Ace Frehley, the former guitarist for KISS, recently spoke with Ken Sharp of Goldmine about the history of his self-titled solo record, which was released forty-six years ago in 1978. Here’s an excerpt.
Treasure Mine: Did having a successful single from your solo album, “New York Groove,” inspire you to leave the group, or did it boost your self-assurance as a musician, composer, and record producer?
Ace Frehley: “Well, I knew that my time was running out following the success of my solo album. I came to the realization that I was more creative when I was away from those guys since they are control freaks and have preferences for certain things. We’re pounding a dead horse here on this song, I would say after they would occasionally record for 20 to 25 takes, which is why I dislike the way they record. When Bob Ezrin was working on the Destroyer album, that occurred. If I have a drummer with me while I’m recording, it’s just the two of us. I’ll just say, “Let’s try something else,” if I can’t get it in, at most, three, four, or five takes because, beyond that, you start to lose spontaneity and you
Ace Frehley: “I don’t remember the name of the song, but it was on Destroyer. I told Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, ‘Hey, let’s just put this on hold for now and try something else.'” Tomorrow, we can visit the studio and give it another go. The next day, we entered the studio and completed the song in two or three takes since we were familiar with the song, knew where to avoid certain problems, and were able to perform it with spontaneity and skill. I don’t have the same work ethic as Paul and Gene.
For instance, Gene told me that he would write a song every day in his penthouse in Manhattan by going into his closet, where he kept a small amplifier and a recorder. ‘Why do you force yourself to write a song every day?’ I would ask you. “That’s just my work ethic,” he replies. “Gene, I can’t work that way,” I say. I’m only able to compose music when I’m motivated. Thus, for instance,
I’ll go for three weeks without creating a song, but then somewhere over the next weekend, I’ll be inspired to write two or three songs in one weekend. We probably used maybe six or seven of the 365 tunes that Gene wrote throughout his year-long residence there.”