Trouble Walkin’ (Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition)

Dubbed the Space Ace, the coolest member of 70s rock gods Kiss and a man who attracted a legion of fan followers of his own for reasons both good and bad. Ace’s devilishly potent guitar playing lent Kiss a sense of purpose and ambition that elevated them from amusing comic book crusaders to seriously dangerous heavy metal heroes. As with most things in life it couldn’t last. Down but not out, Ace left Kiss in 1982 to pursue a solo career, one that was eagerly anticipated by legions of fans keen to sample his razor sharp riffs and quirky song writing in a brand new setting. With two successful albums recorded under the banner of Frehley’s Comet, Ace retired the band moniker in favour of a solo outing for album #3, the amusingly titled Trouble Walkin. Issued in late 1989, the album reunited Ace with veteran Kiss Producer Eddie Kramer helping to craft a record of high grade hard rock with all the accoutrements that you might reasonably expect from such a maverick character. With titles such as ‘Shot Full Of Rock’, ‘Five Card Stud’, ‘Hide Your Heart’, ‘2 Young To Die’ and a brilliantly creative cover of ELO’s ‘Do Ya’, Ace unloads salvo upon salvo of lighting fast licks and twisted riffs proving that his talent was as explosive as ever. Fully remastered sound shaped from 24 BIT digital technology 12 page full colour booklet – 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork and unpublished photos. Review Reuniting with legendary producer Eddie Kramer proved to be exactly what Ace Frehley needed to when he set out to record the follow-up to 1988's disappo­inting, Second Sighting. Armed with a batch of excellent material, Ace set up shop at Dreamland Studios in New York with the intent of recapturing the spirit of his ‘78 self-titled debut. If there was ever any doubt that Ace's 1978 solo piece was a fluke, Trouble Walkin’ promptly squelches that theory. Bringing back long time studio drummer and friend Anton Fig works wonders for the band's dynamic – re-focussing it into a leaner/meaner version of its ‘Comet predecessors. Handling all the lead vocals himself, Ace comes up with his best songwriting in 11 years by teaming up with collaborator Richie Scarlet on a pair of classics, “Shot Full of Rock” and “2 Young to Die.” In another winning move, the artist covers E.L.O.'s classic “Do Ya” and Paul Stanley/Desmond Child's terrific rocker “Hide Your Heart” (later resurrected on Kiss’ underwhelming Hot in the Shade offering). In a side note, Kiss' own Peter Criss and Skid Row's Sebastian Bach, Dave Sabo, and Rachel Bolan all contribute additional backing vocals. One minor gripe is with Kramer's production itself is that, at times, its a little too hair rock for its own good. A must-own for any old school Kiss/Ace Frehley fan. John Franck – AllMusic.com