First comes "Rip It Out". A brutal assault on the senses, the song is a very bitter and angry look at the trappings of love. Ace sounds positively pissed off, and lays down some very heavy riffs, some of the heaviest ever recorded by any members of the KISS camp. A great song, very "f- the world"in terms of attitude and swagger. Immediately striking is the phenomenal drumming provided by Anton Fig, a current member of David Letterman's "CBS Orchestra". "Speedin' Back to my Baby" reflects the chaotic nature of Frehley's life in 1978. Prone to speeding and car accidents, the song perhaps suggests that love was the cause of his infamous run-ins with the law. In any case, it's a great rock and roll song, and I love the female backing vocals and reversed solo ,slightly ridiculous given the dark nature of the song, but that's what is so great about this album: certainly dark, but it doesn't take itself too seriously.
"Snow Blind" is a obvious reference to Frehley's growing interest in the white stuff. I love the crushingly heavy riff. Frehley sounds torn and frayed vocally, but it only adds to the desperation and danger of the song. A great solo is backed by a strange choice in an organ, but the solo smokes so much you barely notice the slightly cheesy organ during the solo. A great song, one of Frehley's best. "Ozone" is a more bluesy song, based around a Zeppelin-like riff and Bonham-esque drum-beat. Fig pounds the sticks with abandon, a great musical force. Frehley sounds great on the track, proving that while he is certainly not Robert Plant or Freddie Mercury, he has a burned out rock and roller drawl that really accents his "sloppy on purpose" playing style. A stoner anthem, one need only listen to the lyrics to discover that Frehley certainly enjoyed partaking in recreational substances. A little long-winded, but a very good track.
"What's On Your Mind" is my least favorite track on the album. More poppy and acoustic, it hints at the direction that many of Ace's songs would take during the last days of the original line-up of KISS. Not a bad song, and certainly not a tacky pop song, but a little out of character for this very heavy and classic rock album. The biggest hit of the KISS solo albums was "New York Groove". Originally written and performed by Russ Ballard (the first Ballard cover for KISS as they would later cover/rework "God Gave Rock N Roll To You" on Revenge). Quite discoish, it nonetheless has a certain charm. A little rough around the edges to be classified as pure disco, you can instantly picture Frehley strutting around the streets of NYC upon hearing the song, easily his most confident performance to date. A nice cover, and certainly better than the somewhat dull original. "I'm In Need of Love" is a very bizarre song. Frehley plays with various guitar effects, while pinning over the love of a female. Bass interjections from bassist "Will Lee" add a jazzy depth to the song, and the bass perfectly accompanies Fig's Rich/Bonham style of jazz-rock drumming. At one point Fig provides a drum beat that stutters like Frehley's vocal, great musical simpatico.
"Wiped Out" is a pretty wacky song. Following a surf-like introduction, the album heads into Frehley telling tales of being wasted and stoned, over an infection Jimmy Page-lite riff. The song then metaphorically takes a "downer", heading into the depths of lyrically darkness during the very heavy chorus. A great song, a perfect musical equivalent to the highs and lows of the hard-partying lifestyle that Frehley was certainly living in 1978. This is natural artistry, unlike Gene or Paul and certainly Peter, Ace is pouring his heart out, there is blood and likely quite a bit of "vomit" on these very damaged tales of hedonism and excess. Fantastic. The album then closes perfectly with the first entry in the "Fractured" series of guitar instrumentals by Frehley. A doomy riff accompanies a gentle acoustic, only to be backed by layers of synthesizer-sounding guitars that puncture Fig's drumming like gentle lasers, very cool sounding, proving Frehley's innovation sonically, a very ground-breaking guitarist, easily one of the most influential on today's generation of rock players. I love it.
"Ace Frehley" is great, better than some KISS albums. A fantastic triumph for a man who was all but written off by his band-mates during the immediate lead-up to the start of the solo albums. Gene and Paul may be continuing KISS today, but without both Peter (the heart) and Ace (the soul), KISS is and will always be a pale imitation of its former self.
Rating-10/10
No comments:
Post a Comment