{"id":13851,"date":"2014-10-29T01:00:11","date_gmt":"2014-10-29T05:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=13851"},"modified":"2022-01-06T19:42:18","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T00:42:18","slug":"content-needed-the-album-by-album-challenge-alice-cooper-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=13851","title":{"rendered":"The Album by Album Challenge: Alice Cooper (Part II)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Welcome to another \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge.\u201d For those that are new here, the \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge\u201d is where I take a band\u2019s entire discography and listen to every album in order of release from front to back. With my unforgiving and well-aged ear, I call it how I hear it. In some cases, I find that what I once thought was good is actually pretty crappy and sometimes crap manages to age into something pretty kick ass. And in some cases, face melting is still just good ol\u2019 face melting.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Welcome to Part II of the Alice Cooper Album by Album Challenge. Wasn&#8217;t that classic band some great shit? Well, now we&#8217;re diving into the solo career of Alice Cooper. This is where things start to change. Were those changes for the better or for the worse? Well, you&#8217;ll have to read on and maybe even listen to decide that for yourself. I did hit some murky waters here but hell, that&#8217;s enough of me yapping. Let&#8217;s get on with the show shall we?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Welcome to My Nightmare<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Release Date:<\/strong> February, 1975<br \/>\n<strong>The Good<\/strong>: Welcome to My Nightmare, Devil\u2019s Food, The Black Widow, Some Folks, Only Women Bleed, Department of Youth, Cold Ethyl, Years Ago, Steven, The Awakening, Escape<br \/>\n<strong>The Bad:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Holy shit what a fucking monstrous album. Right out the gates it\u2019s plain to hear that this is a VERY different band from the classic Alice Cooper lineup. As much as I love the sound, vibe, and overall everything about the classic line up, I can tell that a change that huge was very much necessary for Alice (now a solo guy) to move to the next level. The production, the concept, the playing, and the writing is absolutely top notch.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FhqJ2mlcLtw\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are so many great \u201chits\u201d on this one but songs like \u201cYears Ago\u201d, \u2018Some Folks\u201d and the downright creepy \u201cSteven\u201d are all just such strong songs on their own. The album has an amazing flow to it and there\u2019s not one single song on here that I would consider skipping. This really is a listening experience to say the least and there\u2019s so much ear candy on here. Overall, this was a gamble that paid off in the long run and set the tone for where Alice would go from here on out.<\/p>\n<p>======================================================<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alice Cooper Goes to Hell<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> Release Date<\/strong>: June 25, 1976<br \/>\n<strong>The Good<\/strong>: Go To Hell, You Gotta Dance, I Never Cry, Guilty, Wish You Were Here,<br \/>\n<strong>The Bad:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> The Indifferent<\/strong>: I\u2019m the Coolest, Didn\u2019t We Meet, Give the Kid a Break, Wake Me Gently, I\u2019m Always Chasing Rainbows,<\/p>\n<p>I used to think that I loved this album but my mind has definitely changed on this one. Maybe it\u2019s because I\u2019m listening to it in the order of releases and listening to it from front to back but this album just kind of left me feeling a bit deflated. The album starts off so strong with the title track and even the kitschy \u201cYou Gotta Dance\u201d is a fucking riot. \u201cI Never Cry\u201d is such a great ballad but the song \u201cWish You Were Here\u201d sounds like something that could\u2019ve been on Welcome To My Nightmare.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BIChSyoo7mY\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m really not sure what Alice was shooting for on this album but it sounds like a Broadway production to be honest. I just didn\u2019t dig that whole approach. Even as extravagant at Welcome to my Nightmare was, it still sounded like an epic conceptual rock record. This just kind of sounds like Jesus Christ Superstar. The songs don\u2019t suck but I just couldn\u2019t wrap my head around it or even really get into these songs coming off the heels of such an epic fucking album. Oh well\u2026 you can\u2019t win \u2018em all.<\/p>\n<p>======================================================<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lace and Whiskey<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> Release Date:<\/strong> April 29, 1977<br \/>\n<strong>The Good:<\/strong> It\u2019s Hot Tonight, Lace and Whiskey, Road Rats, Damned If You Do, You and Me, King of the Silver Screen, I Never Wrote Those Songs<br \/>\n<strong>The Bad:<\/strong> (No More) Love At Your Convenience,<br \/>\n<strong>The Indifferent:<\/strong> Ubangi Stomp, My God<\/p>\n<p>What a change from Goes To Hell. Lace and Whiskey definitely seemed somewhat to be a throwback to the classic Alice Cooper band material. Aside from \u201cYou and Me\u201d I didn\u2019t know any of these songs. I never owned this album and I have to say that this is really not what I was expecting. I think that Goes to Hell threw me for such a loop that I was expecting more show tunes but this one really captured that kind of Killer\/Muscle of Love vibe. \u201cIt\u2019s Hot Tonight\u201d is so fucking good and \u201cDamned if You Do\u201d has to be one of the best alt-country songs ever. \u201cKing of the Silver Screen\u201d was hands down the highlight of this album. That song just fucking killed it so much I had to listen to it 2 or 3 times.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x20e4CORFBc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While this album was so much stronger than Goes to Hell, it still had its share of weak moments. I\u2019m still not quite sure what \u201cUbangi Stomp\u201d is all about. It\u2019s ol\u2019 time rock n\u2019 roll but I just feel like it missed the mark and \u201cNo More Love at Your Convenience\u201d? Holy disco shit Batman. My god what an atrocious song. \u201cI Never Wrote Those Songs\u201d almost made the indifferent list but damn it\u2019s such a great song I totally nearly missed its greatness. The album totally closed out on a \u201cmeh\u201d with \u201cMy God\u201d but while I didn\u2019t love this song, something tells me that this could be one of those songs that I\u2019ll end up loving. It\u2019s totally Alice\u2019s Queen moment and as I type this, I find myself wanting to hear it again. All in all, this is a solid album. It\u2019s not perfect but the great songs on this album are good enough to totally make this one worth owning.<\/p>\n<p>======================================================<\/p>\n<p><strong>From the Inside<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> Release Date<\/strong>: November, 1978<br \/>\n<strong>The Good:<\/strong> From the Inside, I Wish I Was From Beverly Hills,<br \/>\n<strong>The Bad:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> The Indifferent:<\/strong> The Quiet Room, Nurse Rozetta, Millie And Billie, Serious, How You Gonna See Me Now,<\/p>\n<p>This is another album that I never owned. I always wanted to because the album cover art is so bad to the fucking bone but I just never took the plunge. I got two songs deep into this one and thought, \u201cMan, this is some rockin\u2019 shit but it sounds like Elton John.\u201d Well, it turns out that 3 members of this band were members of Elton John\u2019s band, including lyricist Bernie Taupin. Go figure. Once we get past \u201cI Wish I Was in Beverly Hills\u201d, it just becomes an Elton John album. That isn\u2019t such a bad thing but the thing is, if I want to hear Elton John, I\u2019ll listen to Elton John. I want to hear Alice Cooper and this is so far removed from anything Alice Cooper than you can imagine.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xxHh0Xcf7cw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s very obvious that at this point there was a seriously loss in identity. From the Inside just feels like someone else\u2019s album with Alice\u2019s voice and well, that\u2019s pretty much what it is actually. This is a very bleak and dark time for Alice. This stuff is just so uninteresting and it shows a man who just totally lost all direction and even all care for where he was going musically. This is a good example of what happens when you start to let others dictate and steer your career for you.<\/p>\n<p>======================================================<\/p>\n<p><strong>Flush the Fashion<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> Release Date<\/strong>: April 28, 1980<br \/>\n<strong>The Good:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> The Bad:<\/strong> Talk Talk, Clones, Pain, Leather Boots, Aspirin Damage, Nuclear Infected, Grim Facts, Model Citizen, Dance Yourself to Death, Headlines<br \/>\n<strong>The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oh\u2026my\u2026fucking\u2026 God! What the fuck did I just listen to? This has to be without a doubt one of the most painful experiences of my life. Alice Cooper making an 80\u2019s New Wave record. There is absolutely NOTHING that is the slightest big redeeming about this album. It\u2019s just crazy to me that Alice Cooper would actually make an album in the very style of music that he despised and would later criticize and belittle. Trust me, this is one you must just forget ever existed.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SU395t-mgwk\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a reason this album (and as of now the previous one as well) has been completely ignored and forgotten by everyone including Alice himself. Actually, on his last tour he did bring out the song \u201cClones\u201d and even then that song fucking sucked. Even the completest can do without this album. I mean, if you really feel moved to do so, give it a listen but don\u2019t say I didn\u2019t warn you. This is some shitty stuff.<\/p>\n<p>======================================================<\/p>\n<p><strong>Special Forces<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> Release Date:<\/strong> September, 1981<br \/>\n<strong>The Good:<\/strong> Generation Landslide &#8217;81(Live<br \/>\n<strong>The Bad<\/strong>: Who Do You Think We Are, 7 &amp; 7 Is, Prettiest Cop on the Block, Don\u2019t Talk Old To Me,), Skeletons in My Closet, You Want It You Got It, You Look Good in Rags, You\u2019re A Movie, Vicious Rumours, Look At You Over There,Ripping The Sawdust From My Teddybear<br \/>\n<strong>The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ok, so according to Alice himself, this album right here is the first of a trio of albums he refers to as his \u201cblackout phase.\u201d This is very obvious as I\u2019m sure if he was coherent and with it he would\u2019ve NEVER let this happen. Well, he did let From the Inside happen but that\u2019s another story. This shit is just terrible. It\u2019s funny that the ONLY good song on here is a version of Generation Landslide from his \u201981 tour. Everything else is just absolutely asinine. The only thing great about this album is the fact that there\u2019s a song called \u201cLook At You Over There,Ripping The Sawdust From My Teddybear.\u201d The song fucking sucks but that title fucking rules!<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RaXXSbI9nvo\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This album is just something I wish I can unlisten to and get that time back. If I were Alice, I would make sure every copy of these albums was pulled from the market and destroyed. I would go into everyone\u2019s homes that have these albums and I would seize them and destroy them with fire. I can\u2019t even begin to say any more about how horrible this album is. This has me fearing for my life to listen to these next couple. I don\u2019t even begin to believe in God but I\u2019ll be talking to him regardless to please save me from the shit I\u2019m about to put in my ears.<\/p>\n<p>======================================================<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zipper Catches Skin<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> Release Date<\/strong>: August 25, 1982<br \/>\n<strong>The Good:<\/strong> Make That Money,<br \/>\n<strong>The Bad:<\/strong> Zorro\u2019s Ascent, I Am the Future, No Baloney Homosapiens, Adaptable(Anything For You), I Like Girls<br \/>\n<strong> The Indifferent:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t even know that I can say much more about this album other than why? WHY? It horrifyingly terrible and much like the previous album, it\u2019s just so NOT Alice Cooper. It\u2019s The Knack. It\u2019s New Wave. It\u2019s HORRIBLE. I just can\u2019t even go on about this album any more.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/09xd8iMEtxs\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Looking at this list I see I have ONE MORE album go to before \u201cThe Return.\u201d This is a chapter of Alice Cooper that I am going to be very happy to forget ever existed. Kill this shit with fire.<\/p>\n<p>======================================================<\/p>\n<p><strong>DaDa<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> Release Date<\/strong>: September 28, 1983<br \/>\n<strong>The Good:<\/strong> Former Lee Warmer, I Love America, Pass the Gun Around<br \/>\n<strong>The Bad<\/strong>: Enough\u2019s Enough, No Man\u2019s Land, Dyslexia, Scarlet and Sheba, Fresh Blood,<br \/>\n<strong>The Indifferent:<\/strong> DaDa<\/p>\n<p>So this album was yet another big ass bowl of fail. So glad that this \u201cblackout phase\u201d has come to an end but I do have to say that there are three pretty cool tracks on this album. \u201cFormer Lee Warmer\u201d is the most Alice song out of these three albums and it\u2019s really a great song and one I could totally see him bringing out in the live shows these days. \u201cI Love America\u201d is just hilarious but in typical Alice fashion and \u201cPass the Gun Around\u201d sounds like something that could\u2019ve been a lost Beatles track.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HYpOBaBDe7c\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>All in all, this album sucks ass but those three songs are totally worth seeking out. Steel them, buy \u2018em on iTunes, whatever. These songs are pretty fucking cool so do what you need to do to see them out and add them to your Alice Cooper mix. This is the end of the road. From here, Alice would bow out of the music business for a while to get his shit together. Would he come back big? Would he come back strong? Only time will tell\u2026<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=13855\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Click Here for Part III: The Nightmare Returns<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to another \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge.\u201d For those that are new here, the \u201cAlbum by Album Challenge\u201d is where I take a band\u2019s entire discography and listen to every album in order of release from front to back. With my unforgiving and well-aged ear, I call it how I hear it. In some cases, I find that what I once thought was good is actually pretty crappy and sometimes crap manages to age into something pretty kick ass. And [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[711,277],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-13851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-by-album-challenge","category-music-news","tag-alice-cooper"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13851"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19529,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13851\/revisions\/19529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}