Ace Frehley Recruits All-Stars for ‘Origins, Vol. 2’ Covers Album
Ace Frehley has revealed the artwork and full track listing for his new covers album, Origins, Vol. 2.
The LP features Frehley reinterpreting a wide range of classic tracks alongside an assortment of guest stars. Lita Ford joins the guitarist on a rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” while Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander lent his voice to a cover of Humble Pie’s “30 Days in the Hole.”
“I really wanted to do the Humble Pie song, but I just couldn’t cut it, vocally, because [Steve] Marriott’s just too good of a goddamn singer,” Frehley previously explained. “I just couldn’t do justice to his vocals. But I remembered that I had bumped into Robin Zander years ago at a meet-and-greet, and he had mentioned to me that he’d like to sing on one of my upcoming records. So I remembered that and gave him a call.”
Elsewhere on the LP, Frehley is joined by fellow former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick. The two collaborated on a cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic “Manic Depression.”
Guitarist John 5 – known for his stints with David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie – appears on two of the album’s tracks: renditions of the Beatles’ “I’m Down” and Cream’s “Politician.”
“If you listen to the Cream version, [Eric] Clapton does a double solo – he’s playing two solos at the same time. So what me and John 5 did is, he did a solo, I did a solo, and then Alex Salzman, my engineer, we did a cross-fade,” Frehley explained of their version. “So, if you listen to the song with headphones on, you hear me going from one side to the other, and John going from one side back. So it’s a really interesting mix.”
Other highlights from Origins, Vol. 2 include covers of Led Zeppelin (“Good Times, Bad Times”), the Kinks (“Lola”) and the Animals (“We Gotta Get Out of This Place”). Frehley’s new version of Kiss’ 1975 single “She” appears as a bonus cut. A cover of Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin’” has already been released as the LP’s first single.
You can check out the full track listing and album artwork for Origins, Vol. 2 below.
Frehley, who had a hit with his 1978 cover of Hello’s “New York Groove,” previously admitted his penchant for recording other artists’ tunes. “The great thing about doing a covers record is I don’t have to write the songs,” the guitarist explained. “So, all I have to do is kind of make it my own, maybe change the solo a little, maybe change the arrangement a little and then get some guest stars.”
Each of Frehley’s eight studio albums has included at least one cover song.
This is his second all-covers collection, following 2016’s Origins, Vol. 1. The cover art for the two albums is also thematically tied. Vol. 2 features a section of Frehley’s hometown New York City floating on a detached island in the sky over the ocean, just like in Vol. 1. But this time a nighttime scene replaces the daytime one found on the earlier volume, and photos of Frehley in his various Kiss costumes appear instead of guitars this time.
Origins, Vol. 2 – which comes out on Sept. 18 – was originally scheduled to arrive in March, but its release was pushed back due to the coronavirus. Frehley has also been working on an album of new original material while sheltering at home during the pandemic.
Ace Frehley, ‘Origins, Vol. 2’ Track Listing
1. “Good Times, Bad Times” (Originally by Led Zeppelin)
2. “Never in My Life” (Originally by Mountain)
3. “Space Truckin’” (Originally by Deep Purple)
4. “I’m Down” (feat. John 5) (Originally by the Beatles)
5. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (feat. Lita Ford) (Originally by the Rolling Stones)
6. “Politician” (feat. John 5) (Originally by Cream)
7. “Lola” (Originally by the Kinks)
8. “30 Days in the Hole” (feat. Robin Zander) (Originally by Humble Pie)
9. “Manic Depression” (feat. Bruce Kulick) (Originally by the Jimi Hendrix Experience)
10. “Kicks” (Originally by Paul Revere and the Raiders)
11. “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” (Originally by the Animals)
12. “She” (Bonus track) (Originally by Kiss)