“Road,” August 25, 2023

[del]

The challenge is audience reach and, like it or not, the answer is streaming and therefore algorithms, specifically the recommendations or selections they make to listeners based on either a single song’s streaming profile or the changing streaming profile of the artist.

In many ways recommendation categories are the new record shops with the difference being that they come to you through your screen.

If an artist can create a changing profile off enough streams of a new single then the single starts to appear on more people’s recommendations category. If the combined streams of two or three tracks in a short period can create a change in profile for the artist overall then it also triggers more recommendations for less frequent listeners. More streams = more recommendations for you and others. A ripple effect. Nobody sees it happening but it does, all the time.

It’s exactly the same principle for search engines and YouTube i.e. the more clicks you do on Alice the greater profile elsewhere where people are clicking less frequently.

Artists have always needed the ripple effect to get to new listeners and make an impact and that nearly always starts with the core fans as they are alert to new releases and start the process. So, in simple terms, any change in listening or viewing profile is recorded and has a knock on impact to others. The algorithm is king but you absolutely do have an invisible impact on others with everything you do, you just don’t see it.

[Rod]

Positive review for Road:
https://blabbermouth.net/reviews/road

[Dannorama]

Positive review for Road:
https://blabbermouth.net/reviews/road

That was a good review. Looking forward to spinning the new album. PS: Guerilla marketing is a thing. Ask the Rolling Stones.

[lordcatfish]

Blabbermouth very rarely give bad reviews. Not saying that the reviewer didn't enjoy the album mind.

[concolz]

Mojo gives Road a surprisingly glowing review. The reviewer calls it "a hugely enjoyable hoot" with Alice "one part P.T.Barnum, one part Shakespearean luvvie, and two-parts raspy, grizzled, gadabout." Four stars.

[nurofeg]

My Road - RED BLACK Marbled 2-Vinyl + DVD is send it yesterday from Napalm Records Shop, so no delay for release date !!

[Si]

My Road - RED BLACK Marbled 2-Vinyl + DVD is send it yesterday from Napalm Records Shop, so no delay for release date !!

Got a report that AmazonUS has emailing to say it's delayed the CD/DVD set until Sept 19th....?

[nurofeg]

Will see what they send to me !!

[rgallie]

How has the DVD compared to the Blu Ray on previous releases? I am tired of bands not doing a Vinyl / Blu Ray release. I know there is the box set but it costs more than buying the Vinyl/DVD and CD/Blu Ray. It is clever marketing but not for my wallet. Tempted to just get the HMV red vinyl/dvd and skip the CD Blu/Ray.


On a side note from the preview video...
The Big Goodbye should have been released in full over any of the others.
Baby Please Don't Go sounds like it could have came of Hey Stoopid so is a sure winner if you like a ballad.
100 More Miles sounds like classic 80s/90s Alice with those synths.

I think this might be his best since Eyes and please those that like 80s/90s Alice.

[Spiner202]

My Road - RED BLACK Marbled 2-Vinyl + DVD is send it yesterday from Napalm Records Shop, so no delay for release date !!

Got a report that AmazonUS has emailing to say it's delayed the CD/DVD set until Sept 19th....?

If it's anything like Amazon Canada, they just don't deliver pre-orders on time unless you're a Prime member. I pre-order tons and tons of CDs and they both arbitrarily change the release date and/or don't ship the item until much later, even if it's in stock on release. The whole reason I gave in and started using Apple Music in a limited capacity is because I never got anything I ordered on release day

[AlongCameASpider27]

Well last time I posted about my Road boxset with all the neat extras Amazon had removed the arrival date and made me wonder if it would arrive at all..Now the date says it will arrive by 10 tomorrow night so as long as that doesn't change I'll have that to look forward to!!

[nurofeg]

Never buy cds, dvds, LPs etc. from Amazon but from special music shops, the best in Europe are: Townsand Records, Nuclear Blast, Napalm Records. They have items at the release date, and to many time (like this time) send it some day before.

[rgallie]

What edition(s) are you getting...Just the HMV red vinyl/DVD for me

[Si]

Never buy cds, dvds, LPs etc. from Amazon but from special music shops, the best in Europe are: Townsand Records, Nuclear Blast, Napalm Records. They have items at the release date, and to many time (like this time) send it some day before.

I ordered the Box from Townsend. Just got confirmation they have sent it but won't arrive to Saturday. Not the end of the world of course, but so much for delivery on the day of release.... They apparently have sent it "Track48" (ie 48 hour delivery) so it was never going to arrive on time.

Still, better than they did with the first Hollywood Vampires LP/CD which they took over two months to despatch!

[rgallie]

Never buy cds, dvds, LPs etc. from Amazon but from special music shops, the best in Europe are: Townsand Records, Nuclear Blast, Napalm Records. They have items at the release date, and to many time (like this time) send it some day before.

I ordered the Box from Townsend. Just got confirmation they have sent it but won't arrive to Saturday. Not the end of the world of course, but so much for delivery on the day of release.... They apparently have sent it "Track48" (ie 48 hour delivery) so it was never going to arrive on time.

Still, better than they did with the first Hollywood Vampires LP/CD which they took over two months to despatch!

I think I was over a week for Detroit Stories from Townsend or Ear (can't mind)...it is a pain when you have built up a week of graft towards a weekend looking forward to it...sure you can go on Prime or whatever and listen but who wants to hear it there first when the vinyl is coming...in fact that makes it all the harder to abstain. Amazon has never let me down. However this time I want the red HMV one so called tonight to make sure they have copies for me to pickup first thing tomorrow.

[pitkin88]

Well it's all over you tube so just gave it a listen and I like less songs on this than I did on the poor Detroit Stories. The only stand out is the eerie sounding 100 More Miles.

I had high hopes for Rules Of The Road which has a catchy chorus and a nice solo from Wayne Kramer but then Alice channels Foghorn Leghorn with this ridiculous voice.


There's also something very creepy about a 75 year old man singing about dumping a clingy girl and then starring at a waitresses tits. I'm hoping the album with the OGS steers away from this nonsense. Road Rats is pointless and I was liking the Bo Diddleyesque re imagining of Magic Bus and then there is a pointless drum solo FFS.

Sadly another misfire.

[cooperrocks]

Okay initial thoughts on the new album after one listen. As a collective whole, I liked it better than just hearing the singles separately. It is better than Detroit Stories. Some of the guitar riffs are really solid on the songs but that being said I don't care for the production on a lot of it. It seems like it is trying way too hard to sound like an old school album. This is 2023, it just doesn't work when a producer tries that in my opinion. It is sort of like the last Black Sabbath album, 13. Rick Rubin did everything he could do to try and make it sound like a 70's old school Sabbath album and.....it sounded like a band trying to sound 70's when that day has long passed. The Sabbath album was a serviceable decent listen that you heard a few times and that was the end of that. This sort of has the same feel to me.

"The Big Goodbye" is a strong track on this album as is "Dead Don't Dance." I like "Road Rats Forever" as well. I always liked that tune off of Lace and Whiskey and this new version is enjoyable.

Part of the problem with this album is I feel like the touring band has been held back. Despite some good riffs, once again it could be anyone playing on a lot of these songs.

I have nothing against Bob Ezrin whatsoever. He has been a part of some classic albums and not just Alice stuff, tons of bands. But the attempt at old school production just doesn't work anymore. There are songs on this album that have a that song is almost good but is just missing a little something and a lot of largely falls into the production (the production and Ezrin wasn't involved with was the same issue Along Came a Spider had. The potential was greater than the product.

Not a bad album. I like it better than Detroit Stories and Paranormal but it just doesn't rock enough. Several times I kept thinking okay crank up the juice a little bit here and this thing could rock.

[bigbradwolf]

1. I’m Alice - 6.5
The first single - has grown on me since it was first released but not going to be a regular listen for me.
2. Welcome To The Show - 8
The newer single and I have to say I enjoyed this the first time I listened to it. Simply has to be an opener on stage.
3. All Over The World - 6.5
First track of the newcomers. Didn't hold much hope for this but I think the lyrics in the verses help it score respectably. Frustrating theme of the album is a very unimaginative chorus and this starts the trend.
4. Dead Don’t Dance - 7
I like it - I don't think it's as good as I was expecting it to be which is disappointing but it's a solid enough track. I do love the heavier vibe to an Alice track.
5. Go Away - 6
Like All Over The World, musically and lyrically in the verse it's solid enough and enjoyable but then it breaks out into a really uninspiring chorus.
6. White Line Frankenstein - 6.5
Like I'm Alice this one is growing on me. Lyrically it's one of the poorer efforts on the album but all the same it's going to be one that rocks at a rock show. Think it would have been better with anyone but Morello doing the solo. Horrible solo!
7. Big Boots - 6.5
I've seen this track getting a lot of hate and whilst it falls into the category of poor unimaginative chorus (think thats three tracks now) I think there's enough about it lyrically from a comedy point of view that makes it work. It's not the worst song on the album.
8. Rules of the Road - 2
Did I mention worse song on the album? This without doubt is it. Falls into the unimaginative chorus bracket. Surely someone in the room had to have stood up and gone we can't put this out. Horrible.
9. The Big Goodbye - 8.5
From the worse track on the album to the best. This rocks! Could easily have been on Hey Stoopid. Heavy, dirty and very Alice with a great pre-chorus and solo. However, I've got one qualm with this track. Why 'The Big Goodbye'? I'd love to hear people's views but surely the track deserves a better title. It's just not very Alice. How about 'I'm going to take your life'? Really don't get it.
10. Road Rats Forever - 7
I like the original Road Rats and this is a good re-make of it. Whether it's necessary or not is another debate but it's a better effort than the the Detroit City re-make.
11. Baby Please Don’t Go - 5
Alice is very good for a ballad but this one doesn't hit the spot for me. Reminds me of Charlatans 'Just When Your Thinking Things Over' which as a track I like. Maybe I'm being harsh, Alice has after all set the bar very high with his ballads. I was expecting more from this one if I'm being honest and the poorly edited fade out at the end just epitomises it.
12. 100 More Miles - 7
Probably the darkest track on the album. This one will grow on me and feels more traditional Alice - getting some Welcome To My Nightmare vibes off this one.
13. Magic Bus - 6
Better than the original.

I've just finished a night shift (wasn't that an album idea) and I've been looking forward to this and I have to say as an album - it's a strange one.

It's as if they've put the effort into the verses and pre-choruses and not really put much thought into the choruses. I'm very grateful Alice is still putting out albums because by the laws of probability there will be a handful of tracks which I can listen to again.
The big issue I've got is 'Shadow of Yourself' (Along Came a Spider) and 'Under The Bed' (W2MN) were two tracks deemed not good enough for their respective albums. How has Rules of the Road even been considered for this album? People were on about Alice's worst tracks, this has to be in the top 5.

I will obviously play this a few times and no doubt I will learn to love the tracks a bit more. I think musically it's better than the previous two albums and it's definitely been mastered to sound more raw and not so polished.

[nurofeg]

My Road - RED BLACK Marbled 2-Vinyl + DVD is send it yesterday from Napalm Records Shop, so no delay for release date !!

Got a report that AmazonUS has emailing to say it's delayed the CD/DVD set until Sept 19th....?

Overseas inform me that they will delivery package today !!! Unbelievable, yeeeee !!!

[Si]

I ordered the Box from Townsend. Just got confirmation they have sent it but won't arrive to Saturday. Not the end of the world of course, but so much for delivery on the day of release.... They apparently have sent it "Track48" (ie 48 hour delivery) so it was never going to arrive on time.

Take it back. It just arrived. Good show.