Ace Frehley “Origins II”

Better known for his work with KISS, Ace Frehley is no stranger to flying solo during the downtime from his day job with KISS. His latest offering Origins II dishes up a smorgasbord of rocking covers from the likes of The Beatles, Deep Purple, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin amongst others.

The lead single from the album, Space Trucking originally recorded by Deep Purple, has already hit most streaming and media platforms and provides fans a glimpse of what to expect from the album – straight forward 70s no-frills rock n roll.

It’s impossible to review a covers album without some sort of comparison to other originals. In the main Ace has kept his covers true to the original versions we are all familiar with, but has added a bit of extra punch with modern recording techniques not available 40-50 years ago. Wow… these songs are pushing 50 years old now. Makes you feel young doesn’t it.

The album comprises of a pleasant mix of tracks ranging from front bar sing-alongs such as Lola (The Kinks) and Jumpin’ Jack Flash (The Rolling Stones) through to heavier moments such as Manic Depression (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) and Politician (Cream). For mine, the highlight of the album is reached right at the death with We Gotta Get Out of This Place (The Animals) which is drenched in Ace’s signature 70’s glam rock feel. Not to be outdone, what would a 70s rock n roll covers album be without a KISS cover, and Ace obliges with a version of the 1975 classic She as a bonus track.

Covers albums are a polarising concept. After all, an artist is re-working the best songs we all know and love, and doing their own versions. Is it ever possible to be as good as the original? ..as that is the reason why they became classics to start with. With an album like this you can’t go into it with that frame of mind, think of it more as a jam session by one of your favourite artists. With that in mind, Ace delivers all tracks with the trashy 70s New York groove sound as only he knows how, which will undoubtedly resonate with the core group of KISS and 70s rock fans alike.

Album Review By Lindsay Bulach

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