Ace Frehley (album)
| Ace Frehley | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover painting by Eraldo Carugati | |||||||||||
| Studio album by Ace Frehley | |||||||||||
| Released | September 18, 1978 | ||||||||||
| Recorded |
June–July 1978 "The Mansion", Sharon, Connecticut Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, New York | ||||||||||
| Genre | Hard rock | ||||||||||
| Length | 36:25 | ||||||||||
| Label | Casablanca | ||||||||||
| Producer |
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| Ace Frehley chronology | |||||||||||
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| Kiss chronology | |||||||||||
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| 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. In an interview with Loudwire, Frehley stated that some of the songs from his solo album were originally slated for the fifth Kiss album, Rock and Roll Over.
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".[4] Jason Josephes of Pitchfork concurred that it was the standout of the Kiss solo efforts, describing it as "a melange of riff rock, power pop, and just a little bit of soul".[2]
Commercial performance
"New York Groove", which was first recorded in 1975 by British glam rock band Hello, rose to No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[5] This was the highest chart placement for any of the singles released from the 1978 solo albums. The album reached No. 26 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. It was certified platinum on October 2, 1978 and shipped over 1,000,000 copies.[6] It is also the highest selling of the four KISS solo albums.[7]
Track listing
All tracks written by Ace Frehley, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rip It Out" (Frehley, Larry 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 |
| 6. | "New York Groove" (Russ Ballard) | 3:01 |
| 7. | "I'm In Need of Love" | 4:36 |
| 8. | "Wiped-Out" | 4:08 |
| 9. | "Fractured Mirror" | 5:25 |
Total length: |
36:25 | |
Personnel
- Ace Frehley – lead and backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, guitar synthesizer, bass guitar
- Anton Fig – drums, percussion
- Will Lee – bass guitar on "Ozone", "I'm in Need of Love" and "Wiped-Out"
- Carl Tallarico – drums on "Fractured Mirror"
- David Lasley and Susan Collins – backing vocals on "Speedin' Back to My Baby", "What's on Your Mind?" and "New York Groove"
- Larry Kelly – backing vocals on "Rip It Out"
- Bill "Bear" Scheniman – bell on "Fractured Mirror"
- Bobby McAdams – power mouth (talk box) on "New York Groove"
Production
- Eddie Kramer and Ace Frehley - production
- Eddie Kramer, Rob Freeman - engineering
- Eric Block, Don Hunerburg - assistant engineers
- Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, NYC
- Album design by Dennis Woloch
- Album artwork by Eraldo Carugati
Charts
Album
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[8] | 26 |
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
| Canada RPM100[9] | 34 |
Singles
| Single | Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "New York Groove" | US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 13 |
| Single | Chart (1979) | Peak position |
| "New York Groove" | Canada RPM100 Singles[11] | 25 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart[12] | 24 | |
Certification
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[13] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[14] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- ↑ Prato, Greg. "Review Ace Frehley". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- 1 2 Josephes, Jason. "Review Ace Frehley". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 2003-06-26. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ↑ "Kiss: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
- ↑ Greg Prato. "Ace Frehley - Ace Frehley,Kiss | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
- ↑ "AllMusic-Billboard". Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ↑ "RIAA-Gold and Platinum". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ↑ Kiss: Sound Scan Era Record Sales Revealed - Blabbermouth.net
- ↑ "AllMusic-Billboard". Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ↑ RPM100 RPM100 albums chart history - February 3, 1979 October 1, 2011.
- ↑ Billboard Hot 100. Allmusic - Billboard charts. October 1, 2011.
- ↑ RPM100. RPM100 singles chart history - February 17, 1979. October 1, 2011.
- ↑ Recorded Music NZ. Official New Zealand Music Chart - February 25, 1979. October 1, 2011.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Ace Frehley – Kiss". Music Canada.
- ↑ "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
- KISSONLINE.COM Discography- Ace Frehley, Accessed on July 28, 2008
