It was arguably the best song that lead guitarist Ace Frehley ever wrote and sang with Kiss.
And in a strange twist, it was a studio cut featured on a live album.
Its name: Rocket Ride.
By the time the band’s second double-live album, Alive II, was released in 1977, Ace Frehley had just one lead vocal under his belt in Shock Me, which came off Love Gun, the studio album released earlier in ’77.
Frehley’s lack of confidence in his singing voice while recording Shock Me is well documented. But after touring behind Love Gun and belting out Shock Me in front of audiences across the globe, his confidence had grown.
On vinyl, Alive II had three sides of live material plus a final side featuring five brand new studio tracks.
And without doubt, the pick of the bunch was Frehley’s Rocket Ride - with a slinky, flange-ridden riff meant to simulate take off, and not one but two rip-roarin’ solos.
Although Frehley’s memory fails him to this end, two of his bandmates - rhythm guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley and bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons - were reportedly not involved in the recording of Rocket Ride.
Frehley handled bass and all guitars while his other bandmate Peter Criss played drums.
Looking back on his progression from Shock Me to Rocket Ride, Frehley tells MusicRadar: “Once I had a track under my belt, it gave me confidence. It made me realise that Paul and Gene weren’t the only lead singers in the band.
“I still don’t consider myself a lead singer,” he admits. “But after Shock Me and Rocket Ride, and all my other albums, I lot of other people do!”
“I don’t even remember if Gene and Paul played on this one. How long ago was this, like 50 years ago?
“But Rocket Ride was interesting because I used a flange on the main riff and a wah-wah on the solo, which was unusual for me. I have no idea why I did it, though!
“In those days, I used to bring over whatever I had to the studio, I’d experiment, and stuff would happen.”
“That song, like most of my stuff, was all organic. It wasn’t planned, you know?
“I’d say that 90 per cent of the time, I was just like, ‘Oh, what’s this?’ Or, ‘I love the sound of that - I’ll use that.’
“So with the solo for Rocket Ride, it just kind of happened. I didn’t plan it out.
“But you know what? There were times when I was younger when I’d try and plan stuff out and walk into a practice or a session with the solo completed, and then the producer would say, ‘I don’t like it.’ And I’d be like, ‘Ah shit, I spent an hour working on that solo!’
“So, by the time I did Rocket Ride, I was to the point in my career where I just said, ‘Hit the record button, and I’ll let it rip!’
“I’d do maybe half a dozen takes, and through that, I’d get a great solo.
“But the one that’s on Rocket Ride from the record, if I remember right, there are no edits. It’s one take… of a bunch.”
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