2017 will be a good year ...

[uwe]

The old (or: original) Alice Cooper Band had something dangerous, garage, edgy, underground and at the same time carefree. Add those early Zappa influences. They were more MC5, Doors, New York Dolls or Stooges than, say, Grand Funk Railroad, Aerosmith, Kiss or Foghat. To be fair, even the original band already began to lose that somewhat around Billion Dollar Babies. And the Jack Douglas-produced Muscle of Love that followed was perhaps already a bit too much in the Aerosmith stadium rock vein (though still a solid rock album), the Alice Cooper Band had left the garage for good by then and Alice had gone for a stroll to the golf course, unfortunately he never returned.

Everything concerning Alice that came after (and there were some great, even superior musicians involved) was/is just an - entertaining - Vaudeville show. More Addams Family than a society question mark. He has become the Vincent Price of rock when perhaps he could have been Dennis Hopper - he wouldn't take that as an insult either, he is a creature of his own creation.

[TBird1958]

Maybe, but this kind of stuff helped make me the  wackado that I am today - Added bonus was that it scared my proper German mother, probably enough so that she didn't notice me getting into her clothes.



 

Not as shocking as Dave Hill, but then who is?

[uwe]

Dave Hill was even in his most shocking moments good fun, there was nothing threatening about him. The original Alice Cooper Band all looked like they were either taling or selling heroin. I was fascinated by that look too, they looked like a longhaired street gang straight out of Clockwork Orange or Warriors.

[gweimer]

Dave Hill was even in his most shocking moments good fun, there was nothing threatening about him. The original Alice Cooper Band all looked like they were either taling or selling heroin. I was fascinated by that look too, they looked like a longhaired street gang straight out of Clockwork Orange or Warriors.

And it really just started when The GTOs let them borrow clothes...

[uwe]

I was unaware of yet another Zappa connection! You live and learn.

Funnily enough, I never saw the original Alice Cooper as androgynous (lots of bands robbed their mother's wardrobe back then), they looked like a gang, even dangerously male to me. Bowie (in his Ziggy guise, but also as the Thin White Duke) looked and acted feminine/androgynous to me, but I never thought him gay.

The first band I really consciously noticed as "drag" (even though I didn't know the term back then) were the New York Dolls (a couple of years later than the original Alice Cooper). Though if you witnessed David Johansen live on stage, there was nothing effeminate or even androgynous about him, he was a very male'ish New York loudmouth - and I loved him for it!



In contrast, Jobriath had a decidedly gay aura - it's more than just wearing women's fashion you know. Back then, I didn't realize that though, looking at it today it's patently obvious that there was a difference to Alice Cooper, Bowie or the Dolls.

[gweimer]

Remember this album cover?



It was the painting (by Ed Beardsley) on Frank Zappa's wall.

[uwe]

Of course, I have all albums from Auntie Alice! I knew that in their formative years they were on his label, he discovered and produced them, but that commercial success only came with Bob Ezrin's studio production magic and co-songwriting as well as - vital for Alice Cooper -) arrangements magic from the third album - Love it to Death - onward. What I had not known was the GTO connection as another branch from/to the Zappa camp.

[ilan]

Senior citizens in Nashville (= mild climate), having some fun together: rock'n'roll & reading glasses! 

That is Bob Ezrin's P Bass btw - it's a national treasure to him. And synth solos never go out of style.

Great song. Excellent bass playing and bass sound. That's the P I'm hearing there, right? Not the Vigier, surely.

@Uwe: the synth solo reminded me of Peter Bardens. In a good way.

[uwe]

Yup, Ezrin's beloved and holy studio P. He almost strangled Glover when the latter recommended a string change after two decades or so. 

Wonder if that is the P you hear on Another Brick in the Wall too (Waters "disco" bass being Ezrin's idea).

[uwe]

This is lovely! 

[Dave W]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

[Highlander]

 

[ilan]

That was horrific.

[Basvarken]

Haha brilliant!

[uwe]

Yousi, it's here (the new album)!

In blissful retreat ... Do not disturb me for the next two weeks please.