Monthly Archives: September 2020

Ace Frehley on his covers album and his top guitar solos

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Greg Prato

Although Ace Frehley has certainly penned (or co-penned) quite a few rock classics – “Cold Gin,” “Parasite,” “Shock Me,” etc. – he has always had a knack for selecting cover songs by others, resulting in some of his best-known tunes. In case you forgot, I’m talkin’ ’bout his biggest hit, “New York Groove” (penned by Russ Ballard), “2000 Man” (by Jagger-Richards),” and “Into The Night” (another penned by Ballard).

So it made sense when Ace went “the all-covers route” with 2016’s Origins Vol. 1, which saw Kiss’ original “spaceman” take on tunes by the likes of the Stones, Hendrix, and Cream, among others. The album was such a success that four years later, Ace released a follow-up, Origins Vol. 2.

Here, Ace goes track-by-track through Origins Vol. 2, explaining what it was about the originals that got his attention. And also, we couldn’t resist asking him to name his top Kiss guitar solos and explain how he comes up with them. That breakdown is after the track-by-track.

“Good Times Bad Times” by Led Zeppelin

That was the first Led Zeppelin song I ever heard on record because it was the first song on Led Zeppelin I. I was lucky enough to see Led Zeppelin’s first New York appearance at the Fillmore East when I was a teenager – they were opening for Iron Butterfly. They just blew me away. I knew from the minute I saw them that they were going to be huge. And of course, we all know the history behind Led Zeppelin.

“Never In My Life” by Mountain

I was always a big Mountain fan. Later on in life, I became friends with Leslie West because we met on the road and he invited me to his house for dinner. He was always a guitar player that impressed me, because he never played really super-fast solos. He always did melodic, bluesy guitar solos, but he knew where to place the notes. He was a master at that.

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Ace Frehley recalls awkward encounter with Prince

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UCR

Ace Frehley holds a lot of respect for Prince, even if their lone encounter was “awkward.”

In the opinion of the former Kiss guitarist, the best thing about the Purple One was his distinctive style. Whenever he would hear a Prince song, Frehley tells Ultimate Prince, “you knew it was Prince right away – the way he sang and the way he put songs together, his production. It was Prince all the way. He had his own style, and he excelled at it.”

Frehley is reminded of Prince on those nights when his work takes him to First Avenue, the Minneapolis club made famous by Prince in Purple Rain. “That’s a great venue and a great crowd,” Frehley notes. “I remember performing there at least two or three times. Every time I go there, I go, ‘Oh, this is where they filmed the movie!’ Which I thought was pretty cool. It was very tragic, the fact that we lost him so young.”

The guitarist met Prince only once, at a party, and recalls the encounter as “a little awkward, because I didn’t realize he was that short. I was like a foot taller than him, because I had heels on. I said hello to him, but we never really conversed. It was just a brief meeting. I never really spent any time with Prince.”

Had they been able to spend more time together, perhaps they could have bonded over their shared love of Jimi Hendrix. Frehley’s upcoming covers album, Origins, Vol. 2, includes a rendition of Hendrix’s “Manic Depression.” The first volume, released in 2016, featured a take on “Spanish Castle Magic.” Prince remade Hendrix’s “Red House” as “Purple House” for a 2004 Hendrix tribute album, though he was skeptical of being compared to the guitar legend.

“It’s only because he’s black, that’s really the only thing we have in common,” Prince said in 1985. “He plays different guitar than I do. If they really listened to my stuff, they’d hear more of a [Carlos] Santana influence than Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix played more blues; Santana played prettier. You can’t compare people, you really can’t – unless someone is blatantly trying to rip somebody off.”

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Ace Frehley New Single Released Today – I’m Down

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ACE FREHLEY – NEW COVERS LP, ORIGINS VOL. 2 OUT SEPTEMBER 18th
“I’m Down'” – new single out today

“I’m Down” is the second single off Ace Frehley’s  upcoming cover album installment – Origins Vol. 2. Ace’s take on the Little Richard-inspired Beatles b-side classic is nothing short of a complete hard rock, nuts and bolts overhaul. Featuring ripping guitar work from the legendary John 5, Ace and co tossed the organ solo clean out the window and replaced it with an absolute melter of a solo. Ace vox and guitar playing are the best they’ve been in years and Ace fans will be delighted by this bar raising cut.