Ignored Obscured Restored
As 2025 came to a close, I found myself reflecting on the loss of so many important rock figures. There were major stars like Brian Wilson, Sly Stone, and Ozzy Osbourne — and then there were countless others whose passing quietly marked the end of particular musical eras. This article from the New York Times covers it very well:
NYT – The Musicians We Lost in 2025
This post is meant to recognize one of them: Ace Frehley of Kiss, who died in October 2025.
Back at the height of Kiss’s popularity in the 1970s, I didn’t think much of the band. Authenticity mattered more to me than spectacle. I gravitated toward artists in denim and flannel — the Allman Brothers, Neil Young, Creedence — not makeup and costumes.
Over time, though, I’ve come to appreciate the music Kiss made, once I learned to set aside my long-held disdain for the over-the-top showmanship. Strip away the fire and greasepaint, and there was solid rock craft underneath.
Today’s Song of the Week is a Kiss-adjacent track: “New York Groove,” from Frehley’s eponymous 1978 solo album. Released as a single, it climbed to #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“New York Groove” was written by Russ Ballard, a prolific songwriter whose résumé includes hits for Three Dog Night, Hot Chocolate, Santana, Rainbow, and others. Ballard was also a singer and guitarist in Argent — that’s him on lead vocal on “Hold Your Head Up” — and he maintained a long creative relationship with Roger Daltrey.
What many listeners don’t realize is that Frehley’s version was actually a cover. The song was first released in 1975 by the British glam rock band Hello. Their version reached #9 on the UK charts but failed to chart in the U.S., which likely explains why it’s been largely forgotten on this side of the Atlantic.
Still, Frehley’s version is the better one. It opens with a crisp drum intro before his guitars kick in, locking into a Bo Diddley–style beat. The chorus features unexpectedly sweet harmonies, and while the arrangement stays fairly close to Hello’s original, Frehley brings more swagger. It’s smoother, less plodding.
Frankly, it would be a lot more fun if this were the song played at Yankees games instead of “New York, New York.”
Enjoy… until next week.