Anomaly
Studio album by
Ace Frehley
ReleasedSeptember 15, 2009
Recorded2007–2009
Studio
  • Frehley's Home Studio, Westchester County, NY
  • Schoolhouse Studios, New York City, NY
  • Poppy Studios, Burbank, CA
  • Undercurrent Studios, Los Angeles, CA
GenreHard rock, heavy metal
Length54:13
LabelBronx Born Records
ProducerAce Frehley, Frank Munoz, Marti Frederiksen ("Fox on the Run")
Ace Frehley chronology
Trouble Walkin'
(1989)		 Anomaly
(2009)		 Space Invader
(2014)

Anomaly is the third solo album by former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, released on September 15, 2009.[1] It is his first album of new studio material since 1989's Trouble Walkin'. Frehley produced most of the album himself, with Marti Frederiksen producing the Sweet cover "Fox on the Run".[2] The album was dedicated to Kiss drummer Eric Carr, Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, and Les Paul. The album debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200,[3] number 20 on the Swedish album chart and number 52 on the German chart.[4]

Marketing

Frehley's official website and YouTube channel released a promo commercial for the album. In it, a boy is outside a sound studio, telling a girl that he has waited for the new album for over a year. Their uncle, sporting a mullet and a Trouble Walkin' T-shirt, tells them he has waited 20 years. Suddenly, from a thick cloud of smoke, Frehley appears on a Chopper. He makes a hitchhiking-like gesture (referencing the Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park film, when using his transportation powers), magically giving the trio copies of the CD. He lets out an "Ack!" (another reference to the aforementioned film, in which it was his catch phrase), then rides out.

The CD cover folds into a pyramid. Another version of the CD included a temporary tattoo. Anomaly has also been pressed on limited copies of vinyl records.

The track "Outer Space" is a downloadable song for the Rock Band series.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Blabbermouth.net7.5/10[6]
Classic Rock[7]
Metal Temple[8]

AllMusic reviewer stated that "the album remade a case for Frehley as one of rock's most potent, soulful axe slingers", who "surprised even longtime supporters with its forceful, confident performances and sharp songwriting."[5] Anomaly, wrote longtime Kiss supporter Geoff Barton, "is full of the Spaceman's signature charms: guitar playing that teeters on the brink of disintegration; gobby Bronx attitude; shout-it-out-loud vocals; songwriting skills that veer between brilliant and blundering. If Kiss's new album Sonic Boom is a slickly realised summation of the band's heritage, then Anomaly is the exact opposite: it's Ace at his most idiosyncratic, vulnerable, prankish, calamitous and, yes, cataclysmic."[7] Justin Crafton of Sleaze Roxx.com reminded how the release of this album marks Frehley's 3rd year of sobriety and "features Ace at the top of his game, mentally, physically and musically."[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ace Frehley, except where indicated

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Foxy & Free" 3:43
2."Outer Space"Jesse Mendez, David Askew, Frehley3:48
3."Pain in the Neck" 4:18
4."Fox on the Run" (Sweet cover)Andy Scott, Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Mick Tucker3:34
5."Genghis Khan" 6:08
6."Too Many Faces" 4:22
7."Change the World" 4:11
8."Space Bear" 5:24
9."A Little Below the Angels" 4:17
10."Sister" 4:48
11."It's a Great Life" 4:00
12."Fractured Quantum" 6:19
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."The Return of Space Bear"5:44
Deluxe Edition (2017) bonus tracks[10]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Hard for Me"Frehley, Sebastian Bach3:42
14."Pain in the Neck" (Slower Version) 4:46
15."The Return of Space Bear" 5:47

Other songs

Tracks recorded and/or not on the album

  1. "Laurado"
  2. "Skels" - Became "Space Bear"
  3. "Hard for Me" - Became "Foxy & Free"
  4. "Steamroller"
  5. "The Pursuit of Rock 'n' Roll" - Later released on Frehley's 2018 album Spaceman
  6. "The King Is Kong" - Became "Genghis Khan"

Personnel

  • Ace Frehley – lead vocals, lead guitar, additional bass on tracks 2, 5, 9, 11, and 12
  • Anthony Esposito – bass
  • Anton Fig – drums, percussion on all tracks except 4, 10, and 12
  • Derrek Hawkins – rhythm guitar on track 2
  • Scot Coogan – drums, percussion on track 10, background vocals on 3 and 10
  • Marti Frederiksen – keyboards, additional bass and rhythm guitar on 4 and 9, drums on 12, producer and engineer on track 4, mixing
  • Brian Tichy – drums on track 4
  • Pearl Aday — female backing vocals
Production
  • Frank Munoz - associate producer
  • Jay Messina - engineer
  • Bruce Somers - engineer on track 5
  • Tim Hatfield - engineer on track 10
  • Alex Salzman - engineer on tracks 9 and 12, overdubs engineer
  • Rich Tozzoli - overdubs engineer
  • Anthony Focx - mixing, digital editing, mastering

Charts

Year Chart Position
2009 Independent Albums (US)[11] 2
Swedish Albums Chart[12] 20
Billboard 200 (US)[11] 27
Norwegian Albums Chart[13] 34
Dutch MegaCharts[14] 99

"Fox on the Run" reached #30 on the Billboard Heritage Rock Chart.

References

  1. ↑ Prato, Greg (July 16, 2009). "Ace Frehley: Ready for Solo LP Anomaly, But Not a Kiss Reunion". Rolling Stone. RealNetworks, Inc. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
  2. ↑ Graff, Gary (September 4, 2009). "Ace Frehley Talks New Album, "Anomaly"". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Billboard 200 Week of October 3, 2009". Billboard. Nielsen SoundScan. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Ace Frehley: Video Footage Of Vintage Vinyl Signing Session Posted Online". Blabbermouth. September 28, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  5. 1 2 Roach, Pemberton. "Ace Frehley - Anomaly review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  6. ↑ Anisoglu, Scott (September 27, 2009). "Ace Frehley - "Anomaly"". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Barton, Geoff (November 2009). "Ace Frehley - Anomaly". Classic Rock. No. 138. p. 91.
  8. ↑ Grigoris Chronis (September 30, 2009). "Album: Ace Frehley, Anomaly, (Season Of Mist)". Metal Temple. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  9. ↑ Crafton, Justin. "Sleaze Roxx: Ace Frehley – Anomaly". sleazeroxx.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  10. ↑ "ACE FREHLEY to Release Expanded Deluxe Edition of 'Anomaly' in September". July 11, 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Billboard Artist Chart History - Ace Frehley". Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Ace Frehley - Anomaly (Album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Ace Frehley - Anomaly (Album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Ace Frehley - Anomaly". Dutch Charts.nl (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
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