Second Sighting

Occupation

  • Vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards: death Howarth
  • Vocals, bass guitar: John Regan
  • Vocals, lead guitar: Ace Frehley
  • Drums: Jamie Oldaker

Second Sighting was the second and final studio album by the American hard rock band Frehley 's Comet. It is the only album of the band, with drummer Jamie Oldaker drums.

Genesis

When in February 1988 the EP was Live 1 appeared, which had served the purpose of keeping alive the interest in the band, the group was already in the studio to work on their next studio album. During this time it was especially a problem for Ace Frehley to participate with the necessary speed in the songwriting for Second Sighting - he lacked the musical vision to determine how it should go with the group in the future. He was able to Album only one title, namely Juvenile Delinquent, contribute yourself in the other incurred with the participation of songs there was either revisions of material from other band members or cover versions, which Frehley contributed by marginal changes to the text.

Because of this passive attitude of their band leader, the musical direction of the group changed. She moved away from the typical multinucleated Frehley Hard Rock to something lighter material. The task of the group to specify a direction, fell to death Howarth, who wrote four titles alone and another with John Regan and for all these titles also recorded the lead vocals.

The album includes a cover version of the song Dancin 'With Danger, the Canadian group Streetheart was released in 1983 on their album Dancing With Danger, which was published by Boardwalk Records. Frehley 's manager George Sewitt had discovered the title a few years before recording by Frehley 's Comet and found to be suitable. For Second Sighting Frehley wrote parts of the text together with Dana Strum, bassist of the band Vinnie Vincent Invasion to. Was the text in Streetheart still clearly visible in relation to drugs ( " Shady dealers open up Their door, always free until you need some more " ), so these notes for the new version by the line " Screamin 'were sirens cryin ' in your ear, Flashin 'red lights burnin ' in the mirror replaced. "

The title It's Over now was originally written in 1986 by death Howarth for Cheap Trick, but had no interest in including him. Since Frehley was not in the studio when the band recording the song, Howarth played alongside the rhythm and lead guitar to show Frehley later, as he imagined the song. Frehley himself listened to the recording and decided that the guitar part was okay, so this is the only song on the album is not heard on the Frehley as lead guitarist.

Publication

Second Sighting appeared on 17 May 1988; The cover showed a published by NASA image of the Earth, in the upper left corner of the band logo and the top right of the words Second Sighting. As a single of the title sung by Frehley Insane was released. The second single was released It's Over now; two releases failed to reach the charts. For these titles were published video clips, also a music video for the song Fallen Angel was produced but not published. Second Sighting peaked at number 81 on the Billboard 200, but managed to keep only seven weeks in the charts.

In the months after the release the band toured as the opening act, among others, by Iron Maiden. The last concert of Frehley 's Comet took place on August 2, 1988 in New Orleans, shortly thereafter Howarth left the band later went wenigte Jamie Oldaker. As of mid- 1989, the name Frehley 's Comet was no longer used and the band, which included again 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 " the high expectations that I had linked to the album, only limited justice Unlike the debut of veteran namely has lost some of its originality and directness. Jointly responsible for this development is probably the fact that death Howarth more and more takes on the vocals and so some pieces into too much AOR- bearing drift ( 'Time Is not Runnin ' Out ',' Loser In A Fight ' ). Although these brisk earwigs are certainly not bad, but I like the band better when I hear the charismatic voice of Ace and his distinctive guitar licks. "Second Sighting " has become an above average album, but because of some half-baked acting style of the group are not more than 7.5 points in it. "

Metal Hammer said:

" The third launch of Space Aces space cruiser is problematic. In contrast to süperben debut and the successful Live One- Second Sighting EP lurches already in the second phase of the lifting and holds its course only if Ace vocal takes command. Generally, the songwriting no longer age of the Comet class compositions. One searches in vain for example, a Rock Soldiers ( the hammer of the first album Frehley 's Comet ) or a Into The Night. The Good, sung by Ace Opener Insane initially mistaken here about this fact of time, but no later than at Time Is not Running Out, on the death Howarth takes over the vocals, it makes fun of noticeable: a beträchlicher part of the potential of the band seems to have with the second full-length album exhausted. Although none none of the tracks really bad, but really good. From Insane apart, the rest first ripples past a without anything hanging up. Repeated listening is mandatory if one wants to the disk abgewinnen good. If you have then fought a few times through the ten songs, the picture changes for the better and the legend Frehley saves himself with sorrow and distress on five points. If the shape of the curve but still pointing down, the crash landing seems inevitable with the next album ... "

Also the magazine Music Express wrote little impressed about the album:

"Poor Ace. One was by Frehley 's Comet from 1987 still willing, the former Kiss guitarist and his new troupe give greater credit, that's it with the close season now over. The cards on the table. But just so that the four do surprisingly hard. Certainly, the material of the ten songs is at first glance not bad. Ace and Co. show that they know quite safe to move in the genre of heavy rock -oriented charts. The biggest shortcoming: the knitting pattern of the songs constantly reveals parallels; the compositions clamp back and forth, sometimes resemble each other until the reef. Bottom line, the Americans turn out to be average heavy rockers with no luck. "

Title list

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