ACE FREHLEY

by

Ace Frehley

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I absolutely thought KISS was one of the best things in my life when I was 9 or 10 years old. I didn't think a thing about the sexual innuendoes, the drugs, the whatevers, I just loved KISS. Now that I'm an adult, some of those sexual innuendoes are just hysterical, make you want to cringe thinking you liked it at one time, and make it an embarassment to say you liked KISS.

Ace Frehley in my mind was always exempt from this. By far, Ace was always my favourite member of KISS, his lead guitar playing is vastly underrated,(his leads had hooks, they were part of the song like the melody), and he didn't dive the depths of immature sexual innuendo as much as grown men such as Gene or Paul. Honestly, Gene and Paul wrote kiddie stuff, embarassing for a 35 year old to be writing honestly, and strictly derived to accomodate a certain market. Young, 16 year old boys who can't drink, smoke or get girls yet. Ace didn't write songs like that, apart from Cold Gin on the first KISS album.

This album stands well to time. The songs do not sound dated, the lyrics are not stupid or banal or anything indicating a 70's attitude, and it just rocks. All the way through. There is not a weak track on it, and even though criticism is there on Wiped Out from other fans, I love that song for its time changes (Anton Fig's drumming on this song is the album's standout) and it is just a great song period. Its always been one of my top 3 songs on the album. Ace just really showed how talented he was. I've never read Simmons autobiography, and I have no interest in it, but Ace always lived up to his potential even if he was chemically enhanced sometimes. Its why Ace's solo album was the best received by a wider fan base than the KISS Army, the critics and musicians alike, it was THAT good an album. It has an element of STREET about it, slightly punk in attitude. This album is actually full of attitude, and it just says New York all over it.

Ace had pop sensibilities as well. 'What's On Your Mind' borderlines between hard rock and pop. No, Ace is not the greatest singer, but he has that Jimi Hendrix approach where in the end you can't hear anyone else singing the songs as well but Ace Frehley.

It has become a cliche this album. I imagine people who don't even own it now say Frehley's album was the best when giving their mock history of KISS. The fact of the matter was, it is and still is. You can play the whole thing through and not smirk because the lyrics are hokey or childish, the guitar solos are polished and gutsy at the same time, the drummer was great, the songs and arrangements were class, the production was just near perfect but just enough punk to have credibility. If not for Frehley, the next KISS album (Dynasty) would have been horrible and so dated in sound and sentiment that they might not have survived to GET to the 80's. Some say Simmons and Stanley are KISS, including themselves, but what a shame. Ace Frehley consistently came up with songs that even KISS fans say are the best songs in the KISS repertoire, Cold Gin, Parasite, Shock Me, Rocket Ride, Hard Times. The guy just had tons of talent and should have gotten out of KISS as soon as he released this album.

THAT would have been a success story. Maybe Simmons is right and Frehley never lived up to his potential. Maybe its because he had Simmons telling him he never would, you just never know.

Do you mean to tell me that Ace Frehley all messed up on booze and drugs working at half the potential, STILL came up with a better KISS album than KISS ever achieved? Even with Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, Hotter Than Hell, Ace Frehley's solo album was so together that no one could diss it. There's no Goin Blind's, no Great Expectations, no Love Theme From KISS, that just makes you say was this person serious when they wrote this? They are joking right??? Frehley's album you can listen to as a kid, and listen to as an adult and say, I knew I had good taste.

I've always liked this debut solo album from Ace Frehley. I remember first getting the record many years ago when I was a kid. Ace Frehley was my first guitar hero. There's a total of nine tracks on this disc. I find every track to be good and energetic. The musical direction of the album is straight-ahead hard rock. Eight of the tracks are straight-ahead hard rockers, and the other one is an instrumental ("Fractured Mirror"). The musicianship, songwriting, and production are good. The tracks that I like the most are "Rip It Out," "Snow Blind," and "Fractured Mirror." Ace Frehley does a cool job with the guitar playing, and his vocals are good. "Snow Blind" sports a catchy guitar riff, and the instrumental "Fractured Mirror" is also very nice and enjoyable. I have always liked the cover painting of Ace Frehley, too. This disc is good and worth a listen.