Released September 18, 1978 Length 36:25 | Genre Hard rock Label Casablanca | |
Recorded June–July 1978
"The Mansion", Sharon, Connecticut
Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, New York Producer Eddie Kramer
Ace Frehley | ||
Ace Frehley is a 1978 solo album from Ace Frehley, the lead guitarist of American hard rock band Kiss. It was one of four solo albums released by the members of Kiss on September 18, 1978.
Contents
Background
The album featured Anton Fig on drums. He later performed session work on the Kiss albums Dynasty and Unmasked, and became a member of Ace Frehley's band Frehley's Comet. Fig and Will Lee, who played bass on three of the album's tracks, later gained international prominence as members of the World's Most Dangerous Band and the CBS Orchestra along with Paul Shaffer on Late Night with David Letterman and Late Show with David Letterman. In an interview with Loudwire, Frehley stated that some of the songs from his solo album were originally slated for the fifth Kiss album, Rock and Roll Over.
Critical reception
Allmusic rated the album 4 stars out of 5 and said, "Of the four Kiss solo albums, the best of the bunch is Ace Frehley's". Jason Josephes of Pitchfork concurred that it was the standout of the Kiss solo efforts, describing it as "a melange of riff rock, power pop, and just a little bit of soul".
Commercial performance
"New York Groove", which was first recorded in 1975 by British glam rock band Hello, rose to No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. This was the highest chart placement for any of the singles released from the 1978 solo albums. The album reached No. 26 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. It was certified platinum on October 2, 1978 and shipped over 1,000,000 copies. It is also the highest selling of the four KISS solo albums.
Track listing
All tracks written by Ace Frehley, except where noted.