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
I predicted it would outsell anomaly. I think because of the quality of the album, it will continue to sell well.
The album is great…his playing impressive and I think this is his first post-Kiss record that Ace actually made work. Other solo records had a few good songs, but they were not overall good records, including Anomoly…Space Invader though has a real feel to it as an album, not just a collection of songs and each song is very different to the point where it is not a “predictable” rock album and although I was a little worried Ace was leaning too heavily on the “I am the Spaceman” theme with some of the song titles, they all work and are not cliche like I thought they would be…good job Ace…As a Kiss fan, I want all the members to be successful, so it’s great we still get two Kiss entities putting out new music…Peter, not so much…
George,
Peter was made famous for hard rock music but I think his heart was in the kind of music we hear on Peter’s “One for all” album. I always thought that was why he left Kiss to begin with (never mind that he was fired)–was to record the music he loves. Even the ’78 solo album (which I love) is a different kind of music than what we expected when it came out. I expected Hooligan, or Baby Driver type songs. And maybe a few Beth type songs of course. I have had all of Peter’s solo albums and the evidence is there–he is not really that in to hard rock. I think he would be great if he just goes for what he wants and not try to put out a hard rock record.
Plus that his more jazz inspired feel on the drums partly shaped the original, classic Kiss sound which is why I would never call the classic period a period of heavy rock, actually not even hard rock. Sabbath e.g. was much heavier years before Kiss.
Very true Mike B….I can’t personally listen to anything Peter has ever done outside Kiss…Its ironic his taste outside Kiss is not really rock…Even the one song he actually plays on Psycho Circus is more of a Beth redo…not what I ever expected, but you’re right his 78 album was more of the same. Peter IMO is not a great drummer for rock, BUT, his swing style and influence really did add to the early recordings in that his drumming wasn’t predictable. I like alll kinds of music, so I guess for me it’s not what I wanted him to do, so its just not for me…but I give every Kiss, or solo album a fair listen…I wasn’t expecting much from Ace, but boy did he surprise me here…
I felt the same about the prospect of Ace putting out a new album–at first. Anomaly is just so unfocused (IMO of course). I have gone back since listening to Space Invader and listened to Anomaly on my iPhone while I was out for my daily walk. It still does not seem like a great album. Space Invader on the other hand, is excellent. Just blows me away and the more I listen to it the better it gets. I think there are four killer songs on the album: space invader, inside the vortex, change, and past the milky way. The others are good too but those four are my favorites.
The very fact that he played, as you say, in an unpredictable way, or, in other words, did not so much use the same clicheed patterns, in a certain way made him an exellent drummer for rock or any other kind of music, because if it is original, then it is good, no matter what genre. And what is rock but a mixture or product of many influences? I also do not listen to any of his efforts ouside Kiss but in Kiss he was 25% of the sound that turned me and a legion of others on. And that is more than any of us will ever achieve. So it is not ironic, in fact if you confidentially ask many musicians of famous bands what they would play if they only needed to play their favourite style, falling back on their very own influence, then the music scene would look much different. Within a band context it is always 1 + 1 = 3, so you need all the different influences of band members to create something new that the individual player would not have been able to come up with.
I’ve listen to the whole CD several times and The guitar work is really solid IMO. The vocals are typical ACE OK but nothing special. Overall the songs are better than Anomaly and Monster Both! The songs have great vibe for the most part, lyrics are sappy on some songs but not horrible. Again the guitar work was really good in the sense of feel and vibe for the songs. At this stage of the game for ACE to put out this CD is really good considering what some crap bands are rolling out of his age group. Not against a cover CD just hope he changes the songs up a little and takes chances on some. Maybe guest vocals too. Todd Howarth would be nice on a song. Agree a Videos and Touring would really help this CD even more. Video would create some buzz, maybe a complete DVD of recorded and Live shots of all songs.
Not a huge Ace fan, but I gave the CD a listen to on Rhapsody. I have since listened to it several times. Damn good effort !!!
I hope he doesn’t do those cruises with 12 sinking ships on a bill or indian casinos with Quiet No-Riot, Skid Run, Warrant, 80’s Hair Fest with Dee, etc.. I’m trying to figure out why he isn’t on the road yet with blowing off a bank and city tax vultures….anything the album sells covers recording. I’d be at Chillah with Peter movin swag like the Edster movin books even in South America. Needs better management. In-stores all over. Pull some Reggie Jackson ’78 lines on Gene & Paul.
I looked at a page of Reggie Jackson quotes and used them as a model for these quotes Ace could use to add some swag to his publicity campaign.:
“After Jimi Hendrix, the most important guitar player in history is Ace Frehley, I really mean that.”
“I am the best in rock n’ roll.”
“I’m the man from outer space and I’ve played my ass off for over 40 years. I’m not a drug addict. I’m not a loser. I’m not a racist. I’m a guitar player.”
“Playing guitar is better than sex.”
“The reason I don’t like playing in Kiss is because I can’t watch myself play.”
“Tommy Thayer plays guitar like he’s trying to sound like me, but I blow him off the stage.”
“God do I like to shoot rockets out of my guitar and make the fans say wow. I invented that trick by the way.”
“When you unwrap an Ace Frehley Space Invader CD, it tells you how good it is.”
“I was reminded by Eddie Trunk, that when I wear my sunglasses and fall off the stage, a billion people in China don’t care.”
“I’m the man that stirs the fans.”
“I don’t mind Tommy Thayer wearing my makeup, but I hate when he tries to copy my moves.”
“I didn’t join Kiss to be a spaceman, I brought my spaceman with me.”
“For a certain amount of money you’ll do anything; like let Tommy Thayer wear your makeup.”
“Tommy Thayer couldn’t shine Ace Frehley’s guitar. He never created his own character. He doesn’t look good in Ace’s makeup. He slouches when he plays guitar. His hair is dorky looking. What does he make, $800 a week? I wouldn’t pay him $8 a week. He’s a fake. ” – The ghost of Bill Aucoin
“There isn’t enough space dust in the universe to cover the brilliance of Ace, the man from space!”
“The ghost of Bill Aucoin” LOL LOL LOL LOL
WTF?
Kiss already beat Ace to that one they already did a cruise that failed!
The fourth annual KISS Kruise leaves in October. What failed ????
The Kiss cruise failed? How? Not disagreeing yet, but how so? Seems they’re doing it every year aren’t they? I actually don’t follow up on the successes of their side projects.
More horse crap from morons…failed huh…that’s why they do it every year and sell it out I guess…no, your comment has failed to prove anything outside of you being a moron…And, I thought this was an article to celebrate Ace?? No instead it brings out all the idiot trolls…
Hey George,
I agree with the horse crap part, but no need to call anyone a moron regardless of how much “horse crap” they spew out on this site. Come on now. We can all be friends and still attack each others opinions, but not call each other names. Right?