“Road,” August 25, 2023

[rgallie]

Gone against my own bitching and popped into HMV. for the LP and CD/Blu Ray so I can have the best of both .

HMV Red marbled vinyl, CD/Blu Ray and Live in Rio LP for good measure (to bring my vinyl studio/live collection back to complete).

So tempted to give them a spin but im waiting til after 5 with some cold beers. WIll start with Rio, then Road and finally bring back some memories with the Blu Ray.

Might pick some of my old favourites for through the day to get me in the mood.

[killer wolf]

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!!

I pre-ordered when it was announced, just checked and it says it's not coming till Thurs >:-(

[dadascot]

Amazon said yesterday that it would be here by midnight today. This morning they said that it would be here by 8pm. Now they are saying it hasn't been dispatched yet and will be here before October 17th.

[killer wolf]

Mine now says despatched, arriving Tuesday. supplied and delivered by Amazon, the order page also says 1-day delivery w/ Prime, so that's a lie. Can't see any link on the order where i can raise this issue.

[Si]

Mine now says despatched, arriving Tuesday. supplied and delivered by Amazon, the order page also says 1-day delivery w/ Prime, so that's a lie. Can't see any link on the order where i can raise this issue.

There is a phone number you can use *somewhere* and also a contact page for an email - I have used both in the last few months. It took some searching for it though if I recall haha. I think you can find it somewhere in your order history page.Maybe google search it?
I'd give you the email they replied from but it's locked to a specific "case" so won`t do you any good.

[mot$$33]

I’m in US and poor availability it seems. Did it do better than planned with pre-orders? I want the CD/BluRay. Amazon is out. Not shipping for a month. Target is sold out. They have CD only. WalMart wants $32 for it vs Amazon $18.

I miss the old days when I bought everything the day is was released in person at the record store.

[rgallie]

Im on disc 1 side B.

I really dont get the hate.

THIS IS the garage album Alice has been dying to make after his industrial records.

Who cares about the odd lyric? I dont, i like them. Alice has always been clear in what he thinks lyrics should be about in recent years.

1 disc and 2 sides to go and i know side D is killer from the preview....best work since Brutal Planet

[rgallie]

Take away big boots and the song after it...add any 2 songs from breadcrumbs and you have a no filler album imo...i really hope the band get to do a second album and build on this foundation

[VinceLeeRose]

If anyone is having trouble finding the CD they should just order from Good Records

[Agrophile in Texas]

I too miss my old record/CD store - popping down there after school/work and picking up the new AC or whatever. These past years (2017 on) I've been double buying with Alice, first a digital purchase for immediate gratification - and later, if I like it, order a CD. So, I got my copy yesterday - but at this early stage not sure I'll do a CD, as I'm really struggling with it.

There are two that are already getting worse with each listen and are looking to enter 'skip' territory soon (Big Boots, Rules of the Road), there is one that's a candidate for 'future favorite' (I'm not quite all the way there with "The Big Goodbye", but there are parts I really like)

Only 2 I adore and keep going back to, and hit replay after they are done, that's "Baby Please Don't Go" and "100 More Miles". I think they show more musical maturity, aren't as dumb or corny, and bottom line, they suit my tastes.

Right now, I've got it ranked in the lower fourth, sandwiched between Trash and Special Forces (an LP where I really liked 3 songs, but the rest underwhelmed). Will it rise on my personal rankings? Time will tell. But in the here and now it's looking like a step back. The past decade (and so) releases - Love W2MN, like Paranormal, enjoyed Detroit Stories, but a little less than the previous CD, and Road, so far, the downward slide continues. It's a clear 4th place.

[Si]

Okay, for what it's worth... I really like it.

For reference I thought Paranormal was distinctly average. Not bad or good, just meh...
And Detroit Stories was generally pretty poor, with maybe one or two decent tracks.

I like this one much more, and already played it more then the previous two! It's certainly not without it's faults but I think it's a big improvement over the last two. The songs are just better, and the playing is better and more interesting.

I generally don't really care that much about lyrics, it's the music that counts. That may sound odd, but as much as I love Alice's *voice* most of the time I don't really care what the actual words are, unless they are really appalling or particularly good, that is. It's the *sound* of them that matters to me, and if that sound hits the mark.
Maybe because of that things like 'Big Boots' - which so many seem to hate - I really like! It's a fun 70s glam song and done well.

I generally like all of it a lot. The only real down points being 'Baby Please Don't Go' as I'm not a fan of ballads to start with, and 'Magic Bus' that just seems a little pointless. If it was marked as a "bonus Track" I would have less of an issue with it, but as part of the album, especially after '100 More Miles' it seems a little redundant to me.

But the biggest problem I have is with '100 More Miles'... What a wasted opportunity!!! They finally had a song that could be a new AC classic in the mould of 'Inmates', 'My Stars' or even 'Cleansed By Fire' but what do they do? They cut it right down to just over 3 minutes!! It makes me so mad just thinking about how good this *could* have been if it was twice a long with the ending building and building and the band playing their hearts out. Such wasted potential. At 3 minutes it will likely be simply lost, never to be performed or played very much.
It's not the first time this has happened to a potentially great song either... a shame.

And I think that generally is the main issue I have with 'Road'. This was supposed to be the album to let the band stretch out and show what they could do [about time], but how can they really do that when any instrumental breaks are cut to the a bare minimum length, with only two tracks breaking the 4 minute mark. Musicians need space and a little time to show what they can do, if you are going to highlight their talents, and they don't seem to have been allowed to do that here. Such a shame, and on '100 More Miles' almost criminal! Come on Bob, not everything has to be a 3+ minute single. It's not like they are likely to be hits so why worry about that at all?

Anyway, that aside, I think it's a great album. Not a classic but perfectly respectable for Alice at this stage of the game. However things like '100 More Miles' show that they DO still have a real classic Alice Cooper album in them. We can only hope they will decide to finally give it to us before it's too late.

[Agrophile in Texas]

Lyrics are important to me, no matter the style of music, they can lend a lot of power and poetry to a song... or eeriness, or humor, in Alice case. But even he's written some potent, real-life lyrics (Pass the Gun Around, Pick up the Bones) that are very moving. Words are as vital as music in my world.

(One of the marks against Trash for me are all the dumb sex lyrics... so yeah, Big Boots made me wince in pain, on all songwriting phases)

[Holly Grail]

Nice review Si. I do agree with much of it, especially with your point about the lyrics and I pretty much like Big boots too! Alice has said that he may write a song in one day then record it the next day and finish it immediately. I love the fact that he is comfortable with that and this is reflected to the result.
I became a fan of Alice in high school, in 2005 «accidentally» when a friend gave me Dirty Diamonds. I was immediately shocked by the style of singing of this man along with simple, clever and catchy lyrics. Nothing more.
Of course Brutal Planet may seem a masterpiece lyrically compared to Dirty Diamonds. But “Steal that car” for example has been played 100 more times than Pessimistic for me. I just love the fact that simple catchy lyrics, nice music and vocals make me feel relaxed.
I think that Road is in the same vibe. It is not excellent but it is up there with the beloved relaxing albums. Dead dont dance, welcome to the show, big boots, The big goodbye and 100 more miles are the standouts for me.
To be honest, I also love songs like “Paranormal” and “I am made of you”. I really hope for a collaboration with Desmond Child which may lead to something surprisingly magic.

[zzz]

I just listened to it in full and I like it better than I thought I would based on the samples. The lows (Big Noots and Rules of the Road) weren't as low as I really thought they would be. The highs for me are 100 More Miles and Magic Bus, I think they're easily the best songs on the album (and I don't even like the Who really). They're the only songs that stepped out of what I would non-maliciously call the generic Alice Cooper sound. Most of the rest of the tracks kind of blended together, but I expect some will grow on me (how soon I can't say; like Alice I feel that the best way to listen to music is while driving, and I have been without a car stereo for several years).

I couldn't agree with Si more about 100 More Miles, it's ending felt very abrupt, and it had the potential for so much more. It reminds me of Wonderful World form Detroit Stories. That one wasn't too short, but it had real potential that I don't think was developed well enough, it felt like a demo to me

My biggest problem though is, like others have said, it didn't feel like the band got to shine, which is a goddamn shame, since this might be the only chance they have (with Alice, I know there was talk at one point of them recording an album together without Alice).

But damn Wayne Kramer kicked ass

BTW, Alice's spoken word bit at the end of the Hot Milk song that Si linked on the front page genuinely made me laugh

[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 !!!

Yes my Red Black Marbled LP beauty arrived yestarday !!

[While Heaven Wept]

But the biggest problem I have is with '100 More Miles'... What a wasted opportunity!!! They finally had a song that could be a new AC classic in the mould of 'Inmates', 'My Stars' or even 'Cleansed By Fire' but what do they do? They cut it right down to just over 3 minutes!! It makes me so mad just thinking about how good this *could* have been if it was twice a long with the ending building and building and the band playing their hearts out. Such wasted potential. At 3 minutes it will likely be simply lost, never to be performed or played very much.
It's not the first time this has happened to a potentially great song either... a shame.

I totally agree with you here. There's been a bunch of songs on his album post 2000 which have done this.

[forglasgowonly]

Ok so Amazon were sold out of the vinyl. I nipped into HMV on way home from work and was delighted to find the vinyl there. I think it's a great latter day Coop release. It's not up there with Last Temptation, or even Dirty Diamonds, but it sounds great. I see loads of criticism of the lyrics, but I think they are great. They totally reflect the spirit of the music. This isn't high art. If it were a meal it would be a Big Mac and cheese. Nothing wrong with that. Only disappointment for me is the ballad. Really surprised Ezrin put his name to that. It is lifeless. Other than that, a great little rocking album, with great vocals and loadsa humour. Just what the world needs. Highlights.... I'm Alice, Go away, 100 more miles. This one's a keeper. Already way better than Detroit Stories.

[killer wolf]

Mine now says despatched, arriving Tuesday. supplied and delivered by Amazon, the order page also says 1-day delivery w/ Prime, so that's a lie. Can't see any link on the order where i can raise this issue.

There is a phone number you can use *somewhere* and also a contact page for an email - I have used both in the last few months. It took some searching for it though if I recall haha. I think you can find it somewhere in your order history page.Maybe google search it?
I'd give you the email they replied from but it's locked to a specific "case" so won`t do you any good.

to add to the stupidity, the order has a tracking number, royal mail. put it in the RM site and it says they won't give an update until they attempt delivery! WTH?! What sort of tracking is that?!

[revinkevin]

So I really like this album. I played it 3 times yesterday. Something I haven’t done since the Brutal Planet release. It’s the record I had been hoping he make for a longtime. Straight up guitar driven hard rock. No doubt about it, his band is top notch. There is a cohesiveness musically to it from first cut to last cut. Feels like a band album and it feels like they are invested in it. As much as I like Alice, his penchant for bringing in an array of guest and studio players on his albums is annoying to me and many songs feel sterile. Then when I see them played live with his touring band they come alive and I always think why doesn’t he just let these guys record the songs in the studio. This time he did and I love the result. I know some members have given him some shade on the lyrics but it doesn’t bother me that much. It’s an album about being in a rock band and constantly on the road touring. I wasn’t really expecting music to save the world or make us think about world peace. It’s about fast cars and pretty girls and stories told on the bus after the show. Nothing wrong with that. If the rumors are true about his next studio album with the original band, I think the album will be more lyrically diverse. That’s what I would expect would happen when you get Dennis, Michael and Neal together. They really have a feel when they get together that just comes naturally. Like a old married couple who finish each other’s sentences. I look forward to that one too.

[Dannorama]

Okay, for what it's worth... I really like it.

For reference I thought Paranormal was distinctly average. Not bad or good, just meh...
And Detroit Stories was generally pretty poor, with maybe one or two decent tracks.

I like this one much more, and already played it more then the previous two! It's certainly not without it's faults but I think it's a big improvement over the last two. The songs are just better, and the playing is better and more interesting.

I generally don't really care that much about lyrics, it's the music that counts. That may sound odd, but as much as I love Alice's *voice* most of the time I don't really care what the actual words are, unless they are really appalling or particularly good, that is. It's the *sound* of them that matters to me, and if that sound hits the mark.
Maybe because of that things like 'Big Boots' - which so many seem to hate - I really like! It's a fun 70s glam song and done well.

I generally like all of it a lot. The only real down points being 'Baby Please Don't Go' as I'm not a fan of ballads to start with, and 'Magic Bus' that just seems a little pointless. If it was marked as a "bonus Track" I would have less of an issue with it, but as part of the album, especially after '100 More Miles' it seems a little redundant to me.

But the biggest problem I have is with '100 More Miles'... What a wasted opportunity!!! They finally had a song that could be a new AC classic in the mould of 'Inmates', 'My Stars' or even 'Cleansed By Fire' but what do they do? They cut it right down to just over 3 minutes!! It makes me so mad just thinking about how good this *could* have been if it was twice a long with the ending building and building and the band playing their hearts out. Such wasted potential. At 3 minutes it will likely be simply lost, never to be performed or played very much.
It's not the first time this has happened to a potentially great song either... a shame.

And I think that generally is the main issue I have with 'Road'. This was supposed to be the album to let the band stretch out and show what they could do [about time], but how can they really do that when any instrumental breaks are cut to the a bare minimum length, with only two tracks breaking the 4 minute mark. Musicians need space and a little time to show what they can do, if you are going to highlight their talents, and they don't seem to have been allowed to do that here. Such a shame, and on '100 More Miles' almost criminal! Come on Bob, not everything has to be a 3+ minute single. It's not like they are likely to be hits so why worry about that at all?

Anyway, that aside, I think it's a great album. Not a classic but perfectly respectable for Alice at this stage of the game. However things like '100 More Miles' show that they DO still have a real classic Alice Cooper album in them. We can only hope they will decide to finally give it to us before it's too late.

Excellent write up, Si. I feel exactly as you do about the album, right down to "Big Boots." "100 More Miles" could be goosed for the live show, which they will hopefully record and release.