This newly released, "greatest hits" if you will, album from "Ace Frehley" will remind you why few musicians throughout rock history have had his level of influence on American guitar players. Without the "KISS" axeman's stinging vibrato and stage theatrics, they never would have picked up an instrument. As important modern guitarists freely admit, without Ace Frehley, 90's rock and roll would not be what it is today. I agree whole heartedly with that statement after listening to the album. This is what rock and roll is all about - no frills, no screaming speed metal, no hardcore blast, just good old fashioned rock and roll that's fast, hard and full of awesome guitar playing.
According to John Regan, Producer of the new album, "American kids would usually look at the English musicians like Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton as untouchable gods, but Ace was the people's guitar player. Kids know his story, they know he was just a poor kid from the Bronx who made it big, and they figure that if he could do it, they could do it. Ace inspired all these street kids to pick up a guitar and learn to play. He definitely touched the core of everyday people."
After leaving" KISS" in 1983, Ace Frehley started his solo career which led to the formation of "Frehley's Comit," - the high-powered rock band with Frehley on vocals/guitar, John Regan on bass, Tod Howarth on guitar and Anton Fig on drums. Considered a gutsy move to quit one of the premier rock groups of the past decade and going solo, Frehley quickly established himself as a solo artist, and quashed any doubts about his new career path with the release of the 1987 self-titled debut, "Frehley's Comet." Three of the stand out cuts are included on "12 Picks," along with one from the Live +1 EP, one from 1988's "Second Sighting," two from 1990's "Trouble Walkin," and live versions of a few "KISS" classics and three signature Ace Frehley "KISS" era tracks. The six previously unreleased live tracks were taped in England at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1989.
For "Ace Frehley," "Frehley's Comet," and "KISS" fans, this album is a compilation of the best of the best songs, covering ten years of great rock and roll music. The album opens with "Into The Night," a personal favorite and one of the more recognizable songs on the record. Insightful lyrics, great melody and Oh, those guitars - how can you not appreciate this number? "Words Are Not Enough," from the Frehley's Comet "Live +1" EP rocks out and has some really awesome guitar wails, as does "Isane" from "Second Sighting." The love gone wrong story track "Hide Your Heart" from Ace Frehley's 1990 "Trouble Walkin' " album is another classic from the time when many bands (Aerosmith comes to mind) were recording story songs.
"Rock Soldiers" is a pounding militaristic tune penned by John Regan and Chip Taylor, and according to Regan "It's kind of an auto-biographical song for Ace, because at that point he had really straightened his life out and gotten back on track. It was Ace's message to the world at the time, which basically said, 'Don't do the things I've done.' " This is followed by the previously unreleased live tracks which open with "Rip It Out" (from Ace's 1978 "KISS" solo album), the "KISS"-era tracks "Cold Gin," and "Shock Me" (about getting zapped by an amp in a concert and featuring a blistering extended Ace Frehley spotlight guitar solo). The energetic hard rock "Rocket Ride" and the "KISS" classic, "Deuce," round out the album.
In this past couple years of reunions, Greatest Hits albums from bands that haven't been around for a while and covers by new bands of all the great music of the old bands, Ace Frehley's "12 Picks" is one of the best I've heard and certainly worth the price of the CD. Sit down, let the memories flow and enjoy!
Artist:
"Puller"
Title:
"Sugarless"
Label:
Tooth & Nail Records
Release Date:
3/97
Available:
Most Major Music Stores
Reviewed By:
Mary Ellen Gustafson
Rating:
4
It appears that Oklahoma City has become another hotbed of cutting edge rock music - if a bit in-bred. With bands like "The Nixons," "Chainsaw Kittens," "For Love Not Lisa," and now "PULLER" coming from there, Oklahoma City is finally being recognized as a breeding ground for new music. It seems the bass player and drummer from "The Chainsaw Kittens" joined "For Love Not Lisa," and the "For Love Not Lisa" guys have known "The Nixons" for years. Now, Mike Lewis, the former lead singer of "For Love Not Lisa," has formed a new band called "PULLER." Did you get all that?
Tooth & Nail Records founder, Brandon Ebel, grabbed Mike Lewis' new project, "PULLER," before the band (Mike Lewis-vocals/guitar, Corey French-guitar, Ryan Jewell-bass, Geoff Riley-drums) had even finished being formed. Being a big fan of "For Love Not Lisa," Ebel knew he'd found a visionary in Lewis. "I can't believe a guy like Mike, who was on the double Platinum Crow soundtrack, would want to jump from a major label like Elektra and come on with a smaller label like Tooth & Nail," says Ebel. "I guess he realized our passion for his music, and how hard we work to develop our bands."
Tooth & Nail is poised to sell a lot of "PULLER'S" debut album, "Sugarless," with songwriting that ranges from retro-rock to pop to a hard guitar onslaught. Storyteller Mike Lewis never loses his tongue-in-cheek humor or biting wit. "I like to tell a story, but in a way that the listener must interpret. I tell it like it is, but I make someone think about it," says Lewis. "This band is going to break by touring." (They plan to be on the road most of 1997) "There's a lot of radio friendly stuff on the album, but we know that it's the kids at the shows who are going to break this band . . . we hope and trust the radio will come along with all of that."
The opening track of the album, "Shut Off," has a hard, driving beat that changes pace with the bridges, melodic line and chorus. The use of pregnant pauses, key changes and pace changes make this a very effective song. "6 x 6," is more of a retro-rock number, with a minor key melody and catchy use of instruments. It's also one of the better tracks on the album. "Fat Removed" borders going in the direction of lightweight hardcore and adds some diversity to the whole record. "#1 Fan," is, in my opinion, the best song on the album. Just a really great pop/rock song with catchy lyrics, nice instrumental bridges and an overall good sound. This is the track I kept coming back to listen to again and again because I liked it so much.
The rest of the album see-saws back and forth between some harder rock and more pop sounding songs. Out of the eleven tracks, the ones described above are the songs that really stand out, but the album as a whole is really pretty good - especially for a debut in a market glutted with alternarockpunkpop bands coming from every Indie label under the sun with average or below debuts. If you like rock with a few surprises thrown in, and the opportunity to discover new music, check out "Sugarless" by "PULLER." It's worth it.
