The Alice Cooper thread

[DTA]

First to DTA, I definitely suggest starting from the beginning. I did that a few years ago. I had never done that with any artist but for some reason with Alice, I never got several albums. So when I finally completed my collection, instead of listening to the ones I hadn't heard, I started at the beginning. It was fascinating and Alice is probably one of the best artists to listen to in this way since his style always vaguely followed trends.

Yeah, I figure going in sequence is the best way to do it instead of jumping around. I like how his style mirrored the times so going in sequence makes sense just to hear that evolution in sound.

Keep in mind that the first two albums are very weird, experimental, and from a young band that still hadn't find their sound. I don't remember right off the bat if you listened to their classic albums, since you listed Welcome to My Nightmare anyway, but once you go into the string of albums that starts with Love It to Death.... wow.... you're in for a four string of albums that made rock n' roll HISTORY and LEGEND.

I've heard the first two are pretty out-there but I listen to so much music at work that I can blast through those albums pretty quickly (I have a self-imposed rule that I must listen to an album 10 times before moving onto the next one). I only have Welcome to My Nightmare of his pre-Constrictor output but I'm honestly most excited to hear Flush the Fashion through DaDa. I tend to gravitate towards the albums everyone hates so I expect Alice will be no different. I'm really excited for DaDa based on how many interesting descriptions it's been given.

[TAC]

Burning Our Bed was an early favorite of mine...what's your issue with it? And Why Trust You seems like an odd choice for Trash. I like most of the songs on there but Bed Of Nails seems like a clear step above all the others. Zombie Dance is another I think is pretty unique and interesting. I disliked Dragontown at first but it really grew on me. I think it's incredibly solid and was surprised when I began to like it more than Brutal Planet.

You seemed to gravitate to the power ballad style.

I have always detested Burning Our Bed. I think is it so sappy and awful. I'm with you on Dirty Dreams. That song blows. But all in all, that is a GREAT album.

Why Trust You gets me going big time. I love the vocal. There's a few songs that I find myself totally screaming out when I listen in the car, and that is the main one. It's a deep track on that album for sure, but I've always loved it. It has the energy of I'm Your Gun, but without the cringeworthy lyrics.

I am generally not a fan of the whole Brutal Planet/Dragontown era. But I like 5 songs on BP and 2 on DT (the other being Disgracedland).

First to DTA, I definitely suggest starting from the beginning. I did that a few years ago. I had never done that with any artist but for some reason with Alice, I never got several albums. So when I finally completed my collection, instead of listening to the ones I hadn't heard, I started at the beginning. It was fascinating and Alice is probably one of the best artists to listen to in this way since his style always vaguely followed trends.

Yeah, I figure going in sequence is the best way to do it instead of jumping around. I like how his style mirrored the times so going in sequence makes sense just to hear that evolution in sound.

Keep in mind that the first two albums are very weird, experimental, and from a young band that still hadn't find their sound. I don't remember right off the bat if you listened to their classic albums, since you listed Welcome to My Nightmare anyway, but once you go into the string of albums that starts with Love It to Death.... wow.... you're in for a four string of albums that made rock n' roll HISTORY and LEGEND.

I've heard the first two are pretty out-there but I listen to so much music at work that I can blast through those albums pretty quickly (I have a self-imposed rule that I must listen to an album 10 times before moving onto the next one). I only have Welcome to My Nightmare of his pre-Constrictor output but I'm honestly most excited to hear Flush the Fashion through DaDa. I tend to gravitate towards the albums everyone hates so I expect Alice will be no different. I'm really excited for DaDa based on how many interesting descriptions it's been given.

Yeah, Alice would usually make his albums to reflect the current movement in music, but would put his spin on them.

And get ready to break your 10 Listen rule.

To me, Killer and School's Out are his two best albums.

[Madman Shepherd]

Burning Our Bed was an early favorite of mine...what's your issue with it? And Why Trust You seems like an odd choice for Trash. I like most of the songs on there but Bed Of Nails seems like a clear step above all the others. Zombie Dance is another I think is pretty unique and interesting. I disliked Dragontown at first but it really grew on me. I think it's incredibly solid and was surprised when I began to like it more than Brutal Planet.

You seemed to gravitate to the power ballad style.

I have always detested Burning Our Bed. I think is it so sappy and awful. I'm with you on Dirty Dreams. That song blows. But all in all, that is a GREAT album.

Why Trust You gets me going big time. I love the vocal. There's a few songs that I find myself totally screaming out when I listen in the car, and that is the main one. It's a deep track on that album for sure, but I've always loved it. It has the energy of I'm Your Gun, but without the cringeworthy lyrics.

I am generally not a fan of the whole Brutal Planet/Dragontown era. But I like 5 songs on BP and 2 on DT (the other being Disgracedland).

First to DTA, I definitely suggest starting from the beginning. I did that a few years ago. I had never done that with any artist but for some reason with Alice, I never got several albums. So when I finally completed my collection, instead of listening to the ones I hadn't heard, I started at the beginning. It was fascinating and Alice is probably one of the best artists to listen to in this way since his style always vaguely followed trends.

Yeah, I figure going in sequence is the best way to do it instead of jumping around. I like how his style mirrored the times so going in sequence makes sense just to hear that evolution in sound.

Keep in mind that the first two albums are very weird, experimental, and from a young band that still hadn't find their sound. I don't remember right off the bat if you listened to their classic albums, since you listed Welcome to My Nightmare anyway, but once you go into the string of albums that starts with Love It to Death.... wow.... you're in for a four string of albums that made rock n' roll HISTORY and LEGEND.

I've heard the first two are pretty out-there but I listen to so much music at work that I can blast through those albums pretty quickly (I have a self-imposed rule that I must listen to an album 10 times before moving onto the next one). I only have Welcome to My Nightmare of his pre-Constrictor output but I'm honestly most excited to hear Flush the Fashion through DaDa. I tend to gravitate towards the albums everyone hates so I expect Alice will be no different. I'm really excited for DaDa based on how many interesting descriptions it's been given.

Yeah, Alice would usually make his albums to reflect the current movement in music, but would put his spin on them.

And get ready to break your 10 Listen rule.

To me, Killer and School's Out are his two best albums.

Killer and School's Out were also two of the last of Alice's albums I listened to in their entirety simply because I had almost every song on one compilation or another yet what I discovered was those two albums need to be listened to front to back. Damn near perfect albums and a shame that the few songs I had not heard were not considered up to snuff for a compilation because those really help make the albums.

[DTA]

Burning Our Bed was an early favorite of mine...what's your issue with it? And Why Trust You seems like an odd choice for Trash. I like most of the songs on there but Bed Of Nails seems like a clear step above all the others. Zombie Dance is another I think is pretty unique and interesting. I disliked Dragontown at first but it really grew on me. I think it's incredibly solid and was surprised when I began to like it more than Brutal Planet.

You seemed to gravitate to the power ballad style.

I have always detested Burning Our Bed. I think is it so sappy and awful. I'm with you on Dirty Dreams. That song blows. But all in all, that is a GREAT album.

Why Trust You gets me going big time. I love the vocal. There's a few songs that I find myself totally screaming out when I listen in the car, and that is the main one. It's a deep track on that album for sure, but I've always loved it. It has the energy of I'm Your Gun, but without the cringeworthy lyrics.

I am generally not a fan of the whole Brutal Planet/Dragontown era. But I like 5 songs on BP and 2 on DT (the other being Disgracedland).

First to DTA, I definitely suggest starting from the beginning. I did that a few years ago. I had never done that with any artist but for some reason with Alice, I never got several albums. So when I finally completed my collection, instead of listening to the ones I hadn't heard, I started at the beginning. It was fascinating and Alice is probably one of the best artists to listen to in this way since his style always vaguely followed trends.

Yeah, I figure going in sequence is the best way to do it instead of jumping around. I like how his style mirrored the times so going in sequence makes sense just to hear that evolution in sound.

Keep in mind that the first two albums are very weird, experimental, and from a young band that still hadn't find their sound. I don't remember right off the bat if you listened to their classic albums, since you listed Welcome to My Nightmare anyway, but once you go into the string of albums that starts with Love It to Death.... wow.... you're in for a four string of albums that made rock n' roll HISTORY and LEGEND.

I've heard the first two are pretty out-there but I listen to so much music at work that I can blast through those albums pretty quickly (I have a self-imposed rule that I must listen to an album 10 times before moving onto the next one). I only have Welcome to My Nightmare of his pre-Constrictor output but I'm honestly most excited to hear Flush the Fashion through DaDa. I tend to gravitate towards the albums everyone hates so I expect Alice will be no different. I'm really excited for DaDa based on how many interesting descriptions it's been given.

Yeah, Alice would usually make his albums to reflect the current movement in music, but would put his spin on them.

And get ready to break your 10 Listen rule.

To me, Killer and School's Out are his two best albums.

I'm definitely a sucker for a power ballad (Only My Heart Talkin' is another favorite) though I hate sappy music. Burning Our Bed is definitely sappy, however, I'm good with Alice being sappy for some reason...I think he gets a lot of leeway with me because I like him as a person so much. I'll have to revisit Why Trust You. I don't dislike it, but it falls through the cracks when I think of the tracks on Trash. I like I'm Your Gun quite a bit though but I never paid attention to the lyrics (that's possibly a good thing if they're cringy).

I'm excited for the early material. I listened to Pretties For You and Easy Action today and they were about what I expected. They almost remind me Can's Tago Mago a bit. Experimental as hell. I'll be happy to get past them and never listen to them again.

[MirrorMask]

Especially considering the four albums that come after those

[DTA]

Love It To Death is pretty good so far, but I can already tell that I'm just more a fan of the production and overall direction of his "newer" stuff (1986-onward) and I'll never quite be as into the 70's stuff as the later albums. It kinda just feels like standard 70's rock, and while there's some cool moments (Dwight Fry is the clear highlight), nothing on here hits me like the more metallic Prince of Darkness, The World Needs Guts, or even the poppier Novocaine and a bunch of other tracks from the 80's through present-day.

[Lowdz]

Burning Our Bed was an early favorite of mine...what's your issue with it? And Why Trust You seems like an odd choice for Trash. I like most of the songs on there but Bed Of Nails seems like a clear step above all the others. Zombie Dance is another I think is pretty unique and interesting. I disliked Dragontown at first but it really grew on me. I think it's incredibly solid and was surprised when I began to like it more than Brutal Planet.

You seemed to gravitate to the power ballad style.

I have always detested Burning Our Bed. I think is it so sappy and awful. I'm with you on Dirty Dreams. That song blows. But all in all, that is a GREAT album.

Why Trust You gets me going big time. I love the vocal. There's a few songs that I find myself totally screaming out when I listen in the car, and that is the main one. It's a deep track on that album for sure, but I've always loved it. It has the energy of I'm Your Gun, but without the cringeworthy lyrics.

I am generally not a fan of the whole Brutal Planet/Dragontown era. But I like 5 songs on BP and 2 on DT (the other being Disgracedland).

First to DTA, I definitely suggest starting from the beginning. I did that a few years ago. I had never done that with any artist but for some reason with Alice, I never got several albums. So when I finally completed my collection, instead of listening to the ones I hadn't heard, I started at the beginning. It was fascinating and Alice is probably one of the best artists to listen to in this way since his style always vaguely followed trends.

Yeah, I figure going in sequence is the best way to do it instead of jumping around. I like how his style mirrored the times so going in sequence makes sense just to hear that evolution in sound.

Keep in mind that the first two albums are very weird, experimental, and from a young band that still hadn't find their sound. I don't remember right off the bat if you listened to their classic albums, since you listed Welcome to My Nightmare anyway, but once you go into the string of albums that starts with Love It to Death.... wow.... you're in for a four string of albums that made rock n' roll HISTORY and LEGEND.

I've heard the first two are pretty out-there but I listen to so much music at work that I can blast through those albums pretty quickly (I have a self-imposed rule that I must listen to an album 10 times before moving onto the next one). I only have Welcome to My Nightmare of his pre-Constrictor output but I'm honestly most excited to hear Flush the Fashion through DaDa. I tend to gravitate towards the albums everyone hates so I expect Alice will be no different. I'm really excited for DaDa based on how many interesting descriptions it's been given.

Yeah, Alice would usually make his albums to reflect the current movement in music, but would put his spin on them.

And get ready to break your 10 Listen rule.

To me, Killer and School's Out are his two best albums.

Dirty Dreams is awesome. Vinnie Moore rips on it. I also love BOB (if you see what I mean  ). The only crap on Hey Stoopid is the title track - I always skip that.

[Madman Shepherd]

Love It To Death is pretty good so far, but I can already tell that I'm just more a fan of the production and overall direction of his "newer" stuff (1986-onward) and I'll never quite be as into the 70's stuff as the later albums. It kinda just feels like standard 70's rock, and while there's some cool moments (Dwight Fry is the clear highlight), nothing on here hits me like the more metallic Prince of Darkness, The World Needs Guts, or even the poppier Novocaine and a bunch of other tracks from the 80's through present-day.

I can see that. When I first got Alice Cooper's greatest hits when I was a teenager I was kind of surprised by how basic a lot of it was. I was a very casual fan for several years until somebody gave me an extra ticket to see him on the brutal Planet tour. Totally changed my outlook and I became a hardcore fan that night. Went back and viewed those early songs totally differently. Killer was where the albums started getting more theatrical along with their stage show. Still kind of garage rock but really started to get s different vibe.

[jjrock88]

I can say there is absolutely nothing about the music on the first two Alice Cooper albums that I like or find enjoyable. The psychedelic artsy music is not my thing.  But all of his greatest hits from the 70s are awesome. He lost me again with what I’ve heard from the early 80s but his mid 80s-early 90s is right up my alley and my favorite from him. I’ve only heard songs here and there from him since then but everything sounds good for the most part. I did buy Welcome 2 My Nightmare and didn’t really like it.

[DTA]

Love It To Death is pretty good so far, but I can already tell that I'm just more a fan of the production and overall direction of his "newer" stuff (1986-onward) and I'll never quite be as into the 70's stuff as the later albums. It kinda just feels like standard 70's rock, and while there's some cool moments (Dwight Fry is the clear highlight), nothing on here hits me like the more metallic Prince of Darkness, The World Needs Guts, or even the poppier Novocaine and a bunch of other tracks from the 80's through present-day.

I can see that. When I first got Alice Cooper's greatest hits when I was a teenager I was kind of surprised by how basic a lot of it was. I was a very casual fan for several years until somebody gave me an extra ticket to see him on the brutal Planet tour. Totally changed my outlook and I became a hardcore fan that night. Went back and viewed those early songs totally differently. Killer was where the albums started getting more theatrical along with their stage show. Still kind of garage rock but really started to get s different vibe.

Cool, I'm still working my way through the albums and am going to hit Killers next week sometime. I've watched live clips and everything I've seen has been amazing (especially the ever-present camera that follows Nita Strauss in every video  ) so I'm sure seeing it live would totally transform the earlier songs.

I can say there is absolutely nothing about the music on the first two Alice Cooper albums that I like or find enjoyable. The psychedelic artsy music is not my thing.  But all of his greatest hits from the 70s are awesome. He lost me again with what I’ve heard from the early 80s but his mid 80s-early 90s is right up my alley and my favorite from him. I’ve only heard songs here and there from him since then but everything sounds good for the most part. I did buy Welcome 2 My Nightmare and didn’t really like it.

Yeah the first two are rough besides maybe Shoe Salesman which is the only thing I've managed to really enjoy due to its dumb, upbeat poppiness.

[MirrorMask]

Ballad of Dwight Fry is indeed the masterpiece of the album, but while I understand that maybe the original studio version feels just like another song of the era, I'm Eighteen is a riot live and another more than memorable song.

Apples and oranges but I'm experiencing this while discovering Bruce Springsteen's music - more often than not, I find live versions of old classics better than the original studio songs, which of course are great but feels, if not dated, just a product of the era. I can imagine it can be the same for you listening the original albums, but as it has been mentioned Alice Cooper live was something to behold.... and for the record, he still is!

[Stadler]

TAC set me up with some early Alice and I'm grateful to this day.   I too had a little trouble with the first two; they are what they are. But I think those next four are transcendent.  I think you can really hear the influence of Bob Ezrin, and that "metallic" clear sound really does wonders for what is - as someone here just said - a garage band.  For me it was also about influence.  Being a big Aerosmith and Kiss fan, it was clear that those bands were listening to those Alice records.   "Get Your Wings" and "Destroyer" (and, to a lesser extent, Peter Gabriel's first solo album; listen to "Moribund the Burgermeister" or "Modern Love") clearly are of a kind with those Alice records.

For me the high point is Killer, especially "Halo Of Flies".

[Madman Shepherd]

It's interesting that Muscle of Love reverts back to more basic rock since the band was getting disenchanted with the theatrics.

Has anybody kept up with the other members solo careers?

Michael Bruce's first album was pretty good and from what I remember reading, intentionally buried so that Alice could run his solo career with the name. Good classic/pop rock.

I think Neal Smith's Platinum God was also shelved for a number of year for similar reasons but was more in line with the Alice Cooper sound.

The Billion Dollar Babies band was excellent but again, I suspect it was a little malicious that they didn't get a bigger push.

Sad that Glen Buxton fell of the face of the earth minus a few bootleg clips of his bar band Virgin.

[73109]

I still spin everything from Hey Stoopid to Dragontown on a regular basis. Wind up toy is such a stellar song. 

[DTA]

I’ve made it through all the Alice Cooper Band albums and have just begun listening to Goes To Hell. I enjoyed every album more than the previous one with Muscle of Love being my favorite out of all them. I didn’t find Love It To Death or Killer to be as engaging as they’ve been made out to be, but Schools Out and Billion Dollar Babies were enjoyable all the way through. Muscle just has the overall best songs and sound that I like. I’d still rate every pre-Constrictor album below every post-Constrictor album but there’s a lot of great stuff on what I’ve heard.

Top 10 songs from ACB (in no order):

1. Big Apple Dreamin’
2. Working Up A Sweat
3. Man With The Golden Gun
4. Teenage Lament
5. Woman Machine
6. Be My Lover
7. Unfinished Sweet
8. Shoe Salesman
9. No More Mr. Nice Guy
10. Generation Landslide

[MirrorMask]

Surprised at the love for Muscle of Love! but it's always nice when it's nost just the big ones that receive acclaim.

Curious to know what your reactions will be for the weirdest (which sometimes is meant in a good way and some others in a bad way) part of Alice's carrer! 

[DTA]

Surprised at the love for Muscle of Love! but it's always nice when it's nost just the big ones that receive acclaim.

Curious to know what your reactions will be for the weirdest (which sometimes is meant in a good way and some others in a bad way) part of Alice's carrer! 

I always tend to enjoy the albums that people disregard. Looks like Goes To Hell is going to be another highlight for me. I'm looking forward to the weird ones and I'll most likely enjoy them a lot...I can't believe I only have 6 more to get through, what the hell am I going to binge-listen to after this??

[MirrorMask]

Yeah, Goes to Hell is quite good, and had there been a tour (Alice was too wasted to play), maybe it would have been considered more a classic successor to Welcome to My Nightmare. The title track, Didn't we Meet, Wake me Gently and Going Home are all great songs.

[TAC]

I’d still rate every pre-Constrictor album below every post-Constrictor album but there’s a lot of great stuff on what I’ve heard.

Below?? Wow!

Top 10 songs from ACB (in no order):

1. Big Apple Dreamin’
2. Working Up A Sweat
3. Man With The Golden Gun
4. Teenage Lament
5. Woman Machine
6. Be My Lover
7. Unfinished Sweet
8. Shoe Salesman
9. No More Mr. Nice Guy
10. Generation Landslide

Wow, that is definitely Muscle Of Love heavy.


My Top 10 original Alice Cooper Band...

1. The Ballad Of Dwight Fry
2. Blue Turk
3. Halo Of Flies
4. Desperado
5. Dead Babies
6. Killer
7. Teenage Lament
8. Alma Mater
9. Luney Tune
10. My Stars



Big Apple Dreamin' is an awesome tune too!

[DTA]

I’d still rate every pre-Constrictor album below every post-Constrictor album but there’s a lot of great stuff on what I’ve heard.

Below?? Wow!

Top 10 songs from ACB (in no order):

1. Big Apple Dreamin’
2. Working Up A Sweat
3. Man With The Golden Gun
4. Teenage Lament
5. Woman Machine
6. Be My Lover
7. Unfinished Sweet
8. Shoe Salesman
9. No More Mr. Nice Guy
10. Generation Landslide

Wow, that is definitely Muscle Of Love heavy.


My Top 10 original Alice Cooper Band...

1. The Ballad Of Dwight Fry
2. Blue Turk
3. Halo Of Flies
4. Desperado
5. Dead Babies
6. Killer
7. Teenage Lament
8. Alma Mater
9. Luney Tune
10. My Stars



Big Apple Dreamin' is an awesome tune too!

Yeah Muscle of Love surprised me by how much I like it. I think it may be above Constrictor and The Last Temptation if I'm reevaluating my ranking, but the rest of the post-hiatus albums are just too good.

Your list is pretty good...School's Out was the first one where I liked pretty much every song, though I hear a lot of fans rate it below Killers, LITD, and BDB. Halo is one I feel like I should like since it's a bit more adventurous but it just does nothing for me. I like Black Juju way better if we're comparing the 2 long tracks. Teenage Lament really grew on me which is odd because I typically can't stand male/female duets in music. The song feels pretty modern too, like something from an indie band in the early 2010's. But still, I've enjoyed stuff from every single album (even Pretties) so I'm quite happy with this journey so far.

[MirrorMask]

So.... new album from Alice Cooper coming in the next months!!!

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/alice-cooper-to-release-detroit-stories-album-in-february-cover-artwork-track-listing-revealed/

"Detroit Stories" will be available on CD, CD+DVD digipak, CD box set (including CD, Blu-ray, t-shirt, face mask, torch light and 3 stickers), and 2LP gatefold.

The DVD and Blu-ray will show the incredible live performance "A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris" for the first time on video. With the whole concert culture being shut down due to covid-19, Alice Cooper felt the need to share one of his latest shows with his fans as he cannot wait to get back on the road — better than ever.

Tracklist

01. Rock 'N' Roll
02. Go Man Go (Album Version)
03. Our Love Will Change The World
04. Social Debris
05. $1000 High Heel Shoes
06. Hail Mary
07. Detroit City 2021 (Album Version)
08. Drunk And In Love
09. Independence Dave
10. I Hate You
11. Wonderful World
12. Sister Anne (Album Version)
13. Hanging On By A Thread (Don't Give Up)
14. Shut Up And Rock
15. East Side Story (Album Version)


Looks like he will pick up where he left off - on the rock n' roll mindset he was with Paranormal and the short EP Breadcrumbs, which we find out now was a preview of things to come because all the songs of the EP will be on this record.

On one hand, artists of his stature and age still delivering new music is a blessing and a godsend no matter what. On the other hand... I already forgot what Breadcrumbs is like and Paranormal was not outstanding either. If he goes further down the "back to the roots super Detroit-ish rock n' roll" style, I'm afraid we'll be "stuck" with his easier and rockier side without a glimpse of the darkness that we only heard basically on Paranormal the song (recently, I mean).

I mean, if he has another Eyes of Alice Cooper in him, I'll welcome it, no matter if it's gonna be more rock than "metal" / dark / spooky. But if it doesn't blow Paranormal out of the water making it look like a bad album, I'm afraid it might be in a style that won't terribly attract me. Uh well, we'll get an idea soon, this Friday the 13th (of course, when else?) there's a new song out!

(Also.... did they forget to use a proper logo for the title on the album cover? : D )

[DTA]

This will be the first album he's released since I discovered his music so I'm pretty excited just by that aspect. I'm absolutely obsessed with Paranormal (haven't heard Breadcrumbs) so hopefully it keeps up the high quality of that album (imo). 15 song albums tend to be on the "overkill" side for me, but hopefully there's enough variety to keep it interesting.

Also, Lace & Whiskey is incredible and Goes To Hell is very high on my list of favorites at the moment. I really can't figure out what other people are missing from these albums....there's so much diversity that I can't get enough of them. I just started on From The Inside and it's looking to be another winner for me.

[TAC]

Goes To Hell is one of my favorites. Lace And Whiskey is cool but I don't consider it one of his best.



Andrea, I'm a huge Eyes fan. Great album. But I also really like Paranormal.

[MirrorMask]

Goes to Hell is indeed very good and probably suffered for the lack of a tour to promote it.

Lace and Whiskey is kinda forgettable, but the title track is an absolutely brilliant song!

[FreezingPoint]

Mark me down as another one who enjoys Goes to Hell. I get songs like Give the Kid a Break in my head, and I always really enjoyed Going Home.

I'll be interested in how Detroit Stories shapes up. I wasn't a huge fan of Paranormal, and found it pretty forgettable IMO. Same with Breadcrumbs. But there's usually always something on any Cooper album that's worth checking out.

Maybe it's just me but I've kind of wanted to hear a 7 or 8 string kind of album. Doesn't have to be anything super technical, but I feel it could fit in so well into the discography. Maybe it's because I'm such a fan of Brutal Planet.

[TAC]

I’m the opposite. I’m not a fan of the Brutal Planet (I do like half of the album) and Dragontown era.

I do enjoy Paranormal though. It’s not great but still quite pleasant.

[FreezingPoint]

That's the thing I love about Alice. You'll find fans of nearly every era or album.

I knew the hits obviously, but really got into him from the 80s era and then made my way backwards and forwards simultaneously.

[MirrorMask]

New song out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmkf57yffT0

Alice sounds quite good and not old or tired at all. Seems like a cool tune, I hope however the new album is not 15 variations of this and that there's gonna be a bit of everything.

[TAC]

New song out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmkf57yffT0

Alice sounds quite good and not old or tired at all. Seems like a cool tune, I hope however the new album is not 15 variations of this and that there's gonna be a bit of everything.

Yeah it's decent, but I'm not going to be happy if this is my favorite song on the album.

Still, it's good to hear him release new material. It's all icing at this point.

[DTA]

Just an update:

I'm now a few listens into Special Forces and yeah, it's not really doing it for me. Maybe it'll reveal better things to me after a few more listens, but so far it sounds pretty lifeless and uninspired. I liked Flush The Fashion quite a bit after being heavily disappointed in From The Inside, and I'm hoping Zipper and DaDa let me end things on a high note. Still, what a brilliant catalog and I'm actually sad that I'm nearing the end of my 1.5 year trip through Alice's catalog. I'm hoping to do some more in-depth rankings once I finish but here's where my album rankings are at this point:

1. Hey Stoopid
2. Along Came A Spider
3. Paranormal
4. Alice Cooper Goes To Hell
5. Welcome 2 My Nightmare
6. Lace & Whiskey
7. Dirty Diamonds
8. Raise Your Fists And Yell
9. Dragontown
10. Trash
11. Brutal Planet
12. The Eyes Of Alice Cooper
13. Muscle Of Love
14. The Last Temptation
15. Constrictor
16. Billion Dollar Babies
17. Flush The Fashion
18. Welcome To My Nightmare
19. School's Out
20. From The Inside
21. Killer
22. Love It To Death
23. Special Forces
24. Easy Action
25. Pretties For You

[MirrorMask]

I liked Flush The Fashion quite a bit after being heavily disappointed in From The Inside

Whaaaaat? pity, From the Inside is a forgotten gem from the '80s and half of those songs would make me so happy if I'd get to hear them live!

[DTA]

I liked Flush The Fashion quite a bit after being heavily disappointed in From The Inside

Whaaaaat? pity, From the Inside is a forgotten gem from the '80s and half of those songs would make me so happy if I'd get to hear them live!

I enjoyed the title track, The Quiet Room, Nurse Rozetta, and How You Gonna Save Me Now, but the album has this cheesy musical theatre type sound to it that just turns me off. And Millie And Billie might be the worst AC song I've heard yet. Luckily, the sound changed completely on Flush The Fashion (for the better imo) and the opening trio of songs on that album might be my favorite opening trio of any album of his.

[DTA]

Well, the day has finally come. I've listened to the entire Alice Cooper catalog (with each album getting at least 10 plays, but in most cases more than 10, and in some cases, many many many more than 10).

My preferred period is still everything post-hiatus, but the stuff leading up to that is also pretty unique and interesting. As with Kiss and Motorhead (two other older bands I've gotten into recently), I just do not enjoy their "classic" era stuff as much as I like their less-appreciated eras. With Kiss, I'll take everything they did in the 80's over the 70's, and with Motorhead, their 90's stuff is the stuff I really love.

Here's my latest ranking along with my favorite and least favorite song from each album. Hey Stoopid was the first album of his I ever heard and it's still my favorite. It's got the best of everything and just sounds really good to my ears. I also don't know how so many other fans rate certain albums really low and others really high. It boggles my mind that I see Love It To Death in a lot of Top 5's but something like Lacy And Whiskey so low and it annoys me because I know if I see AC live, most of the albums I love will be ignored while the LITD-WTMN stuff will be played heavily. People like what they like and that's fine, but dammit why do I always wind up liking the unpopular stuff more?? 

1. Hey Stoopid (Dangerous Tonight/Dirty Dreams)

2. Along Came A Spider (Catch Me If You Can/Wrapped In Silk)

3. Paranormal (Paranoiac Personality/Dynamite Road)

4. Alice Cooper Goes To Hell (Wish You Were Here/I'm Always Chasing Rainbows)

5. Welcome 2 My Nightmare (Something To Remember Me By/A Runaway Train)

6. Lace & Whiskey (My God/Ubangi Stomp)

7. Dirty Diamonds (The Saga Of Jesse Jane/You Make Me Wanna)

8. Raise Your Fists And Yell (Prince Of Darkness/Give The Radio Back)

9. Dragontown (It's Much Too Late/Sex, Death, and Money)

10. Trash (Bed Of Nails/Why Trust You)

11. DaDa (Enough's Enough/Former Lee Warmer)

12. Flush The Fashion (Pain/Dance Yourself To Death)

13. Brutal Planet (Take It Like A Woman/Pessi-Mystic)

14. The Eyes Of Alice Cooper (Novocaine/Man Of The Year)

15. Special Forces (You're A Movie/Seven & Seven Is)

16. Muscle Of Love (Teenage Lament '74/Never Been Sold Before)

17. The Last Temptation (You're My Temptation/Unholy War)

18. Constrictor (The World Needs Guts/Trick Bag)

19. Billion Dollar Babies (No More Mr. Nice Guy/Mary Ann)

20. Welcome To My Nightmare (Cold Ethyl/Department Of Youth)

21. School's Out (Blue Turk/School's Out)

22. From The Inside (How You Gonna See Me Now/Millie And Billie)
 
23. Zipper Catches Skin (Zorro's Ascent/Remarkably Insincere)

24. Killer (Be My Lover/Halo Of Flies)

25. Love It To Death (Ballad Of Dwight Fry/Second Coming)

26. Easy Action (Shoe Salesman/Lay Down And Die, Goodbye)

27. Pretties For You (I can't remember anything from this and have no desire to hear it again)

Biggest surprise: Special Forces. I really love this album after initially disliking it heavily. I enjoy the more simplistic sound and early 80's quirkiness. I get why fans don't like it, but it's nowhere near as abysmal as I thought it would be.

Biggest disappointment: From The Inside. This album gets universal praise, but I'm just not hearing it. The back half is really weak imo (a criticism often given to L&W which I feel has a really strong back half aside from Ubangi Stomp). The first half has some excellent songs like the title track, Quiet Room, and Nurse Rozetta but then there's Millie And Billie. My absolute least favorite AC song out of all 27 albums.

Top 10 Songs: (it's changed frequently, but this core group seems to always rise to the top - Dangerous Tonight has been my #1 since the beginning and still has that spot...such an amazing track)

1. Dangerous Tonight
2. Pain
3. Novocaine
4. Catch Me If You Can
5. The World Needs Guts
6. Bed Of Nails
7. Wish You Were Here
8. The Saga Of Jesse Jane
9. Wind-Up Toy
10. Prince Of Darkness

Time to go reread this thread and see what discussions I missed back when I only owned Hey Stoopid!

[MirrorMask]

Glad to see DaDa relatively high in the list! that's a forgotten gem in its discography. As I said pity you don't like From the Inside but as it was before, that's the beauty of a discography as varied and diverse as Alice's, everyone has their "why nobody likes this album more" and "why everyone seem so fixated on this album" moments.

I couldn't even begin to form a top 10, but it's cool to see Pain, Novocaine, Catch me if you Can and The Saga of Jesse Jane there (also Wind up Toy!!).

How I'd rank the albums... gosh, difficult to say! going very briefly over them in chronological order...

First two... nah

Classic band era: all great but peak are Love it to Death, Killer and Billion Dollar Babies, I like the remaining two a bit less.

Alice solo in the '70s: Nightmare, Hell and From the Inside are all great, Lace and Whiskey is so-so but it has a terrific title track.

Alice loses the plot in the '80s: by far my favorite is DaDa, on the other ones there's the occasional good song and I'm glad if anyone finds more stuff on those to like.

Alice comes back across the '80s and the '90s: it's a continuous progression, from Contrictor to Hey Stoopid every album is better than the previous (In the sense that Stoopid > Trash > Fist > Constrictor), it's hard to rank The Last Temptation 'cause it's so mature and diverse but it's a great album for sure.

Third millennium and onwards: I like basically everything. Brutal Planet over Dragontown, Eyes over Diamonds (but it's cool anyway), Spider is quite okayish, Nightmare 2 is absolutely flamboyant and all over the place and I love it, Paranormal is middle of the road.

Now let's wait for Detroit Stories which I believe will be Paranormal part II in its style, let's hope for some more diversity but at this point, anything that comes from Alice is just a blessing, he had his carrer over 40 years and the sole fact he's still recording and, when it will be possible, touring, is a treat to not miss no matter what.

[TAC]

Lots to chew on.