Hello: New York Groove (1975)

 |   |  1 min read

Hello: New York Groove (1975)

Interesting story here in that UK/European and US audiences probably know very different versions of this song which took short-lived (but inevitably resurrected) British glam-rockers Hello into the top 10 in Britain.

The song, which is pretty simple, was written by Russ Ballard, formerly the guitarist in Argent (former Zombie-man Rod Argent's band). He'd previously provided Hello with their debut single You Move Me in '72. It did nothing but the band's cover of the old Exciter's hit Tell Him from the early Sixties got them a chart foothold in '74.

By the following year after another couple of failed singles they were on the hunt and Ballard re-appeared with this song for which he'd written down the title, and not much more, on a flight to New York.

The rest of the lyrics were made up in the studio and the band stomped on trestle tables in their platform boots to get that “New York groove”.

That is the version British and European audiences are most familiar with.

But in '78 when guitarist Ace Frehley of Kiss was looking for material for his solo album – when all the members did their simultaneously-released solo outings – he somehow heard the song (he says he doesn't recall the Hello version, although this was a period when he wasn't recalling much) and decided it was perfect for him, New Yorker that he was.

It was the surprise hit from the various Kiss solo albums, took Frehley to number 13 on the US charts (it went nowhere in the UK) and gave him a signature song.

There's not a lot to it as Ballard admitted later: “I guess it surprised me because it's so incredibly simple . . . [it] still gets played at major sporting events in the city like at Giants Stadium.”

The other odd thing is that, given Frehley was the guitarist in Kiss, the song doesn't have a guitar solo.

And weren't his solos his trademark?

Here's Ace's version.

New York Groove, by Ace Frehley

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   From the Vaults articles index

Marilyn Monroe: You'd Be Surprised (1956)

Marilyn Monroe: You'd Be Surprised (1956)

Although it's hardly surprising that Marilyn Monroe would sing a song as suggestive as this interest alights on who wrote it. Yep, the man also responsible for such classics as Blue Skies,... > Read more

Lightnin' Hopkins: Automobile (1949)

Lightnin' Hopkins: Automobile (1949)

Bob Dylan aficionados should get a copy of this on 33 1/3rpm record and play it at 45, or at about 40rpm. And lo! It sounds perilously close in many ways -- an inspiration if nothing else... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

THE BARGAIN BUY: Flight of the Conchords; I Told You I Was Freaky

THE BARGAIN BUY: Flight of the Conchords; I Told You I Was Freaky

The recent re-screening the complete seasons of Flight of the Conchords on a Sky channel allowed a bit of distance on this decade old series and the chance to see if it still stacked up. It... > Read more

VARIOUS ARTISTS. ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK, CONSIDERED (early 1970s?): Travels in the time tunnel

VARIOUS ARTISTS. ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK, CONSIDERED (early 1970s?): Travels in the time tunnel

Among the many good things about what Bob Seger called “old time rock and roll” is that you get more of it for less. Like on this album which boasts “24 terrific rock'n'roll... > Read more