Ace Frehley, the KISS guitar legend, has shared his list of 5 Albums He Can't Live Without with Spin magazine.
The 70-year-old rocker, who is also known as the Spaceman, stuck with all 1960s classics that influenced his musical style and career.
The first album on his list is The Jimi Hendrix Experience's debut album, Are You Experienced?, which was released in 1967. Frehley said that he was fascinated by the album cover and the psychedelic sound of Hendrix's guitar. "I used to walk around in high school with that [album] under my arm and stare at it. I don’t know what was so fascinating about that cover, but it’s a pretty interesting cover," he said.
The second album is Led Zeppelin's self-titled debut album, which came out in 1969. Frehley said that he was in love with Zeppelin from the first note he heard and that Jimmy Page is one of his favorite guitarists. He also revealed that he had to slow down the record to figure out Page's solos. "In those days, I had to slow the record down [laughs] because some of his guitar playing was so fast," he said.
The third album is Cream's debut album, Fresh Cream, which was also released in 1966. Frehley said that he saw Cream live for the first time when they opened for Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, along with The Who, in their first U.S. tour. He said that he was mesmerized by the power trio of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker. "I was at this show, and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels was the headliner, but lo and behold, the two opening acts were The Who and Cream. It was so crazy. This was their first U.S. tour, so nobody even knew who the hell they were, including me. I was just mesmerized. I said, 'These bands are going to be ginormous.' The rest is history," he said.
The fourth album is The Who's debut album, My Generation, which was released in 1965. Frehley said that he was inspired by the theatrical and explosive performance of The Who, especially by Keith Moon's drumming and Pete Townshend's guitar smashing. "When I saw The Who live for the first time, and Keith Moon wrecked his drums, and Pete Townshend was smashing his guitar into the amps, and smoke bombs are going off -- I knew immediately that I wanted to be in a theatrical rock group. That was a huge influence on me," he said.
The fifth and final album is Jeff Beck's debut album, Truth, which was released in 1968. Frehley said that he met Beck and has a photo with him. He praised Beck's guitar playing and his graciousness. "I met him and I have a photo of me and him. He was really gracious. He's one of the best guitar players on the planet," he said.
Frehley's list of 5 Albums He Can't Live Without is part of Spin's ongoing series that features artists sharing their favorite albums. Frehley is currently working on a new solo album, which will be his ninth studio album and the follow-up to 2018's Spaceman.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]