ACE FREHLEY - ANOMALY 'RETURN OF THE SPACE ACE!'

Only had one chance to really listen to the new ACE FREHLEY album...and so far it's exceeding expectations. I knew it would be great but, for an album that's been 20 years in the making, the songs sound fresh, heavy and the SPACEMAN's guitar playing is nothing short of excellent...full review later....

check out some info here:

http://www.acefrehleyanomaly.com/

www.eddietrunk.com

The songs despite 20 years in the making sound uniquely fresh. The production is fantastic, and as for the guitar playing and overall musicianship Ace and the band are on top form. Some killer tracks here; prime examples are 'foxy & free', 'outer space', 'too many faces' the catchy 'pain in the neck', the kashmir-esque 'Genghis Khan' and my personal favourite 'Sister'; a song that had previously floating around bootleggers collections as a demo. The final studio version found here does not disappoint and it further cements and proves Ace's talents, as not only an effective guitar player with individuality and flare, but also a strong songwriter whom KISS fans have been attracted screaming and shouting his lyrics to for over 30 years. ACE has many a times been cited as an influence and it's no doubt that he has inspired a generation of guitar players of all styles. His early ''grungy'' riffs such as 'Strangeways' on the KISS Hotter Than Hell album or the killers solo on 'Cold Gin', have been inspirations for Mike Mccready of Pearl Jam, Slash and arguably his biggest fan the late Dimebag Darrell. As mentioned earlier his work on this album does nothing more than cement his unique style of early grunge meets 70's rough flash to prove that SPACE ACE still has it.

A friend recently mentioned that if KISS and ACE had collaborated and written together they would have produced the best KISS album in 30 years, or at least since REVENGE...maybe true. But we both agreed that ANOMALY is as a great a record as ACE'S first solo release in '78, it's certainly his most consistent.

Pick up a copy of ANOMALY and see for yourselves.

check out these links for reviews and a link for guitar enthusiasts:

http://www.iheartguitarblog.com/2009/09/review-ace-frehley-anomaly.html

http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-ace-frehley-anomaly/

http://www.dinosaurrockguitar.com/new/node/20

http://kissarmynews.blogspot.com/2009/09/eddie-trunk-reviews-ace-frehleys.html

MYSTERY FLYING V

Bought a flying v around 6 months ago, but the previous owner was uncertain of it's brand. From the research I have been able to do, I can identify it to possibly be an IBANEZ 2387 V. But there are some features that distinguish this V when compared to what I've read and seen online.

The neck is quite rounded and gibson-esque but very comfortable,
The headstock is slightly pointier
The body (legs) are slightly smaller, making the tailpiece come nearer to the edge of the body
The neck pickups is an IBANEZ SUPER 70/80
The neck is set neck
The bridge is a roller type.
Bottom left edge of pickguard is not cut off as a 'v' point


ANY IDEAS OF THE GUITAR'S BRAND?

Jekyll & Hyde Overdrive / Distortion Pedal

With 3 modes to use, making it ideal for a live scenario, the Jekyll & Hyde has really proved its worth this summer. It's been my main weapon and tool for all rehearsal and live use. Having played it through several amps; hybrid and tube amps; the pedal seemed to react extremely well and make itself adaptable to most scenario. With independent controls for both the overdrive and distortion settings the pedal brings freedom and a range of sounds, exactly what I needed. The third function is the capability to combine the sounds and create a thicker distortion or use the overdrive side as a boost to your solos.
The HYDE, (distortion) is can be set to thick and fuzzy by adjusting the gain and 'sharp/blunt' switch, or crunchy, think of the Van Halen or JCM 800 sound.
Where as the Jekyll (overdrive) is pretty much a replica of the loved Tubescreamer with the added bonus of adding a 'bass boost' to thicken things up even more.
Furthermore the tone on this pedal is great. Not a tube amp, let's get that straight, but extremely close. For £120 the Jekyll & Hyde is one of the best if not best dual overdrive pedal I have ever come across. The bypass function is also excellent and it's not a tone sucker.

MICHAEL SCHENKER - LONDON CAMDEN UNDERWORLD REVIEW

As a fan of the Mad AXEMAN for years now and as guitar player myself, the chance to catch The Blonde Bomber in action at the intimate venue of the CAMDEN UNDERWORLD in London; was a chance I couldn’t give up. The 500 capacity venue was completely sold out and many a disappointed fans were outside chatting with the touts trying to score a ticket to see the German axe-man’s brilliance.

My position in relation to the stage was perfect. Only a couple of other fans were in the way of the stage. Two support bands were on prior to MSG, ‘The Morning After’ and ‘Kings of Modesty’, both delivered good sets to warm up the crowd. Check ‘em out.

MSG hit the stage slightly later than the scheduled 9 pm, due to some slight technical difficulties, but during their performance there were no real issues to be heard or seen.
Their set much like before, was unchanged but strong. When MSG came on fans screamed out for ‘SCHENKER!’ and the axe-man delivered. The band was tight and on form playing for approximately 1hr 30mins. Performing two encores and ending with the loud and crowd chanted DOCTOR DOCTOR. Highlights of the gig came in the form of ‘LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE’, ‘READY TO ROCK’, ‘INTO THE ARENA’, ‘ON AND ON’ and the two UFO Classics; ‘ROCK BOTTOM’ and ‘DOCTOR DOCTOR’.

Having been fortunate to have seen Michael Schenker play a few songs with the SCORPIONS in London last year, I knew that Mr. Schenker was in good form and the past few years have been some of his best. His playing is in top form, his attitude on stage is great and he’s basically kicking some serious arse. As a musician and fan of UFO, MSG, SCORPIONS and the Schenker brothers; finally watching MSG has been one of the most memorable moments of my life. Here’s to many more years of success to MSG.

Given the chance don’t miss it!

SET LIST:
RIDE ON MY WAY
CRY FOR THE NATIONS
LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE
ARMED & READY
READY TO ROCK
I WANT YOU
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
INTO THE ARENA
LOST HORIZONS
ROCK MY NIGHTS AWAY
ON&ON
ATTACK OF THE MAD AXE MAN
LADY GIPSY
ROCK BOTTOM
DOCTOR DOCTOR

The Wild Card