From The Inside

[Toronto Bob]

I really liked this album from the get go. Musically still in the vein of GTH and L&W but much stronger than L&W and better than the underwhelming live album put out the year before.

Cover/packaging/concept A+
Songs/production A

Could it been heavier/grittier - sure, but you're not going to get that with David Foster twiddling the knobs. But after the debacle that was L&W, Ezrin would not likely of done a better job.

[recoop]

for me a really good tight album, narrative running through it..a one off..there wasnt a follow up with outtakes filling next album I don't think..so good imo they left a gr8 track off..new tricks...brill...in terms of a story he didnt come near to this quality until The Last Temptation...and I love the guitars..especially serious...the midnight special portrayed the guitars well tot the fore...

[A_MichaelUK]

>in terms of a story he didnt come near to this quality until The Last Temptation

What "story"? Words like "story", “concept” and "narrative" tend to be used a bit loosely (and we sort of had this discussion when discussing the last album). Apart from the first song and maybe “The Quiet Room” and “How You Gonna See Me Now”, there isn’t really a “narrative”, just a series of songs about the different characters and their own personal situations. Despite that, it is definitely one of his best albums.

[Gunner]

I like the fact that each of the characters in the songs were based on actual people Alice met in the sanitarium.

I think 'loosely' though. We know all about so-called 'Alice-Speak'

Not sure how 'real' Nurse Rozetta, Millie & Billy were, for example.

[Toronto Bob]

>in terms of a story he didnt come near to this quality until The Last Temptation

What "story"? Words like "story", “concept” and "narrative" tend to be used a bit loosely (and we sort of had this discussion when discussing the last album). Apart from the first song and maybe “The Quiet Room” and “How You Gonna See Me Now”, there isn’t really a “narrative”, just a series of songs about the different characters and their own personal situations. Despite that, it is definitely one of his best albums.

It's like a collection of short stories with the thread of mental breakdowns/disorders to connect them all.

[A_MichaelUK]

>It's like a collection of short stories

I think most of the album is a series of vignettes which I think is a better description.

>with the thread of mental breakdowns/disorders to connect them all.

I agree although that's different to a "narrative" though.

[Toronto Bob]

parsity parse parse

[Greenie]

I like the fact that each of the characters in the songs were based on actual people Alice met in the sanitarium.

I think 'loosely' though. We know all about so-called 'Alice-Speak'

Not sure how 'real' Nurse Rozetta, Millie & Billy were, for example.

Why wonder?

[A_MichaelUK]

>parsity parse parse

It seems to me you don't know what a vignette is. Even when someone more or less agrees with you, you seem to feel the need to react negatively.

[mestreech]

>Due to the oil crisis the show never got to Europe so I never saw it

I think you're thinking of the "Billion Dollar Babies" tour.

No, in 1979 there was the SECOND oil crisis and I'm pretty sure it was too expensive to bring over the whole show to Europe.

The album did very well in Holland and in one of the many interviews he said the above statement.

[Toronto Bob]

>parsity parse parse

It seems to me you don't know what a vignette is. Even when someone more or less agrees with you, you seem to feel the need to react negatively.

Not true - you insist on parsing words. If one were to look up the meaning of vignette, they would likely come to the conclusion that i) short story is more accurate when describing Jackknife Johnny or Millie and Bllie or Serious and ii) the meanings aren't that different that someone needed to swoop in and "correct" spmeone for using the descriptor "short story"

So sir, it is you that that feels the need to correct people even if you agree with them.

[A_MichaelUK]

>No, in 1979 there was the SECOND oil crisis

That certanly wasn't the reason given in Briatain for this. Tickets were actually printed for a show at Wembley, in case you didn't know.

>The album did very well in Holland and in one of the many interviews he said the above statement.

I think the real reason was that there was a perception among promoters that Alice's career was finished and it was a 'chicken and egg' situation - he wasn't touring outside of north America because he wasn't selling records and he wasn't selling records because he wasn't touring. There were few, if any, offers. It also explains why it took until 1982 for there to be a European tour.

[A_MichaelUK]

>If one were to look up the meaning of vignette, they would likely come to the conclusion that i) short story is more accurate

Really? From http://www.oxforddictionaries.com:
"noun

1a brief evocative description, account, or episode: a classic vignette of embassy life"

A "story" would need to be just a little more detailed. A "story" (irrespective of the length) would traditionally have a beginning, a middle and an end and I don't think any of the songs really have that.

> when describing Jackknife Johnny or Millie and Bllie or Serious and

The songs describe how the characters ended up where they are and what was happening to them but we don't know what happens in the end, though. How is that a "story"? That's why 'vignette' is a better description according to the definition above.

>ii) the meanings aren't that different that someone needed to swoop in and "correct" spmeone for using the descriptor "short story"

So you are saying a vignette as defined above (or "description" or "account") is the same as a ""short story"". If I REALLY wanted to be fussy, I would have even rejected 'vignette' as well and chosen 'snap - shot' or something.

[recoop]

...been a lot of comment since my use of "story" and "narrative" running through it...I always heard the album as AC as narrator telling some stories linked, in the context of his stay in institution..with some cooperish embellishment.. a simple definition of narrative can be " a spoken or written account of connected events: a story- a bare narrative of events"...agree that the individual songs do not have beginning middle and ends but I see the album overall as a story...vignettes does appeal to me better or resonate with me but I am beginning to feel like AC talking about Milwaukee in Waynes World- and although well educated I am no expert in psycholinguistics or semantics...snapshot is indeed more rock and roll.. and in the context of rock and roll it is superb imo

[A_MichaelUK]

>simple definition of narrative can be " a spoken or written account of connected events:

That is my point though. They aren't really "connected". They are isolated descriptions of different characters that happen to be in the same place at the same time and that's about it.

>snapshot is indeed more rock and roll.. and in the context of rock and roll it is superb imo

Of course. I thought of it. Thanks.

[mestreech]

>No, in 1979 there was the SECOND oil crisis

That certanly wasn't the reason given in Briatain for this. Tickets were actually printed for a show at Wembley, in case you didn't know.

>The album did very well in Holland and in one of the many interviews he said the above statement.

I think the real reason was that there was a perception among promoters that Alice's career was finished and it was a 'chicken and egg' situation - he wasn't touring outside of north America because he wasn't selling records and he wasn't selling records because he wasn't touring. There were few, if any, offers. It also explains why it took until 1982 for there to be a European tour.

OK Andy,

I'm gonna believe you but I'm gonna search for the article/interview.
Maybe there was a deaper reason behind all but that's what I remembered from those days.

[Toronto Bob]

The marketers at the time really should have released a picture disc version and a coloured vinyl edition using that sick green colour of Alice's face on the cover. Picture disc were the rage at the time - would of been cool.

[A_MichaelUK]

>I'm gonna believe you but I'm gonna search for the article/interview.

I wasn't denying that is what Alice may have said. I was just saying that there was another and more important factor involved.

[Suspiria]

AC's very best album, it's a killer. I'm glad New Tricks was only a b-side, I just don't see it fitting anywhere amidst the other tracks. New Tricks is also not of the same calibre of songwriting imho.

[Mr.Bluelegs]

I wonder how different this lp would have been with Ezrin producing it. A great concept for his talents, but would he have made this classic better than it is? Foster's production was perfect for 1978. Slick yet the album rocked like there's no tomorrow. Outstanding engineering & production. GTH was another outstanding engineering & production job by Ezrin & crew. Albums just don't sound as good as these did.