The guitarist established himself as one of rock’s most influential in the early 70s – he himself admits that he later felt comfortable
The talent of Ace Frehley as a guitarist he is undeniable. Especially in his early years Kissthe musician presented riffs, solos and even complete compositions that went down in the history of hard rock.
Names who would prove important to the instrument in later years did not hesitate to cite him as an influence. From Dimebag Darrell (Panther) A Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), there are many names that exalt it Astronaut.
Despite this, the feeling, analyzing Frehley’s career as a whole, is that he never realized his full potential. Having problems with alcohol and drugs, the guitarist ended up leaving the band in 1982, unable to repeat his success on his own and not offering much when he returned for a contested second stint between 1996 and 2002.
Paul Stanley AND Gene Simmonsleader of Kiss, have never hidden their admiration for Ace as a musician. On the other hand, they don’t stop criticizing him for situations “off the pitch”.
In an interview with World of guitarin 2014, the duo talked about Spaceman again and made it clear what talent was missing there. Gene initially stated:
“As a musician, you have to give him credit. He knew his stuff. When he cared – during the first three albums, I’d say – he was fantastic. You could even sing those solos of his. It was like opera. The integrity. His style was instantly recognizable. Not as soon as he played, you knew it was him. That’s probably the best compliment you can give a guitarist.
In fact, it was from the fourth studio album, Destroyer (1976), that the situation began to worsen. The guitarist became more involved in alcohol and drugs, reducing his contributions in the studio. In the above album, he was sometimes replaced by studio musicians.
In turn, Paul Stanley underlined that, even in recent times, there has continued to be a lot of talk about Ace Frehley in interviews.
“I tell people: he really knew how to do it. He can argue all he wants about the fact that he still plays the same way, or say whatever he wants to explain why he didn’t rise to something even bigger. Everyone did. the right to a ‘opinion. But I saw someone throw away a talent.”
To conclude, Simmons commented:
“Before the drugs and alcohol and everything else, he was basically Ace, a nice guy. We all took care of him. I loved him. I love ‘Ace straightened out’. But I hate any drug addict, because he’s possessed.”
Ace Frehley and Kiss
Ace Frehley was the last original member to join Kiss, in 1973. He stayed until 1982, being credited on all albums up until then, although he didn’t actually play on them. Creatures of the night (1982), in the unreleased songs from the collection of Assassins (1982) and some of the previously unreleased live material I live II (1977), as well as songs isolated from other works.
He returned in 1996, together with the drummer Peter Crissfor a tour with the original lineup. After going on a farewell tour that didn’t actually end the band, Frehley left the group for good in 2002. During this period he recorded only two songs from the album Psychocircus (1998).
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Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
