😔 A bitter sweet song for me to hear. It was my wife's favorite song by them. Her name was Beth, she passed away from cancer in 2011. She got to see them one last time the year before. When Beth started to play I helped her stand & held her up so she could see. It was one of many huge hits for Kiss.
My condolences on the loss of your wife. You were able to give her a wonderful memory I'm sure she still holds on to today. And yes, I truly believe that every time you hear this song, she is right there beside you! Peace and Love!
With all due respect, Criss sang within his limitations. His voice is suitable for a sweet and meloncholy song like this, but the man did not have much range, nor was his voice particualarly powerful. He used his voice well in the few songs he sang, but "amazing voice" is stretching things just a wee bit.
@@SM-McKraken I agree with the amazing voice comment but none of KISS members had an amazing voice. Their voices all fit the music. So do you consider Hard luck woman and black diamond as sweet and melancholy? Peter Chris sang both of those. My comment was that vocally he brought more to the table then Gene and Paul allowed because of their egos, nothing more.
This song was one of their two top 10 hits. Peter Criss, the OG drummer, would come down off the drum platform, the other guys would leave the stage, and Peter would sit center stage on a stool and sing this amazing ballad. A hush would come over the crowd and we would all just listen to his sweet song to his wife. And when he would finish, the crowd would go absolutely crazy. Great pick. Great song. Miss the cat man. KISS army forever! Sending love from sunny So. Cal!
Pete had originally recorded it as Beck and originally offered it to Rod Stewart but he declined it when Pete presented it to Gene he didn't like the title he thought it was a tribute to Jeff Beck so they changed it to Beth at the time Pete was married to his wife Beth????
@@bazzahcarter6767 Paul wrote Hard Luck Woman for Rod who turned it down. Beth was written by Stan Penridge when he and Peter were in the band Chelsea. And yes it was originally called Beck because it was written about the girlfriend of a band member named Becky. Peter's wife was Lydia, not Beth, and has nothing to do with th e song.
Simmons and Stanley pushed Frahley and Criss out of the band so they could hog all the money. Simmons and Stanley are two class A assholes. There's a reason.
I went to a KISS concert in Tulsa Oklahoma right after this song was released. Criss came down and started preforming this song...some drunk ass redneck in the audience threw a beer bottle at Criss...the band got pissed, stopped playing, loaded up and left...not sure if the drunk made it out without a solid ass beating or not!
Actually, this is my favourite Kiss song. Always has been...the piano, strings, Peter Criss raspy voice, the emotion in his voice. Life of a rock and roll individual. Peter Criss was their first drummer and my favourite drummer with Kiss
Hey guys :) This song was sung by the drummer Peter Criss. The video was from the movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. The reason everyone looked out of place is because they all hated each other at that point. I could go on but great to see this one come up. Now Jay can do God of Thunder Live version ONLY!!! From “96” Have a blessed day 😊
@Robert O'Connell - Good call. That would be a fantastic one for Jordan to do. Even the version from Alive II would be great 👍. But the studio version would leave him cheated.
They should have used the video of this song from the Paul Lynde Halloween Special from 1976! It shows the Peter Criss aka the Cat Man center stage with the rest of the guys coming into the frame toward the end of the song.
Whatever else you can say about Kiss: 1) They can play the HELL out of a ballad. 2) They were absolute GENIUSES at marketing themselves. They made a TON of money, and more power to them for it.
Kiss was an extremely multi talented band. Longtime Kiss Army fan from about 14 years old. I am now 58 years young. I never tire of hearing Kiss and love to see the younger folks react.
Peter Criss and Stan Penridge originally came up with this in a pre-Kiss band they were in called Chelsea. One of the other member's wife was named "Becky" and she used to call incessantly while they were rehearsing wondering when her husband was coming home (thus the "I think I hear you calling" and "Me and the boys will be playing all night") - those are things they would say back and forth to each other and Peter and Stan wrote them down making fun of them. That eventually became the song "Beck" which Peter was humming in a limo while sitting next to Gene one day and he asked about it. Gene suggested he change the name to "Beth". But it was producer Bob Ezrin who took the scraps Peter had, transcribed it to piano and made the arrangement we know today. There are pictures of the day they recorded it in the studio with Ezrin dressed up in a tux and top hat. The other guys in Kiss were making fun of Peter so badly that Ezrin kicked them out of the studio so he could do his vocal.
@@proud2bamerican Its a small world when my hairdresser friend is Ace Frehley’s sister, Cheree! She said he was doing better & thinking about doing another solo album. 😀
The first ever ballad by a heavy band to ever win an award! Kiss is my favourite band hands down!! Love your reactions to their music. It was the b side of Detroit Rock City. Radio stations flipped it over and voila. 🤟🤟👍👍. Keep rockin you two. The old rocker loves to see the younger generations dig up on the great stuff of years and decades gone by.
If A&J are shocked that this is a KISS song then they'll be even more shocked to know that this was their most popular and highest charting single (at #7) on the U.S. charts. Life isn't always what you expect or set out to achieve!
They Had more top 10 and No1 Hits in Australia than in the USA lol, I had the entire Collection on Albums and gave them to my teenage sweetheart who still has them all today 🙃,, Bring Back The 70s
Just like Jay, many never realized this was a KISS tune. A beautiful ballad about the choices musicians make. It looks like fun and games from the outside but we all make sacrifices in our careers and there is NO ideal profession. Cherish your time with your loved ones. GOD, family, work and that balance is a constant challenge!! Glad you like the tune!!
Yes! KISS! So many songs to choose from! Peter Criss was a great singer and drummer, in my opinion. Another ballad that he sang is Hard Luck Woman. Rumor has it that it was written for Rod Stewart, but he turned it down. Just as well, because Peter did an amazing job with it, and it remains a favorite of mine to this day. You should put that up here.
@@stevelmartin27 Edited "Criss had a hand in a demo called “Beck,” but his friend, Stan Penridge, was the main writer of the song." "Sung by Peter Criss, the single was an attempt to follow the success of the hit single "Beth" released earlier in the year by releasing another love song sung by Criss. According to Billboard Magazine, Criss' vocal performance sounds similar to Rod Stewart."
From Wikipedia: '"Beth" is Kiss's biggest commercial hit in the United States; it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, received a Gold Record certification from the RIAA, and won the 1977 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Song". In 2003, "Beth" ranked #3 in VH1's 25 Greatest Power Ballads.' Peter Criss (drummer) was the singer on the song. Additionally, 'During recording, Criss was the only band member in the studio, making "Beth" the only Kiss song to have no instrumentals from any member of the band ... Bob Ezrin, the producer, brought in Dick Wagner (guitar and keyboards) and a 25-piece orchestra. Once the orchestra arrived at the studio, Ezrin suggested that all 25 members wear fake tuxedos and that Criss appear in the studio in his trademark makeup so he could take some pictures. For his part, Ezrin put on a top hat and played the grand piano. Finally, Criss recorded the vocals at the Record Plant studio.' - Wikipedia So, literally, this is NOT Kiss at all, but 1 band member making a "single", which was played mainly by Bob Ezrin, Dick Wagner and an orchestra. I believe the video you reacted to is the 2nd recording of the song ... made solely for the music video, syncing the original track to the newly recorded footage. Probably, the only reason this happened at all is because the success of the song required it. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley didn't want "Beth" on the album, because it wasn't a typical Kiss song. Ace Frehley didn't participate in the recording because he was engaged in playing cards with friends. I think that this is why everyone looks so irritated or disengaged.
Jay & Amber, you'll love their "Shout It Out Loud"!! "Beth" was one of their 2 top 10 hits. The band was in the video, but only Peter in the recording studio. On "Beth" it was just drummer Peter Criss: lead vocals; Bob Ezrin: piano and production; Dick Wagner: acoustic guitar; New York Philharmonic: orchestra.
In otherwords, this was a Peter Criss solo and not really KISS. None of the other members are on this track, if I remember right. I just don't love when a BAND has a song that only ONE member had anything to do with. This should have been Criss' solo effort, not a KISS song. IMHO.
This was the song kids played for their parents. "See? KISS isn't bad! This is a LOVE song!" And it fooled a lot of parents into thinking this very odd-looking band was just a little on the strange side, and not a threat to their children. LOLOL. It's a great song. As others have said, give "Hard Luck Woman" a listen. Great tune. Love the reaction. Peace!
1977...I was 12 and at 4-H Camp for a week. Every night we'd climb the hill to the pavilion and they'd play music and let us dance. Beth started and a boy a year older than me came and asked me to dance. It was my first slow dance ever! Thanks, Donnie.
Bob Ezrin produced the "Destroyer" album for Kiss that this song came from, and also wrote the beautiful orchestration for this song. He was also a producer on Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and all of Alice Cooper's albums, including his ballad "Only Women Bleed." Very influential producer.
@@michaelasay8587ard luck Woman, I Can't Stop the Rain(Criss solo), Mr. Make Believe (Gene solo), Shandi, A world Without Heroes, I still love you, Reason to live, Forever, Every Time I look At You. They had a few.
When this first came out, EVERYONE was shocked!!! Turns out, at the time, this was their biggest hit (if I remember correctly)! Even people that didn't like KISS liked this one!
That's me. I was just a kid, not yet a teenager. Couldn't stand Kiss' sound but I really liked this song and was shocked as a little kid that there was no screeching or yelling, just a beautiful ballad.
Yeah, I was never a big kiss fan because her music was bad more because they thought they needed all that gimmick with the make up……. And then this song came out.😂🎉❤
@@FUBAR1986 I saw them in '75, and at that time, gimmicks were all the rage. They never were the most technical guys but, they loud, they rocked kinda hard, and they were fun.
KISS was my first concert when I was 14 in 1977. My Dad (rip) asked to hear a sample of their music before signing off, and I played him "Beth" lol. BTW Cheap Trick was the opening act!
Hey. I saw Cheap Trick open for Kiss around 1977ish myself. In San Francisco at the Cow Palace Area. Second time seeing Kiss, never heard of Cheap Trick at the time. Was totally blown away by them, a buddy and I sent the next week at school telling people about Cheap Trick. Ha !
@@randybliss6480 Yeah, we laughed about it later in life. I didn't learn until after his passing 366 days ago, that he was the driving force behind the scene, of me becoming a drummer! Thank you Dad!
when i married my former husband, he was a musician (still is). then became a cop on the graveyard shift. he was gone most of the time or sleeping. i’m independent enough to hold down the fort and kids. i learned when in a band, it’s a team thing. if all members aren’t there for the practices recordings, gigs … til they’re done, you’re either in or out. i understood that and didn’t complain. it doesn’t work for women who can’t be alone. my daughter is not like me. i taught her, if you think you won’t be able to handle being alone a lot or won’t be near relatives or friends, don’t marry a cop, firefighter, doctor, musician or traveling salesman
I was never a big Kiss fan growing up. But this was my absolute favorite ballad. When it hit the Billboard top 10, that was the first time some of us had ever heard of Kiss. While Kiss had a lot of fans for their rock songs, Beth extended their reach out to people, like me and all my friends, who didn't listen to rock at the time. It was a huge hit.
Peter Criss was the singer of this song Beth. This gave time in the concert for Gene, Paul, and Ace to go back stage and get a drink and a little makeup touch up.
Beth, that no one would guess was KISS, was their biggest hit. It went to #7 on Billboard Hot 100. It came in at #3 on the VH1 25 Greatest Power Ballads. Great song.
Yes, pay a little more attention...lol "Beth" was not only written by Peter Chris, he sings it; "Beth" was one of the biggest hits KISS ever had. Gene didn't mind "Beth" too much, the song he absolutely hated, and still hates to this day is "I Was Made For Lovin You", Gene can't stand that song; unfortunately for him, it too turned out to be one of their biggest hits ever. You guys should check out "We Are One"
This song was one of their biggest hits ever. I'll never forget the radio station my father would turn on while we're eating dinner at the table. It essentially played easy listening music. At times, the music was instrumental. Well, part of the instrumental rotation was the song Beth.
Beth was KISS’s all time biggest hit. This was on the B side of Detroit Rock City (I have the single) I love how they gather around the piano & sing this at the end of their concerts. Great song!
I had the single and played it frequently, as well as the b-side. Every time I've heard "Detroit Rock City" since then, though, it sounded strange to my ears. I've always felt they used a different mix on that song, which they sometimes do.
Yes, "Beth" is a good ballad. And realistically, it really helped put KISS in the mainstream spotlight. And I admittedly say that, as someone who has been a diehard (ie: my favorite band of all) KISS fan since October 1976. That being said...If you haven't already reacted to it...Give a listen to the studio LP version of "I Still Love You", from the album Creatures Of The Night. IMHO, it surpasses "Beth", even though "Beth" reached #7 on the American Billboard Top 40. And "I Still Love You" wasn't even released as a single. It seems that every "music reactor" always listens to the version of "I Still Love You" that was performed on MTV's Unplugged show. And it's a fantastic version. Really shows off how good Paul Stanley's voice USED to be... when he was only 43-44. But I have always preferred the original album version from 1982.
Yes, it's drummer Peter Criss singing, not Paul Stanley. This song was actually the B side of the Detroit Rock City single & DJ's across America flipped it over & started playing Beth. This is one of KISS' biggest hits & pretty much cemented their super star stars as following the success of their 4th lp KISS Alive. They won a People's Choice Award for this single in 1977 & it was accepted at the awards show by Peter's wife Lydia.
The irony is one of their other biggest hits (on the charts, at least) was sung by Ace Frehley, - "Back in the New York Groove" - technically one of their 4 "solo" albums, but it could not have been any more solo than Beth was/is
My very first rock concert was KISS in Baton Rouge (1977). I was standing at the wall right in front of the stage. During this song, Peter had several red roses that he threw into the audience. He looked straight at me and threw one to me. I caught the stem, but the guy behind me grabbed the flower part and gave it to his girlfriend. I also got 2 guitar picks from Ace Frehley. I gave one to my friend Elizabeth who didn't catch anything. I gave the other pick to my son around 2000 when he was taking guitar lessons from a former Sonny and Cher backup guitarist. Of course, Gene Simmons was extremely flamboyant and was known for his outrageously long tongue. My little 16 year old mind couldn't handle it when he ground his crotch about 3 feet in front of my face while whipping that tongue out. I was actually kind of terrified. The pyrotechnics in their show were amazing. Other than a stolen flower and Gene's shenanigans, it was mindblowingly amazing.
Hey my friend I was there too in 77. We all drove up from New Orleans. I had seen them in 75 at the warehouse or was it 76. I can't remember but 76 they also played the municipal auditorium. It was the destroyer tour and it was awesome!✌️😎🔥
My sister and I were huge fans. When we got to see Peter sing this live, it was a life dream. Such great memories attached to this! This video is from KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM (of the park). Music, movies, comic books with their blood in the ink... They did it all!
I wondered if that was from the movie! I can recall a movie I haven't seen since 1981 or so but can't remember the name of the restaurant I ate at last month. Stupid menopause brain.
This is like an alternate reality where Barry Manilow is a member of Kiss. (This song by Peter Criss was put on a B-Side album, but it became a surprise hit when radio DJ's started playing it because it was so unexpected from Kiss).
This is from kiss meets the phantom, a made for TV movie. Peter Criss the drummer is the singer, One of my all time favorite songs. Thanks for bringing back some great memories! Love y’all!
This song was sung by Peter Criss (the drummer) and the cat. This song was huge in the crossover market. They went from Rock stations to Top 40 Pop stations and opened up a whole new fan base who found out who KISS was. Before this song they were viewed as Heavy Metal but everyone heard this song and said wait a minute. I believe this was written by Peter Criss also.
This song was written and preformed by Peter Criss before he joined Kiss, it was about the lead singer and his wife/gf of his former band and was originally named Beck
This won the Peoples' Choice Award for Best song of 1976! This was the B-Side to Detroit Rock City, and DJ's started playing the other side and gave them their biggest-charting hit. And the video clip is from "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park", their made for TV movie. Gene looks on edge because there's a "phantom" stalking and trying to sabotage the band, who received a huge amount of money from the park which cut funding from a disgruntled employee... You just have to see it. 😄
When I was in middle school in the 70's, there were these guys that came to school with their faces painted like a Kiss member all the time! I rode the bus with them.
You are correct; it was Peter Criss, the drummer with the cat whiskers who sang that. It is rumored that this song, due to its unexpected popularity, sparked the unspoken tradition of groups putting a rock ballad on their albums in imitation/tribute to Kiss.
This was the first song I slow danced to in the 8th grade. I loved it so much my daughter's middle name is Beth and my daughter passed it down to my granddaughter. It still makes me a bit emotional hearing Peter Criss singing with the New York Philharmonic orchestra. A true work of art and thanks so much for sharing your first time with us!
Peter Criss, the drummer, sang lead on 2 of KISS's biggest radio hits, "Beth" and "Hard Luck Woman." Beth was on the Destroyer album and the producer of the album practically forced KISS to include it. It was there because the albums producer said KISS needed to have some softer songs that were about something other than getting laid. He felt this was necessary because he had attended a KISS concert, loved it, but noticed the audience was almost entirely male. He said KISS needed to broaden their music so they would appeal to women and broaden their audience. He was exactly right, and KISS acknowledges that this was a turning point in their careers because lots of women started showing up at concerts after Beth became a hit.
KISS was mine and a cousin's first ever concert. I was 14 and the concert happened to be on her 14th B'day (in Nov. of 1976). It was also when this song had first come out a few months beforehand, so it was a big hit. I remember 'CatMan' sitting on an old travel style trunk with a spotlight on him, while he sang it. The concert was awesome! 🎉😊🎉
Hi Jay and Amber, This is original Kiss drummer Peter Criss on lead vocals, the song is about his wife, it was released in 1976!! 😀 😀 🤘 🤘 🎸 🎸 🎸 I'm gonna see Kiss on their Farewell Tour when they come to my neck of the woods, which is Glasgow, Scotland on 8th July, at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, so looking forward to seeing them!! 😀 😀 🤘 🤘 🎸 🎸 🎸
G'day guys..first of all..I love watching your show..it's really cool...I'am a huge KISS fan..Peter Criss "the catman" drummer sings the song..which was a top ten hit IN '76...but if you really want to hear KISS in all there glory, then go and buy KISS Alive and KISS Alive 2..once you hear those two albums..you will be even more a KISS fan..all the best to you both..you guys ROCK!
A song from one of the K-tel albums I had as a preteen. Another song from one of those albums by a 70's rocker that you would never guess if you heard it is You And Me by Alice Cooper. Yes, just like this song by Kiss it is a ballad from an unexpected place.
At the reunion concert, in St Paul, MN,they said goodnight,and, left the stage. We knew that more was coming, because the lights didnt go up. When we saw the drum stool being brought to the front of the stage,we knew that Peter was coming out to sing Beth. The band came out and sang Detroit Rock City and Rock And Roll All Night,for the encore.
Guys loved the reaction. Beth is actually Kiss's biggest hit. Made it into the top 10 on the charts. The hit was supposed to be Detroit Rock City, which it is but somehow Beth got on the radio & it was a huge hit. And that is Peter Criss the drummer doing the vocals on Beth. Jay a Kiss ballad that would be more up to what you might expect from them, there's a few really good ones. The one I would go with is. I Still Love You. The Kiss Alive 3 version or the MTV unplugged version are both fantastic. That might be Paul Stanley at his very best vocally. Just a great song to. Also Forever, Every Time I Look At You also on the MTV unplugged is really good.
I cannot express with words how happy I am that you reacted to this song 🥺 It's my ultimate favourite KISS song and one of the best rock ballads ❤️ Thank you for this
I saw you guys were doing Beth and I clicked on it immediately. I knew the two of you were going to get a big surprise with that one. For those of us that grew up with Kiss, this song was always a fan favorite. And it was always a treat to see Peter Criss sing it in concert. He sang a few of their songs. You guys should really check out Hard Luck Woman.
This version was released in 1976. I really love how you all are bringing back these older songs. Growing up in that era Kiss was my favorite band. FYI They also sang this song in the movie they had. KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK. They put that movie out in 1978.
