First, we have the latest from Mötley Crüe, Saints of Los Angeles. It is a biographical album loosely based on their book The Dirt. In many ways it is a return to old-style Crüe, with many memorable hooks and hum-along melodies. My favorite songs on the album are "Face Down in the Dirt," "Down at the Whisky," "Saints of Los Angeles," and "Goin' Out Swingin'." Unfortunately, they have not been playing many songs from the album on the tour, but with such a deep back catalog and short setlist, they couldn't fit many more into the show.

Next up is the concept album from Judas Priest, Nostradamus. I've listened to the two-disc set once, and probably never will again. I take that back. I will give it another try. But I didn't like it the first time. At all. I wasn't expecting a re-creation of British Steel, but it would have been nice to have at least thrown me a bone. I've never been a big JP fan, and the only songs I really like are those that get airplay on commercial radio stations. For those who love JP, you will probably love this album. But for those who are expecting tracks like "Breaking the Law," well, you've got another thing coming.

Wednesday 13 is not a classic rock artist by any stretch of the imagination. But the new album, Skeletons, has helped me immensely in my writing. A large part of that has been the thematic uses of murder and horror in the songs, but musically the record is very strong. If it wasn't, I wouldn't listen to it, regardless of the lyrical content. My favorite songs on the disc are "Gimme Gimme Bloodshed" and "From Here to the Hearse." If you happen to pick up this album and like it, check out the Bloodwork E.P. also, if for no other reason then for W13's cover of the Tom Petty classic "Runnin' Down a Dream." One of the best cover versions of any song I've heard in a long time.

Finally, we have Alice Cooper, Along Came A Spider. When I first heard this was a concept album, I immediately developed an aversion to it. Memories of WASP's The Crimson Idol and, more recently, JP's Nostradamus came back to me. I was positive I would hate this album. Concept albums are rarely well done. In fact, The Who is the only band who has successfully pulled it off. Until now. Alice has put out a quality record here, and there are several songs that should be included on future "Best of" packages. This is one of those albums that make it difficult to pick favorite songs, because every track is good. I highly recommend it to any fans of classic Alice Cooper. For more info on the concept part of the album, read the Wikipedia entry for it.

Other albums will come out before the calendar says 2009, but so far these four have made the biggest impact (either positive or negative) on me. For up-to-the-minute hard rock news, check out one of my favorite sites, Hard Rock Hideout.

Here is the trailer for the new Alice Cooper album, ALONG CAME A SPIDER.....

There are only a handful of rock artists that have proven to be as enduring and influential as ALICE COOPER has over the years. Name just about any hard rock artist, and they’ve probably borrowed a thing or two from Alice. And on his latest studio recording, Along Came A Spider (issued via SPV Records on July 29 in the U.S.), Alice has returned with a concept album with a sinister streak.

'A dark and menacing album for dark and menacing times’ is perhaps the most fitting description for Alice’s 25th studio album overall, as a chilling conceptual thread runs through the songs, which are told through the voice of a serial killer named Spider - one that Alice describes as “an arachnophobic psychopath” (in the song 'Catch Me If You Can'). Alice, the master storyteller, weaves a web of danger, intrigue and death that rivals his best work.

Co-produced by Danny Saber, Greg Hampton and Alice himself, Along Came A Spider manages to marry both vintage and modern day Alice. As theatrical as ever, the album is a sonic combination of familiar Alice musical elements from albums as diverse as Billion Dollar Babies and Brutal Planet, with the storytelling of Welcome To My Nightmare, capturing the historic dark side of Alice in peak form, an instantly recognizable presence that will be welcomed by his fans. Joining Alice on the album are members of his touring band - longtime Alice drummer Eric Singer (KISS), bassist Chuck Garric, and guitarists Keri Kelli and Jason Hook, with additional contributions from others, including Saber, Hampton, and renowned backing vocalist Bernard Fowler. Slash also lends some guitar style to 'Vengeance Is Mine'.

Saber and Hampton co-wrote several of the album's songs with Alice, while others were collaborations with Alice's band members. Danny Saber, best known for his role as member and producer of BLACK GRAPE, has also worked with many other artists, including THE ROLLING STONES, OZZY OSBOURNE, and DAVID BOWIE, while Greg Hampton's been working on a new album project teaming up Buckethead and Bootsy Collins.

Who else but Alice Cooper, with Along Came A Spider, would create a "love story" about a serial killer named Spider? His trademark is wrapping his victims in silk, and his victims are specifically chosen to feed his hunger to kill. But, upon meeting his (possibly) last victim, he falls in love with her and cannot kill to complete his plan. That could be his demise.

Though it is often said about artists with as rich a history as Alice that their newest albums capture the essence of their greatest work, it may honestly be proposed that Along Came A Spider does exactly that. It's got hard rock with hooks, an Alice trademark ('Vengeance Is Mine', 'I Know Where You Live'), classic balladry, another Alice trademark ('Killed By Love', 'Salvation'), and always with an overtone of evil, yet another Alice trademark. Throughout the album, Alice BECOMES Spider, telling the story of a cold-blooded killer to life vocally, as if this were the soundtrack to an as-yet unmade horror film.

Before such theatrical rockers as DAVID BOWIE, THE NEW YORK DOLLS, KISS, SLIPKNOT, ROB ZOMBIE, and MARILYN MANSON, there was Alice Cooper. The original Alice Cooper group quickly became despised by adults and authority figures, while being idolized by teens and rock fans everywhere, on the strength of a succession of all-time classic albums ('Love It to Death,’ ‘Killer,’ ‘School’s Out,’ ‘Billion Dollar Babies,’ etc.) and anthems ('I’m Eighteen', 'Under My Wheels', 'School’s Out', 'Elected', 'No More Mr. Nice Guy', etc.). Alice had continued success as a solo artist, releasing successful albums like ‘Welcome To My Nightmare' and 'Trash,' featuring classic hits such as 'Only Women Bleed', 'I Never Cry' and 'Poison'. All one has to do is look at the many other artists that have covered Alice to understand how far reaching his influence is – the list is endless -- or just keep in mind that Johnny Rotten auditioned for THE SEX PISTOLS to the tune of 'I'm Eighteen'.

Along Came A Spider tracklisting: 'Prologue/I Know Where You Live', 'Vengeance Is Mine', 'Wake The Dead', 'Catch Me If You Can', '(In Touch With) Your Feminine Side', 'Wrapped In Silk', 'Killed By Love', 'I’m Hungry', 'The One That Got Away', 'Salvation', 'I Am The Spider/Epilogue'.

Have you seen the new trailer, for the up and coming Alice Cooper CD, Along Came A Spider?

Check it out below!

Uma nova música, intitulada "Vengeance Is Mine" está disponivel no MySpace de Alice Cooper e faz parte do novo álbum a ser lançado dia 29 de Julho pela SPV Records.

#3 Poison, Bell Biv DeVoe:

#2 Poison, The Prodigy:

#1 Poison, Alice Cooper:

(I actually thought this song was done by someone gay like Bon Jovi, but since it turns out its Alice Cooper it goes straight to #1)

Robbie Crane (Ratt’s bassist), Keri Kelli (Alice Cooper’s guitarist) Jani Lane (Warrant vocalist) and Bobby Blotzer (Ratt’s drummer)(courtesy Warrior Records).

Saints Of The Underground To Release Debut Album ON Warrior Records / Universal Music Group Distribution

Los Angeles CA, - Saints Of The Underground, created by members of mega-groups Ratt, Warrant, and Alice Cooper, have exploded onto the music scene with their debut CD entitled, “Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner.” Concerts in the works.

Formed by Bobby Blotzer (Ratt’s drummer) and Keri Kelli (guitarist for Alice Cooper), Saints Of The Underground quickly recruited Jani Lane (Warrant vocalist) and Robbie Crane (Ratt’s bassist) to fill out their roster. Separately these accomplished musicians have achieved multi-platinum successes, but together they have pooled their talents into an exciting new sound that fuses killer hooks, big guitars, and rock-n-roll attitude.

“With more than six decades of combined experience, S.O.T.U. represents classic hard rock with current elements of today rock genre,” said Keri Kelli.

The formation of Saints Of The Underground happened quite unexpectedly, as the four musicians started out playing cover tunes together for fun during off times from their respective super groups. They so enjoyed their chemistry that the band naturally evolved into a creative partnership through which original songs began to emerge.

Saints Of The Underground To Release Debut Album ON Warrior Records / Universal Music Group Distribution

Saints Of The Underground, created by members of mega-groups Ratt, Warrant, and Alice Cooper, will be will explode onto the music scene in April with their debut CD entitled, “Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner.”

“For me, S.O.T.U. was like when a Monty Python skit stops abruptly and you hear a voiceover say, ‘and now for something completely different’,” commented Jani Lane.

Jani Lane, Lead Singer

“I was in a very slow and boring rut when I got a call from the guys. It really got the creative juices flowing again…and some other juices too!”

S.O.T.U. decided to capture an array of material entering Bobby Blotzer’s Diamond Recording Studios in Texas to track drums and bass, while also overdubbing guitars and vocals at Keri Kelli’s studio in California.

Bobby Blotzer

“We were psyched to start recording together,” explained Blotzer, “and we each brought something special to the songs.”

The result is their debut CD, “Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner,” written and produced by Bobby, Keri, and Jani Lane.

Robbie Crane (Ratt’s bassist),
Keri Kelli (Alice Cooper’s guitarist)

“We had the opportunity to mix our record with Andy Johns of [The Rolling] Stones and [Led] Zeppelin fame,” said Lane. “He was an English prince and we had a blast working together.”

The new CD has already been generating buzz from the industry featuring enough heavy grooves, hooks, and memorable melodies to satisfy even the most demanding rock-n-roll aficionados.

Tracks like “Dead Man Shoes,” “All In How You Wear It,” “Signs Of Life,” and a mesmerizing version of the Rolling Stones classic, “Moolight Mile,” have this debut rocking along to a familiar yet distinctive beat that is sure to please fans, both old and new.

“Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner” is scheduled for release April 22 on Warrior Records, distributed via Universal Music Group Distribution. For more information, visit MySpace.com/SaintsOfTheUnderground or email saints@WarriorRecords.com.

About Warrior Records

Warrior Records is a music company whose products are distributed worldwide. Its businesses also include publishing divisions that administrate a wide range of copyrights, a music supervision firm specializing in motion picture and television soundtracks, and a new media and technologies division that develops and implements new formats, e-commerce, and emerging Internet methodology. Warrior Records is a division of L.A. Entertainment, Inc., a California based entertainment corporation. ]]> http://joelamoroney.wordpress.com/?p=86 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:47:06 +0000 Joel A Moroney http://joelamoroney.wordpress.com/?p=86 I once used the Alice Cooper song It's Much Too Late for a high school chapel service. Each student was passed out a sheet of paper with the name of the song and the lyrics printed on it. I asked anyone if they knew who Alice Cooper was. Most of the teachers put up their hands. And one student. Just one. I was pretty sure he was just trying to get some attention. So I told him if he could tell me, I'd give him a couple of minties. His reply? "She's a poet." Me and the teachers laughed because he got it wrong on both counts. He is a popular rocker from the 70s and 80s. But some of my favourite work of Alice's comes from this century. Like It's Much Too Late.

It's Much Too Late is off the 2001 album Dragontown. There's no film clip for this one, so here's the lyrics for you.

I never kicked a dog,
A child or my wife
I never looked at pornography
I swear it on my holy saint mother's life
But somehow she's down here with me

Now it's much too late
My time has passed away
All my plans and dreams have all ended
Now it's much too late
To try and plead my case
And I don't know the God I've offended
It's too late
It's much too late

The guy in the song is a nice guy. If you saw him walking down the street, you'd probably think he was an okay, moral, law abiding citizen. He would never hurt a fly, he doesn't look at porn, he doesn't steal, he respects women. He even stayed away from sex until he was married. A pretty nice guy, wouldn't you think? This is the guy that can tick the boxes for everything society says a good person is.

Yet there's a problem. This guy is in Hell. He wasn't supposed to end up in Hell. He's a good guy. He's done all the right things. He wasn't selfish, he didn't hurt anyone, he's a good guy. But he's in Hell. There must be a mistake. Someone, somewhere has got it wrong. Good people don't go to Hell. They go to Heaven. That's where he belongs! Isn't it?

The guy puts his finger on the problem in the chorus. And I don't know the God I've offended. He doesn't know God. He's ignored and offended the creator of the universe. He may be a good guy, but he's also a sinner. Romans 3:10-11 tells us "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." Society's standards for a good person and God's standards for a good person are two different things. In God's eyes, the guy in the song is an unrighteous sinner. He may do "good things" but they don't count if you are in rebellion with the God who made you. He has ignored God and not sought God's will for his life. And according to the Bible, no matter how controversial and unpopular this message is to our society, if you reject God then you are going to Hell.

If it was possible to get to Heaven by being a good person, then Jesus would not have come to Earth. The night before his death, Jesus is praying in the garden of Gethsemane. He says to God "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39) He is saying to God that if there is any other way, if there is any way to save mankind from sin that does not involve going to the cross, then do it. But Jesus goes to the cross. The only way we can be right with God, the only way we can be free from the punishment that sin deserves is through the blood of Jesus.

Do you think you're going to Heaven because you are a good person or because you are a follower of Jesus? Because if you think you're getting in by what you have done and not because of what Jesus has done, you may find yourself somewhere else trying to work out how you got there. And when that time comes? It's much too late.

There are several things to watch out for while this plays.First off,how much does the drummer look like Joni Mitchell?

Its got to the stage i now tell anyone who will listen that how its a little known Rock Fact that Joni used to drum for Alice in the early days.
Second,watch the guitarist as he launches so earnestly into his solo,just as it comes to an end he glances over in Alice's direction and pulls this peculiar face that i think is meant to signify something like,'that was amazing,i am therefore superb',but instead comes across as a hilarious gurn,brilliant!.
The third thing comes straight after,as Alice starts singing the verse,he begins to wank the mic stand,theres a good ten seconds of this before the floor manager finally wakes up from whatever sordid little dream he's been having and the camera zooms in to hide the offending limb.You can almost hear him screaming into the cameraman's headphones,"zoom in,zoom in!!"...ah,the Beeb at it's best,and to think, we pay our license fees to be treated to this.

I was thinking that we would touch the subject of commitments and fears and all sorts of deep rooted feelings that surface on a drunken saturday night; however, i think i'll just say that i'm ecstatic that my mom just called me and said "its going to rain tomorrow, so we're not going to have the Father's Day  pool party after all." ( i come from a long line of procrastinators, so yes, we're just getting around to the whole Father's Day thing) All I could think of was, "oh thank God, I've never been so relieved in all my life."  You'd think I just got released from a prison sentence.  Whats wrong with me? 

Well, I guess that's a whole other blog. 

Anyway, I have serious problems with committment;  but, this is old news, and nothing that interests you.  However, a recent conversation between my mother and father just very well might: (yes, Brandon, you've already heard this one, but what do you expect on a night such as tonight?)

 so my mom and dad are watching tv in the kitchen.  i sneak into the fridge, snatch a bowl that has a single piece of leftover pie in it, and maneuver my way back to the living room, but before i make it there, i'm stopped with:

MOM: "what are you eating, my pie?"

ME: "YOUR pie? Well there's only this one piece, what happened to the rest of it?"

DAD YELLS FROM THE CORNER: "there was a pie?! i never knew there was a pie."

MOM: "it wasn't a very big one, it was like, individual size."

DAD: "I've never seen an individual pie."

.....[mom glances at tv, trying to change the subject...]

MOM: "is that alice cooper? He looks like satan these days."

Don't be dazzled by the delicate details and embroidery like use of paint....

or the whimsical sense of humor and art displayed in these hats ....

There is a truly seedy side to Sugar and Spice and I am here to expose it:  I love these!  They are seed art, mosaic, magnets and art pieces.   They are hard to pinpoint into one category but they are beautiful and fun and lovely to have. Each seed is identified and carefully set.  Go check them out and when you buy something from her store (and I'm sure you will), make sure you tell her that I was never at that Alice Cooper concert with her.  Here's a direct link to her store:  http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5226540

And GWAR's ugly love child.

God, please kill me now.

Depois de praticamente uma década sem lançar material de estúdio inédito, Alice Cooper tá com cd novo! O novo álbum se chama Along Came A Spider, é um álbum conceitual e conta a história de um serial killer conhecido como "Spider", cada faixa do cd é algo como uma carta enviada por Spider à polícia, isso lembra um pouco Zodiac, mas enfim. Along Came a Spider chegará aos mercados lá pro finalzinho de julho...mas já podemos ouvir uma faixa dele, a Vengeance is Mine, no myspace do Alice.Na minha opnião, como fã supremo de Alice Cooper, achei a nova música maravilhosa, me parece que ela tá uma mistura do estilo de vários dos albums dele, hey stoopid, brutal planet e dragontown... a música realmente tá demais mesmo. Eu sei que a maioria dos que lêem esses blog são Indies e provavelmente, ou não conhecem, ou não gostam de Alice Cooper, Mas vale a pena ao menos dar uma conferida.

Ambos siguieron en contacto durante años. Alice se inspiro en una obra del genio para la portada de  "Da Da", y Dali siguio inspirandose en el cantante para algunas de sus obras, que se pueden ver en su museo de Figueres o bien en el otro museo dedicado al arista en St Petersburgh  (Florida). No siempre es posible ver estas obras (todas las piezas de los museos son rotativas), pero vale la pena desplazarse hasta el lugar para echar un vistazo.

Finished my last final (Math 30C) about an hour ago.

We are pleased to announce that with no advertising, we have now reached out to 46 countries!

www.tourtvonline.com

Is much more than a "social network", TourTV is a hub for live music. New Concert Videos, New Concert Audio, New Bands, E.P.K.'s, New Members, New Tour dates, New Photos and a whole new look!

We are now scheduling to go out and tape new "webisodes" for the TourTV series. Maybe our cameras will catch your band live this summer? 

www.tourtvonline.com

Where the music lives and the tour never ends!

School is out! Teachers are keeping their dirty looks to their unappreciative spouses... not to the kids, and that's how I want it! Rule-books? GONE! Time to get to the swimming hole and awkwardly feel up the neighborhood sweetheart before taking a dip and riding the bikes home before dinner. And the days are longer, ohh, how they are longer!

What am I most greatful for this summer? I'll tell you what, no more news about school shootings! I suppose it could happen (summer school), but those stories are never going to make national news. Maybe a few slacker kids (trying to pass English class for the second time) get hit with some stray gunfire, but these kids aren't going to win Nobel prizes... so it's an easy pass.

So, where do all the deranged school shooters end up in the summertime? Well, most of them are usually third in line at the local fast food joint before they snap! crackle! and POP! And can you blame them? Walking inside a fast food restaurant is like checking your intelligence at the door. Children screaming, zit-faced kids burning their arms from spitting grease traps, blue collar workers trying to get their quick beef fix... and then you have the kid who has social anxiety AND is packing heat! Of course they are going to quickly ditch their plans of getting that Quarter Pounder and turn the place into Kosovo (bad analogy, unless you still live in 1994).

AND do I have a problem with this? Ok, so all humanity aside... I'm going to say no. People who stuff their faces with all that processed beef should be so lucky. Seriously! If I had to choose between a lifetime of chronic weight gain, possible diabetes, and an addiction to salty greased-up cow OR being shot in the head while trying to order that... I'm taking the easy way out!

And now I'm getting all high and mighty on you now... right? No kickin' way! I love food that's been cooked, thrown in a plastic bags, freeze dried, shipped across the country and cooked again for me to enjoy... BUT it better be on a fucking pizza! And that pizza better be delivered to my door! How many news stories do you hear about a crazy pizza delivery guy shooting up an entire family in their home? Never in the history of history has has that happened.

So, let me tell you this... I love summer, but I'm really looking forward to CBS's fall lineup of new sitcoms and if I'm going to live to see them... this is going to be one summer of pizza. And lots of it! Take your chances with local fast food burgers if you want... but I'm playing it safe, because I know at my eulogy they aren't going to be saying, "he was a good man, and all he wanted was a burger and fries."

So i just don't want to be here to finish (or start again and complete) it.
I feel like i've hit a wall because i just can't work out an appropriate mode of installation/ presentation to the class.

I'd almost prefer to run a microphone along a keyboard and just listen to the amplified sound of scratching piano keys or hammers, sliding the mic along the black keys - because pianos are such percussive instruments. The work of art will be called 'the sound of an upright piano', with a dry wit and monotone voice. But that's not really video art, although it is mediatised performance.

1 step forward, two steps back. about 9 hours available to solve this problem.

According to a posting on the ALICE COOPER fan site SickThingsUK,

Cooper will release his new album, "Along Came A Spider", in North America on July 29. The CD was co-produced by Greg Hampton and Danny Saber in Los Angeles.

Alice recently told Billboard.biz that his forthcoming LP is "a real 'Alice' album. Conceptually, it's going to be pretty interesting."

Cooper wouldn't reveal too many details, but said the album is based on a fictional serial killer named Spider, who wraps his victims in a silk web. "Every song is sort of a letter to the police," he explains. "They think they're investigating it from the outside, but he's actually woven them into the whole thing."

"Along Came A Spider" track listing (in alphabetical order):

01. Catch Me
02. Hungry
03. I Am The Spider
04. I Know Where You Live
05. (In Touch With) Your Feminine Side
06. Killed By Love
07. Salvation
08. The One That Got Away
09. Vengeance Is Mine
10. Wake The Dead
11. Wrapped In Silk

®source: Blabbermouth.net

OK, hands up who remembers that the sleeve of Alice Cooper's album of the same name opened up like a school desk and (initial copies at least) included a pair of paper girl's knickers?

School's Out stayed at Number 1 in the UK for 3 weeks before getting bumped by Rod Stewart's "You Wear It Well". Across the Atlantic it reached number 7 on Billboard's Hot 100.

Alice says he was inspired to write it by the fact that when you are a kid there are two defining moments in your life. One is Christmas morning and the second is that last day of school before the summer holidays. He figured there were already enough songs about the first, so he was going to try and encapsulate the second.

The boy done good!

Διακόπτουμε την κανονική ροή του blog (εμένα να γκρινιάζω δηλαδή), για να μεταδόσουμε μια έκτακτη είδηση:

Στις 29 Ιουλίου, κυκλοφορεί από την SPV Records, το 25ο studio album του θεού Alice Cooper και θα τιτλοφορείται "Along Came A Spider"

Εδώ, θα διαβάσετε το press release.

ΥΓ: Αν και όταν βρίζω το traffic αυξάνεται κατακόρυφα, είναι τόσο καλά τα νέα, που θα περάσει πολύς καιρός για να ξαναεκνευριστώ....:P

[audio http://www.box.net/shared/static/qnmf1kpcso.mp3]

From: Killer (Warner Bros., 1971)

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Alice Cooper - Raise Your Fist and Yell (1987, MCA Records)

Track Listing:
1. "Freedom" - 4:09
2. "Lock Me Up" - 3:25
3. "Give the Radio Back" - 3:34
4. "Step on You" - 3:39
5. "Not That Kind of Love" - 3:15
6. "Prince of Darkness" - 5:10
7. "Time to Kill" - 3:38
8. "Chop, Chop, Chop" - 3:06
9. "Gail" - 2:30
10. "Roses on White Lace" - 4:29

Band:
Alice Cooper - Vocals
Kane Roberts - Guitar
Kip Winger - Bass
Paul Horowitz - Keyboards
Ken K. Mary - Drums

Produced by: Michael Wagener

The resurgence of The Coop continues with this album, but I still think there's plenty of filler here. "Not That Kind of Love" and "Roses on White Lace" are two of Alice's best songs though with "Not That Kind of Love" seeing Alice in pure hair metal mode and "Roses on White Lace" featuring him at his macabre best.

"Prince of Darkness" was also on the soundtrack of the 1987 John Carpenter movie Prince of Darkness (of course). The album cover here is very odd and strikes me as something weird you'd see on a Garbage Pail Kids card. I wonder if it was done by one of the same artists?

Highlights: "Freedom", "Not That Kind of Love", "Prince of Darkness", "Gail", "Roses on White Lace"

www.alicecooper.com
www.myspace.com/officialalicecooper

Alice Cooper - Constrictor (1986, MCA Records)

Track Listing:
1. "Teenage Frankenstein" - 3:37
2. "Give It Up" - 4:10
3. "Thrill My Gorilla" - 3:06
4. "Life and Death of the Party" - 3:43
5. "Simple Disobedience" - 3:28
6. "The World Needs Guts" - 3:58
7. "Trick Bag" - 4:14
8. "Crawlin'" - 3:21
9. "The Great American Success Story" - 3:36
10. "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" - 3:50

Band:
Alice Cooper - Vocals
Kane Roberts - Guitar
Kip Winger - Bass
Paul Delph - Keyboards
David Rosenberg - Drums

Produced by: Beau Hill; Michael Wagener (for "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" only)

Alice's sober comeback into the world of rock is more of a template for better albums to come than a good album in itself. There's only a handful of songs I can really get into here. "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" definitely stands out. It's just too bad "Hard Rock Summer", the other song Alice recorded for Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, wasn't included here.

Highlights: "Teenage Frankenstein", "Life and Death of the Party", "The World Needs Guts", "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)"

www.alicecooper.com
www.myspace.com/officialalicecooper

My poor, poor Danish grandmother (mormor). She's been staying with us for the past few weeks and I have mentioned her just the once before now... and that was tell my diary that she was "getting on my wick". I guess we all should have been grateful she was no more problematic than that? I loved her dearly, but she could really be hard work sometimes!

Christine? Coffee evening? I don't drink coffee so I'm not quite sure what I was referring to here. I don't think its one of those cases of "would you like to come in for a coffee" we see in the movies, but I could be wrong?

Looks like I taped a few singles?...

All the Young Dudes - written by David Bowie to specifically give them a hit single - was (like many other people) really my significant introduction to Mott the Hoople.

The song is often referred to as a "glam anthem", something which it can only be considered as such in retrospect. In 1972, it was 'just' another great pop song. Lead singer Ian Hunter is still going these days, his vocal style as distinctive now as it was in 1972. (Let me give a nod to Hunter's fabulous description of "life on the road", his biographical "Diary of a Rock & Roll Star")

I spoke about Hawkwind just a few days ago. I'm still several months away from seeing them play live, but in the meantime their major hit "Silver Machine" would doubtless suffice.

Despite its sci-fi opening and lyrics, writer Robert "Completely Bonkers" Calvert has admitted that the song is something of a send-up of the whole space race stuff that was going on following man's landing on the moon in 1969. It's actually about his.... pushbike!

In subsequent years I always found it somewhat amusing to watch people trying to dance to "Silver Machine". It's FAR from a song that lends itself to any kind of body rhythms but time after time at "junior discos" at Hiltingbury Pavilion I would stand in one corner and watch people give it their best shot... and invariably fail miserably.

It was years afterwards that I discovered - mainly because the internet had not yet been invented - that this version of Silver Machine was recorded live at the same Greasy Truckers Party gig - and later overdubbed - as the other Hawkwind cuts on that album.

Seaside Shuffle was the solitary chart hit for Terry Dactyl & the Dinosaurs. This was a 'nom de plume' for the cult blues band Brett Marvin & the Thunderbolts, the lead singer of which was Southampton-born John Lewis, who (are you reading this, trivia freaks?) later became MUCH better known as Stiff recording artist Jona "Stop the Cavalry" Lewie

Although very much a throwaway pop song, the lyrics reverberate with me now... "It's a warm day, the sun is shining, someone says let's go to Brighton"...... *sigh*, if only Mr Dactyl, if ONLY!

The single reached Number 2 in the UK charts. A year later the fake band's follow-up scraped Number 45 - 'Nuff said!

I truly believe "School's Out" to be one of the best - and anarchic - pop songs of all time, and most certainly Alice Cooper's finest contribution to the world of Rock'n'Roll.

The refrain "No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks" is as fierce - at least in my opinion - as anything the much later punk era produced. School's Out is TRULY an anthem - and one for every subsequent generation it would seem, the song as popular and well-known now as it ever was.

By the way, I would hate for people to think that I only ever taped stuff. As I am sure future diaries will attest, I did get the "vinyl buying bug", and in a very major way. I do know I subsequently purchased a lot of the singles I first taped, but usually waiting until they had dropped out of the Top 40 and were available cheaply (10-20-30p) from Jack Hobbs, my local music retailer... about whom I shall undoubtedly speak more of in later posts.