Reminded that Kiss’ iconic Alive! album was released 50 years ago now, Ace Frehley cackles. “Man, it seems like another lifetime – but I believe it!” It’s an influential record, but detractors over the years have made much of the less-live elements it contains.
The band and engineer Eddie Kramer hit the studio to add a series of overdubs – and Frehley doesn’t deny it. “My parts are mostly live,” he states. “I did the least amount of overdubs … I’ll let the fans decide on why that is!” He continues: “But I think we did the best we could, and thank God people responded in a positive way.”
Frehley, 74, has a number of irons in the fire – new music, a travel guitar and more touring are on the horizon. But he won’t be seen at Kiss’ Landlocked in Vegas event in November.
“There’s no way I’m doing that,” he insists, citing “multiple reasons.” He’s previously referred to negative comments by Paul Stanley; but he says he’s over those, and that he’s open to reconciliation. “Jealousy can make you say stupid things,” he shrugs, dismissing his former bandmate’s words.
What are you working on now?
“I’ve been touring and now I’m working on Origins Vol. 3. I have a secret project that I don’t want to reveal too much about… it’s a collapsible guitar that fits in a briefcase. Like a travel guitar; but when it’s put together you can use it on stage, and you wouldn’t know the difference.”
Are you designing it yourself or working with a company?
“I’m not sure how that’s gonna work at this juncture. I’ve tried other travel guitars on the road and I don’t find them satisfactory. So I’m designing a nice prototype. There will probably be a cheaper version overseas and a high-end version here in the US. That’s all I can say now.”
The first two Origins volumes did well. What can you tell us about the third?
“It’s coming along nicely. It stays with the theme that Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 had, which was to mostly recording songs that influenced me in the late ‘60s when I was an aspiring guitar player.”
Why do you think fans enjoy your cover songs?
“I just have a knack for taking a song and making it my own, while still making it recognizable. But my approach depends on the song – for example, when I did a Paul Revere and the Raiders song, I added a guitar solo that wasn’t there. It was a harmony solo in three parts.
“It depends on how a song is built. If I can improve the arrangement, I do. But it’s funny – a lot of people still think I wrote New York Groove! But I never take credit for anything that I didn’t write.”
Is there a release date for Origins Vol. 3?
“By the time it’s finished, mixed, mastered and we have the artwork, it won’t be until next year. A lot of people put out records right before Christmas, so there’s a lot of competition then. After new year is when we’ll do it – probably sometime in the spring.”
Elsewhere, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Alive! album. In 1975 did you have an idea that you were onto something special?
“Well, we felt that our studio albums were good, but they didn’t capture the essence of our concerts. I think Alive! did. And a lot of people jumped on the bandwagon.”
It seems that after Alive! everyone was releasing live records.
“Yeah, they were. But that seems to have fizzled out because of YouTube. Every time I do a concert it’s on YouTube the next day. When I was gearing up to start Origins Vol. 3 my co-producer, Steve Brown, wanted me to do a live album. He was trying to talk my record company into it.
“I held my ground and said, ‘You know, live albums aren’t what they used to be.’ In recent times, I can’t think of anybody that’s done a live album that’s really been a big hit like Alive! was.”
The matter of studio overdubs in Alive! always comes up.
“Well, not so much for me and my playing – let’s put it that way!”
Does it bother you when people say it isn’t a true live album because of those overdubs?
“Let them try and go make a record as successful as that, you know? It’s what – triple or quadruple platinum? [It’s quadruple.] Everybody likes to criticize when someone’s successful. It never bothers me.”
Paul Gilbert pretty much did a complete copy of a solo from Alive! – it was a form of flattery
In all fairness, despite the studio cleanups, Alive! does a good job of capturing Kiss at the time, which was the point.
“Yeah, and it was not only the music; it was the whole package. Alive! was a complete package that captured the essence of Kiss as a live band. Prior to that, a lot of people who hadn’t seen us live weren’t aware of the fact that we were such a good live band.”
Have you considered its impact on guitar music?
“A lot of players have told me it was the record that made them want to pick up the guitar. Years ago I was in Texas and I saw Mr. Big. When Paul Gilbert did a solo, he pretty much did a complete copy of a solo from Alive!. He’s a very accomplished musician, but instead of coming up with his own solo, he copied mine. It was a form of flattery!”
Your solos on Rock and Roll All Nite, Black Diamond and Deuce, to name a few, are quintessential.
“I learned by copying guys like Page, Beck, Clapton, Townshend, The Beatles and The Stones. My style is just a conglomeration of all those great players. There were so many great guitar players in the ’60s who had their own style and technique. There will never be another Jimi Hendrix.”
The studio version of Rock and Roll All Nite had no guitar solo, but the live version did.
“I think the band pushed me in that direction because they thought it needed one when we played live. When we were recording it we thought of it as a single. Back then you tried to keep it short – for radio, the shorter the song, the more DJs would play it.
“So in the studio I kept it to the bare minimum. But live, yeah, I ended up adding the solo. Things change; you do things for certain reasons. With that song and the solo, everything just kind of worked out in the end.”
Fans have been wondering if you’ll be joining Kiss for their Landlocked in Vegas event this fall.
“They asked me and I declined. There’s no way I’m gonna be involved with that, you know? Their biggest mistake is that they should have done that at Madison Square Garden – not in Las Vegas in a 5,000-seater, or whatever it is.”
You’ve done Kiss Kruises before, so why not do this?
“There’s multiple reasons. About nine months before Kiss was going to play Madison Square Garden, both Paul and Gene were saying, ‘We’re going to bring everybody out on stage.’
“Then a few months before the concert, they both changed their tune and said, ‘Ace and Peter aren’t going to do it.’ In fact, Paul went on to say, ‘If Ace and Peter got on stage with us, the band could be called Piss.’ So, I kind of got into an argument with him.
I’m contracted to do another studio record after Origins Vol. 3. After that, the sky’s the limit
“Ed Trunk let me use his show as a platform. But it was just… I got upset, and then I just kind of let it go. Paul says things off the top of his head without thinking sometimes.”
Is your relationship with Paul salvageable to where you’d consider participating in future Kiss-related events?
“Yeah; I’m the kind of guy that never says ‘never.’ I don’t hate Paul or Gene, you know? We’re rock and roll brothers. And Peter, too. So, anything can happen, just not at this point. I’m having too much fun doing my own thing. Maybe I’ll get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist!”
Do you see yourself stopping at some point, or will you rock until you drop?
“I’m probably gonna go until the wheels come off! But I’m contracted to do another studio record after Origins Vol. 3, so that’ll be next. After that, my contract runs out, but the sky’s the limit. Maybe I’ll start my own record label. Who knows?”
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