Ace Frehley
"Origins Vol. 1"

Do you like Kiss? Good, it means you also like this long-time guitar player. Don’t like Kiss? No problem. It's very likely you'll enjoy Ace washing machine, oops Frehley (good old Paul Daniel - his real name - will forgive the playful/detergent nickname). When he left the Kiss-shaped golden goose in the distant 1982 (well yes, it's well-known that uncle Gene and uncle Paul are able to slap the brand on anything that can be sold!), he probably did it to capture that slice of the audience that wanted nothing to do with 'kissing'. So, you are inevitably part of his supporters. Not interested in him either? Well, go watch a movie on TV. That said, it's time to get to the meat. In the meantime, just to indicate the heights we're flying, we can name some people who gave a 'push' to Ace's new project. It's worth starting with Lita Ford, a truly remarkable guitarist rarely mentioned but with an explosive style. Then there's Mike McCready from Pearl Jam, and John 5. About the latter, collaborations with well-known artists like Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie are remembered. Also guest appearing is the singer and drummer from Ace Frehley’s own band, Scott Coogan.

Also, Slash and Paul Stanley, true living legends of the lively rock universe, have accepted the invitation from the former Kiss Spaceman. Speaking of Slash, Ace recalled how laborious the recording process was. In fact, the two guitarists recorded a myriad of instrumental parts simultaneously and live for the song “Emerald”. The results, in numerical terms, were 15 takes and 3 days of work to choose the best parts to insert in “Emerald”. According to Ace, who appeared particularly enthusiastic about this CD project, the results were fabulous. For the cover of “Fire & Water”, the guitarist contacted his old bandmate, Paul Stanley. The main reason for Starchild's—the nom de guerre of Paul Stanley—exceptional participation, explained The Spaceman, was their common passion, of Ace and Paul, for Free. Furthermore, Ace confirmed his friendship towards Paul by stating that shortly after contacting him, Paul sent back the track base with the ready-to-publish voice. So, it turned out great on the first try. Ace Frehley sincerely and emotionally praised Stanley’s vocal performance: “Among other things, this piece offers Paul the chance to sing on a lower, warm, and deep register, a novelty compared to what we're used to hearing from him with Kiss,” he declared.

The title of Frehley's album is “Origins Vol. 1” and it will be released on April 15, 2016. Besides the already mentioned Free, some other names that have supplied musical material for Ace's remakes are Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Thin Lizzy, etc. In addition to the songs of these big names, there is also even a homage to the band that made him famous: Kiss.

Here is the tracklist of “Origins Vol. 1”

1. “White Room” (Cream)
2. “Street Fighting Man” (The Rolling Stones)
3. “Spanish Castle Magic” feat. John 5 (Jimi Hendrix)
4. “Fire and Water” feat. Paul Stanley (Free)
5. “Emerald” feat Slash (Thin Lizzy)
6. “Bring It On Home” (Led Zeppelin)
7. “Wild Thing” feat. Lita Ford (The Troggs)
8. “Parasite” feat. John 5 (Kiss)
9. “Magic Carpet Ride” (Steppenwolf)
10. “Cold Gin” feat. Mike McCready (Kiss)
11. “Till the End of the Day” (Kinks)
12. “Rock and Roll Hell” (Kiss)