Ace Frehley-Anomaly

Bronx Born
2009



I don't know what it is about Ace Frehley, but there always been something about him that I have liked. My favorite KISS member by far for what that's worth. Even though he has had substance problems and questionable career decisions I find myself still interested in him.
Hard to believe that it has indeed been twenty years since "Trouble Walkin'", but it has. I am sure what I was expecting from Ace at this point, but I was interested in seeing if he had anything left to give. The first three tracks of "Anomaly" are all much heavier than I was expecting. All three were quite entertaining. His vocals sound pretty much the same as always which was great. The guitar sound was a little different, but it worked. Then he got into a rendition of Sweet's "Fox on the run". His voice sounded fine, but the music made little attempt to do anything other than copy the original. It's an alright cover, but it seemed to slow down the whole feel of the album and unfortunately I don't think that the album as a whole ever quite recovered like I hoped it would. Next up is "Genghis Khan" which due to it's rambling approach had me thinking of Spinal Tap's "Stonehenge". After this the album is a bit of mixed bag although slightly more on the positive side. Several of the songs in the second half of the album remind me of material from "Trouble Walkin'" and even the first "Frehley's Comet" album. So the second half is more typical Ace material, but still enough to please fans. In the end it's a decent, but far from perfect album. Still this is far better than the solo album from other KISS members and better than anything KISS have put out in some time for whatever that's worth. Still it's good to see Ace back in action and I am certain that I will re-visit this album.

Top 25 hard rock/metal guitarists

So I finally got around to putting pen to paper and drafted out a top 25 hard rock/metal guitarists list. I even listened to some albums in order to finalize these lists even though these are all guys I have been listening to for years. So now I can begin my countdown at a rate of one per week. There are a couple of pairs on this list, co-workers who have to go in together. I don't expect anyone to agree as all lists on this topic would likely vary to some agree. So let's get on with it.

Number 25 is...


Ace Frehley

The Space Ace was known much more for his literally smoking guitar than for smoking solos. Indeed his playing was basic to an extent yet it came at a time when I think simple straight ahead hard rock was just what the scene needed. He wasn't the fastest or most technical player by any means yet he made it sound and even look fun. How much young aspiring guitarists picked up their instrument thanks to listening to Ace back in his prime? A whole lot I would imagine. Certainly a guitarist who made quite an impact.

Number 24 will be out next week.