“Road,” August 25, 2023

[Mr. Misdemeanor]

Well, that's good anyway.

[Shoesalesman]

ALWAYS looking forward to new music from Alice. Was 15 when I got in it, I'm 52 now.

[killer wolf]

What he said. Out of his entire catalogue there's only ACAS that i can't get into.

[Parish]

13 tracks with one cover and a remake I can deal with. Leaves eleven new originals which is much better than Detroit Stories. Be happy they didn't redo (No More) Love At Your Convenience or recover that Ubangi Stomp.

I always thought he should have retitled it/sung it as "Topanga Stomp" as a nod to the bands beginnings...

[del]

They've been playing Road Rats in the lead up to the start of the HV gigs. I loved the original but it's of its time. A reworking would hopefully sharpen it up.

[Holly Grail]

I hope we get one more song during July. I think they did so with Detroit Stories also.

[revinkevin]

They've been playing Road Rats in the lead up to the start of the HV gigs. I loved the original but it's of its time. A reworking would hopefully sharpen it up.

IMO Road Rats is a timeless rock song. I’m sure the band will do it justice and leave their mark on it.

[lordcatfish]

They've been playing Road Rats in the lead up to the start of the HV gigs. I loved the original but it's of its time. A reworking would hopefully sharpen it up.

IMO Road Rats is a timeless rock song. I’m sure the band will do it justice and leave their mark on it.

I just hope there isn't some change made that ruins it, like the chorus to Detroit City.

[pitkin88]

I'm pretty nonplussed by the song. Borrowing from himself in different eras. I do like the spoken bit where we hear the return of hawk Alice from Special Forces. If they'd have used the Special Forces style to the whole song it would work much better. Spiky guitars and stripped down sound rather than the plodding drums and too much going on.

[del]

Think we’ve maybe got another generational thing here. I’m still on a 7/10 but my son’s mates were partying in London last weekend. Most aren’t rock fans but loved it. My sons observation - “if you don’t know Alice you’ve got no baggage. Great singalong once played a couple of times and folk started learning some lyrics. Played several times on the road back north.”

[lordcatfish]

White Line Frankenstein will be the next song released, going by social media. You can pre-save songs on streaming services, but I'm unsure if they give date it'll be available.

[scotty]

On his official FB page there’s a line or two from “ white line” and a picture from what I guess may be in the liner notes. I thought it was a photo of the band at first but upon closer inspection , it’s a nice drawing of Alice and the band

[lordcatfish]

Is that the picture between the two buses? If yes, how can you tell it's a drawing? Looks like a photo to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

[Si]

Is that the picture between the two buses? If yes, how can you tell it's a drawing? Looks like a photo to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

Maybe a photo that has been "messed about with" digitally?

[cooperrocks]

Think we’ve maybe got another generational thing here. I’m still on a 7/10 but my son’s mates were partying in London last weekend. Most aren’t rock fans but loved it. My sons observation - “if you don’t know Alice you’ve got no baggage. Great singalong once played a couple of times and folk started learning some lyrics. Played several times on the road back north.”

An excellent point. That is where everything requires trying to keep an Open Mind. Most, not all, tend to love eras they grew up in and they can't process a band evolving, newer music, etc. I have younger members of my own family for example love everything Alice has done from 2000 to the present but aren't huge fans of the earlier stuff. I just think you can't go home again. If you claim you are going "old school" then people will claim it still doesn't measure up etc. In other words, you can't win either way. It is like a reunion with the original band or even say a full reunion with the Kane Roberts era band, you "can't go home again." People are going to claim it wasn't quite as good. It is all about perception more than reality really, but it is what it is. And you can't expect someone in their 70's to write the same way they did in their 20's. Their view of life has changed, their experiences, etc. Not to mention technology changes and frankly the lack of radio airplay for newer material hurts an artist as well. So many people never hear a new song by an artist or maybe give it a listen to once or twice and then forget about it. When radio airplay mattered, part of it was a single would be played over and over again so people had a chance to digest it and more than likely some new fans would jump on the bandwagon. When radio stopped supporting new projects from a veteran artist what ultimately happens is few new fans are going to be formed simply because they don't know the artist and have never heard any or most of their material. Then you have the older fan who is stuck on only one era, nothing the artist does is ever going to please that type of fan so the fanbase becomes less and less over time.

[revinkevin]

My concern with the first song released has nothing to do with what era I prefer or what circumstances are now. All the hype about the new album by Alice was it was going to a raw, minimal overdub in the studio release. I’m Alice sounds a little slick to my ears. My mind is open to what’s to come. Just didn’t get off to a great start.

[pitkin88]

I've listened to the song around 5 times and it's just not memorable. I gave it a fair shake. It's nothing to do with being generational. What a cop out comment. I think I can tell what is a good song and this is just average. I have never listened to anything he has done solo with the mind set of its going to be crap. I liked more songs from Paranormal than I have on any album since Brutal Planet.

[del]

I've listened to the song around 5 times and it's just not memorable. I gave it a fair shake. It's nothing to do with being generational. What a cop out comment. I think I can tell what is a good song and this is just average. I have never listened to anything he has done solo with the mind set of its going to be crap. I liked more songs from Paranormal than I have on any album since Brutal Planet.

Not a cop out comment at all. Whether right or wrong it’s just a suggestion. As you know, music is a personal thing and nobody judges for everyone else, just themselves. Three guys in their late twenties with not much knowledge and no real like of Alice actually love the song. It’s not your choice or mine. it’s theirs.

[Parish]

Then you have the older fan who is stuck on only one era, nothing the artist does is ever going to please that type of fan so the fanbase becomes less and less over time.

All phenomenally accurate points here but I have one litmus test with new music...."Would I want to hear the song again?"

Sadly 90 percent of Vi..errrrrrrrAlice's stuff has been a "No" to that question.

Hoping to be proved dead wrong with this release...

[del]

It's a strange thing getting older with your favourite artist. My older uncle is a Kinks and Small Faces fan. He firmly believes that Ray Davis' music stopped being any good after the Village Green album. If he ever talks about the Kinks it's as though they ceased to exist as worthwhile in 68.

He also knows a good song when he hears it and firmly believes ACG, who he heard plenty of in the 70s never wrote one. A mixture of generation and personal taste I think.