While most fans can recall their favorite bands or songs, many don’t know the names of the record producers behind those hits. For Eddie Kramer, his talents when it came to producing songs led him to work with icons like Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and even Kiss. Having spent over 60 years in the music industry, Kramer recently discussed his work with Kiss and how nervous Ace Frehley became when recording his solo debut back in 1978.
Discussing his years in music with Guitar World, Kramer admitted to having some interesting techniques when trying to get the best out of Frehley. Recalling those techniques, he said, “Ace is interesting because many interesting things go on in his brain – but you must get him in the right mood to get that cool stuff out. I had to have him lie on the floor with a pillow behind his head and a bottle of Heineken because he was too nervous to stand up.”
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Knowing the stress that comes with being in a recording studio, Kramer allowed Frehley time and it seemed to work. “I’d have him on the floor with a bottle of whatever to calm him, and the more takes we did, the more confident he got. By the second or third take, he was up on his feet, and I said, ‘Alright, Ace, keep going. It’s cool.’”
Eddie Kramer Knew The Talent That Surrounded Ace Frehley
Besides talking about Frehley, Kramer also revealed the dedication that went into the 1975 album Alive! by Kiss. “It was hard because they were always jumping around, and we had to do a bunch of work on the album after the fact, but that’s how it was.” Working closely with Kiss, Kramer praised the finished product. “The album came out bloody great because the guys in Kiss were very particular about how it should sound and be mixed.”
As for his time with Frehley, Kramer insisted he knew the musician would become a star. “I knew that Ace would be a star – that’s for sure. Ace had intuitive talents; he could play blues and rock, and I loved that he could play all these cool blues licks but make them his own. Ace wasn’t scared of anything… [he] had this huge sound from the start, and his talent was instantly recognizable.”
(Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns)