Ace Frehley (album)

Ace Frehley
Studio album by Ace Frehley
Released September 18, 1978
Recorded February–July 1978, Plaza Sound Studios, New York, N.Y., the Mansion, Sharon, Connecticut
Genre Hard rock, heavy metal
Length 36:38
Label Casablanca
Producer Eddie Kramer, Ace Frehley
Ace Frehley chronology

Ace Frehley
(1978)		 Frehley's Comet
(1987)
Kiss chronology
Gene Simmons
(1978)		 Ace Frehley
(1978)		 Peter Criss
(1978)
Singles from Ace Frehley
  1. "New York Groove"
    Released: 1978
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Pitchfork Media (8.5/10)[2]
Rolling Stone [3]

Ace Frehley is a 1978 solo album from Ace Frehley, the lead guitarist of American hard rock band Kiss. It was one of four solo albums released by the members of Kiss on September 18, 1978.

Background

The album featured Anton Fig on drums. He later performed session work on the Kiss albums Dynasty and Unmasked, and became a member of Ace Frehley's band Frehley's Comet. Fig and Will Lee, who played bass on three of the album's tracks, later gained international prominence as members of the World's Most Dangerous Band and the CBS Orchestra along with Paul Shaffer on Late Night with David Letterman and Late Show with David Letterman.

Chart performance

"New York Groove", which was first recorded in 1975 by British glam rock band Hello, rose to #13 on the US Billboard chart.[4] This was the highest chart placement for a Kiss single since "Beth" in 1976, until the song "I Was Made for Lovin' You" a year later (#11). The album reached #26 on the US Billboard album chart. It was certified platinum on October 2, 1978 and shipped over 1,000,000 copies.[5]

Critical reception

Allmusic rated the album 4 stars out of 5 and said, "Of the four Kiss solo albums, the best of the bunch is Ace Frehley's."[6]

Track listing

All songs written by Ace Frehley, except where noted.

Side one

  1. "Rip It Out" (Frehley, Larry Kelly, Sue Kelly) – 3:39
  2. "Speedin' Back to My Baby" (Frehley, Jeanette Frehley) – 3:35
  3. "Snow Blind" – 3:54
  4. "Ozone" – 4:41
  5. "What's on Your Mind?" – 3:26

Side two

  1. "New York Groove" (Russ Ballard) – 3:01
  2. "I'm in Need of Love" – 4:36
  3. "Wiped-Out" (Frehley, Anton Fig) – 4:08
  4. "Fractured Mirror" – 5:25

Cover versions

Two tracks from the album, "Rip It Out" and "Snowblind", were covered by the Chemical People and Skin Yard, respectively, on Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation. The Foo Fighters released a cover of "Ozone" on the Special Oz Tour Edition of their eponymous debut album, and as a B-side to their singles "Winnebago", "I'll Stick Around" and "Big Me". The songs "Snow Blind" and "Fractured Mirror" were also covered by former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, who was a huge Ace Frehley fan.[7] The Donnas released a cover of "Speedin' Back to My Baby" in 1998.[8]

Personnel

Charts

Album

Chart (1978) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[9] 26
Chart (1979) Peak
position
Canada RPM100[10] 34

Singles

Single Chart (1978) Peak
position
"New York Groove" US Billboard Hot 100[11] 13
Single Chart (1979) Peak
position
"New York Groove" Canada RPM100 Singles[12] 25
New Zealand Singles Chart[13] 24

Certification

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[14] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum 1,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Prato, Greg. "Review Ace Frehley". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  2. ↑ Josephes, Jason. "Review Ace Frehley". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 2003-06-26. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  3. ↑ "Kiss: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
  4. ↑ "AllMusic-Billboard". Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  5. ↑ "RIAA-Gold and Platinum". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  6. ↑ Greg Prato. "Ace Frehley - Ace Frehley,Kiss | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  7. ↑ Guitar World, vol. 5 No. 4, April 1994
  8. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/The-Donnas-Speeding-Original-Pressing/dp/B00A9KHRQQ
  9. ↑ "AllMusic-Billboard". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  10. ↑ RPM100 RPM100 albums chart history - February 3, 1979 October 1, 2011.
  11. ↑ Billboard Hot 100. Allmusic - Billboard charts. October 1, 2011.
  12. ↑ RPM100. RPM100 singles chart history - February 17, 1979. October 1, 2011.
  13. ↑ Recorded Music NZ. Official New Zealand Music Chart - February 25, 1979. October 1, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Ace Frehley – Kiss". Music Canada.
  15. ↑ "American album certifications – Ace Frehley – Kiss – Ace Frehley". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links