I will confess I was never a huge Kiss fan, although I admit they did a few songs that you would have to rock out to, songs like “Shout It Out Loud” and “Rock and Roll All Night.” Back in the day, I didn’t see much past the makeup and the loud costuming; they seemed more about the show than about the music.
As I got older, though, I developed a little more appreciation for the band – and as they got older, they did away with the weird makeup and made the whole thing more about the music, which move I did like.
Then, a few days back, I read of the death of one of Kiss’s founding members, Ace Frehley. Ace was only 74, which is too young these days, of course, death almost always comes too soon. When I heard the news, I remembered my World War 2 veteran Dad telling me, after I mentioned the death of Jerry Garcia, telling me that he always thought of rock & roll as "music for kids," and expressed some surprise that some of these performers were getting old. Ace's passing reminds us, again, of that wheel that never stops turning.
Ace Frehley started in music in the early ‘70s, first with a local New York band named Molimo, which had some small success, having recorded one side of one album that was released by RCA in 1971. Then, a friend showed him an ad for a band seeking a lead guitarist. Ace went to the address specified, auditioned for Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss – the other founding members of Kiss.
The rest, as they say, is history. Ace joined the band, created his distinctive “Spaceman” makeup, and things went up from there. Here, then, are six songs: Four from the Kiss years, and two of Ace’s solo tunes.
With Kiss
Detroit Rock City (1976): This one was written by Paul Stanley, who later said about the song:
"Detroit Rock City" is an interesting one because Detroit really embraced us before any other city. We were an opening act everywhere else, but in Detroit, we were a headliner. It started as a tribute to Detroit, and then it kind of took a left turn, because we played Charlotte once, and somebody coming to the arena was killed in an accident. And I thought how bizarre that somebody on their way to something so life affirming loses their life. So there's a juxtaposition in that song about singing about how great Detroit is, and actually about someone going to the show who doesn't make it.
That’s sad – but it’s a rocking song, and honestly, for a Kiss fan, that’s a pretty good tribute.
Read More: Start Your Weekend Right With a Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne (RIP)
Shout It Out Loud (1976): A short tune for Kiss at 2:49, the title was taken from a song by a British group, The Hollies. That song was “We Want To Shout It Out Loud,” and we suppose Kiss took it a step further, forgetting the “we want” part, and just shouting out loud. Then again, they were good at that.
Beth (1976): I always thought this was quite a bit off the norm for Kiss, but that doesn’t make it any less of a good song. The song was originally titled “Beck,” after the girlfriend of a previous, pre-Kiss bandmate of Peter Criss. Her name was Becky, but he called her “Beck,” but the song was changed to Beth. It’s actually something of a lament, a tale sung by a musician who is at the studio, late at night, still working:Beth, I hear you callin', but I can't come home right now.
Me and the boys are playin', and we just can't find the sound.
It’s a good song, and I remember it as the first Kiss song I ever heard that wasn’t a head-banger.
Rock And Roll All Night (Live,1995): Now this was fun, because back in the day, when the original studio track of this was released in 1975, my buddies and I would regularly be out somewhere rocking and rolling all night. This was a pretty good tune to do that to.Read More: Start Your Weekend Right With Six Great Van Halen Tunes
Ace Solo
New York Groove (1978): One of Ace’s first solo songs to make it big. It became a concert staple for Kiss, but it’s actually a cover of a song by the old “glam rock” band Hello. But Ace was from New York, so it makes sense that he’d want to do this one.
Shot Full of Rock (1989): And, finally, something a little more recent. In 1989, Ace recorded the album “Trouble Walkin’” and this tune was one of the better songs Ace did, outside Kiss. It’s a fun mainstream rock & roll tune, and I do enjoy it.
We lose too many of these guys too soon. At least Ace didn’t die from an overdose or any of the other various addiction issues that seem to plague musicians, but from a fall that caused brain bleeding and his death. Sad, in any event. After his death, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley described Ace as “an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier,” while Peter Criss said, “Ace influenced and touched the hearts of millions of people.”I’m sure all of you have some favorite Kiss/Ace Frehley songs. Let us know in the comments, which are, as always, all yours.
