The rhythym section of Dennis Dunaway and Neil Smith was a synchronized steam engine! Very underrated, IMHO.
The rhythym section of Dennis Dunaway and Neil Smith was a synchronized steam engine! Very underrated, IMHO.
Alice had many good words for members of his band through the years in the (imo) excellent film "Hired Guns"
Like everything through Nightmare.
Alice has always hired top notch musicians. His currently band are outstanding.Originally Posted by fiberman
I don't know all of the early stuff, but "Halo of Flies" was a really interesting tune - almost like a mini epic in around 7-8 minutes.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
According to Alice Cooper, Halo of Flies was an attempt to pull off music like King Crimson. The outcome is a classic of intelligent and agressive rock music, possibly my favorite Alice Cooper track.
Recently I read Dennis Dunaway's autobiography. Enjoyed it a lot. After reading I went back and revisted the early albums and thought, why didn't I like these when they first came out? They are mighty good.
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
^^A very entertaining read! The story about setting up in the morning at Zappa's house for an audition and waking him up is hilarious!
One of my ALL TIME favorite bands! The ACB albums through Muscle of Love still get plenty of spin time. Muscle of Love is highly under rated in my opinion. It was by me as well when it came out, but I currently rate it far above Billion Dollar Babies. Probably their most progressive effort overall. I've gone back and listened to their first two and have to say they're a really great snap shot of what was to come. Shoe Salesman on Easy Action is brilliant. The jump from Easy Action to Love It To Death is staggering!
He always has top notch musicians, but they'll never top the originals to me. I saw his recent tour, never the original unfortunately, great band, but the stage show was sophomoric and cheesyThough it was a nice mix of old and new, though the new I don't know. Played My Stars, Muscle of Love...brought Dennis Dunaway on-stage for Schools Out.
Yeah, and Dunaways book is fantastic, hilarious, insightful, even with all his gushing over his girlfriend/wife! Highly recommended.
Just re-listened to it...even hipper than I remembered.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Not to mention Peter Gabriel's first album.
Turns out Wagner was on School's Out, too, and did the amazing guitar solo on "My Stars", and both Hunter and Wagner ghosted on "Billion Dollar Babies" and "Muscle of Love".
Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.
I ran away from Alice after he was on Hollywood Squares, The Snoop Sisters and playing golf with Bob Hope.
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
He has been doing it again in his live shows the last few years as kind of a showcase for his band. They pull it off really well.
You can Go To Hell safely
What an idea to bring albums to school
still got light years to go, IMHO (though I did relisten to it to check it out), but yeah, it's an ok trackAccording to Alice Cooper, Halo of Flies was an attempt to pull off music like King Crimson. The outcome is a classic of intelligent and aggressive rock music, possibly my favorite Alice Cooper track.
Last edited by Trane; 07-18-2020 at 08:52 AM.
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
I got confiscated "Unleashed in the East" back at the times. Catholic school as well. Seems like a trend...
I remember in high school our English teacher made us listen to "The Black Widow" and we all had to do a creative writing essay about the piece.
He was a huge Alice fan and went to all the concerts. Pretty cool looking back.
Kip Winger and Reb Beach of Winger fame got their start in the Alice Cooper Band. Winger was arguably among the most talented hair bands, and of course Rod Morgenstein was a member. Kip also sang for/on many Magna Carta artists and compilations, the most notable of which would be Jordan Rudess.Alice has always hired top notch musicians. His currently band are outstanding.
Last edited by progmatist; 08-15-2019 at 02:33 PM.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
Derek Sherinian from Dream Theater / Black Country Communion as well.
Our high school music class teacher encouraged us to bring in music to listen to.. First Alice Cooper record I ever heard was when a guy brought in Love it to Death.. I'll never forget the guy holding the album and reading the title.. then placed the record on the turntable and said.. "right.. let's see what this Alice guy has got"..
Buxton was influenced by Syd Barret
Niel Smith by Keith Moon
We could bring albums in to school and listen in the library with headphones. I heard a lot of great albums that students brought in during that time (11-12 years old). However, as I said I wasn't thinking and the album cover alone was enough to have a teacher confiscate it.
People forget how absolutely subversive Alice Cooper was back in the early 70s, and how much parents absolutely loathed them (which made them even cooler to us kids, obviously). I recall my mom absolutely losing her mind when I blared this in my bedroom:
Dead babies is a subject that was not acceptable in lyrical terms back then, evidently.
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
^ Dead Babies is another fine example of far-ahead-of-its-time creativity. The bass upfront playing the melody and the out-of-tune guitar predates post-punk style some 5 years. Alice Cooper was proto-punk, proto-metal, proto-everything.
Then there's "Pretties for You."
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"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Very true, and proto prog.
Bob Ezrin really tightened that band up in the studio, when albums really meant something.
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
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