Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley has made history with his new album, Space Invader, which debuted at number nine on the Top 200 Chart this week. The LP scores the highest charting position of ANY KISS solo album ever, and marks Frehley’s first return to the Top 10 since KISS’s 1998 Pyscho Circus reunion album. The album has also sold better in its first week than KISS’ recently released Kiss 40 album. Internationally, Space Invader has debuted number one on the Independent Chart and number sixteen on the Top 200 Chart in Canada, Top 40 in Switzerland and Sweden, and hit a historic benchmark for the first time ever as a solo artist in Germany.
Space Invader, Frehley’s first studio album in five years, has also received praise from critics. Rolling Stone wrote, “Gene Simmons has claimed Ace Frehley doesn’t deserve to wear KISS’ Kabuki clown paint, but the former Spaceman’s first solo LP in five years says otherwise,” while the Associated Press hailed, “…the original KISS lead guitarist has recorded his best solo album since his groundbreaking self-titled album in 1978.” Paste also confirmed, “Space Invader is a good rock album, and it’s an even better guitar record.”
Frehley stopped by The Tonight Show prior to his album release to sit in with legendary house band The Roots to perform his classic hit New York Groove. Watch it below.
Space Invader features nine brand new original songs, including the first single, Gimme a Feelin’, as well as a cover of Steve Miller’s classic rock staple The Joker. Frehley also tapped long time friend and artist Ken Kelly to create the album art for Space Invader. Kelly created the iconic cover art for two of KISS’s best selling LPS, Destroyer (1976) and Love Gun (1977).
Widely known as the original “Space Ace” and founding guitarist for 16 cumulative years (over two tenures) of the multi platinum selling rock band KISS, Frehley is demonstrably the most popular original member. In addition to having the best selling solo album career (vintage or current) among the original foursome, Frehley’s self titled Ace Frehley (1978), went on to sell over one million copies, producing the only Top 40 single, New York Groove, from any of the legendary KISS solo albums. The massive hit was most recently featured in an episode of cult show Entourage and was also KISS’ second best selling download in 2012, besting such KISS Army anthems as “I Was Made For Lovin’ You, Beth and Calling Dr. Love even after 36 years.
Since departing from KISS, Frehley went on to release four more solo albums and one live EP including his most recent effort, Anomaly in 2009, which debuted at #27 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Ace also released an autobiography titled No Regrets, which debuted at #10 on the NY Times Hardcover Non-Fiction best seller list in November 2011.
163 Responses
The new CD Space Invader has landed in the top ten of the charts. I am so happy for Ace! It is apparent that Ace really put a lot of effort, along with his collaborators, into the new album Space Invader; and it shows in Spades 😉 I really love the song CHANGE on the CD; it’s very layered and deep musically and lyrically and it’s not the only one…Inside the Vortex and Past the Milky Way are in the same vein…this is the best Ace album since 78′ and I think a tie with Frehley’s Comets first album, it might be slightly better – at least a tie. I am so proud of Ace I hope he tours the shit out of this CD becuase it deserves to be heard. I give it ***1/2 out of ****
Ace you are the man! So prob of you!! The haters can kiss your ass with there made numbers out of being jealous
Congratulations Ace!
This record kicks total ass!! I was very happily surprised. It’s way different than most of his solo stuff. I think it’s his best even better than 78″. The Hendrix influence is everywhere on this record. Which is way good. This record beats anything kiss has done for decades. Paul and Gene really are stupid for not getting Ace back. Ace would take one last run with Kiss for the money and Peter also. Ace is just fine on his own as an artist but Kiss money is hard to beat.
Hey Ace, do Chillah with Peter.