"Road" - Reviews

[revinkevin]

I got to say that’s why I hate most record reviews. That guy took about 4 very long paragraphs before he even mentioned the album. He thinks it’s sub par, thats fine but it was like reading a high schooler book report where he had to use at least 2,000 words. Short on substance and long on wind.

[dadascot]

I got to say that’s why I hate most record reviews. That guy took about 4 very long paragraphs before he even mentioned the album. He thinks it’s sub par, thats fine but it was like reading a high schooler book report where he had to use at least 2,000 words. Short on substance and long on wind.

I can't argue with you about the quality of his writing but I, mostly, agree with his views on the album.

[Dannorama]

I got to say that’s why I hate most record reviews. That guy took about 4 very long paragraphs before he even mentioned the album. He thinks it’s sub par, thats fine but it was like reading a high schooler book report where he had to use at least 2,000 words. Short on substance and long on wind.

I can't argue with you about the quality of his writing but I, mostly, agree with his views on the album.

You owe me 35 push-ups for making me read that review. That guy obviously didn’t pay attention in class. What garbage. He obviously thinks his story is worth my time. I obviously don’t.
Sorry for your disappointment in the record. I am reveling in it. I think a big part of how hard it hits is the fact that Ezrin produced AND mixed it. Big difference to me. He wanted a sound, and got it without having to communicate his vision. Bravo again to all involved.

[Agrophile in Texas]

I agree with much of what he said, though he took a roundabout way of getting there, and there are several bits I was polar opposites on... which always makes me wonder why I should even read reviews - or write my own for that matter, other than I'm writing for myself, to look back on and remember what I thought of it. Aside from that, what's the point? (To get a general idea what the albums about, maybe. Or to get a different perspective on things, sure, why not. But with someone like Alice or any other artist I love and will buy no matter what anyone says, not sure I really need opinions, wether I agree with them or not. I'll just form my own).

Yeah, the conversations can be interesting, always nice to talk about shared interests... but when it gets heated, angry... Mmm, maybe not as much fun there?

[pitkin88]

This review pretty much sums up how I feel about the album.

https://brutallyhonestrockalbumreviews. ... oper-road/

The waffle introduction aside I tend to agree and he hits on a lot of the points made in this forum.

1) Generic sounding tunes.
2) The Road theme gets old very quickly.
3) Poor unfunny humor.
4) 100 More Miles ending just as it gets started.

[del]

One person’s trash is another persons treasure. We prove that time and again on every album we discuss.

Think I’ve read/watched 30+ reviews now. Positive overall and with extreme views at either end, all from professed fans. That’s probably been the case for ever. I’ve got a review of Schools Out somewhere in the attic and I remember it saying something like “a big disappointment after Killer and proof that the group was all about trashy music and wafer thin lyrics. Shock value only.” My favourite album..

As of Sunday I split the Road tracks into two playlists. The first is a pile-driving set of over 30 mins which absolutely does the business for me and excludes Big Boots, Rules of the Road, Baby Please Don’t Go and Magic Bus. They are in the second and I’m going to mix in some other tracks from recent albums to see what happens. I’ll probably add in Holy Water, Genuine American Girl and You and All of Your Friends, the three I excluded for my cut down Paranormal playlist. Maybe I’ll call it trashy music wafer thin lyrics.

I keep coming back to the fact that every album adds tracks to my best of Alice list and without the last 20 years or so that list would be a helluva lot shorter and I’d have a helluva lot less to cherish.

[Mr. Misdemeanor]

Alice has been in a band since 1965. He's toured through Beatlemania, Elvis' comeback, the flower generation, Led Zeppelin, Kiss-mania, disco, punk, the NWOBHM, new wave, grunge and up to the present where rock is 99% dead. He has seen rock n roll from its birth to its death. He's hung out with Frank Zappa, Vincent Price, Johnny Depp, Jim Henson, Salvador Dali and Col. Sanders. He's been a drunk, a crackhead, and been born again. And on an album that is over 45 minutes long and contains 13 tracks all about the subject of life on the road the best he can come up with is "she got big boots"? 60 years of amazing experiences that most people only dream of and he doesn't have anything insightful to relate about the subject?

[Saint&Sinner]

60 years of amazing experiences that most people only dream of and he doesn't have anything insightful to relate about the subject?

i could be wrong but did alice either spend his time watching tv and or snorting drugs. considering he barely wants to admit he took drugs let alone any experiences (good or bad) under the influence. And only so much you can talk about watching tv and meeting famous people in lifts.
then again he managed to do a whole song about big boots so..............

[dadascot]

Alice has been in a band since 1965. He's toured through Beatlemania, Elvis' comeback, the flower generation, Led Zeppelin, Kiss-mania, disco, punk, the NWOBHM, new wave, grunge and up to the present where rock is 99% dead. He has seen rock n roll from its birth to its death. He's hung out with Frank Zappa, Vincent Price, Johnny Depp, Jim Henson, Salvador Dali and Col. Sanders. He's been a drunk, a crackhead, and been born again. And on an album that is over 45 minutes long and contains 13 tracks all about the subject of life on the road the best he can come up with is "she got big boots"? 60 years of amazing experiences that most people only dream of and he doesn't have anything insightful to relate about the subject?

Spot on. I was expecting an album full of characters and insight instead of song after song about how great it is to be Alice on stage.

[cooperrocks]

I do think and this isn't aimed at Alice or the new album but just a general comment. I think many artists struggle with being at a creative peak after they have put out a ton of albums and have gotten older. Every now and then they will strike gold and put out something amazing. Don't get me wrong, I love new music from veteran bands and support it, but you don't write the same songs at 75 as you do at even 30. And what happens is you either become safe and have a set formula or if you try and go back to your roots, too many people compare it to other eras. For example, Black Sabbath 13 which was produced by Rick Rubin was made to sound exactly like the original early Sabbath albums and.....it did largely. And there lied the problem it sounded more like an attempt to be old school, then there being any heart and feeling in most of the songs.

In regards to Alice's new album it is a good solid safe album. It doesn't suck and it isn't great either, it is just one of those things you listen to it five or six times and a few months you probably will move on. Plenty of albums are like that. To DadaScot's point, one of the great things about the From the Inside album was though I am sure some of the characters were embellished a little for entertainment's sake, I love that album because the characters were developed and told a great story and there was some good variety on that album. If you are going to sing about the Road, one song about the actual travel itself is enough. A few songs about stand out characters you met, a song about getting rip offed by some promoter while on the road, in wilder days getting trashed and waking up in the wrong hotel, etc are all stories from the road which tell interesting tales. The issue with the new album is there just wasn't enough variety of story to keep the album flowing and interesting to make it a classic. The band played great on it. Alice's voice is strong on it. But at the end of the day it is always about the song. And Alice has said in interviews he and Ezrin reworked a lot of the songs so absolutely no blame should fall on the touring band and their writing skills, they obviously were given parameters. I still have this hope that when Alice hits 80 in 5 years that he is going to say. You know what, I am going to shock the world here and let it fly and come up with the heaviest thing I have ever written.

[killer wolf]

Alice has been in a band since 1965. He's toured through Beatlemania, Elvis' comeback, the flower generation, Led Zeppelin, Kiss-mania, disco, punk, the NWOBHM, new wave, grunge and up to the present where rock is 99% dead. He has seen rock n roll from its birth to its death. He's hung out with Frank Zappa, Vincent Price, Johnny Depp, Jim Henson, Salvador Dali and Col. Sanders. He's been a drunk, a crackhead, and been born again. And on an album that is over 45 minutes long and contains 13 tracks all about the subject of life on the road the best he can come up with is "she got big boots"? 60 years of amazing experiences that most people only dream of and he doesn't have anything insightful to relate about the subject?

the band haven't and they wrote it. the concept was about being on the road, not a history of Alice.

[Mr. Misdemeanor]

the band haven't and they wrote it. the concept was about being on the road, not a history of Alice.

I get that. My point is that shouldn't someone who has been on the road since the LBJ administration have something interesting to say about it? He's a great lyricist and since people are supposed to "write what they know" it's surprising that he couldn't do anything with the subject he knows the most about.

I also don't think we can blame the band for the way the album turned out. I've listened to some of the member's solo stuff and it's hard to believe that they are responsible for all the cheese on this record.

[Parish]

I'm so glad I didn't buy this after reading what people who LOVE him think...Instead of Alice hanging it's time for him to hang it up instead...

[Mr. Misdemeanor]

I'm so glad I didn't buy this after reading what people who LOVE him think...Instead of Alice hanging it's time for him to hang it up instead...

I'm obviously not a big fan of the album, but there are three ok tracks on it. That's worth something. The real selling point for me is the concert dvd. It's a great show.

[Parish]

I'm obviously not a big fan of the album, but there are three ok tracks on it. That's worth something. The real selling point for me is the concert dvd. It's a great show.

It's just so sad to see how far he's fallen creativity wise and his employees who keep telling him "He's great!" hurt him 10 times more than help him. As far as the DVD is concerned I'm sure it's an absolute spectacle but it's the exact same absolute spectacle he's been doing for 20 + years. I even know the exact moment when he's going to slump his shoulder during "I'm 18" because he's done the same EXACT stuff for so long...from Sick Things to Schtick Things...yawn...

[Shoesalesman]

Over the years, I found this works best with new albums. First listen, I put it on in the background while attending to something else. Second listen, I sit down and give it full attention.

Road is good. No better or no worse than Paranormal or Detroit Stories. It's... good.

The last three albums (Paranormal, Detroit Stories and Road) are essentially the same. A trilogy almost. My opinion, I could mix the songs on all three albums into three NEW albums and the result would sound the same to my ears. This is not a jab at Alice. I like these three albums, there's just nothing that really separates them for me.

[Parish]

I could mix the songs on all three albums into three NEW albums and the result would sound the same to my ears. This is not a jab at Alice. I like these three albums, there's just nothing that really separates them for me.

Bingo...excellent encapsulation of Vince's apathy, inertia, lethargy, negligence, sloth, etc...

The Stones who have been very suspect creatively for the past few decades have just released a kick ass song from their forth coming record.

Mick is 80...no more excuses Alice (and his AC-kissers...) get to work...

[Si]

The Stones who have been very suspect creatively for the past few decades have just released a kick ass song from their forth coming record.

Be serious, it's just another bog standard Stones song that could be from any of a dozen other Stones albums! They can do this stuff in their sleep - or at least between naps.

[nrc]

This is why I love "Along Came A Spider." For me, it was the last project where it really felt like Alice was all-in. Everything since then has felt more like a collaboration among disparate voices and styles.

Even "I'm Alice," which nobody should be able to express better than Alice, is a song that was pitched to him by someone else.

Obviously Alice getting songwriting help is nothing new. It's a great complement to him that he has been able to collaborate with other songwriters, including some greats, and turn out work that feels genuinely his. It just hasn't been as consistent on recent albums.

I suppose Alice wouldn't be around to still be touring if his Road experiences in recent years were the stuff of rock legends. What we really needed was a collaboration between Alice, Bob Greene, and the original group members to adapt the "Billion Dollar Baby" book into a rock opera.

[pitkin88]

The Stones who have been very suspect creatively for the past few decades have just released a kick ass song from their forth coming record.

Be serious, it's just another bog standard Stones song that could be from any of a dozen other Stones albums! They can do this stuff in their sleep - or at least between naps.

It's not a stretch to apply this to Road.