New Alice fan... what album should I get next?

[Shoesalesman]

If you're getting ALL the albums eventually, step off the path RIGHT NOW and get Pretties For you, Easy Action and Zipper Catches Skin. And congrats on getting into Alice. A sound investment for your ears.

[Towelie]

Don't forget with all this advice let us know what you think as you progress!!!

Definitely will do.

[MrD Returns]

Ok, listen and listen good. Run don't walk and get Schools Out. Hands down my best of the best AC albums. This is coming from a guy who has underwear older than most of the other members here so I've been around the AC block a time or two. Schools Out minus the title cut is at it's heart a jazz record. But one so gritty that you feel like you have to take a shower after listening to it.


You can thank me later.

[concolz]

Ok, listen and listen good. Run don't walk and get Schools Out. Hands down my best of the best AC albums. This is coming from a guy who has underwear older than most of the other members here so I've been around the AC block a time or two. Schools Out minus the title cut is at it's heart a jazz record. But one so gritty that you feel like you have to take a shower after listening to it.


You can thank me later.

Seconded. The most criminally underrated of the Ezrin quartet, within touching distance of the mighty 'Killer'. Sneer for sneer, rasp for rasp, definitely Alice's best vocals of any AC record. Basically, it's Bernstein for brats.

[Towelie]

Okay, a little update for those that are interested.... I ordered School's Out and The Eyes Of Alice Cooper, something old, something new.

TEOAC arrived a couple of days ago and I've given it a few spins. I absolutely love This House Is Haunted and quite like What Do You Want From Me, Detroit City and The Song That Didn't Rhyme. The rest is a bit... meh. Definitely the weakest of the early 00s albums IMO.

School's Out arrived today and I will listen to it later.

After that I will start to delve into some of the late seventies/early eighties albums, probably starting with Goes To Hell, From The Inside and Dada.

[cooperrocks]

It is always great to have new fans, especially those that are going out and seeking all the albums. From the Inside is probably my favorite Alice album of all-time and Dada is brilliant as well. I don't have a preference between the solo Alice albums and the original band (which I know puts me in the minority on that). Every Alice album has some brilliant songs on them and one of the great things about Alice is there is a little something for everyone.

Interesting comments on The Eyes of Alice Cooper. I had the same thoughts when it first came out. I loved Brutal Planet and liked a lot of Dragontown (though not as much as Brutal Planet). I was originally disappointed with the Eyes album, but it is a slow grower. It took me about two years to really enjoy it.

[dadascot]

I love the early eighties albums but for a newbie I would recommend the last temptation and from the inside. Enjoy!

[dadascot]

I loved TEOAC and seeing the songs you have liked so far I thought that it would have been right up your alley, a good grungy old school rock album! Don't give up on it and give it another spin!

[Towelie]

So I've given School's Out a couple of listens. Definitely not what I expected after having heard BDB, LITD and Killer. At first I was a bit unsure, but after a few repeated listens, the standouts to me are Alma Mater and Public Animal #9. Bare in mind, it's all still digesting.

Am trying not to rush through the albums, as I have in the past dismissed certain albums for not bowling me over after a couple of listens and later returned to them and grew to appreciate them.

This has happened in the last week or so with Raise Your Fist & Yell. I originally got this album a year or so ago and put it down with Trash in my estimations, but it has grown on me quite considerably these last few days. I've been listening to Prince Of Darkness, Lock Me Up and Freedom quite a bit - good stuff.

[Si]

So I've given School's Out a couple of listens. Definitely not what I expected after having heard BDB, LITD and Killer. At first I was a bit unsure, but after a few repeated listens, the standouts to me are Alma Mater and Public Animal #9. Bare in mind, it's all still digesting.

Two words. MY STARS

Turn the lights out, turn it up, and lose yourself in the sheer brilliance of the original band.

[HORRORHOLIC]

This has happened in the last week or so with Raise Your Fist & Yell. I originally got this album a year or so ago and put it down with Trash in my estimations, but it has grown on me quite considerably these last few days. I've been listening to Prince Of Darkness, Lock Me Up and Freedom quite a bit - good stuff.

Raise Your Fist And Yell is my favorite album (although it really needs to be remastered) The Gail trilogy of Chop, Chop, Chop, Gail and Roses On White Lace would be amazing to see live. Anyway I would get The Last Temptation and avoid Goes To Hell as long as you can haha!!!

[darkmenace]

I got someone started on Alice in the past year and he's giving a lot of stuff a whirl (he has a prejudice for non sober Alice so he's working through those first).

To my surprise he listens to Lace and Whiskey over and over, which proves you never know. He's a Dada fanatic, which makes sense to me, also likes the late 70s albums. I'm pitching TLT as a good place to start with sober Alice, I suspect he has a misconception that stuff like Trash and heavy metal is all Alice has done since 1986.

[MrD Returns]

So I've given School's Out a couple of listens. Definitely not what I expected after having heard BDB, LITD and Killer. At first I was a bit unsure, but after a few repeated listens, the standouts to me are Alma Mater and Public Animal #9. Bare in mind, it's all still digesting.

Two words. MY STARS

Turn the lights out, turn it up, and lose yourself in the sheer brilliance of the original band.

+ 1 on that Si ol buddy. One of the best songs to ever carry the Alice Cooper name on it. But the whole album is just brilliant. And as I tried to warn our curious new friend... it's really a jazz album. I think more credit for this one should go to Bob Ezrin who masterminded it. Not only My Stars but Looney Tune and Gutter Cat really have that jazz feel. But the main one is Blue Turk. I love that song. You could play it this day to anyone else and they would never guess in a million years that was Alice Cooper. Just a fantastic effort on the part of ACG and Ezrin too.
Jazzy , bluesy and lyrically almost perfect Alice.

[mr.barlow]

"My Stars" is the best song recorded by the original band. Also, it contains Dick Wagner which I think is the reason why it turned out to be a masterpiece. The guitar is just soaring. Wagner to me was the greatest of all Alice Cooper guitar players and his songwriting is genius. My Stars is in the top five greatest Alice Cooper songs of all time. "School's Out" is also by far the best album of the original band. The album is a testament to the genius of Bob Ezrin. Ezrin deserves much credit for the success of the band. If it was not for his production, arrangements and perfectionism it would have never happened for the band.

[pitkin88]

"My Stars" is the best song recorded by the original band. Also, it contains Dick Wagner which I think is the reason why it turned out to be a masterpiece. The guitar is just soaring. Wagner to me was the greatest of all Alice Cooper guitar players and his songwriting is genius. My Stars is in the top five greatest Alice Cooper songs of all time. "School's Out" is also by far the best album of the original band. The album is a testament to the genius of Bob Ezrin. Ezrin deserves much credit for the success of the band. If it was not for his production, arrangements and perfectionism it would have never happened for the band.

If it wasn't for the songwriting of Michael Bruce and Alice Cooper Bob Ezrin would have never happened.

[mr.barlow]

A well written song is only as good as the arrangement. I feel the same was about George Martin as I do about Bob Ezrin. The Beatles would have never enjoyed the success without the mastery of George Martin. HE created the sound, as Ezrin created the sound of the original band. Frank Sinatra's later successes were due to the arrangments of Billy May. Some songwriters are also great arrangers while others are not. The proof of the genius is evident starting with Love It To Death. The first two albums are stinking piles and the songs were written by Alice and Michael Bruce and other members of the band. Ezrin brought out the best in them--and pushed them--and demanded perfection. Alice understood it and knew that Ezrin had a great deal to do with the success while the others felt that they knew better and well....we know how that ended up.

[Daggers & Contracts]

If it wasn't for the songwriting of Michael Bruce and Alice Cooper Bob Ezrin would have never happened.

What about Lou Reed, Pink Floyd & others?? Sure a foot in the door is what it is. However, with Ezrins' talent he would have landed somewhere. We're lucky it was the ACG!

[evil syd]

"My Stars" is the best song recorded by the original band. Also, it contains Dick Wagner which I think is the reason why it turned out to be a masterpiece. The guitar is just soaring. Wagner to me was the greatest of all Alice Cooper guitar players and his songwriting is genius. My Stars is in the top five greatest Alice Cooper songs of all time. "School's Out" is also by far the best album of the original band. The album is a testament to the genius of Bob Ezrin. Ezrin deserves much credit for the success of the band. If it was not for his production, arrangements and perfectionism it would have never happened for the band.

I agree, "My Stars" is a brilliant song. I happen to think that all of the albums by the original band starting from "Love it to Death" are some of the best albums ever made. They all offer some different and unique and Muscle of Love is the most underrated album of all time. I play "School's Out" all the time while I'm driving. Dennis Dunaway's bass work on that particular album just blows me the way!

[A_MichaelUK]

>If it wasn't for the songwriting of Michael Bruce and Alice Cooper Bob Ezrin would have never happened.

That is a big oversimplification which ignores his contributions to the compositions.

[dadascot]

I car shared with a work colleague who didn't like rock. He was a big country fan. I started with goes to hell, which he loved, then lace and whiskey which he thought was fantastic and then From the inside and that was him hooked. Alice grooming, you cannae beat it!