APPENDICE #1: The Hollywood Vampires
The original 'Hollywood Vampires' was a "celebrity drinking club" formed by Alice in Mid September 1973, while the band were making the 'Good To See You Again' film and recording songs for the 'Muscle Of Love' album. The way to get into the 'club' was to drink all the other members under the table, which was never going to be an easy thing to do!
The principal members of the group were: Alice Cooper, Keith Moon (The Who), Ringo Starr (The Beatles), Micky Dolenz (The Monkees) and Harry Nilsson. On the 'Prime Cuts' DVD, Alice says:
"...The Speakeasy and Tramps were the place to be in London. There was a little loft at the Rainbow Bar and Grill in LA (W. Hollywood), they only had that for the club: every night those same people. Every once in a while John Lennon would come into town or Keith Emerson and they would be honorable members of the night. They still have a plaque there at the Rainbow, where it says 'The Lair of the Hollywood Vampires.'"
Honorable members of the group included: Keith Allison (Paul Revere And The Raiders), John Belushi, Marc Bolan, Mal Evans (road manager with The Beatles), Bernie Taupin, Joe Walsh (The Eagles) and Klaus Voormann (Manfred Mann, The Plastic Ono Band)
Jump forward 40 years!
The 'Hollywood Vampires' project began around 2011 when Alice and Johnny Depp worked together on the 'Dark Shadows' movie. This friendship resulted in Johnny joining Alice on stage at the 100 Club in London in June 2011, where a number of cover songs were performed. [For more information about this show, see post #398 on page 40]. This concept blossomed into the idea of recording a full blown covers album. As this idea came together, it morphed from being an Alice Cooper solo covers record (with guest star Johnny Depp) into a full blown project in it's own right with the addition of Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry. Alice's history with Perry goes back decades and includes a previous attempt to work together prior to the 'Constrictor' album, which ended when Alice went to film 'Monster Dog' and Perry rejoined Aerosmith
The album was recorded between 2012 - 2014 and I find it a strange album. Some of the songs work, while others are very poor. I also find it weird that some people who were in the drinking club do not have any tribute played to them (Mickey Dolenz, Joe Walsh), while others have been included presumably for the simple reason they were heavy drinkers
Anyway, the album includes the following tracks for which I am only going to pass comment on the original songs, although I have linked the songs to YouTube. Just click on the title and make up your own mind:
1: 'The Last Vampire', which is a spoken introduction by Sir Christopher Lee, reading a passage from the book 'Dracula'. This was the last thing he did before his untimely death. Bob Ezrin plays the keyboards
2: 'Raise The Dead', an original song. Additional musicians were Tommy Henriksen and Bruce Witkin on guitar, Witkin on bass and Glen Sobel on drums. It's a good opening, and very reminiscent of classic Alice
3:
'My Generation', originally recorded by The Who and previously played live by Alice, most notably on the 'Brutal Planet' tour. Guest musician was Zac Starkey on drums
4:
'Whole Lotta Love', originally recorded by Led Zeppelin. Presumably this is dedicated to John Bonham, but as far as I'm aware, he was never a member of the group. Guest musicians are Brian Johnson (AC/DC) on vocals, Orianthi and Joe Walsh on guitar, Kip Winger on bass and Zac Starkey on drums
5:
'I Got A Line On You', originally recorded by Spirit. No idea why this has been included. Guest musicians are Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction) on vocals, Joe Walsh on guitar, Kip Winger on bass and Abe Laboriel Jr (Paul McCartney's band) on drums
6:
'Five To One'/'Break On Through', originally recorded by The Doors. Jim Morrison was a good friend of Alice, and has already been referred to in some Alice songs. It's thought that 'Desperado' from the 'Killer' album is about him, and he is name checked in 'From The Inside': "
Proposed a toast to Jimi's ghost'. Guest musicians are Charlie Judge on keyboards, Robbie Krieger (The Doors) on guitar and Abe Laboriel Jr on drums
7:
'One'/'Jump In The Fire', originally recorded by Harry Nilssen. These are not Metallica songs, as some people think! Guest musicians are Perry Farrell on vocals, Bob Ezrin on Keyboards, Robbie Krieger on guitar, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) on drums
8:
'Come And Get It', originally recorded by Badfinger. Again, I am not sure why this was included. Yes, it was written by Paul McCartney, but again I'm not aware of him being a member of the 'club'. It was never recorded by The Beatles as a band, so it cannot be for either Ringo or John Lennon. Guest musicians are Paul McCartney on bass, piano and vocals, Abe Laboriel Jr on drums
9:
'Jeepster', originally recorded by T.Rex. No guest musicians on this one
10:
'Cold Turkey', originally recorded by John Lennon. Again, no guest musicians
11:
'Manic Depression', originally recorded by Jimi Hendrix. He was dead before the 'club' formed, so presumably this is a tribute to someone who died through drug abuse. Guest musicians are Bob Ezrin on keyboards, Joe Walsh on guitar, Zac Starkey on drums
12:
'Itchycoo Park', originally recorded by The Small Faces, and presumably included as a tribute to Steve Marriott. No guest musicians on this one
13:
'School's Out'/'Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2', originally recorded by The Alice Cooper Group and Pink Floyd. Presumably a tribute to Glen Buxton and Syd Barrett, although he had left Floyd a long time before this song was recorded. Guest musicians are Slash on guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass and Neal Smith on drums
14: 'My Dead Drunk Friends', an original song. Again, this is a good, sleazy Alice song, which makes me wish he had recorded a full album of material like this, instead of the cover songs. Guest musicians are Bob Ezrin on keyboards
In February 2016, a 'delux' version of the album was released, with three additional songs:
15:
'I'm A Boy', originally recorded by The Who
16:
'Seven And Seven Is', originally recorded by Arthur Lee & Love, and previously covered by Alice on the 'Special Forces' album
17: 'As Bad As I Am', which is an original song. A good fast rocker to end the album on