RIP- Ace Frehley

 

I’ve listened to Kiss since I was a kid; they were the first band that I got into. I was more of a Paul Stanley fan. But the four original members of Kiss work magic together, and much like the Beatles, each member brings a vital personality to their songs. Ace is, without a doubt, an underrated guitarist. If you don’t believe me, ask other iconic metal guitarists who inspired them to play, be it Tom Morello or Dimebag. The Space Man’s light-up guitar and hug boots that kept him grounded might have overshadowed what his fingers were doing, but anyone who listened to the Kiss solo album series knows that, no matter who you are a fan of that Ace’s was the best, as he was the most capable on his own. 

Having seen him with both Kiss and his solo band, Frehley’s Comet, I can attest to the fact that he held up well on his own. Sure, after those first two Frehley’s Comet albums, my interest was largely limited to his work with Kiss. You can check out the Abysmal Hymns podcast episode on classic rock, where the debate about the greatness of Kiss that I was defending went into another 30-minute episode, as I brought up the point of Ace’s influence on the next generation of players, who he ignited an excitement in. He made being a guitarist look like being a superhero without getting caught up in shredding. Ace’s solos are always melodic, always serve the song, and are always memorable enough for you to hum.

I met Ace once at a horror convention. It was 13 years ago, and he looked like he might die at any moment then, or it was cold gin time again. If you have not seen any of the interviews where Ace speaks up then you are missing rock n roll gold and need to jump on YouTube right now.   I am not surprised that he was the first of the original four to go play with Eric Carr. However, I would never go see a version of Kiss with someone dressed up as Ace. At least Vinne Vincent came up with another character, though I always felt like he should have been wrapped up more like a mummy. Ace was an icon; he took his final rocket ride back into the cosmos

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