The Year Of KISS: Ace Frehley (1978)

“I hope you suffer…..”

KISS was on top of the world in 1978…..at least on the surface. Behind the scenes the band was falling apart. What was really going on with the band? It depends on who you ask. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have been accused of being control freaks who tried to bend Ace and Peter to their will. Ace Frehley apparently wanted the band to move in a heavier direction and his drug and alcohol abuse was supposedly spiraling out of control. Peter Criss was also battling with alcohol and drugs and apparently struggling with his band duties. All four of them also wanted a break from one another. There are tons of other reasons, truths, lies, etc., that I could mention, but that’s not why I’m making this post. I’m here to talk about the four solo albums by KISS released in 1978. The first one that I’m going to look at is Ace Frehley.

Just one quick search on the internet will reveal that Ace’s solo album is almost unanimously considered to be the best of the four releases. Fans and critics alike have waxed poetic about how amazing this album for years is and I have to admit that they are absolutely correct. Ace knocked it out of the park with this album. It’s one ripe rocker after another with only What’s On Your Mind and the instrumental Fractured Mirror slowing things down slightly.

Prior to the release of Ace Frehley, the Space Ace was known for only one vocal performance on a KISS album. That performance was Shock Me from Love Gun (1977). On his solo album, Ace took charge of vocals on all of the tracks except for the aforementioned instrumental piece, Fractured Mirror. He also performed all of the guitars on the album (lead, rhythm, bass, and acoustic) with a few minor exceptions. Drums were handled by Anton Fig on all but one track and his future bandmate in The Most Dangerous Band In The World, Will Lee, handled bass duties on three tracks. The rest of the band was comprised of talented studio musicians who provided amazing accompaniment to Frehley’s blistering guitar work.

Ace also handled nearly all of the songwriting duties on the album. No slouch when it came to KISS’ prior albums (Frehley wrote early KISS staples such as Cold Gin, Getaway, Parasite, and more), Frehley wrote five of the tracks by himself, co-wrote three others, and covered New York Groove by Hello (written by Russ Ballard). The songs are heavy, nearing a heavy metal sound at times, and showcase Frehley’s amazing guitar work.

The album features nine tracks. Only one single was released, New York Groove. It reached #13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was the highest charting single from any of the four solo albums. The album itself charted at #26 on the US Billboard 200, making it the second highest charting solo release of the four. It has since gone on to become the best selling solo album of the four releases.

Track Listing:

1. Rip It Out
2. Speedin’ Back To My Baby
3. Snow Blind
4. Ozone
5. What’s On Your Mind
6. New York Groove (single and cover song)
7. I’m In Need Of Love
8. Wiped-Out
9. Fractured Mirror (instrumental)

Personnel: Ace Frehley (all guitars except those listed below), Anton Fig (drums), Will Lee (bass guitar on Ozone, I’m In Need Of Love, and Wiped-Out), Carl Tallarico (drums on Fractured Mirror), Bill Scheniman (bell on Fractured Mirror), Bobby McAdams (power mouth on New York Groove), David Lasley, Susan Collins, and Larry Kelly (backing vocals)

One thing that I’ve noticed about all four of these solo albums is that each of them seemed to focus on specific themes. Ace’s album appears to have most of its focus on alcohol and drug abuse and love won and lost. Of course, Ace delivers all of these songs and themes on the back of massive guitars.

Frehley’s album is definitely my favorite of the bunch. Many people claim that it’s the most KISS sounding album of the four but I have to disagree. It’s the most Ace sounding album of the bunch. Had Ace Frehley remained in the band and managed to somehow influence Gene and Paul to move the band’s sound in his direction, later KISS albums would have been harder and edgier in my opinion. I would love to be able to hear a KISS album featuring Ace, Paul, Gene, and Eric Carr released in 1989. It would be much better than Hot In The Shade in my opinion. Alas, that’ll never happen.

My favorite tracks on the album include Rip It Out, Ozone, Snow Blind, and Wiped-Out. That being said, there isn’t a bad track on the album at all. Every single song is a keeper, and that’s rare on any album. It’s been said that the love shown to both Ace and his solo album made other members of the group, especially Gene and Paul, jealous of his success. That may or may not be true, but I’m sure that it didn’t help the chaotic atmosphere within the band. If nothing else, it showed the world that Ace could write and perform music just as good or even better than his bandmates.

Thanks for checking out my review of Ace Frehley. Next week I’ll be taking a look at the album that is considered to be the worst of the bunch. I won’t name it for now, but I will say that I’m actually a fan of the album and will do my best to defend it. See you again real soon!