Track Listing

1. Foxy & Free
2. Outer Space
3. Pain in the Neck
4. Fox on the Run
5. Genghis Khan
6. Too Many Faces
7. Change the World
8. Space Bear
9. Little Below the Angels
10. Sister
11. It's a Great Life
12. Fractured Quantum

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4668 in Music
• Released on: 2009-09-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .15 pounds

Customer Reviews

anomaly? yes it is!!
I've had this for a few weeks and it pains me to say it - this is no more than average,to say its his best work since the classic 'ACE FREHLEY' is merely damning it with faint praise.it wouldnt have been hard,only 'rock soldiers' from the last 20 years could be hailed as a classic.The disc starts well opening with two excellent tracks 'foxy & free' and 'outer space' both reminiscent of his 70's classic,however 'pain in the neck' lives up to its title and brings the disc to a halt,this is repeated thru the disc,quality control not high on Ace's list clunkers like 'change the world and ' below the angels ' dragging us down reducing the effect of class like 'genghis khan'/ fractured quantum',the rest of the disc listenable but never top drawer.Ace is a living Anomaly- his fans are dedicated almost to a fault and mostly cannot take any critisicm of the man without spitting the dummy,well i've been a fan since '78 and im honest to a fault, 20 years have elapsed since 'trouble walkin' and to have come up with this is not good enough,Ace needs to realise he need quality around him,he is a great guitar player,that is not in question but he cannot and never will be a succesful top drawer solo artist,i wanted this to rock my world,it gently shook it,it wont edge 'sonic boom' its not good enough,and remember before the abuse i've been here since the 70's,Ace was my favourite KISS member,but blind loyalty never works,Ace has lost plenty over the years,maybe he should have just released a live album?,does anyone remember the live promo/bootleg - ' back in the new york groove' circa 1985?,that was class,Ace has never managed to reproduce that,multiple record labels,simmons & stanley,the record buying public cant all be wrong!!Wake up Ace, smell the coffee .

An incredible return to form! (Paul Stanley take note!!)
How ironic. Today I heard the news that Anomoly debuted at #27 in the Billboard Top 200 and I go to Kissonline and what do I read??? Congratulations Ace??? No...these words from Paul Stanley in reference to the reunion period...

"I think we had people who were delusional about their songwriting abilities and musical abilities".

Now, I have a huge amount of respect for Paul, his talent and his character, but surely he's well off the mark with this comment. Paul's Live to Win album was an absolutely lame, paint-by-numbers, try to be cool effort that was the worst work he ever released. It was souless and drab. No song over 3 minutes, it was song-crafting without any artistry. No balls, no creativity - just very disapointing.

How utterly different and vastly superior this album is. Over the years, you sometimes forget what a talent Ace is. Since Trouble Walkin' I've almost pigeon-holed Ace as a great raucous guitar player who writes simple rock'n'roll songs. Sure he's good at that, but there is suprisingly so, so much more.

Now this album was never going to be as good as his 1978 classic, but having said that, it far, far surpasses my expectations. I was staggered at how good this is, how talented Ace is and how wonderful it is to have him back.

I admit to tears of joy welling on both Little Below The Angels and Fractured Quantum.

And, given that this is 31 years since his first solo album, it is remarkable how similar they are in places. This is certainly more like that album than any album released since then. I would also say that this is the most artistic KISS related album since 1978.

1. Foxy & Free. This is a standard rock opener, raucous, heavy and dripping with sleaze. What separates this from any other rock opener is the performance. Great production, great rock'n'roll sound, great dirty solo. Raw and heavy rock....not as good as Rip It Out, but probably better than "Shot Full of Rock".

2. Outer Space. Again great beefy rock sound. Intentionally catchy chorus, but I find this song slightly too simple without any real hook. Good but not great.

3. Pain In The Neck. Stoopid title, but somehow Ace pulls it off with ease. This is a stupendous heavy rocker, power, swagger, weird timing on the chorus, but somehow very commerical at the same time. Really like his vocal delivery....uniquely Ace Frehley. The solo is my favourite on the album a real barnstormer. Best rocker on the album. This song alone demolishes the entire Live To Win album in one fell swoop!

4. Fox On The Run. Not really fond of this song so hard to judge Ace's cover. Verses are really cool, chorus turns me off.

5. Genghis Khan. You have never heard Ace play anything like the introduction to this song before. I didn't know he had it in him! Very, very cool Indian flavoured acoustic blues! Zeplinny instrumental with nice long solo at the end. Classy.

6. Too Many Faces. Probably my least favourite song on the album, but kind of harks back to the '78 album somewhere in the vibe - which is good!

7. Change The World. Not typical Ace, but a nice positive artistic song that demonstrates his creativity on the album.

8. Space Bear. Need more time to appreciate this instrumental. It's good, but need more time before passing judgement.

9. A Little Below The Angels. Brilliant! I loved this song on first listen. His vocal style is wonderul. At first you think it's just a simple acoustic guitar strumming number, until it moves into a bridge and in come the drums and organ and then it moves into an instrumental section which is like Fractured Mirror, and then it goes into a take-it-down section complete with cheesy "Daddy, have you ever seen an angel" voice over by his daughter Monique. Totally cringeworthy, but I like it. When the kids come in singing slightly flat, it put a smile on my face, and when Anton comes pounding back in, that's when the tears of joy started to well. Cheesy, cornball, good time, madcap genius. Fabulos, catchy, artistic song.

10. Sister. Good old heavy rocker again. Has to be turned up really loud. I've known this for years from a bootleg DVD, and always wished it had been released. Now it has. Good stuff.

11. It's A Great Life. This is a good song. Not sure if this is like another song I know, but it sure sounds familiar. Simple good time rock'n'roll with a happy, positive vibe.

12. Fractured Quantum. Amazingly, this is almost certainly the best in the Fractured Series. Hard to beat the original, but this is stunningly beautiful music, vastly superior to parts Too and III (sic). This is something that needs to be played on quality speakers, really loud. The way the music builds subtly is really gorgeous. The melody line that repeats on the verses is melancholy, uplifting and reflective all in one. The "chorus", if it's fair to call it that, is excellent...very fun punchy little chord sequence that makes you wanna simle and shake your bootie. Love this song....love the album.

Ace, if you're out there on Jendell and can hear us earthings. Thank you sir. Waiting 20 years....absolutely delighted and proud to be your fan.

Hope you send a copy to Mr. Stanley!!

unfinished
I'm one of Ace's biggest fans, he is probably the main reason why I play guitar today. But this is baaad. The songs sound unfinished, Ace' playing sounds rusty and tired. There is very little new here to get excited about.

What a shame. The new KISS Sonic Boom CD really whips this big time.