Ahead of the release of his upcoming Origins Vol. 1 album, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley spoke with Songfacts’ Greg Prato about the new record, his days with KISS, and more. Read an excerpt below:

Songfacts: In KISS, was it ever intimidating to offer a song early on, since Gene (Simmons) and Paul (Stanley) would write so many songs?

Ace: “It was never intimidating. Everybody was receptive to listen to other people's material. I mean, not everything I submitted was used, but KISS in the early days was that magic, that collective thought. The chemistry was right. The timing was right. The idea behind KISS with the make-up and the stage show was right. We were all in the right place at the right time. It was a fun process... for the most part.”

Songfacts: Regarding the song "Shock Me”, I know in the past you said it was inspired from an incident when you were electrocuted on stage during a KISS concert [on December 12, 1976, at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida]. But I've always thought the lyrics were more of a sexual nature.

Ace: [Laughs] “Isn't every KISS song about sex? What KISS song isn't about sex? Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. Yeah, obviously, there was a lot of crazy partying going on behind the scenes, and we drew from our experiences when we wrote lyrics.”

Read the complete interview at this location.

Ace Frehley will release Origins Vol. 1, a collection of 12 newly recorded classics from his formative years featuring some of the biggest names in rock and roll, on April 15th.

On the new album, KISS frontman Paul Stanley joins Ace on Free's hit "Fire And Water”. This collaboration marks the first time that Ace and Paul appear on the same studio recording since KISS' 1998 reunion album Psycho Circus.

"White Room”, the classic hit originally performed by Cream, is streaming below. Other guests are none other than Slash trading leads on Thin Lizzy's classic "Emerald”, Lita Ford singing and playing lead on The Troggs staple "Wild Thing”, Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 playing guitar alongside Ace as he sings his classic KISS composition "Parasite" for the very first time, as well as Jimi Hendrix's "Spanish Castle Magic”, and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready also plays guitar with Ace as he finally sings his KISS Alive! mainstay "Cold Gin”. "White Room" is also an iTunes instant gratification track, meaning fans who pre-order the LP on iTunes will receive the Cream cover song instantly.

Tracklisting:

"White Room" (Cream)
"Street Fighting Man" (Rolling Stones)
"Spanish Castle Magic" feat. John 5 (Jimi Hendrix)
"Fire And Water" feat. Paul Stanley (Free)
"Emerald" feat. Slash (Thin Lizzy)
"Bring It On Home" (Led Zeppelin)
"Wild Thing" feat. Lita Ford (The Troggs)
"Parasite" feat. John 5 (KISS)
"Magic Carpet Ride" (Steppenwolf)
"Cold Gin" feat. Mike McCready (KISS)
"Till The End Of The Day" (Kinks)
"Rock and Roll Hell" (KISS)

"White Room”:

Pre-order physically via the Amazon widget below. Pre-order digitally here.

 

 

Upcoming Ace Frehley tour dates are listed below. Ace is joined on the road by Richie Scarlet (rhythm, guitar and vocal duties), Chris Wyse on bass and vocals (The Cult), Scott Coogan on drums (Nikki Sixx’s Brides of Destruction).

Tour dates:

April
1 - Ponte Vedra, FL - Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
2 - Clearwater, FL - Capitol Theatre
3 - Sunrise, FL - Markham Park - Rockfest 80's
5 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
7 - Danville, VA - Carrington Pavilion
9 - New Hope, PA - Havana New Hope
11 - New York, NY - BB King's Blues Club
12 - New York, NY - BB King's Blues Club
13 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
15 - Wilkes Barre, PA - The F.M. Kirby Center
16 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance

Click here for all ticket info. Additional dates to be announced.