SickthingsUK

I'm sure many of you have noticed,but I always loved the cool "Aleluiah" backing vox at the end of the Muscle track. It was mixed at a perfect level- not too noticable but enough to be heard. Pointer sisters, Labelle, & Liza Minelli did a great job on the album (Teenage Lament, Workin' up a Sweat, etc...) without being overbearing - thanks to Jack Douglas's brilliant mixing.

Oh yes some of the finest backing vocals on any Alice Cooper album.
Not forgetting Ronnie Spector who also sang BV's on Teenage Lament 74.

Liza Minnelli on Man With The Golden Gun was sensational, even Lulu when she appeared with Alice on a chat show a few years ago was surprised Alice Cooper's song wasnt used in the Bond Movie instead of hers as as she said Alice Cooper was the biggest act on the planet at that time.

He had met Roger Moore at a party around that time, what a shame it never got used.

You're right- total shame it wasn't used. Still can't figure out why Muscle gets the negative opinions. Great LP with great playing.

Mr.Bluelegs wrote:You're right- total shame it wasn't used. Still can't figure out why Muscle gets the negative opinions. Great LP with great playing.

It is pretty sterile and has two of the worst tracks ever:
Woman Machine and Crazy Little Child. Very poor follow up to BDB's.

pitkin88 wrote:

Mr.Bluelegs wrote:You're right- total shame it wasn't used. Still can't figure out why Muscle gets the negative opinions. Great LP with great playing.

It is pretty sterile and has two of the worst tracks ever:
Woman Machine and Crazy Little Child. Very poor follow up to BDB's.

Not as good when compared with Billion Dollar Babies (but very little is) but sterile?

Woman Machine not the best track but Crazy Little Child is a great song of its type and the problem is some fans never liked it when Alice Cooper did something a little different which is what made Alice Cooper such a great band.

If all you wanted to hear was hard rock by numbers there were other bands that gave you that, but Alice was never afraid to throw a curve ball!

Teenage Lament 74 - Cooper classic
Man With The Golden Gun - Cooper classic
Muscle Of Love - Cooper classic
Hard Hearted Alice - Cooper classic
Never Been Sold Before - Cooper classic
Big Apple Dreaming -Cooper classic
Working Up A Sweat - Cooper classic

I reckon MOL gets a bit of stick because of going of on a tangent/curved ball you mentioned Steven with Crazy LC..I would regard 6 of your 7 listed as classic AC (not all keen Man wGG)..Its funny when I think of say Lace and W I don't like it but when I look at the songs..Its Hot, Road Rats, title track, Never Wrote and My God are all near classics...for me they were too diverse at the time especially on vinyl where you couldnt program the ones you wanted to listen to...now we can..so or me there is probably around 50 to 60 classic AC tracks at least incl solo and some on albums i profess not to like...theres always soemthing classic on AC albums..especially in retrospect..they/her are diverse and often ahead of time..i don't think the diversity is a problem now with the technology we have to edit our choice

steven_crayn wrote:

pitkin88 wrote:

Mr.Bluelegs wrote:You're right- total shame it wasn't used. Still can't figure out why Muscle gets the negative opinions. Great LP with great playing.

It is pretty sterile and has two of the worst tracks ever:
Woman Machine and Crazy Little Child. Very poor follow up to BDB's.

Not as good when compared with Billion Dollar Babies (but very little is) but sterile?

Woman Machine not the best track but Crazy Little Child is a great song of its type and the problem is some fans never liked it when Alice Cooper did something a little different which is what made Alice Cooper such a great band.


That's not the case. I accepted a rather brilliant cover of a ( gasp ) Rolf Harris song and the piano whimsy of the delightful " Mary Ann ". I even accepted a reworking of a movie my mother liked: West Side Story. I didn't accept two lousy tracks on a disappointing album.

Muscle of Love is essential if only for the classic title track and Hard Hearted Alice. I like Workin' Up A Sweat too.

Yep. Most people like working up a sweat!. Joking aside Hard Hearted Alice fantastic imo..somewhere on you tube Mike Bruce plays a bit of it acoustically

pitkin88 wrote:
It is pretty sterile and has two of the worst tracks ever:
Woman Machine and Crazy Little Child. Very poor follow up to BDB's

I accepted a rather brilliant cover of a ( gasp ) Rolf Harris song and the piano whimsy of the delightful " Mary Ann ". I even accepted a reworking of a movie my mother liked: West Side Story. I didn't accept two lousy tracks on a disappointing album.

Fair point but Crazy Little Child a lousy track?

Ludicrous statement!

Not as good as Billion Dollar Babies but for many Billion Dollar Babies is the artistic peak of Alice Cooper and as the commercial peak everything that follows is always going to fall a little bit short.

Commercial success without artistic acclaim isn't as good which is why Trash will never be regarded as a great album, but Muscle Of Love though not a massive success commercially had artistic highs, with the only weak track for me being Woman Machine which sounded like the left over riffs from the albums title track, but stll better than most bands weak album tracks.

steven_crayn wrote:

pitkin88 wrote:
It is pretty sterile and has two of the worst tracks ever:
Woman Machine and Crazy Little Child. Very poor follow up to BDB's

I accepted a rather brilliant cover of a ( gasp ) Rolf Harris song and the piano whimsy of the delightful " Mary Ann ". I even accepted a reworking of a movie my mother liked: West Side Story. I didn't accept two lousy tracks on a disappointing album.

Fair point but Crazy Little Child a lousy track?

Ludicrous statement!

Not as good as Billion Dollar Babies but for many Billion Dollar Babies is the artistic peak of Alice Cooper and as the commercial peak everything that follows is always going to fall a little bit short.

Commercial success without artistic acclaim isn't as good which is why Trash will never be regarded as a great album, but Muscle Of Love though not a massive success commercially had artistic highs, with the only weak track for me being Woman Machine which sounded like the left over riffs from the albums title track, but stll better than most bands weak album tracks.

I'd have much rather they's have put Slick Black Limo on there instead of Woman Machine or Crazy Little Child.

Slick Black Limousine is an absolute classic i'll agree on that

Anybody still got their original NME Flexi disc?

Still have mine!

me too

Me too!
And by THE way I really like Woman machine

lets not forget that Liza Minnelli was an influence on Alice Cooper, her film Cabaret was mentioned when he talked about the Billion Dollar Babies show at the time

Still have mine!

I've lost mine...........
*cries*

Ive still got mine and I like the extra effects sounds on the flexi disc..Ill have to listen to it again to remember what they are..coming round from the gas maybe

>lets not forget that Liza Minnelli was an influence on Alice Cooper, her film Cabaret was mentioned when he talked about the Billion Dollar Babies show at the time

That might be what she claims, but I wouldn't go that far though.

> her film Cabaret was mentioned when he talked about the Billion Dollar Babies show at the time

That was a reference to the decadence of the seventies and he referred to the decadence of the thirties as well.