“I’m really happy with the way Space Invader has been received,” says Frehley. “I had a lot of fun recording it and I think that, in some way, that’s come through on the record. My head was in a good place while I was recording. I broke some new ground.”
Part of this involved collaborating with other writers; two of the songs were co-written with Frehley’s fiancé, Rachael Gordon, while he wrote with his assistant John Ostrosky on Gimme A Feelin. Warren Huart, who mixed the record, was even given a co-producer credit on the title track for his work in bringing the song to life.
“That song was an instrumental while we were mixing,” Frehley explains. “While Warren was mixing other tracks, I went back to my hotel room and wrote the lyrics and melody. And Warren is actually singing the high harmony on the choruses… Everything came together beautifully and I think that came through on the record.
“I’m really excited about touring in Australia,” Frehley continues. “A lot of good things are happening since the record has been so well received. Tickets are selling well and I’ve got a good lineup. I’ve got the bass player from The Cult, Chris Wyse. I’ve got my old guitar player back, Richie Scarlet. And I’ve got my drummer back, Scot Coogan.”
Frehley is well known for his Gibson Les Paul guitars – y’know, the ones that spewed smoke and fired rockets in his KISS days? And he’s a long-time Gibson user: his very first electric guitar was an Epiphone, a company which has long been under the Gibson banner. On Space Invader, Frehley used plenty of Les Pauls (“About eight dozen,” he jokes), as well as four or five different Fender Telecasters and Stratocasters, plus acoustic guitars by Gibson, Taylor and Guild, while his old Fender Precision bass – the same one used on his first solo album in 1978 – was also called into service. “I always like to double the Gibsons with the Fenders because they have different harmonic ranges and when you blend them together you get a thicker sound,” Frehley says. “Live, I pretty much use Les Pauls exclusively, but in the studio, I’ll use anything to get an effect or thicken up a track.”
Frehley says he and Gibson continue to have a great relationship; in fact, Gibson recently reached out to discuss the possibility of another Ace Frehley model Les Paul. “That would be my third,” he says. “I don’t have a release date yet, but it looks like it’s going to be my flame-top from 1978.” The previous models have been highly prized by collectors, and they fetch a pretty decent price on the open market – that’s if they surface for sale at all; folks tend to hold onto them.
Frehley grew up in a musical family; his parents both played instruments, as did his brother and sister. “I picked up my brother’s folk guitar one day and started learning chords. That Christmas, my dad got me an electric guitar and it’s been a love affair ever since. And I realised I’ve been playing guitar for 50 years now. I don’t really dwell on time much. God, I’ve been in this business now for 40-plus years, but every day feels fresh to me.”
BY PETER HODGSON
