Viewing entries in
Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper – Flush The Fashion (Album Review)

Alice Cooper – Flush The Fashion (Album Review)

Released in 1980, Flush The Fashion is Alice Cooper’s fifth album post the Alice Cooper Band era and sees a slight shift in style compared to Cooper’s prior releases. With a new wave feel, one that was particularly relevant to the era, Cooper recorded an album that is nothing short of an underrated masterpiece. 

Flush The Fashion is perhaps most notable, however, for being the first of four albums that Cooper has a minimal recollection of writing and recording due to substance abuse. A shame, considering that this album plus Special Forces, Zipper Catches Skin, and Dada are amongst his finest releases.

While the music, as we’ll see shortly, is exceptional, so is the 2018 vinyl reissue. There’s a fullness present that is simply missing on the lossless Apple Music stream. It isn’t a night or day difference, for it rarely is, but if you’re after gaining every emotive element out of a recording, then I can say with certainty that picking up the vinyl reissue is worthwhile as it is my preferred way to appreciate Flush The Fashion. 

While the sonic reproduction of the digital counterpart isn’t bad, you’ll find yourself reaching for the EQ settings to reduce the album’s harshness. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it would be nice to see Warner Records head back to the archives and re-release a (Hi-Res) Lossless, Apple Digital Master, edition of this classic album. Sure, it may not be considered a landmark release within Cooper’s back catalogue, but for those of us who adore it, it would be welcomed with open arms. 

Talk Talk is a cover of The Music Machine’s debut single from 1966, but Cooper’s recording is uncompromising thereby making it a perfect opening tune and one of my favourite songs from Flush The Fashion. This is one of those rare, but not unheard of, examples whereby the cover surpasses the original.

Clones (We’re All) flows masterfully from Talk Talk and where the opening tune was new wave in style, Clones (We’re All) somewhat follows that styling but kicks up the rock elements while adding disco influences. If you’re like me, you would have already turned the volume up for this is one rhythmically addictive tune and a great asset to Cooper’s extensive back catalogue. 

While I consider Cooper’s recording to be the only one worth listening to, The Smashing Pumpkins recorded a killer version that you need to check out if you haven’t already heard it. 

Pain sounds as if it was taken directly from the Welcome To My Nightmare recording sessions. If for no other reason, that should be enough to get your attention; a brilliant song!

Leather Boots presents us with quite the sonic shift. While it’s grown on me, over the years, it takes a little getting used to. Truth be told, it isn’t the strongest song on the album but I’d miss it if it wasn’t there. 

Aspirin Damage, however, offers a much better transition and is a fun little tune. Perhaps fun isn’t the correct term to use, given the context of the song, but I can’t help but find it lighthearted in tone; most likely due to the musical style of the song. 

Nuclear Infected is a standard run-of-the-mill rock tune. It isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s solid nonetheless. Similarly, to Aspirin Damage, it’s quirky enough that it becomes rather enjoyable the more you listen to it.

Grim Facts has some great guitar work courtesy of Davey Johnstone, but it isn’t only his tracking that’s impressive here for the band is on fire and Cooper delivered his vocal perfectly. A hidden gem? Absolutely!

Model Citizen continues with the grinding rock and roll styling and it’s songs such as this that make me wonder how Flush The Fashion flew below the radar for so many years as it’s right up Cooper’s alley. Regardless, thanks to streaming, we can now all enjoy the lesser-known tunes that, at times, have the potential to be a hit, even if it wasn’t during the era in which it was released. 

Dance Yourself To Death is a solid album tune. While it neither stands out nor should be skipped, sometimes a standard song is all that’s needed to hold an album together. Not every song has to be a hit for an album to be enjoyable. 

Headlines is the perfect closer and Davey Johnstone’s work here is once again appreciated. While some may question the new wave feel to the entire album, especially with Headlines being focused in that sonic direction, it works incredibly well in bookending Flush The Fashion.

With an approximate runtime of 28 minutes, Flush The Fashion is certainly succinct but this is one of the album’s most endearing aspects for it’s repeatable and if you’re like me, you’ll find great pleasure in listening to Flush The Fashion again and again.  

Spiders – Why Don't You Love Me / Hitch Hike / Don't Blow Your Mind (EP Review)

Spiders – Why Don't You Love Me / Hitch Hike / Don't Blow Your Mind (EP Review)

Before Alice was Alice Cooper he was Vincent Furnier; a young man with a dream of making it big in the music industry. While we know how that story progressed, the earliest recordings of Alice Cooper, both the man and the band, are often overlooked for these recordings don’t fall under the Alice Cooper moniker. Then known as the Spiders, the band entered the studio in 1966 to record Don’t Blow Your Mind; an original (Dennis) Dunaway/Furnier tune that made its way, rightly so, to number one on a local Top Forty radio station¹ in Phoenix, Arizona. 

While the EP Why Don't You Love Me / Hitch Hike / Don't Blow Your Mind, from 1998, offers an admirable facsimile of this original recording, from a sonic perspective, disappointingly the B-side to Don’t Blow Your Mind, No Price Tag, is omitted from this release. Arguably, No Price Tag isn’t the greatest song in the world, and is the poorest from these early recordings, but it is a strange omission nonetheless. The likely reason for its absence is that only 500 copies of the original single were ever pressed and being released over five decades ago, it gets more challenging to track down high-quality original pressings, stampers, and tapes.

Nevertheless, what makes this release so unique is that the pre-Alice Cooper sound was akin to other bands of the era. A Beatles' influence can certainly be heard, as can The Rolling Stones, but when you listen to these early recordings the band sounds nothing like they do on Pretties For You or Easy Action. Some may even suggest that the Spiders sounded far better on these early recordings than on their first couple of albums and I’d have to agree with them. Yes, the Spiders were much more imitators than trendsetters, so the music they performed during this period should be viewed through a lens of influence and mimicry; an act that Cooper himself acknowledges, declaring that had he not had the Beatles or the Stones to mimic, his music career would never have happened².

Of course, the band would branch out into their experimental psychedelic hard rock style and never really return to the style heard in these early recordings. Disappointing from one perspective because these early tunes are compelling but it’s fair to suggest that the band would have gotten swallowed up amongst the other similar bands of the era should they have stayed on that trajectory. Plus, and most importantly, we would have never gotten the incredible music, from Alice Cooper, if their style hadn’t changed. 

Why Don’t You Love Me is a cover of the Blackwells 1965 tune and The Spiders nailed it with a more rock and roll feel than the original. Furnier’s vocal is also stronger with a gruff edginess that we’d become increasingly familiar with from Love It To Death onwards. A great energetic opener. 

Hitch Hike, similarly, is a cover of, believe it or not, Marvin Gaye’s 1962 single. Gaye’s has a solid rhythm and blues groove and as much as I like the original, I’ve gotta say that the Spiders took it, rocked it up, and made it their own with a guitar twang perfectly played and tuned thereby taking the song to another level. Yes, the Spiders’ rendition is in the same vein as The Rolling Stones’ recording from Out Of Our Heads but I still find the Spiders’ recording to be the best version of this classic tune.

Don’t Blow Your Mind is indicative of the era and is an incredible Dunaway/Furnier original composition. Yes, I may have suggested that had they continued on this sonic path they would have been overlooked due to a plethora of similar bands, but Don’t Blow Your Mind is catchy, with a solid hook, that proves that they were destined for stardom. 

Why Don’t You Love Me (Instrumental) is a great closer to have on this release and if you’re like me, and have the EP on repeat, you’ll find it incredibly rewarding to listen to time and time again as it’s short, to the point, but a wonderful exploration in what could have been. 

Why Don't You Love Me / Hitch Hike / Don't Blow Your Mind is a killer EP that I put on par with The Rolling Stones’ Self-Titled EP; a must-own for any music lover’s collection of early band recordings that predate their greatest creative achievements.

References
1. Alice Cooper: Golf Monster, Chapter 4, Earwigs and Spiders

2. Alice Cooper: Golf Monster, Chapter 2, Black Slacks and a Tight Windsor Knot

Alice Cooper – Muscle Of Love (Album Review On Vinyl & Apple Music)

Comment

Alice Cooper – Muscle Of Love (Album Review On Vinyl & Apple Music)

Despite being an album focused on juvenile sexual innuendos, Muscle Of Love is one of the greatest Alice Cooper band albums ever recorded and in a way, it’s a shame that it was the last to include the original band lineup. While Bob Ezrin was noticeably absent in the Producer's chair, Jack Douglas and Jack Richardson did a wonderful job of guiding the album, while allowing creative artistry to flourish.

Yes, many of the songs on Muscle Of Love have never been part of Cooper's live set, at least for many years, but I've often found that with Alice Cooper, the best albums, songs, and performances are not necessarily the compilation filling or concert played fan favourites. Therefore, I implore you to give Muscle Of Love, as an album, a shot. I have a feeling you won't regret it.

I know I haven't regretted picking up the Friday Music vinyl re-issue from 2013. While the reissue isn't a perfect replica, sonically it is beautiful with a full analogue sound that will impress even the most hardened critic. It is said to have been mastered from the original Warner Bros. tapes by Joe Reagoso and after listening to it countless times, I have no reason to doubt Friday Music's claims. It really is that good!

The Apple Music stream is, similarly, beautiful with a mastering that is similar to the vinyl record. If there is a difference to report, it would be that the Apple Music stream sounds a little concealed by direct comparison to the vinyl release. That said, regardless of how you choose to enjoy this classic, you’re most likely going to love it. 

SIDE I

Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) not only has a great groove, but that psychedelic undertone is superb. I dare you to sit still, without moving a muscle, during this song, I can't do it. The guitar tracking is divine and the inclusion of the violins perfectly suits the song. Plus, that outro = extraordinary!

Never Been Sold Before is your meat and potatoes rock and roll track. I love it! Just as the addition of strings to Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) enhanced that song, the horn element in Never Been Sold Before is fantastic and has a similar effect. If I had one complaint, it would be that I'd like to hear a 1 to 2 decibel increase in the bass guitar.

Hard Hearted Alice is a song that slowly builds with a beautiful atmospheric introduction. This is one song where the quadraphonic mix would likely be astonishing, but the vinyl and Apple Music counterparts are no slouch with a soundstage that removes the speakers, creating a spacious sound that has to be heard to be believed.

Crazy Little Child is a fun song. I adore the piano element and I love the overall New Orleans Jazz feel. I'd love to see Cooper do an entire jazz album, even one full of standards would do. He certainly has the vocal chops for it.

SIDE II

Working Up A Sweat continues the lighthearted approach to the overall theme of the album. It's a solid song, but not one to write home about as I find Cooper’s vocals are distant in the mix, although, the music has an addictive and thoroughly enjoyable rhythm.

Muscle Of Love is a killer tune. Both the guitar intro and drum tempo are superb and I find myself playing the air guitar and drums when listening to this song. Exceptional!

Man With The Golden Gun was originally written and recorded for the associated James Bond film but was sadly never used. When you listen to the song, armed with that knowledge, you can immediately hear the James Bond undertones and one can only wonder how the Man With The Golden Gun’s introduction would have differed with this song. Nevertheless, it’s a solid addition to Muscle Of Love and I'm glad it was released and not shelved as it is quite enjoyable, even if it’s not the strongest song on the album.

Teenage Lament '74 has remained somewhat of a fan favourite and while I thoroughly enjoy the song, I feel bemused as to its popularity. I guess it just proves that I should never be asked by an artist, or record label, which songs should be released as a single or be played live.

Woman Machine is an interesting song to close the album on. Yes, it encourages me to listen to the album again and stay within Alice Cooper's extensive catalogue, but I find Woman Machine to be a little repetitive and the outro is a little too much, in my opinion, although I can see the approach the band were going for.

Overall, Muscle Of Love is exceptional and is truly one of the best Alice Cooper band albums ever recorded. 

Comment

Alice Cooper – DaDa (Album Review On Vinyl, CD, & Apple Music)

3 Comments

Alice Cooper – DaDa (Album Review On Vinyl, CD, & Apple Music)

Alice Cooper may have no recollection of writing and recording DaDa, but I consider it to be one of his greatest achievements.

While it pleases me to know Cooper emerged from this era clean and sober, one can't help but consider just how much his addictions influenced this opus. I’d never condone substance abuse, in the name of art, but it is also true to say that much of the music we have in our culture today would likely not exist should experimentation with mind-altering substances have not occurred. That said, not all of Cooper's “blackout” albums are as special as DaDa. There is something mystical here that truly defies explanation. Cooper has even previously stated that he has no idea as to the meaning of the album, only declaring that DaDa is the most frightening album he has ever made. 

From my perspective, it’s a sonic masterpiece and not foreboding at all.

What else is a sonic masterpiece is the vinyl edition that I’m fortunate to own. It’s the 2018 reissue and while mastering details are disappointingly omitted, let me assure you this is one vinyl reissue that you have to hear for yourself; it’s mind-blowingly good! 

Most modern reissues are pressed from high-resolution digital files, but this particular release sounds as though this pressing was sourced from the analogue master tape. Sonically, you’ll experience an incredibly full sound with all the analogue warmth that is associated with vinyl reproduction. Basically, it just sounds right. Plus, when you get to Pass The Gun Around on the vinyl reissue, you’ll need no mind-altering substances to have an otherworldly experience.

I’m also fortunate to have owned the 2001 German CD reissue of DaDa, but have since past it onto my son for his music collection. The CD was never what I’d consider being bad, but the 2018 vinyl reissue is significantly better. The core of the DaDa experience is most certainly present on the CD, as it is on the Apple Music stream, but it still lacks the fullness of sound that makes the vinyl reissue an experience to behold and one worthy of the time and care vinyl playback demands. If you prefer streaming, the Apple Music edition is most certainly sufficient but I’m eagerly awaiting to hear an Apple Digital Master of the album to see how it compares. Until then, I’d suggest if you’re not heading straight for the vinyl reissue, opt for the CD if at all possible as the soundstage has greater instrument separation and clarity when compared to the Apple Music stream. That is, somewhat, to be expected as the Apple Music stream is a compressed offering, but it’s still a masterpiece regardless of how you choose to enjoy it.   

From a design standpoint, the orange swirl vinyl, which admittedly looks more like a splattering, is really cool and is a value-added proposition for this collector. The exquisite cover art similarly demands a larger canvas and while the CD-sized artwork still looks excellent, and includes full liner notes and lyrics, it just isn’t the same. Adding to that, the liner notes on the rear vinyl cover do pay homage to the original pressings, as does that Warner Bros. Records label; a nice touch! While all these aspects may not matter to you, they do to me as they ensure the tactile experience is all the more rewarding. Nevertheless, it is ultimately all about the music and that is where DaDa truly shines.

Side One

DaDa is a Bob Ezrin masterpiece. Yes, Ezrin alone wrote this lead song and as the producer and engineer, the entire album certainly has his sonic fingerprint. Ezrin and Cooper are akin to Elton John and Bernie Taupin or Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman; an incredible collaborative team! 

Largely instrumental, with near incoherent spoken words, DaDa sets a sombre tone that is eerie, yet riveting to listen to. In some respects, this lead-in song is as spectacular as Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding from Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Hence, I’d have to say that DaDa is one of the greatest lead-in songs of any album ever recorded.

Enough's Enough changes the tempo quite significantly, but despite this change, it does not sound so different that one may think they’re listening to a different album. Enough's Enough is classic rock with a pop-influence. The rhythm is toe-tapping and head-bopping heaven and Dick Wagner's guitar presentation here, and throughout the album, shines. Enough’s Enough is simply a fantastic song and I find it perplexing that Cooper has never performed this, or any other song from DaDa live. What a waste!

Former Lee Warmer is epic! The musicality is beautiful, as is Cooper's vocals. I could listen to Former Lee Warmer on repeat for hours as it’s such a relaxing song.

No Man's Land picks up the pace again. While there isn't a bad song on the album, No Man's Land comes close. I say that partially because, like an earworm, it tends to play like a broken record. It’s catchy and a little campy, but it does fit DaDa perfectly.

Dyslexia starts a little slowly, but by the time the first chorus kicks in, the song begins to grow on you. It’s an interesting composition, but to be quite frank, I'm not sure if I like Dyslexia or not. Yet, I can't imagine this opus without it.

Side Two

Scarlet And Sheba is one of Cooper's greatest songs. It’s sensational rock and roll and I love the eclectic musical overture that introduces the song. You'll likely find yourself singing along, as I do. The shifting style between chorus and verse is sensational. The team of Cooper, Wagner, and Ezrin hit the ball out of the park on this song, and quite frankly the entire album. Alice Cooper doesn't get much better than this! If only he would play Scarlet And Sheba live, I’m sure it would become a fan favourite as it flows seamlessly into I Love America and that would seem like a no-brainer when touring stateside.

I Love America is campy 101 and brings a snigger to this non-American. Who knows, perhaps my American friends also find some humour in this song. It isn't bad, quite enjoyable actually, but it is unlikely to ever become an anthem. It’s no Lost In America or Born In The U.S.A., but I still love it!

Fresh Blood is seriously groovy with a rock/jazz feel that is most certainly locked into the 80s sound. They don't make music like this anymore and that's okay as the nostalgic element is extremely satisfying. Nevertheless, it also has a dance/disco feel to it, not unlike many of the songs found on Elton John's excellent Victim Of Love.

Pass The Gun Around takes a while to get going. So long, in fact, that upon the first couple of listens you may think DaDa has come to an end. It’s likely done to separate the varied styles between this song and Fresh Blood. Nevertheless, once the song starts, you’ll be met with an astounding song that simply blows my mind every time I hear it. It is psychotic, yet relatable. The only other song I can think of that has such an effect on my psyche is the Guns N' Roses song Coma. The haunting chorus and overall musicality is magical as it connects with the pleasure centres of the brain. Yes, the song is slightly disturbing, and perhaps it takes a slightly disturbed mind to enjoy it, but it is sensationally hypnotic and makes me want to listen to this entire masterpiece again and again. Although, that inferred bullet shot always shocks me, despite knowing it’s coming. I think that is part of the appeal of the song as it not only brings ultimate meaning to the song but breaks the hypnotic hold it has on you.

While I’ve always been captivated by Alice Cooper and consider his body of work to be amongst some of the very best in recorded music history, DaDa is exceptional. It’s an album I can't live without and I dare say people will be dissecting this record forever, trying to figure out exactly what it’s about and what was going through Cooper’s head at the time. Well, I say good luck to them as Cooper, himself, has no idea and I'm equally naïve. I just know I love DaDa and if I could only have one Alice Cooper album, it would most likely be this one.

3 Comments