In 1978, Kiss were arguably one of the biggest bands on the planet. A slate of platinum albums — Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, Love Gun, Alive II and Double Platinum — sold-out tours in the U.S. and Japan, and millions of dollars generated by the sales of Kiss merchandise (from board games to dolls) solidified their status as reigning rock gods. They were enlisted by cartoon titans Hanna-Barbera for their own movie, Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park, and it seemed the perfect vehicle to their fervent global following. Yet all was not rosy in Kiss world.

During the filming, interpersonal band tensions became toxic, precipitating rumors of an impending breakup. To appease warring factions and defuse the growing disharmony, Kiss manager Bill Aucoin opted for the band members to record their own solo album; a solo album clause was already in place within their Casablanca Records contract. On September 18, 1978, in an unprecedented move, four solo albums by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss were released on the same day. The dark horse of Kiss, Frehley surprised industry wags and fans with a spectacular solo effort; the Russ Ballard-penned “New York Groove” became the only major hit from the album. Frehley’s eponymous long player is universally cited as a watermark in The Spaceman’s recording career.

Forty-six years after its release, join us for a conversation with Frehley, detailing the back story of a classic album in Kisstory.

GOLDMINE: When broached with the idea of each member of Kiss doing a solo album, what was your reaction?

ACE FREHLEY: I think the solo albums was a good idea. We needed a break from each other. We had been on the road or in the studio continuously. We needed to get away from each other.

GM: When you found out you were going to do a solo album, did you have a lot of songs in the can or songs you held back from Kiss?

AF: There were a couple of songs that I didn’t present the band with while working on Love Gun. Yeah, I remember holding back a couple of songs for that record, and I didn’t present them to the band. Every time we would do a Kiss record, everybody would do demos and present songs so Paul, Gene and Peter could hear them as well as the producer, and then we’d decide which were the 10 or 11 best songs for the record. I held back a couple of songs that I thought were really good, and I held them back for my solo record. I knew that was coming.

GM: Knowing you’d have more time to spend on songs for your solo album than a KISS album, which were routinely knocked out quickly, did that enter into your thinking?

AF: No, I don’t think the time factor entered into any of the decisions. We worked quickly. Paul and Gene were workaholics, and I was a little more laid back. But I wasn’t concerned with the time factor. I just wanted to have the best nine songs of the record.

GM: A song cut for the solo album, “All for Nothing,” exists in collector circles; why didn’t it make the cut?

AF: To be honest, it gets boring. I listened to it recently and I remember some of the lyrics; I wrote that with Larry Kelly, my lead singer from my band, the Magic People. Listening to it now, it’s not as good as the other songs on my 1978 solo record. (Sings the chorus) “All for Nothing.” The lyrics weren’t that good either, so that song just didn’t do it for me.