that video. I don’t care who wrote the song, but IMO, the real Catman singing “Beth” at the front of the stage is an iconic moment at a KI$$ concert. Personally, I find it disgusting this fake Catman is mimicking an iconic concert moment. And out of all the mimicking the fake Catman and fake Spaceman do, the singing of “Beth” is the most bothersome to me.
Hell, I bet that piano is even fake! Fake KI$$, Fake Catman, Fake Spaceman, Fake Piano….
I won’t watch the video either….because Eric Singer is not the real Cat Man. A real Cat Man would be part feline and part human.
…also, I won’t watch any videos with Tommy Thayer. He’s not really from outer space even though he purports to be “The Space Man.”
Wow, RT, you mean Peter Criss isn’t really a cat? And Ace Frehley isn’t really a Spaceman? Wow, gee, thanks for educating us again, RT!
RT, we all know Ace is the real Spaceman cuz he’s from the planet Jendell. I’m sure you know that cuz it’s common knowledge. Thayer is from state of Oregon on planet Earth, so of course he’s not the real Spaceman. :o)
Doug R, you seem to get angry at all my comments (or maybe I’m misinterpreting your tone). You DO realize that a lot of times I’m kidding, right? Not everything has to be so deadly serious – especially silly squabbles between old, rich rock stars (sometimes past their prime). I’m a big music fan. I’m also a musician. I’m serious about both. But I can also laugh at the sillier aspects of it. If you can’t share the laughs….well, I’m going to keep posting anyway and you can keep taking offense. If anything, I thought this entire article was posted for NO other reason than to provoke the Only Classic KISS vs. I’m OK With Current KISS crowds into argument. I’m going to have a great day, regardless.
It’s not anger, it’s frustration. I’ll admit sometimes I misinterpret a post, (I think we all do) so if I did it again, I apologize. Sometimes these KISS conversations drive me crazy, I’m just so sick and tired of the drama! Everybody knows about the past, Ace & Peter know they f–ked up, just a shame that Paul and Gene have to keep reminding people of that every chance they get.
I am guilty of that habit, as well. It is sometimes so hard to interpret one’s tone in text without an emoji, or (sarc), put next to the text. That is why I am old fashioned, and prefer conversations. Which, sadly, the last decade or so, have become obsolete.
Doug R,
No apologies necessary. It’s all good. Regarding Gene/Paul constantly bashing Ace/Peter, I think the lazy rock press plays a big role in that. After all this time, the media (and we) know the answers to certain questions (ie, Paul and Gene don’t want to ever get burned by the other two again. Paul really dislikes Peter for whatever reason.). So why keep asking the same questions? Of course, Paul/Gene are going to give the same “bashing” answers. So it’s not necessarily them constantly beating a dead horse, it’s the media beating the dead horse. I have the same sarcastic/funny comments about every Sammy Hagar vs. Van Halen story also. How many times do we have to read the same questions and the same answers from Sam about the VH brothers? If the media has the privilege to ask these guys questions, ask something interesting or relevant or current. It just all seems like lowest-hanging fruit click-bait.
Well, these mature gentleman, can simply say “I have answered these questions ad nauseum and anyone can look up what I have said many times before, in previous interviews, next question.”
I think these musicians are just as complicit in keeping these feuds going. It is either, because it keeps their name in the press, or they have not fully resolved, nor moved on, from the object of their scorn.
All good points. See, this is the kind of conversation we should be having more of on this site. No insults, no name calling, no BS, we’ll leave that to Gene & Paul! 😉
I am sure Paul put this in the set list to spite Peter.
Plenty of other Peter songs Eric could have sung on the tour.
Craig, that singer would be the late, great, Eric Carr. And the album was Smashes, Thrashes & Hits. The difference there is that Carr wasn’t trying to be a Peter Criss clone, and as far as I know, Carr never sang “Beth” live in concert. At first, I wasn’t too happy about it either, (even though I loved Carr and had all the respect in the world for him) but after a while, and realizing it was out of respect for Criss, and he wasn’t trying to mock him like a certain Eric “can’t be a Peter Criss” Singer, I accepted it. And of course you can always skip it, unlike when you’re there in person, although I don’t know why anybody would be.