Iconic Producer Says Ace Frehley Was ‘Real Heart & Soul’ of KISS, Calls Gene & Paul’s Pre-KISS Album a ‘Disaster’

“He had his failings, like everybody else, but the music he created was wonderful. A great, guitar player, terrific.”

Legendary producer and engineer Eddie Kramer looked back on recording KISS’ demo, and suggested that Ace Frehley had been the band’s “heart and soul.”

There are many very colorful feathers in the 82-year-old producer’s cap, most of which read like a list of who’s who of classic rock ‘n’ roll. In addition to his history-making collabs with Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones etc., Kramer also enjoyed a lengthy collaboration with KISS (which included masterminding “Alive!”, often quoted as a significant milestone in live rock albums).

That collaboration began shortly after Gene Simmons andPaul Stanley gave up on their original band Wicked Lester, whose unreleased album Kramer called a “disaster” during a recent interview on the “Jay Jay French Connection” podcast (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):

“At Electric Lady, I would see Gene and Paul up and down the hallways, doing their thing. Ron Johnsen was their producer, and I think at that time he was also managing the Electric Lady studios. He called me up after the disaster of the Wicked Lester album, which went straight in the bloody toilet, and he says, ‘Listen, Gene and Paul, they got this idea. They want to do a rock ‘n’ roll band, would you do a demo for me?'”

Kramer, of course, agreed. Judging what he tells the Twisted Sister guitarist, watching the NYC band walk into a studio was one of those moments where you know you’re watching history unfold:

“So, on the appointed day, Gene, Paul, and Ace… just watching these guys go into the studio was just one of those moments. When Ace walked into the studio, he was so bloody skinny. He was driving a cab in the Bronx. And he was so thin, if he turned sideways, you wouldn’t even see him. But what a sweet… Ace, for me, he was the real heart and soul. A bloody good guitar player, much underrated, I think, by a lot of folks.”

Going more in-depth about the impression Ace had made on him, Kramer added:

“I love Ace. I did the solo records with him. I’ve hung out with him, and just working with that guy, he was fantastic. He had his failings, like everybody else, but the music he created was wonderful. A great, guitar player, terrific.