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SONG: "Shock Me"
ARTIST: Kiss
YEAR: 1977
IN MEMORIAM:
ACE FREHLEY
4-27-1951 / 10-16-2025
Wow! What a blow! Let me just start with a story about how and when I became a huge Kiss fan. I had to be 2 or 3 years old. My Dad took me to Sears and Roebuck because he was looking for an Elvis Presley Christmas album. He was a huge Elvis fan. So, as we're walking through the records section, there on a rack was the Kiss "Destroyer" album. I was fascinated by the album cover. I asked my father if he would get it for me. He had no idea who Kiss was but, he's a cool Dad so he bought it for me. I remember taking a blanket and pillow and laying down next to the stereo and my mother putting the record on for me. I think at first, we thought there was something wrong with the record. As most Kiss fans know, there's the recording of the car revving and the news clips in the background. But once "Detroit Rock City" kicked in, they had me... hook, line and sinker. Suddenly, even at that young age, I was a Kiss fan. I think next came the Kiss dolls and the remote control van. Then a plastic Kiss guitar, then the "Dynasty" album. I remember as a little kid, my mother had this picture on the wall of a bullfighter and it used to scare the shit out of me when I was a kid for some reason. But when I got the "Dynasty" album and put the cool poster that came with it on the wall, I felt protected by the Kiss guys and that bullfighter guy didn't stand a chance! Early on, Ace Frehley was always my favorite. I just loved the "Space Man" persona and I've always gravitated to guitars. As I got older, I appreciated more and more Ace's contributions to Kiss. Sometimes it's not about how fast you can play, but it's about what your solo does for the song. Ace's solo's were always like an extra vocal line. They fit so well into the songs and just had a soul and a groove to them. Ace would often say if he knew so many people were influenced by him as a guitar player that he would have practiced more! But it's true. To many, Ace and Kiss was their gateway to rock music. Many of the 80's hair metal bands cite Kiss and Ace as huge influences to them. From Skid Row to Poison to Motley Crue. But it didn't stop there. All of the grunge bands were hugely influenced by Kiss. Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains were heavily influenced by Ace Frehley. Chris Shiflett, who got his start in punk rock bands and now plays with the Foo Fighters was heavily influenced by Ace. Hell, the Foo Fighters even covered Ace's "Ozone"! I was totally bummed out when Ace left Kiss in the early 80's. I thought that he was shining on their last few albums together. I think Ace's songs on "Dynasty", "Unmasked" and even "The Elder" were the highlights of those albums. Even though he was no longer in Kiss, I was excited for his solo material too. "Rock Soldiers" was a great way to show that Ace was ready for the challenge. I always loved his "Trouble Walkin'" album. One of his best solo efforts in my opinion. Another thing that I'm so happy for is that when the original four members of Kiss reunited and put the make-up back on, I got to see the band every show they played in Boston and even went to Connecticut for a show too! I fondly remember the show I saw during the "Psycho Circus" tour and Ace was just totally on point. The band was just firing on all cylinders and it's a show I'll never forget. Though Ace would leave Kiss again, gladly, he cleaned up his act and got sober after really living life in the fast lane for way too many years. It's kind of a surprise he got to the age he did. He did some hard living for sure. When he did get sober, he really committed to his solo career. Ace has released 6 albums since 2009 and he was touring consistently throughout that time. Word had it that he was working on another volume of his "Origins" series which celebrated artists that influenced him and his playing style. Hopefully he completed some songs that will see the light of day at some point. Kiss was just about to be honored at the Kennedy Center too. It would have been nice to see the original four together again, even if they weren't going to perform. For the past week, I was watching some stuff on YouTube saying that Ace had cancelled his tour because of a fall but I didn't think much of it. It seemed like he just injured himself and he just couldn't perform, especially at his age. It's amazing what he was doing as it was. Then I noticed someone talking about some cryptic tweets from his current band members and it struck me as weird. My antenna was raised a bit for sure. To hear the news that Ace had passed was just shocking. I didn't see it coming. I think you just feel like your idols are going to live forever. And in a way, they do. Ace still lives on through his music and the videos out there. But it still hit me hard. There were 2 people this year that passed away that were just my favorite at what they did. Former Boston Bruin Lyndon Byers passed away in July and he was my favorite hockey player when I was a kid. My favorite athlete really. Even before that, Ace Frehley was my favorite musician and Kiss was my favorite band. I still love them to this day. I know I'm getting old when people that I looked up to are starting to pass away. It really sucks to put it bluntly. I wanted to make my song of the week to be Ace's most signature song, "Shock Me". It was the first song that he laid vocals on. I also wanted to put a live version of Ace in his prime and that performance back in 1977 is definitely Ace in his prime, smoking guitar and all! Rest in peace Ace. You meant the world to so many people. Here's to your "Rocket Ride" to eternity!
