The Alice Cooper Thread

[SymbioticFunction]

The odd thing about Super Duper Alice Cooper is that Michael Bruce never even gets a mention (if memory serves correctly).

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

The documentary 'Super Duper Alice Cooper' is due to be screened on Sky Arts on Halloween between 9:00 - 10:45pm

Originally Posted by Justin101

Have you seen that doc before Susan? It's very frustrating, I've watched it a couple of times to see if I would warm to it, I didn't.

Yes I have seen it

I was very disappointed the first time I watched it (on Blu-Ray), but a second watch (on Amazon Prime) was slightly better but the film, released in 2014, ends very abruptly in 1986 and a passing mention of 'The Nightmare Returns' tour

It's certainly one of the lesser releases from Banger Films (who also released such great documentaries as 'Metal: A Headbangers Journey', 'Flight 666', 'Beyond The Lighted Stage', 'Time Machine' and 'Satan Lives')

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

Yes I have seen it

I was very disappointed the first time I watched it (on Blu-Ray), but a second watch (on Amazon Prime) was slightly better but the film, released in 2014, ends very abruptly in 1986 and a passing mention of 'The Nightmare Returns' tour

It's certainly one of the lesser releases from Banger Films (who also released such great documentaries as 'Metal: A Headbangers Journey', 'Flight 666', 'Beyond The Lighted Stage', 'Time Machine' and 'Satan Lives')

It's quite unreal that a low budget doc from many years before, Prime Cuts, is much much better than this which clearly had a decent budget and production. It's even weirder when you take into consideration as you say, Sam Dunn's other films, that Rush documentary is so good, and Flight 666 is also brilliant.

[Susan Foreman]

Feed my Frankensock (Sock Puppet Parody) Halloween Special!

[Susan Foreman]

Looks like there might be a new album coming soon(ish)

Now that the US leg of the tour has ended, I'm hearing rumours that the whole have relocated to Nashville where they are finishing the recording of a new album which is potentially to be called 'Road'

Apparently they started recording the album in various hotel rooms (?) while they were on tour

By my reckoning, this will be the first record that has been recorded by the touring band since 'Along Came A Spider' back in 2008!

[Susan Foreman]

A handful of new US dates have been announced for the start of 2022

28th January - Cincinnati, OH, ICON Music Center
29th January - Toledo, OH, Stranahan Theater
31st January - Wabash, IN, Honeywell Center
3rd February - Louisville, KY, Palace Theatre
4th February - Cherokee, NC, Harrah's Cherokee Event Center
5th February - Savannah, GA, Johnny Mercer Theatre
7th February - Clearwater, FL, Ruth Eckerd Hall
8th February - Orlando, FL, Hard Rock Hotel Orlando

[Susan Foreman]

This years Christmas Pudding is due to take place on December 4th at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona

Music guests confirmed (but subject to change) are Alice Cooper and the touring band (Glen Sobel, Chuck Garric, Tommy Henriksen, and Ryan Roxie [although Nita won't be there as she is out on tour with her own concerts]), Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, Ed Roland from Collective Soul and Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray

[gag]

Alice copper touring with cult, I’m tempted to go.

[Susan Foreman]

'Jester' performing 'School's Out' on the American version of 'The Masked Singer'

The panel were not sure of who it was behind the mask, and guesses ranged from Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, Sammy Hagar, Ozzy Osbourne, Elon Musk, Dee Snider and Joe Elliott

If you haven't guessed who it really is...

SPOILER:

It's John Lydon of course!

[Susan Foreman]

September 27th, 1971 - 50 years ago today, the 'Killer' album is released

After opening 1971 with the release of the 5* album 'Love it to Death', the year ended with the release of 'Killer' - another bona fide classic. The songwriting on offer here is absolutely brilliant from beginning to finish. Anyone who had originally thought of Alice Cooper (the man and the band) as nothing more than a disgusting, underground group that performed unlistenable and sloppy rock songs had their world turned upside down when the album was released!

'Killer' opens with two solid hard rock songs which inform the listener of the journey they are going to take. Both 'Under My Wheels' and 'Be My Lover' are excellent tracks that are not only drenched with catchiness, but also feature some excellent guitar work from Michael Bruce. That is followed by the mindboggling progressive rock assault of 'Halo of Flies'. At more that eight minutes in length, this song on its own has enough ideas to fill up an entire album and even the big prog rock acts of the time did not come close to matching it for ideas. 'Desperado, the 'b' side of the 'Under My Wheels' single, is also a great, dramatic song that is a tribute to a good friend and companion of the and - Jim Morrison from The Doors

The second side of the album opens with 'You Drive Me Nervous', another solid hard rock song with some excellent schizophrenic guitar work. The weakest song on the album, 'Yeah Yeah Yeah' is still a 4.5* song. This was the 'b' side of the 'Be Ly Lover' single. Back to the classics, and what is there to be said about the song 'Dead Babies'? Controversial in its day, even though it's an anti-child abuse song. It begins rather lightly - almost like a creepy ballad. The tone created is similar to one of the good, early Argento giallo films! The ominous and creepy start leads to the sound effect of a baby crying...and then Alice sings the chorus: "Dead babies can take care of themselves!". The lyrics are weird and the hooks are also incredibly strong. 'Dead Babies' segues into the albums title cut. 'Killer' features some guitar licks that are both entertaining and creative with Alice delivering a furious vocal performance. The ghoul screams in the middle of the song are are absolutely shiver-inducing and the end of the song features a death march that sounds like something that might belong in a Tim Burton movie. It is still used during the execution sequence of the Alice Cooper live show

Initial pressings of the album came with a 1972 calendar featuring a picture of Alice in the gallows