KISS: Peter Criss Vinyl LP (Picture Disc)

1978 was a bold year to bet on yourself. While Gene and Paul were busy being rock gods, Peter Criss, the Catman, stepped out from behind the kit and delivered something nobody saw coming: a solo record that ditched the arena pyro for something softer, stranger, and weirdly more interesting.

The Peter Criss solo album is the odd one out in the infamous KISS quadruple solo drop, and that's exactly why it holds up. Where Ace went guitar-riff wild and Gene went full megalomaniac, Peter went R&B and torch song. It's schlocky in places, genuinely moving in others, and home to Beth in a new light, alongside cuts that reveal a guy who wanted to be a crooner as much as a rock drummer. If you've only ever known KISS through the hits, this is the wormhole. Picture disc format means the Catman's face stares back at you while it spins, which is exactly the energy a record like this deserves.

Format: Vinyl LP, picture disc. Genre: Hard Rock, Soft Rock, R&B, 70s Rock. Origin: United States. Released 1978.

Fans of: KISS, New York Dolls, early Cheap Trick, anyone who owns too many 70s rock records and isn't sorry about it.