Second sighting
| Second sighting | ||||
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| Frehley's Comet studio album | ||||
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Publication |
May 24, 1988 |
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| Label (s) | Atlantic Records / Megaforce Records | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
10 |
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Studio (s) |
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Second Sighting was the second and final studio album by the American hard rock band Frehley's Comet . It is the only album by the band with Jamie Oldaker playing drums .
History of origin
When the EP Live + 1 was released in February 1988 , which had served the purpose of keeping interest in the band, the group was already in the studio to work on their next studio album. During this time it was a problem for Ace Frehley in particular to get involved in the songwriting for Second Sighting with the necessary speed - he lacked the musical vision to determine how the group should go on in the future. He was only able to contribute a single title to the album, namely Juvenile Delinquent , the rest of the songs that he created were either revisions of material from other band members or cover versions , to which Frehley contributed by making marginal text changes.
Through this passive attitude of their band leader , the musical direction of the group changed. It moved away from the robust hard rock typical of Frehley towards something lighter. The task of giving the group a direction fell on Tod Howarth, who wrote four tracks alone and one more with John Regan and also recorded the lead vocals for all of these tracks .
The album contains a cover version of the song Dancin 'With Danger , which the Canadian group Streetheart had released in 1983 on their album Dancing With Danger , which was released on Boardwalk Records . Frehley's manager George Sewitt had discovered the title a few years before it was accepted by Frehley's Comet and found it appropriate. For Second Sighting , Frehley rewrote parts of the lyrics together with Dana Strum, bassist for the band Vinnie Vincent Invasion . If the text in Streetheart was still clearly related to drugs ( “Shady dealers open up their door, always free until you need some more” ), these instructions for the new version were replaced by the line “Screamin 'sirens cryin' in your ear "Flashin 'red lights burnin' in the mirror" replaced.
The title of It's Over now was in 1986 originally of death Howarth for Cheap Trick been written, but had no interest in including him. Since Frehley was not in the studio when the band recorded the song, Howarth played the lead guitar in addition to the rhythm so that Frehley could later show how he imagined the song. Frehley listened to the recording and decided that the guitar part was okay, making this the only song on the album that Frehley does not feature as lead guitarist.
publication
Second Sighting was released on May 17, 1988; the cover showed a photo of the earth published by NASA, the band logo in the upper left corner and the words Second Sighting in the upper right corner . The title Insane , sung by Frehley, was released as a single . It's Over Now was released as the second single ; both releases failed to hit the charts. Video clips have been released for these titles, and a music video for the song Fallen Angel has been produced but not released. Second Sighting reached number 81 on the Billboard 200 , but stayed on the charts for only seven weeks.
In the months after its release , the band toured as opening act for Iron Maiden, among other things . The last concert of Frehley's Comet took place on August 2nd, 1988 in New Orleans , shortly afterwards Howarth left the band, a little later Jamie Oldaker also left. From mid-1989 the name Frehley's Comet was no longer used and the band, which now again belonged to Richie Scarlett (rhythm guitar) and Sandy Slavin (drums), was only called Ace Frehley Band .
reception
Rock Hard awarded 7.5 points and wrote:
"Unfortunately," Second Sighting "only partially lives up to the high demands I made on the album. In contrast to the debut, the old master has lost some of its originality and straightforwardness. Part of the responsibility for this development is probably the fact that Tod Howarth takes over the vocal parts more and more and so some pieces drift too much into the AOR camp ('Time Ain't Runnin' Out ',' Loser In A Fight '). These quick catchy tunes are by no means bad, but I like the band better when I hear the charismatic voice of Ace and his distinctive guitar licks. "Second Sighting" turned out to be an above-average album, but due to the somewhat half-baked style of the group, it didn't get more than 7.5 points. "
Metal Hammer said:
“The third launch of Space Aces space cruiser is problematic. In contrast to the super debut and the successful Live + One EP, Second Sighting lurches in the second phase of take-off and only stays on course when Ace takes over the command with vocals. In general, the songwriting is no longer in the class of old Comet compositions. For example, you will look in vain for a Rock Soldiers (the hammer of the first Frehley's Comet ) or an Into The Night . The good opener Insane, sung by Ace , initially conceals this fact, but at the latest with Time Ain't Running Out , when Tod Howarth takes over the vocals, it becomes abundantly noticeable: a considerable part of the band's potential already appears the second long groove exhausted. None of the tracks are really bad, but none of them are really good either. Apart from Insane , the rest of them splash past you without anything getting stuck. Listening to it several times is a must if you want to get something good out of the disc. If you have fought your way through the ten songs a few times, the picture changes for the better and the legend Frehley saves himself to five points. If the shape curve continues to point downwards, the crash landing with the next album seems preprogrammed ... "
Even the magazine Musikexpress wrote unimpressed about the album:
“Poor Ace. If after Frehley's Comet of 1987 one was still willing to give the former Kiss guitarist and his new troupe more credit, the closed season is now over. The cards must be on the table. But that's exactly what the four of them struggle with. Certainly, the material of the ten songs is not bad at first sight. Ace and Co. show that they know how to move around in the genre of chart-oriented heavy rock. Biggest drawback: The knitting pattern of the songs constantly reveals parallels; the compositions jam in the back and front, sometimes resembling each other down to the reef. The bottom line is that the Americans turn out to be average heavy rockers with no luck. "
Track list
- Insane (vocals: Ace Frehley; text and music: Ace Frehley, Gene Moore) - 3:45
- Time Ain't Runnin 'Out (vocals: Tod Howarth; text and music: Tod Howarth) - 3:52
- Dancin 'With Danger (vocals: Ace Frehley; text and music: Ace Frehley, Dana Strum , Spencer Proffer , Streatheart) - 3:25
- It's Over now (vocals: Tod Howarth; text and music: Tod Howarth) - 4:39
- Loser in a Fight (vocals: Tod Howarth; text and music: Tod Howarth, John Regan) - 4:33
- Juvenile Delinquent (vocals: Ace Frehley; text and music: Ace Frehley) - 5:13
- Fallen Angel (vocals: Tod Howarth; text and music: Tod Howarth) - 3:44
- Separate (vocals: Ace Frehley; text and music: Ace Frehley, John Regan) - 4:56
- New Kind of Lover (vocals: Tod Howarth; text and music: Tod Howarth) - 3:14
- The Acorn is Spinning (Instrumental; Music: Ace Frehley, John Regan) - 4:02