Zipper and Dada never played live

[Gunner]

that recent post about Zipper got me thinking...I know, it's dangerous!

Is it a coincidence that Alice plays nothing from these two albums live and that these are both albums that Alice confesses to not remembering nothing about in the way of writing and recording? If not, then what is the reason? From what I know these two albums are popular with Cooper fans, particularly Dada, so why is nothing ever played from these albums?

Also, whilst I'm thinking about songs that are bewildering not played live, how about 'For Britain Only' in the UK????? that would be STONKING for an encore...someone tell the Coop!!!

[Railwayman]

It does seem baffling that having shown his appreciation for his British cohort of fans by releasing 'For Britain Only' he has never played it here, at least I have never heard it.

Regarding Dada, I would have thought that something like the title track might be a good show intro whilst the lights were still down and Former Lee Warmer could form part of a grisly sketch. If Alice doesn't remember any of this it would be an ideal opportunity to freshen them up in some way and get them in the nest set.

[Gunner]

I agree, I have always thought 'Dada' would be a good, atmopheric and tense opener with fog and lights low. I confess to being puzzled that tracks from 'Zipper' and 'Dada' are not considered for live shows. Maybe, because he was so 'out of it' he wishes to dismiss it entirely!??? That can be the only reason really, if it is the reason, it still makes little sense to me.

[The son of Don Quijote]

Dada is actually my favourite Alice Cooper album of all time and it is shame not one song of it has ever been played live. I agree that the tittle track would be a good intro song and Former Lee Warmer could easily fit into the theatrical section of the concert. I also think Enough's enough would be a great rocker. In my opinion the guitar solo on Pass the gun around is the best guitar solo on any Alice Cooper song.

Zipper catches skin is actually a pretty good album with hilarious lyrics. Make that money and I am the future are better than Feed my Frankenstein and Lost in America which are often played live.

Even though Dada and Zipper are not best presentation of Alice's singing abilities (He wasn't in a good shape physically at the time and his voice sounded better later on Constrictor) they are musically far more adventurous and superior than Constrictor, which is probably one of his bottom 3 albums.

I like almost every Alice Cooper album and I dig his last few albums too, but I have noticed one thing has gone worse. Alice Cooper albums have started to be more predictable. Of course his style changes from time to time and he make very diverse albums but when you have listened first few songs from every new release, there won't be any suprisingly confusing curves on the way. Older releases were more unpredictable both in a good and bad way. Strange sound effects in the end of song Killer, totally strange Give the kid a break on Goes to hell, brilliant Inmates on From the inside, I like girls song about cheating women and the whole Dada album.

I think he has lost some of his original oddness and I just miss ''What is this? Where that idea came from?'' -experiences.

[Gunner]

Good post 'The son of Don Quijote', I agree with a lot of that, although I don't dig his last few albums - I feel thay have gor progressively worse since Brutal Planet.

I think he has lost some of his original oddness and I just miss ''What is this? Where that idea came from?'' -experiences.

I think that is down to being completely sober and a slightly different philosophy on life too.

[glamprincess]

There may be another reason that Alice rarely plays songs from this era when he's on tour: Because these albums did not sell well and their songs are not that well known to anyone other than the real die-hard fans. People have to remember that nearly everyone who posts here is a die-hard fan and is familiar with almost all of Alice's catalogue. But at a concert, the majority of fans in the audience are often not that familiar with these albums and many people go to the shows to hear the "hits" and songs from the best-selling albums. I know that it sounds like a broken record to keep saying that Alice has to please the majority of his audiences and play the more well-known stuff, but it is true. At his last psychodrama show in Hamilton, I know a few people who felt that Alice played too much new stuff and I don't just mean the two songs from ACAS but stuff from DD and Lost in America and they told me they wished Alice had played more hits! True story. Not everyone who goes to Alice's shows are die-hards who want to hear the more obscure stuff. So it may not be because Alice wants to "forget" about these albums. It may just be because the majority of the audience isn't that familiar with this stuff and wants to hear the classics. Just a thought.

[WickedYoungMan]

What constitutes as a hit for a concert goer? Songs from a hit album? Or a hit singles? If it's the latter, Alice really doesn't have any thing more he can fill up on that note unless he has a half hour of ballads in the show.

[glamprincess]

What constitutes as a hit for a concert goer? Songs from a hit album? Or a hit singles? If it's the latter, Alice really doesn't have any thing more he can fill up on that note unless he has a half hour of ballads in the show.

I would argue that the answer is "both". Not just the hit singles, but as I stated in my earlier post, that people also want to hear the "classics" or songs from the best-selling albums because they are familiar with these songs. For example, a song like Steven from WtMN was never a hit single, but would qualify as a "classic" because it is on an album that sold millions of copies. Since WtMN sold millions of copies around the world, most fans have listened to the entire album and know pretty much all the songs on the album and not just the radio single which was Only Women Bleed. So if Alice plays Steven or Black Widow, the fans recognize the tune and are still excited to hear it live. On the other hand, if a song is played from ZCS, mainly just the diehard fans bought this album and a good chunk of the audience would not recognize the song.

[WickedYoungMan]

In that case tell your friends to stick around next year, most of the B$B album should be coming back into rotation in the live set soon.

[Gunner]

At last, a discussion!!

I'm not sure that much of Alice's audience these days is made up of people going to hear 'hits' you know? Alice tours year in year out, I think all the curious and fair-weather fans of 'had their fill' of Alice now. Besides, there are always selections in shows that are anything from the catalogue. I mean we've had From the Inside, Nurse Rozetta, Halo of Flies, Beverley Hills, Hot tonight, Who do think we are etc etc...not exactly 'standards'. SO, why not something from Dada and/or Zipper? After all, Alice said himself VERY recently; those two albums seem to be favourites of the die-hards. Anyway, taking all that into consideration, why the hell not please the die-hards?

[Swinger]

I'm just thinking out loud here but maybe it's because with no memories of writing and recording them preforming them would feel like playing someone elses song.

Also I think that while the chances may be quite slim it's not impossible that he will bust out a song from ZCS/DaDa live in the future considering how long it sometimes have taken until some songs were preformed for the first time or preformed again.

[NotSoPerfect]

In that case tell your friends to stick around next year, most of the B$B album should be coming back into rotation in the live set soon.

Wouldn't be overly surprising...half the album's already in!

[Malchik]

I pray all the time to see material for the Drunkard Four played live but it's not that Alice doesn't like the material he's just simply a little biased about them.


When I saw Alice briefly and had him sign my SF and Dada album he just said the same o'l line "Now here's two albums I don't remember making" and he really doesn't have too much to say. This was a real bad time for Alice and I think he just doesn't like looking back on it. By the time Zipper and Dada rolled around Alice were inches for death and his family life was in shambles. You rarely hear Alice rehearse about his relapse at all unless questioned about it. I think it's just his mind set of the matter and the evidence of him not re-issuing SF, Zipper or Dada on his Warner catalogue re-issue backs this up.

Boy it must have been a treat to see him perform Who Do You Think We Are? during the bare bones tour.

[Shoesalesman]

Yes, it was a blast when he did WDYTWA here in 2004.

[WickedYoungMan]

Yes it was coolio. But it had nothing on the band's rendition of Springsteen's "Dancing In The Dark." Alice pulled me up to dance with him. How did you all think he cracked his ribs on tour this year?

[Gunner]

Boy it must have been a treat to see him perform Who Do You Think We Are? during the bare bones tour.

Oh, it was!! It was a bit like when I went to see Alice for the first time (on the SF tour coincidentally!). It wasn't the 'bare bones' tour though, it was the one after that. We had to go to London, think it was the only UK show that year, 2004.

[Gunner]

Just checked Si'd time line, it was June 27th '04 London, Hammersmith Apollo to be precise. It was the second leg of the 'Eyes' tour, not 'bare bones'.

[glamprincess]

In that case tell your friends to stick around next year, most of the B$B album should be coming back into rotation in the live set soon.

I know that you are being facetious but.....
I bet a lot of people would love to hear Generation Landslide live! And even though he has played Unfinished Suite and Raped and Freezin in concert, most people haven't heard them live and would probably love to hear those gems too.
(And NO, I am not suggesting that he play the entire BDB album live...he didn't even do that on the BDB tour!)

[glamprincess]

At last, a discussion!!

I'm not sure that much of Alice's audience these days is made up of people going to hear 'hits' you know? Alice tours year in year out, I think all the curious and fair-weather fans of 'had their fill' of Alice now. Besides, there are always selections in shows that are anything from the catalogue. I mean we've had From the Inside, Nurse Rozetta, Halo of Flies, Beverley Hills, Hot tonight, Who do think we are etc etc...not exactly 'standards'. SO, why not something from Dada and/or Zipper? After all, Alice said himself VERY recently; those two albums seem to be favourites of the die-hards. Anyway, taking all that into consideration, why the hell not please the die-hards?

Well, I sensed that you wanted a discussion....and I aim to please!
I think your points are good ones and I was just giving another perspective of why Alice might not be playing much from that era. To put my own point another way, consider this: If Dada had been a platinum-selling album, don't you all think it's much more likely that Alice would be playing songs from that album, no matter what era it was recorded in? I would personally bet on that being the case.

[Gunner]

Well, I sensed that you wanted a discussion....and I aim to please!
I think your points are good ones and I was just giving another perspective of why Alice might not be playing much from that era. To put my own point another way, consider this: If Dada had been a platinum-selling album, don't you all think it's much more likely that Alice would be playing songs from that album, no matter what era it was recorded in? I would personally bet on that being the case.

Aye, you always make good provocative points to consider, the whole point of a discussion forum really.

Aye, if Dada had been platinum selling, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

With songs like Who do you think, Nurse Rozzeta, sun arise, Halo, clones, Beverley Hills, Hot tonight etc all being given an 'airing' in the last 10 years or so, I genuinely believe that Cooper avoids tracks from Zipper and Dada, I'm not entirely sure of the reason but I think Malchik was close, I think it's more of a personal thing. But you are right glamprincess, they wouldn't be up for question had they been bis selling numbers!