A HISTORIC NIGHT FOR ROCK AND ROLL!
ABOUT THE ALICE COOPER GROUP
The original Alice Cooper group – Alice Cooper (vocals), Michael Bruce (guitar), Dennis Dunaway (bass), Neal Smith (drums), and Glen Buxton (guitar) – redefined rock in the early 1970s, blending raw, hard-hitting music with shocking theatricality.
With Bob Ezrin at the helm, they pioneered shock rock, delivering rebellious anthems, dark storytelling, and over-the-top stage shows featuring guillotines, snakes, and macabre theatrics.
Albums like Love It to Death (1971), Killer (1971), School’s Out (1972), and Billion Dollar Babies (1973) turned them into superstars, producing legendary hits like “I’m Eighteen”, “Elected”, “School’s Out” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy”. Their mix of hard rock, glam, and horror made them one of the most influential and controversial bands of their era, leaving a permanent mark on rock history.
Alice Cooper has sold countless millions of records worldwide and shaped rock history forever. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, their music remains as powerful and relevant as ever.
Now, with The Revenge of Alice Cooper, the original band reunites for one more epic chapter, reclaiming the sound and legacy that made them legends.
The review of ” The Revenge Of Alice Cooper”
It’s been a few months now since Alice’s Birmingham gig, an all-seater affair which took me somewhat by surprise because of just that, and so I was curious to see quite what a new offering by the so called Godfather of Shock Rock and his band might’ve thrashed out in the studio when it dropped into my inbox. My version consisted of 16 tracks, thanks to two bonus tracks, (albeit the finale clocks in at only 87 seconds) and it doesn’t take long to establish that the tone and pace of the album match the rather more sedate version of Alice than I was used to, but then my last real exposure to a Cooper album was ‘Hey Stoopid’, released unbelievably a full 34 years ago, and as my knees amongst others of Al’s anatomical items will attest, time takes its toll!
Six tracks in and I’m raising an eyebrow at myself. I’m enjoying this more than I thought I might! It’s not what I’d call a metal album, but instead it’s giving off the feeling of a more gentle rock album which I could imagine driving long distances to, or indeed as I’m doing myself, plonking on the bed and just absorbing the music. ‘One Night Stand’, track five, has hints of early ‘The Cure’ about it in sound and tempo and a story which wouldn’t feel out of place following ‘She Wants Revenge’’s “Tear You Apart”, driven by a bassline groove that’s been almost omnipresent present since the opener “Black Mamba”.
All of which made “Crap that Gets in the Way of Your Dreams” come in as something of contrast! Sounding suspiciously like ‘The Kinks” ‘All Day and All of the Night’ it’s as delicately titled as a stinging nettle is cuddly and with the same shock value! Amusing and on point it tickled me as what I initially assumed would be a brief excursion from what had come before, but as I continued to listen, seems to have signalled a slight shift in tone to a more “disillusioned with life” type progression. “Famous Face” and “Money Screams” continue down that vein leaving a distinct impression that Alice et al. quite fancy kicking “the man” squarely in the crotch if only they could still get their foot up that high! The lyrics instead do the metaphorical legwork, conjuring up the sense of how life’s unfair with a mix of jealousy and envy thrown in for good measure!
Cue another change! “What a Syd” is a finger clicking tune, leaning into an amalgamation of sounds like ‘The Kinks’ (again!) “Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon” and David Lee Roth’s “Just a Gigolo”. It’s an anomaly, but certainly interesting and at under three minutes it’s not too long to be intrusive but also not too short that it feels like a gimmick.
As “What Happened to You” (track 12) kicks in to a very “Johnny B Goode” beat it hits me that it does need noting that, there’s only really been two songs so far (this being one, the other “Wild Ones”, heading way back to the second song on the album) that show off much in the way of a lead guitar as the prominent/dominant sound and so it was nice to hear it also getting a proper outing on “I Ain’t Done Wrong,”, a song this time sounding like a follow up or homage to ‘Deep Purple’’s “Lazy”. Curiously, the final track on the general release, “See You on the Other Side” feels the most like the old Alice Cooper of all the tracks, and carries something of a poignant sting having heard it so soon after the passing of Ozzy Osbourne. Produced well, giving it a more rounded and composed feeling than all of the others I wonder if this might’ve been written perhaps a few years earlier than the rest.
‘The Revenge of Alice Cooper’, doesn’t really feel like there’s any revenge going on here at all. It’s not an angry album, nothing’s being inflicted upon the listener, it’s not harsh, crass, abrasive or heavy. It feels like something else entirely. It’s skilfully performed, the vocals and music are crisp and clear, it’s paced interestingly, diverse enough in places to keep you on your toes and contains enough nods to the band’s peers that you’ll find yourself recalling them as you listen along, and this might well be down to the producer’s Bob Ezrin’s influence given his plethora of other work elsewhere. What it is, is just a pretty decent listen! Cooper’s voice is nowhere near as edgy as it was, but that suits this record and adds to its digestibility. It’s not an album to dance to. You’re highly unlikely to hear anything from it in your local rock club, but then I’m pretty sure that’s not the target audience here. It’s an album to just appreciate. Perhaps reminisce to. Not dissimilar to the concept albums of yesteryear where you played the whole thing through from start to finish and from then on, because of how it captured you, playing individual songs from those albums never felt quite right… so instead you’d find yourself investing another hour of your life on listening to the whole thing again. And again. And again.
And nowadays, there’s no need to get up to turn over the cassette or the record! You can stay ensconced in your comfy chair instead. Just like we all did in the Utilita in Birmingham back in October last year! And my ears and my croaky old bones thank you for it!
THE ORIGINAL ALICE COOPER BAND REUNITES ON STAGE IN LONDON — JOINED BY JOHNNY DEPP — ON THE SAME DAY THEIR FIRST ALBUM TOGETHER IN 50 YEARS IS RELEASED!
WATCH THE UNION CHAPEL Q & A EVENT WITH ALICE COOPER AND HIS BAND HERE.
BUY THE ALBUM “THE REVENGE OF ALICE COOPER” HERE.
