Great Metal Albums of 1987: Frehley’s Comet

When I think back to 1987 and the years following, I have to thank my sister Dawn for introducing me to many of the bands I would enjoy in the late 80s and 90s. Every few months or at the very least, Christmas and birthdays, she would send me a compilation tape of metal bands she was listening to at the time. Montrose from the last post was one of them and if it hadn’t been for Dawn, I might not have known that former KISS guitarist, Ace Frehley, had put his own band together and made the band’s self titled album, “Frehley’s Comet.” So, thank you Dawn and also her metal sister, the late Stacy Kroger as she helped put the tapes together too.

On the not so upside, when Dawn introduced the tracks from the album she recorded on the tape, she said that she wasn’t impressed with the album. However, the songs she recorded were the two best tracks on the album, “Into the Night” and my personal favourite, “We Got Your Rock.” It could be argued that the latter track should have been the opener as it’s a grab you by the balls type rocker that would start most albums in the right frame. Plus the lyrics, “If it’s rock and roll you came for, it’s rock and roll you’re gonna get. We got your rock, right here!” would make me believe that this is going to be a great album.

Now, there is nothing wrong with the actual opener, “Rock and Roll Soldiers.” When I first heard, I thought it was about Ace finally overcoming his alcoholic demons and getting back to serious rock and roll. Apparently, it’s about a car crash he had in 1983. Whichever is right, this biographical account of Ace was a good way to start the album and it is punctuated at the end with the line, “If the devil wants to play his card game now, he’s gonna play it without an Ace in his deck.” That’s a great line!

Ace Frehley

While I wouldn’t call any of these tracks filler, some tracks are definitely stronger than others. Three of the strongest tracks have already been mentioned, although I probably haven’t sung the praises of “Into the Night” enough. This was released as a single and did hit number 27 in the rock charts. What I love about it is that Ace really rips a guitar solo on the song. Then again, he does it on most of the others. One thing I learned about this album is that Ace co-wrote the second track, “Breakout,” with former KISS bandmate, Eric Carr. You can hear the KISS influence in that song so I shouldn’t be totally surprised. However, I hear that when Ace plays it live, he dedicates it to Eric’s memory. Class act, Ace!

Critics, (what do they know), slated the album stating that Ace allowed himself to be swayed into using keyboards on some of his songs instead of the straight up guitar album he did on his 1978 KISS “Solo” album. While I see what they are saying, I don’t think the keyboards ruin the album. Besides, I like the keyboard intro on the very amusing “Dolls.” I can’t help thinking it’s about a certain type of doll used by lonely men. “Calling to You” is a strong track which takes me back to KISS’s stellar 70s days. What really intrigues me is the closer, “Fractured Too.” One might think that an instrumental from a renown guitarist in the 1980s would have him soloing all through the track like a Malmsteen or a MacAlpine but he doesn’t. Actually the song is rather tender and ends the album very well.

Track Listing:

1. Rock Soldiers
2. Breakout
3. Into the Night
4. Something Moved
5. We Got Your Rock
6. Love Me Right
7. Calling to You
8. Dolls
9. Stranger in a Strange Land
10. Fractured Too

Frehley’s Comet

Ace Frehley- lead and backing vocals, lead guitar

Todd Howarth- rhythm and lead guitar, lead and backing vocals, keyboards

John Regan- bass, backing vocals

Anton Figg- drums, percussion

I usually don’t disagree with my sister but I liked Frehley’s Comet more than she did. This album was just as good, maybe better than what his former band was doing at the time. One last note, while Ace was the key player on the album, it wouldn’t have been nearly as good without the contributions from the rest of the band.

Next post: Loudness- Hurricane Eyes

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com