Easy Action

[Seriously]

I’ve had my pout and I’m back, for the moment anyway:

Bought this some time ago on vinyl when I was about 12 or 13 under guise of “School Days” and didn’t really understand it and it collected dust in my record collection. However, now that I am much older I recently heard one of the tracks again and thought that’s not bad and bought the CD; particularly at this ridiculous price on Amazon.

My opinions and tastes have changed over the years no doubt, but it did reminded me a bit of the Sid Barrett era of Pink Floyd or even early Hawkwind. It is somewhat raw in a nice way, with the band showing the potential of greater things to come. I guess it’s just not for kids!

[recoop]

Ive been aware of them since about early 70s-only bought them last year on a whim on net at low price-seeds of ideas- basic guitar playing compared to what was eventually offered=interesting but not commercial at time of release-imo there wasnt enough instant gratification for kids...ok for addled grown ups

[Gunner]

I bought it on vinyl under the guise of 'School Days' too in about 1973 and was suitably confused as well! However, I now think it justifies its common label of 'the greatest un-discovered Alice album' and prefer it to many other Cooper albums actually - if only for the fact that it was experimental, original, innovative and creative!! It's honest.

[old school vet]

It seems like we all have something in common, Seriously, Recoop, Gunner, and myself all appear to be of the same age group, all of us having purchased the School days album being unable to appreciate just how good the album was at the time - it still seems to throw up something new every time I listen to it - and having a greater feel for it with the passing of time and now realising just how experimental and clever the boys of the ACG were.

I wonder what the younger fans think of Easy Action and are they as confussed as we were on listening to it for the first time?

[tuneylune]

Bought it when I was 14 ( in September/October 1976-??) and have pretty much loved it ever since.

[James1981]

It seems like we all have something in common, Seriously, Recoop, Gunner, and myself all appear to be of the same age group, all of us having purchased the School days album being unable to appreciate just how good the album was at the time - it still seems to throw up something new every time I listen to it - and having a greater feel for it with the passing of time and now realising just how experimental and clever the boys of the ACG were.

I wonder what the younger fans think of Easy Action and are they as confussed as we were on listening to it for the first time?

I bought the album in 1998 when I was 16 years old. Like you guys I didn't think much of it back then. Gave it another listen in my mid 20s and I have loved it since then. Like you say, not an album for kids.

[old school vet]

James1981 wrote- I bought the album in 1998 when I was 16 years old. Like you guys I didn't think much of it back then. Gave it another listen in my mid 20s and I have loved it since then. Like you say, not an album for kids.

It's my 53rd Birthday today, trust me James you are still a kid to me and long may you stay that way. As Rod Stewart says- Youths a mask but it don't last, live it long and live it fast...

Or as the boys of the ACG might say-Easy Action...

[Desperado22]

It's not a bad album. It's just one of those albums that takes a while to get into.
I don't think Alice has ever done and outright awful album. Maybe Zipper Catches Skin lol.
But Easy Action has some great tracks on it. I regret avoiding the first two Alice albums for my first couple of years as a fan. They're both worth getting.

[Seriously]

I regret avoiding the first two Alice albums for my first couple of years as a fan. They're both worth getting.

I feel the same now, I've been playing it every day since I got it, so I guess I will have to get "Pretties For You" now and not waste another 40 years of missed enjoyment.

[Desperado22]

I regret avoiding the first two Alice albums for my first couple of years as a fan. They're both worth getting.

I feel the same now, I've been playing it every day since I got it, so I guess I will have to get "Pretties For You" now and not waste another 40 years of missed enjoyment.

The thing is that they sound very different from any other Alice era. I personally hated them the first few times I heard them. They took several listens to grow on me.

[old school vet]

I've been playing the cd in my car for the past few days. It really does get better with age.

[Vaughan]

You know, I largely ignored the two early recordings for all this time. But I recently bought the two boxes of Japanese Cooper releases (Mini LP) and since they both came with that, I decided to give them another go.....

Now, obviously neither are Love It To Death, which is some way feels like a different band entirely. But it turns out they're actually quite good. In fact, they have been the most played titles from the aforementioned box.

Perhaps it's because they are so new to me (relatively), or because they capture a certain mood. As an exercise in experiencing the formative efforts of the great band they would become, they're truly jewels. It's the wild abandon of them, magically captured by Zappa's label, I think.

As it turns out, I'd hate to be without them. A friend has the original vinyl releases - but these mini LP's come close. I'd suggest everyone give them time and effort, it'll be amply rewarded.

[homerx]

I do really enjoy the first two albums. so different. Would like to see Easy Action given a vinyl reissue appears it was done in 09' then OOP. So I can still get that version. Maybe Friday Music as they have been giving some off the early stuff a go.

Muscle Of Love as well. would like to see a modern remaster of the orginal vinyl. As it seem to be one of the Few Rhino or Friday have given a go.

[Seriously]

"Muscle Of Love as well. would like to see a modern remaster of the orginal vinyl".

Talking my kinda language there.

[steven_crayn]

Easy Action was the first Alice Cooper album i bought from the second hand section in my local record shop, i used my school dinner money and went hungy for a week, but got a shock as it was so different to the singles that i'd bought prior ie School's Out, Elected, Hello Hooray and No More Mister Nice Guy.

Even though i was blown away once i got those classic Cooper albums from Love It To Death to Billion Dollar Babies (from that same second hand section in my record shop), Easy Action still holds a special place for me with some very special songs, Beautiful Flyaway, Laughing At Me, Shoe Salesman, Below Your Means, Mr & Misdemeanor and Refrigerator Heaven all great in their own right.

The album isn't in the same league as what followed in the 71-73 years, but it formed the basis of that originality that Bob Ezrin moulded into something truly great, something David Briggs (later a great producer for Neil Young) never quite managed on his production of Easy Action, but he wasn't really into their music even though he played piano on Shoe Salesman.

I really love Michael Bruce's vocals on the two songs he took the lead on, in fact Beautiful Flyaway is my favourite song on the album.

Muscle Of Love was my first new Alice Cooper album as it came out just after I'd got the rest, but Easy Action has an emotional honesty that is unique.

If I was to recommend one Alice Cooper album that gets overlooked but deserves more attention it would be Easy Action, followed by Muscle Of Love, From The Inside & DaDa.

[cooperrocks]

I would love to see Alice do "Return of the Spiders" live.

[steven15322]

I bought this album around 89 or 90 or 91. Having all the albums up till then including Pretties For You. My local record store had a new Canada pressing of the album and I bought it. I hadnt heard it before and was really expecting another Pretties..Man I was actually blown away when I put it on and hearing Return Of the Spiders I thought it was awesome and a huge step forward compared to Pretties.

[Owepar]

To this day, I still don't like "Pretties for You" as a whole (though I do like "Changing, Arranging"). It's TOO experimental and noisy, just like "Freak Out." But I liked "Easy Action" from my very first listen. Every song has a distinctive melody and, though it's neither as polished or focused as the ensuing albums, they were clearly maturing musically. With an Ezrin spitshine, many of the songs could have been at home on "School's Out" or "Billion Dollar Babies."