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Start Date: November 14, 2018
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ACE FREHLEY

“SPACEMAN”

INDIE EXCLUSIVE

LIMITED EDITION ORANGELP

Format: Vinyl

Label: ENTERTAINMENT ONE (eOne Music)

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rel. Date: 10/19/2018

UPC: 634164605919

Ace Frehley is on a roll, and he’s ready to embark on hisnext musical journey with Spaceman, his third solo outing in four years, andeighth overall. Amongst Ace’s post-KISS recorded output, Spaceman might be theclosest link to his widely acclaimed 1978 solo record, both in spirit andexecution. First off, Frehley played all of the guitar parts on Spaceman, aswell as bass on all but two songs. Longtime drummer Anton Fig, whose friendshipwith Ace began in that 1978 record, also appears on “Off My Back” and “Pursuitof Rock and Roll” (longtime collaborators Scot Coogan and Matt Starr also playdrums on Spaceman). There’s also a thematic, almost biographical, threadrunning through the album of a long life in rock ’n’ roll, although Ace admitsit wasn’t intentional. The first single “Bronx Boy” lays out Ace’s pre-KISSroots, running wild with an Irish street gang called the Ducky Boys. It mightbe his grittiest song to date, with an opening riff that lashes out like aswitchblade. “Pursuit of Rock and Roll” ticks off a list of rockers that madeAce who he is, including Little Richard and the Stones. Frehley also makes itclear that rock is truly all he needs: “So sick of looking at reality TV / andlike the Beatles said, you gotta ‘Let It Be.’” “No need to worry, I’ll be homesoon, ’cause I’m rockin’ with the boys,” Frehley sings on “Rockin’ With theBoys,” which tells the tales of life on the road. Ace says he wrote theoriginal version of the song back in KISS’s heyday in the ’70s—if you listenclosely, it could almost be seen as a rockin’ counterpart to the PeterCriss-penned KISS classic “Beth.” Speaking of KISS brethren, let’s get back tothose two songs on Spaceman that Ace didn’t play bass on. One listen of opener“Without You I’m Nothing” should be a dead giveaway. That mighty dinosaur growlof a bass tone belongs to Gene Simmons, who co-wrote that song, along with“Your Wish Is My Command,” with the Space Ace at Frehley’s home studio inRancho Santa Fe, California. Frehley's reconnection with Simmons and fellowKISS vocalist-guitarist Paul Stanley (who joined Ace on a cover of Free’s “Fireand Water” for 2016’s covers LP Origins, Vol. 1) might be chalked up to thefact that Frehley has been sober for more than a decade (he celebrated 12 yearsof sobriety in September). Ace’s clean living no doubt has a lot to do with hisproductive streak, which began with the release of his top 20 Anomaly album in2009, his top 10 Space Invader LP in 2014 (a first for any KISS member); andcontinues with Spaceman (a title suggested by Gene Simmons himself). Spacemanis a lean-and-mean nine tracks, and includes what has become a trademark forany Ace joint, a cosmic instrumental. “Quantum Flux” is a classic prog ’n’ rollsong from Frehley, with lush acoustics and twin-leads. Fans might also noticethe song’s doomy outro, which nods to “Black Diamond” on KISS’s 1974 debut.

SIDE A:

 1. Without You I’m Nothing               

 2. Rockin’ With The Boys          

 3. Your Wish Is My Command          

 4. Bronx Boy             

 5. Pursuit Of Rock And Roll              

SIDE B:

 6. I Wanna Go Back          

 7. Mission To Mars            

 8. Off My Back                  

 9. Quantum Flux     

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FACTORY SEALED / NEW