10 Albums That Changed My Life: Eric Singer
KISS drummer Eric Singer's influences, like many children of the '60s and '70s, are numerous and varied. Here are his 10 album picks.
As a member of KISS, Eric Singer provides the thunder serving a backbeat to the NYC staple's bombastic escapades. But if we peel back the onion, like many children of the '60s and '70s, Singer's influences are numerous and varied.
"I'll start with a KISS album as an honorable mention," Singer quips. "I discovered KISS right when their first came out. Before the album came out, I saw their photo in Rock Scene Magazine, a New York rock magazine, but it was printed in newspaper print. The cover was glossy, but the pages were black and white newsprint. They covered young bands from around NYC, and that's when I first saw KISS. I remember seeing a little picture of KISS, and Paul Stanley told me that he sent that photo to the magazine for them to print. I can't verify, but I think it's their first-ever print press clipping, if you will.
"So, right away, I was into them because I was into the U.K. glam stuff, and KISS had some of that going on, so I fell in love right away," Singer continues. "I saw KISS on their first tour when they came to Cleveland opening for Rory Gallagher, so I was in on KISS early. Having said all of that, my favorite records of those first three leading up to Alive! But my absolute favorite of the three is Dressed to Kill. I love the get-to-the-point vibe and the spirit behind those songs. Sure, KISS had a heaviness about them, but they had that '60s rock and roll stuff influencing their music, too. A lot of that had to do with the way Peter Criss played drums; he didn't play like Bonham, Ian Paice, or Bill Ward, Peter played more like a '50s or '60s early rock drummer, and that unique style and the chemistry between the guys created a special sound they fully captured on Dressed to Kill."
Be it the cool-as-the-other-side-of-the-pillow jazz of Miles Davis, the explosive cacophony that was the mighty Led Zeppelin, or the spaced-out prog-rock exploits of Pink Floyd, to be sure, all of it played a role in shaping Singer's expressive style behind the kit. Still, one might wonder, "How does an artist with such a varied palette choose which albums mean the most to me?" Well, Singer has a method to his madness, of course.
