1266. Ace Frehley / Trouble Walkin'. 1989. 3.5/5

Best known as the original lead guitarist of Kiss, Ace Frehley had struck out by himself after he had left the band in the early 1980’s, looking to burn a trail of his own. He had eventually formed the band called Frehley’s Comet, which released two albums, the self titled “Frehley’s Comet” in 1987 and “Second Sighting” in 1988, both of which were backed up by tours supporting bands such as Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden. Despite the initial excellent reaction to the band and first album, their fortunes declined quickly, to the point that Frehley decided on a reset to hopefully be able to stage a revival. He dropped the band name, and decided to go back to just playing under his own name. Also at this time, guitarist and vocalist Tod Howarth left the band and was replaced by Richie Scarlett who already had a history playing with Ace. John Regan remained on bass guitar and synths, while Anton Fig, who was a regular with Ace albums as well as contributing to Kiss albums, was again on drums. Eddie Kramer, who also had a history with both Ace and Kiss, was back as producer, with Ace and John leaning over his shoulder.
The album came at an interesting time, and featured some interesting guests as well as choices in songs. Former band mate Peter Criss came on board to lend supporting vocals to four songs on the album, and rekindled a friendship. It also has three members of the band Skid Row lending their vocal support, in Seb Bach, Dave Sabo and Rachel Bolan, all of whom were huge Kiss fans, and needed little convincing to come on board. And with Ace taking over as (almost) full time lead vocalist as well as guitar, the new album not only had the solid backbone of the band as a whole, but with Ace being more front and centre, it truly felt like it was HIS solo album, and the chance to truly show his best side on an album that he called “Trouble Walkin’”

The album has a lot of different writing combinations, which on occasion can make for an album that is fluid, that the style of songs written don’t seemto fit together to make a cohesive album. But here on “Trouble Walkin’” that doesn’t appear to be an issue. Each song concludes and the entry point to the next track is smooth as silk.
“Shot Full of Rock” comes out of the gates like a bull at a red rag, charging along with a... shot full of energy, and featuring a great guitar riff and then trading solo break from Ace and Richie Scarlett, who co-wrote the track. The full backing vocals through the chorus help to make an energised opening song that kicks off the album in style. This is followed by “Do Ya”, the Jeff Lynne composed song that was a hit for his bands The Move and then Electric Light Orchestra. It also became the only single released from this album, for me a really strange choice in that regard. Ace is not adverse to doing cover songs, and this is a reasonable rendition of the song, though the opportunity from Ace to make it his own with a stunning hard riffing solo was not taken. I think it would have made it better. “Five Card Stud” is the follow up, composed by Ace and Marc Ferrari, and this is again a harder rocking track immediately with the best attributes wired into the song. The drums and guitar riff really heavy this song up together, and Ace is absolutely crushing his vocals on this song. Just like the opening track, this is full of energy throughout and delivers exactly what the album opening has promised it would do. The opening stanza to the album does everything right in dragging you in and getting you entranced to this point in time.
“Hide Your Heart” is an interesting song choice, given its history. Originally written by Paul Stanley and Desmond Child along with Holly Knight, it was written during the sessions for the “Crazy Nights” album and was eventually passed over for inclusion. It was then offered around to other artists, of which there were many. Bonnie Tyler released her version in 1988, and from there it popped up on several other artists albums – including Ace’s version here, and amazingly enough Kiss’s own version on “Hot in the Shade”, released a few days after this. Did Ace and his cohorts decide to show up his former band, and do a version that put them in their place? I actually don’t know the story behind how it turned up here, but I can tell you that it is without doubt the best version of this song out there. They play the harder edge of the track, with gang vocals supporting Ace in all the right places of the song. I love the song and especially this version, which like “Do Ya” is only missing a real Ace burst on guitar to make it really special. It’s the only trick he missed on this version of the song. “Lost in Limbo” is the second Ace/Richie collaboration and closes out side one of the album in pleasing style.
The title track “Trouble Walkin’” opens side two of the album, written by outside writers, and it sounds like it, mainly because it is a different style of song than has come from the opening side of the album. It’s a more stylised rock song, again with a gang vocals chorus and while it has some great guitar riffing through the middle it feels like a more commercialised rock sound than what has come before it. This doesn’t detract from it being a very good song, it’s just a tad different. This is then followed by the third Ace/Richie composition “2 Young 2 Die”, which is the only track on the album not sung by Ace, instead it is Richie who takes on the lead vocals. And he does a great job too, injecting his own enthusiasm in his vocals, and the trade off guitars again in the middle of the track are worth the wait. Richie does a great job on lead vocals here, on a song where Ace may have not done as good a job. “Back to School” sees the return of Ace on vocals, a song that screams mid-80's hair metal, supported by the screams of Seb Bach in the background throughout. Like “Trouble Walkin’” but in a different way, this song doesn’t quite fit the profile of the first side of the album. It’s a different style of track that is fine as it is but feels as though it is outside of the puzzle. And in a way is what leads the end of this album in that different direction. Because the next track “Remember Me” follows its own path again, away from the set up that had been created at the front of the album. It’s a blues backed song that, given the heavier way the album started, seems like strange way for the album to divert to as we approach its conclusion. The musicianship is great, but the song itself for me was a choice that doesn’t meld with the album. Indeed, a word I could use at this point is fractured, and that is the title of the concluding track of the album, the instrumental “Fractured III”, which follows the original instrumental “Fractured Mirror” that closed out Ace’s 1978 solo album, and the closing instrumental “Fractured Too” from the Frehley’s Comet” album. At almost seven minutes it is the longest song of the album, but it is totally worth it. It’s an Ace masterpiece, a song that I never get tired of listening to. This redeems any slight misgivings that a couple of songs may have brought on, and draws the curtain over a terrific album.

I remember my love of Kiss had grown to ample proportions by 1989, mainly on the back of the “Crazy Nights” album, because I remember vividly when this album came out, and the new Kiss album “Hot in the Shade” a few days later. In those days however, there was no way I could consider affording to buy multiple albums at the same time, and so it became a decision as to which album I was going to get. It ended up being the Kiss album, and instead I would look longingly at this album in the racks whenever I was able to check out my local record stores. In the end, it would be almost two years before I got a copy of this album, on my first trip to Bali, where I purchased this (and about fifty other albums) on cassette. The fact that I bought so many other cassettes on that trip made it difficult for them all to get a fair listen, but this album was one of them. For me at that time, it hit the sweet spot. It balanced out the thrash metal I was still very much into with the more commercial bent of the hair and glam metal I was also interested in, along with the growing influence of grunge. And for me that is the real brilliance of this album. It’s a hard rock album that utilises the best aspects of everything Ace emphasised in his previous band and sifted out the chaff to keep what worked for him at this stage of his career. It was released at a really good time for that, and even though I didn’t really discover it until two years later, it mattered not one iota in translation.
I have had this on my playlist for nearly a month now, and as the other albums get whittled away as I complete the episode reviews on them for this podcast, this became a go-to. It has been years since I listened to this album, but over the last little period of time, when I’m deciding what album to put on in the car, or at home in the Metal cavern, this album has been the one that has invariably gotten another listen. I would say over this period I have listened to “Trouble Walkin’” about 30 times, and I’m not tired of it yet. In fact, I keep getting more enthused about listening to it again. Why should this be the case? Is it nostalgia? Is it making me feel 19/21 again? Maybe a little. Ace released an album this year, “10,000 Volts”, which was okay, but it pales into almost insignificance compared to this album. These are fun songs, with lyrics that are fun to sing along to while the album plays. I think it is still a great album, easy to listen to. For me, this is a better album than the Kiss release of the same week, even though it significantly outsold and outperformed this album on the charts.
For me, this is Ace’s best album away from Kiss. His band is great, his guitaring is great, and his vocals are at their peak on this release. And surely the fans reaction to this song in particular would have warmed his heart.

1236. Ace Frehley / 10,000 Volts. 2024. 3/5

Ace Frehley fans have been fortunate over the years in the amount of albums he has released, and his continued effort to have new material out there to showcase his talents and wares. While many people still hark back to that original solo album released in 1978 as a part of the four albums the members of Kiss put out that year, and suggest it was his best release, he has done far more than that which fans have enjoyed. There was the two-album stint of the band Frehley’s Comet in the late 1980’s that took advantage of that era of music to ride the wave, along with his second solo release “Trouble Walkin’”. Since then, there have been plenty of releases after his second tour of duty with Kiss, with albums such as “Anomaly” and “Space Invader” and “Spaceman”, along with “Origins Pt 1” and “Origins Pt 2”. So it’s great to have Ace back in the saddle, and still releasing new music.
Coming on board for this album to help... in every department really... is Steve Brown from the band Trixter. Steve acts as co-writer on all but two of the tracks, and is the co-producer of the album, alongside Ace himself. His Trixter bandmates – David Julian on guitar and PJ Farley on bass – also contribute to playing on several tracks, while Brown himself is also involved instrumentally and back up vocally throughout. Other musicians also help out along the way, including former Kiss contributor Anton Fig on drums.
So, let the listener beware. If you are going to come into this album, and expect some ripping guitar and breakneck songs like the Ace of old may have contributed to in his former band or on earlier albums, then you are coming in with the wrong attitude to enjoying this album. Ace is 72 years old as of the release of this album, and has been around music for well over fifty years. He knows where he fits, and he writes and plays accordingly. And that is the best way to approach listening to this album for the first time, because – and yes this is a spoiler alert – much like many Kiss albums, there are some very good tracks here, and there are some less exciting tracks here. You have been warned.

The album opens with the first teaser single released, the title track “10,000 Volts”. It is probably the hardest rock track of the album, the one to best present Ace and his new album to the world. It also acts as a way of dragging you into the album. This is an uptempo track, with a good hard rock beat, and an atypical latter day Ace solo to appease everyone who comes to the album, because we are all here for Ace’s guitar, aren’t we? The vocals are satisfying, though to me come across very similar to another lead singer who is not QUITE a lead singer, Chris Jericho from Fozzy. Still, a good opening.
For my taste, the tempo slips back to mid-range from here, which is slightly disappointing from a personal perspective. I would like to have heard more of the faster tempo in the album, but that is not the case. “Walkin’ on the Moon” has a good melody line throughout and nice solo lead break and keeps the vibe of the album motoring along. This is followed by “Cosmic Heart” that still resides in the midtempo, but also contains big chorused and phased vocals through the middle of the song, like it was written for an anthemic singalong in the live environment. It's fine, but maybe a bit too obvious in its arrangement. “Cherry Medicine” is a very candy pop rock song both lyrically and musically. The riff to open the song actually makes you think the song is going to break out into a real hard rock song, but it doesn’t develop that way, apart from Ace’s solo in the middle that goes against the grain of the song to that point. It isn’t unlikeable, indeed my feet tapping and head bobbing each time the song comes on suggests it is fine, but again, that mid-tempo riff needs a kick in the pants to get it cranking. Lyrics like “Cherry medicine, gotta get me some” are also a bit hard to swallow.
This is then followed by a real literal love song “Back into my Arms Again”, it could well have been dragged from any glam rock band in the 1980’s such is the sugar dripping off it. Again, lyrics like ‘looking at you, looking at me, could this really be” should suggest what is happening. Seriously, this is almost 1980’s like lyrics writing.
Better is to come. “Fightin’ for Life” returns with a faster pace, great Ace riff, and vocally he’s back trying to drag some energy into the album. I have to refer once again to the band Fozzy, because this track vocally and in some ways musically reminds me of them again. Ace has a great solo in this song, and this mirrors more to what I was hoping this whole album would be like. This is one of the best tracks on the album. Then comes “Blinded” which follows on in similar fashion, with a good underlying riff through the song and a great solo in the middle. These two songs restore some order to the album for those who are looking for a harder edge and energy. But it doesn’t last.
Far out. When it comes to lyrics writing, you can truly rip your ears off with what comes in “Constantly Cute”. No prizes for who Ace is directing this song at, and while it isn’t terrible musically it is a difficult road listening to the lines being sung. In fact, it’s another song with that resemblance to Fozzy (not lyrically). “Life of a Stranger” is the only song on this album where Ace hasn’t been involved in the writing, and to me it shows up immediately. There’s little imagination in the music or lyrics, it drags a blues base into the song and the phased, triple layered Ozzy Osbourne like vocals don’t do it any favours at all. If Ozzy was singing and Zakk was playing guitar it might be saved, but to me this doesn’t grab my interest.
“Up in the Sky” does redeem things a little, picking up the energy again with more power coming through Ace’s guitar here, invoking his enjoyment of writing about aliens once again. This is perhaps the most Ace-sounding song on the album vocally as well. The album then concludes with the instrumental track “Stratosphere” which is arguably the best moment of the entire album.

There’s no doubt that this album is more about writing solid songs than about showcasing Ace as a guitarist, which makes sense in the modern age given the lack of competition from his peers in this regard. While I, like you, probably came into the album hoping to hear Ace rip and tear through the whole album, the amount that that occurs on “10,000 Volts” is not as much as you would like. And Ace is definitely not reinventing the wheel here, but why should he? He has kept writing new material consistently over the years, and he has his own style that he doesn’t try to change. I like the fact that the songs are short, sharp and to the point. They don’t overstay their welcome, they don’t become progressive rock pieces that think that being longer is better. Steve Brown’s influence in both writing and producing does seem to flow into the songs on this album, giving a different flavour to what Ace has offered over his last couple of solo releases.
Obviously you can take or leave what I’ve said about the songs produced here for “10,000 Volts”. As with all new albums, initial reactions can end up being completely different the more or less you listen to the album. As I record this podcast episode, this album is only a few days old, and my impressions in six months time will definitely be different to what I have to say here at this point in time. The comparison made here between the sound on some songs and those of the band Fozzy are just what I have gotten from the first time I listened to the album, but they have stuck.
So I have listened to this album now a total of 23 times over the past few days, and I enjoy it more every time I listen to it. I enjoy Ace’s vocals, and most of the tracks are above average. Some aren’t, as I have described, but when I have had the album on, I haven’t felt the need (especially) to skip any of the songs. When Ace does let rip, it mightn’t be 1978 but it is still inherently Ace Frehley, and that is always great to hear. The lyrics are also typical Ace topics – gangs, space, girls... and a couple that ride the edge of the plane.
The verdict? This isn’t going to blow your mind, but it is a really enjoyable listen, even if that is in a nostalgic kind of way. I have found myself smiling in places when certain songs and stretches of songs have played, and after all, that’s what we want from our music. It isn't “Destroyer”, but for fans looking for something new in your life, this should fit the bill nicely.

750. Ace Frehley / Space Invader. 2014. 2.5/5

Following up his previous album Anomaly from five years ago, Ace Frehley has again written and performed the majority of this himself, which while it sounds great in theory does tend to narrow its ability to surprise. He might be a talented - and legendary - guitarist, but sometimes it helps to have a bit of input from other people in regards to the other parts of the process.

The first half of the album is listenable but suffers from the lack of a really good lead vocalist out front to make the most of what has been written. "Space Invader" is a good hard rock song, with a singable chorus and a great solo spot from Ace, but the change in timing between verses and the lead break is a little mystifying. "Gimme A Feelin'" is more characteristic of that other band Ace was once in, and pull the right strings in most departments. "Change", "Toys" and "What Every Girl Wants" all favour that simple hard rock theme of basic back beat and vocals, shove in a guitar solo, and move on to the next one. Some songs are less inspiring, such as "Immortal Pleasures" and "Inside the Vortex".

The thing that sets this apart from the KISS albums and various other solo projects is this - whereas Paul Stanley can write a great song, and sing them just as well. Ace does what he does well (ie play guitar), but he doesn't write songs as good as Paul's. Like the majority of work Ace has done in his years since KISS, this is hampered by some mediocre song writing, and lackluster vocals, because let's face it, Ace is not a lead singer. But what it does have is Ace's guitar, and while he may not be the best ever, his is a signature guitar sound, and his solos still hold enough to make you listen and say, "Yeah, Ace can still play". For the most part though, the songs are stereotypical harder rock songs that survive on a blues based drum and bass beat that sticks to a similar timing all through each song of the album. Added over the top of this are Ace's monotone vocals that barely raise any enthusiasm throughout, and certainly do not inspire any excitement or heart thumping. In between these comes Ace's guitar, which during the basis of the songs barely makes an impression, before breaking out for short sharp solo breaks that remind you, "Hey this is Ace Frehley!"
Seriously, "Reckless" could have been an eight second short piece that was then placed on a loop and repeated twenty times, because it doesn't seem to change a whole lot during that 4+ minutes. Then there is the cover of "The Joker". Really? Is this necessary? Is it an album filler? Or did Ace just want to do a cover of this song? It's real problem is that it doesn't bring anything new to the song at all, apart from Ace's interpretation of the solo break. the rest is just business as usual. Drab. "Starship" is the instrumental closer, which is more of an opportunity for Ace to express himself on his guitar, but again this seems to just drift into stratosphere without direction, and its length overplays itself, and almost feels as though it is just long for the sake of it, rather than because there is something to listen to or enjoy. It's not bad, it just isn't overly interesting.

There is enough here for fans of Ace to enjoy, and perhaps rate higher than I have. I find myself troubled by the flaws more than I am impressed by the good spots on the album, which dominates my enjoyment of the album overall. It's not a complete loss, but I just get the feeling it could have been a lot better by adding a couple of components and losing a couple of others at the same time.

Rating:  When I play with you there is a chemical reaction.  2.5/5

35. Ace Frehley / Ace Frehley. 1978. 3/5

In 1978, Kiss and their management, in their wisdom, decided that each member of the band would record and release a solo album, with all four to be released on the same day. It had been mandated in the band’s contract, but the recording and releasing all at once was apparently not specified. None of the members were to be involved in the other’s albums, this was a chance for each member to express themselves in their own way. The style of all four solo albums were completely different from each other, which could be seen to be either a good move to be that counterpoint to the main band’s normal sound, or one that maybe went too far.
For Ace Frehley, lead guitarist, backing vocalist and occasional song writer, this opportunity gave him the chance to show the fans – and perhaps even his band mates – what he was capable of producing. He recruited Anton Fig as his drummer, and Eddie Kramer to help him produce the album. Ace himself played all of the lead and rhythm guitars, along with some bass and synth. More importantly, he provided all of the lead vocals for the album, which was a big thing for him at the time. Ace had provided some lead vocals on Kiss songs but was generally a reluctant vocalist. On this album he would be stepping into new territory, which must have been a big step for him. He also wrote the majority of the tracks himself, with a couple being collaborations and one cover song. Of all of the four, it always felt as though it was Ace’s album that would have the most to show and the most to prove. In many ways this is how it panned out.

“Rip it Out” is a great opening track, with Ace getting out on the front foot and producing the kind of uptempo songs that his main band is renowned for. Driven by a great drum beat that becomes an important element of the whole album, Ace sings lustily and adds a great typical solo that tops off a great song. “Speedin’ back to My Baby” continues down this path, and again showcases Ace’s great guitaring but also his lead vocal work. His vocals here are just as good and is another great hard rock track to set the tone for the album early on. “Snow Blind” comes out at a slower tempo but based on the same principle of steady vocals and great solo through the middle to remind you just whose album this is. “Ozone” falls into the trap of finding a riff and repeating it over and over again, making the song a tad drab and predictable without a hook to grab on to. This is followed by “What’s on Your Mind?” which is the first song here that really has any pretence to sound like a song from Ace’s main band, with a similar structure and backing vocal singalong pieces, all of which actually works better than you might expect.
The opening song of the second side is a cover of a song by a band called Hello, an English glam rock band. The song is called “New York Groove” and was actually written by the grand old hitmaker himself, Russ Ballard, who has written dozens of hard rock anthems for bands all around the world. The style of the song is immediately different to those that come before it on the album as a result. This was chosen as the only song released as a single from the album, which to me was a strange choice considering the other songs here actually penned by Ace, but perhaps they decided that the Russ Ballard magic might rub off on it. And indeed they were right, as the songs reached #13 on the US singles charts.
“I’m in Need of Love” again mixes the slower, almost soul-like opening of the track with the burst of energy and power once Ace breaks into the solo slot in the middle of the song, which electrifies for a moment before dropping back to the opening tempo to round out the track. “Wiped-Out” has a contemporary rock them about it, while the album closes out with the longest song on the album, the instrumental “Fractured Mirror”. Now, to be honest, this is an interesting track, and one Ace can do because it is his album, and not a Kiss album. There’s a nice build and rise throughout the song and it is a satisfying way to end the album. But... I just wonder... is it the longest track because they need to fill up the time for the album? And was Ace sick f singing or coming up with lyrics, and this becomes the best way to achieve all of that? Unlikely, as the style of the track does not allow itself lyrical space. Whatever the reason, it does finish the album on a high note.

Despite my enjoyment of Kiss, I did not hear any of these four solo albums until about 20 years ago. I just felt no compunction to go and find them and listen to them. I didn’t know anyone who owned them, so it wasn’t until the years of downloading that I decided to get around to checking them out.
There’s no doubt that this was the one that caught my ear the most. What I like most about it is that it sticks to the ideals that Kiss had performed in their years since inception. The songs stick to that hard rock base, and Ace provides what he does best, his lead guitar work on this album is terrific and generally the best part of each song. The songs are catchy enough, and I think in a live environment would probably improve. Most of all, Ace’s vocals are listenable and stay within his range on all the tracks.
20 years ago I found this to be listenable without anything encouraging me to listen to it more than I did. Over the past few days revisiting this and the other three solo albums, this for me is the standout, which may not be saying much. But I have found myself singing along, enjoying when the songs break out into the guitar riffs, and not cringing against what Ace has produced. It may not be a ‘banger’, as the kids of today like to say, but as a solid hard rock album you could do worse than check it out.