Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

At some point, we have all perhaps looked up at the seemingly cold stars and wished that we could visit the strange, alien worlds that circle the long distant suns, that we could all be pioneers in the dark void that separates us from the rest of the Universe. For many of us we can never say our occupation is being an astronaut, but for those of us who will never see the raw, unfiltered light of our own Sun as it hangs in space, at least Ace Frehley will always be considered amongst the pinnacle of those who can say, I am the Spaceman.

The former member of Kiss might feel the depth of fortitude that comes with being a name forever linked with one of the biggest ever rock acts to have toured the planet, it is perhaps the double-edged sword that comes with responsibility and pleasure. The short straw of legendary status, the long yard stick in which to be as creative as you want, for in this mix of artistic passion, you can pretty much do as you please and as long as the fans know you have put every ounce of sweat possible, that you have run the equivalent of a marathon every day and arguably climbed the steps to the top of the Harlem River Park Tower to get the pulse racing, then they will take the resulting charm and spectacle to their hearts.

There is always the thought of the tireless champion continually plugging away, the laurels of the past having been hung up at the back of the closet and along with the costume and the Kiss attitude, Ace Frehley finds himself in perhaps the most unique position of all the four original members of the group; no impending sense of retirement, no need to play to the vast and consuming ideals, he can perform the songs he chooses to write and take them any way he wishes.

It is in that thought that Spaceman comes across with a beautiful sense of melancholy, tinged arguably with the regret which we all express at some point in our lives, but as thrilling as rock can be, especially in a world that seems willing to let the most definite of musical genres slowly fade a while.

In songs such as Without You I’m Nothing, Bronx Boy, Pursuit of Rock And Roll and Mission To Mars, Ace Frehley frames his own life expertly within the space open to him, weaving a tantalising thread between the latest of his own solo outings and that period of time in which he will forever be associated with.

There is always the Spaceman in which to praise, to look up at the stars and understand that there is a being that smiles down upon us, a man, a muse to whom never gives in in wishing to take us that little bit farther into another system of musical worship.

Ian D. Hall