new album ?

[A_MichaelUK]

>Lyrics ? Story ? Production? Alice singing? Ozzy and the harmonica? The only promotional video Alice has release in about 8 years ?

Too many of the songs are not good enough and some of the production sounds weak. There are some good songs and one or two great songs, but overall, I don't think it's a great album.

[mestreech]

Nobody has ever given me a reason, that's why i'm asking for. Sorry if I Didn't explain myself well.


Could anyone in this whole wide forum give me a reason on why Along Came A Spider is such a bad album ?

Lyrics ? Story ? Production? Alice singing? Ozzy and the harmonica? The only promotional video Alice has release in about 8 years ?

For me the ACAS album has a great theme and story. A perfect theme for Alice to make a masterpiece of it. The promotional video was also very good and promising but the album had lack of suspence / Alice sings really tame / lack of good songs and production / the hype of the story gave me certain expectations which I didn't saw back in the songs and performance. The songs were not strong enough to support the story neither did they stick to me. I very very rarely listen to it.

[andyrew]

>Nobody has ever given me a reason, that's why i'm asking for. Sorry if I Didn't explain myself well.

Could anyone in this whole wide forum give me a reason on why Along Came A Spider is such a bad album ?

Lyrics ? Story ? Production? Alice singing? Ozzy and the harmonica? The only promotional video Alice has release in about 8 years ?



I always thought the biggest downfall of ACAS is that Alice couldn't decide on the kind of album it wanted to be. The opener sounds like a garage rock song that could come off of any classic rock album. The lyrics aren't as intimidating as they could have been...like in Touch with Your Feminine Side doesn't make the audience think that this guy is evil and same with Hungry. And Killed by Love really takes away from the darkness of the album.

If the album had been more like Vengeance is Mine and I am the Spider, we could have had a classic, dark album. Maybe since ACAS followed Dirty Diamonds which went in all different directions, Alice got caught up in using the same kind of style for ACAS, rather than creating an album that flows from beginning to end with the overall theme and musical style.

[RemarkablyInsincere]

If the album had been more like Vengeance is Mine and I am the Spider, we could have had a classic, dark album.

I agree.

I think "I Am The Spider" is the best piece of music on that album, but it feels almost like an after thought at the end rather than a center piece.

[A_MichaelUK]

>Alice got caught up in using the same kind of style for ACAS, rather than creating an album that flows from beginning to end with the overall theme and musical style

I have to say I disagree. There are plenty of great albums that are diverse. Ultimately, it's about the songs. Either the songs are great or they are not. Everything else follows on from that (arrangement, performance, production, mixing and mastering).

[darkmenace]

"Too many of the songs are not good enough and some of the production sounds weak. There are some good songs and one or two great songs,"

This is a good summary and it's ironic to me that the promotional video was very good but the album is flat. Also the lyrics and plot are very good but again all this is undermined by the music itself in terms of arrangements and production.

Along Came a Spider sounds like a song that had incredible potential (long song in the vein of Go To Hell) in the hands of a producer like Bob Ezrin.

[andyrew]

>I have to say I disagree. There are plenty of great albums that are diverse. Ultimately, it's about the songs. Either the songs are great or they are not. Everything else follows on from that (arrangement, performance, production, mixing and mastering).

But don't you think Along Came a Spider is the kind of album that needs a tighter, darker more consistent storyline...in the same vein as Brutal Planet and Dragontown, rather than going from softer songs to harder edged songs? It works for WTMN, but I think if the storyline and music had more flow to it along with better production for ACAS, it would have been a lot better and a more meaningful album.

[Rhapsody of Fire]

The new album is an album of covers with a few new songs, apparently. Didn't heard of another new album. For lovers of musical re-invention...

[Lucius Morthem]

Thanks! Now I've got reasons. I Agree with many of your statements, but, call me a fanboy maybe, I Do like the album (not saying it was the greatest thing ever created and the best AC album) But I Dug it well. Could have expected more? Yes, But I Like what I Got

Specially in terms of "marketing" . I Thought the different promotional videos were pretty great, also the pinball!

[A_MichaelUK]

>But don't you think Along Came a Spider is the kind of album that needs a tighter, darker more consistent storyline...

As I said in my post, that is completely irrelevant if the songs are not of the required high standard.

>in the same vein as Brutal Planet and Dragontown,

What was the “storyline” in those two albums?!

>rather than going from softer songs to harder edged songs?

That has nothing to do with a “storyline” though. You may be getting a bit confused.

>It works for WTMN, but I think if the storyline and music had more flow to it along with better production for ACAS, it would have been a lot better and a more meaningful album.

That only applies if you think those songs were good enough to begin with - if you don’t (just like I don’t), none of that is relevant.

[While Heaven Wept]

Nobody has ever given me a reason, that's why i'm asking for. Sorry if I Didn't explain myself well.

I'm pretty sure if you search this forum there are literally hundreds of reasons why people like me thought it was bloody awful.

Can honestly say I haven't listened to it in years now.

In terms what Alice could do next....I really liked his contribution to the Avantasia album. I think it'd be great for Alice to team up with someone like that, Devin Townsend or Ayreon for a proper concept album.

[Lucius Morthem]

Oh no, I Prefer a horrible Alice Cooper album than a "tea up" that would end in God knows what!

Collaboration songs rarely make it to the setlist so.... I Wouldn't want that

[cooperrocks]

I personally loved WTMN 2. I still listen to that one on a regular basis.

Along Came a Spider is a different story. The concept is great but I hate the production on that album. To me, the songs aren't there (though Vengenance is Mine is terrific and I wish he would bring that one back live).

[Lucius Morthem]

Never liked too much Vengeance in the set, Always thought he didn't really "feel" the song

[While Heaven Wept]

Oh no, I Prefer a horrible Alice Cooper album than a "tea up" that would end in God knows what!

I have no idea what you mean

Collaboration songs rarely make it to the setlist so.... I Wouldn't want that

Most of Alice's solo albums have been collaborations to an extent so I really don't know what you mean.

[Lucius Morthem]

I Don't like the team up album idea I Mean, Alice doing a project with someone else

Those duets and that kind of things rarely make it to the setlist, so it's kind o nonsense to me. Those kind of projects I'd love to hear them as bonus track or rarities of an album

[concolz]

Frankly, I'm just thankful that Alice is still regularly releasing albums - whatever sort they are! The beauty with AC is that there's such a large, diverse, back catalogue that if you don't like the new one then there are plenty of oldies to go back to; until he releases another one that you do like!

A covers album? Bring it on. I wonder if he'll be doing any duets with the dead on it?! Apparently Susan Boyle's new Christmas album will feature her duetting with Elvis. So, if Alice decides to call the newie 'Raise the Dead' then I think it's virtually mandatory for him to croon with Jim Morrison, at the very least!

[While Heaven Wept]

I Don't like the team up album idea I Mean, Alice doing a project with someone else

So you didn't like WTMN, Goes To Hell, Dada, W2MN among others - collaborations with Bob Ezrin and others
Brutal Planet - collaboration with Bob Marlette and others (including Ezrin)
Constrictor & RYFAY - Kane Roberts and others
Trash - Desmond Child and others

Did you think Alice wrote all the songs himself?

Those duets and that kind of things rarely make it to the setlist, so it's kind o nonsense to me. Those kind of projects I'd love to hear them as bonus track or rarities of an album

Who said anything about duets? Do you know what a collaboration means?

[Lucius Morthem]

I'm talking about collaborations of performances, Bob Ezrin was the producer writer and all we know he was, but he was not a "Guest" in the album. It's different

[While Heaven Wept]

I'm talking about collaborations of performances, Bob Ezrin was the producer writer and all we know he was, but he was not a "Guest" in the album. It's different

Once again....who mentioned anything about 'guest'? Just because i'd like Alice to colloborate with Devin Townsend doesn't mean I want Devin to be singing on it, I just think that musically it could take Alice in to some amazing directions.