Alice joins Motley Crue for more dates in 2015

[mr.barlow]

Mr Barlow here are some rough notes I made from various sources:

Mick Mashbir
All tracks except Sick Things, Elected and Generation Landslide.

Steve Hunter
So I went through the album 'Billion Dollar Babies' and as far as I can remember this is what I did on the record:
1) Hello Hooray - lap steel solo in the middle section
2) Raped and Freezin' - second solo after Glenn
3) Billion Dollar Babies - solo #2 (left channel I think) and the solo at the end
4) Unfinished Sweet - slide part before last verse
5) Generation Landslide - solo
6) Sick Things - solo at end
Rockin Reggie Vincent: Billion Dollar Babies/Elected/Raped and Freezin/No More Mr Nice Guy
Dick Wagner: Guitar on I Love The Dead. Lead on Hello Hurray ( according to Rockin Reggie )

Muscle Of Love.

Mick wrote the verse on Never Been Sold Before
Co wrote Hard Hearted Alice with Mike.

Wagner: Jack Richardson brought me in to play on “Big Apple Dreamin’” and “Workin’ Up a Sweat”
WAGNER

Thank you for this great info. I never saw this breakdown. I guess now I'll have to put away my soapbox.

[pitkin88]

Some observations on whether Ezrin changed arrangements. Desperado looks very similar to the demo. Alice just elevated it with brilliant lyrics. Black Juju and Sun Arise seem very similar. 18 and perhaps Never Been Sold Before are the only two that sound radically different. The latter I have no idea who suggested the change as Ezrin didn't end up producing. Rockin Reggie said Generation Landslide was the result of him and Glen jamming.

I haven't listened to the demos in a long time as they are not easy on the ear. Anyone else care to chime in?

This might be better split into a new thread. Si?

[A_MichaelUK]

From mr.barlow:
"But that could be all spin to cover for a a bad choice."

I think that could be true.

>They'd have been better off having the insert artwork as the cover. It went on to great fame on the Trash tour.

Yes, that became a classic.

[A_MichaelUK]

From mr. barlow:
"I would love to see either Alice, or better yet--Alice along with the remaining members of the original band and Ezrin do something like that article. Go song by song and disect them."

There was a little of that done for "The Life And Crimes Of Alice Cooper" box - set.

> I'd like to hear the original band talk about how much Ezrin changed the compositions from their original form.

Dennis Dunaway may have the best memory for that kind of thing, I think

[A_MichaelUK]

From pitkin88:
"Some observations on whether Ezrin changed arrangements. Desperado looks very similar to the demo."

Yes but don't forget that he spent a lot of time with the band including travelling with them (although maybe less so after "Killer") so it's possible that he was involved at that early stage as well. In fact, we know he was, in relation to "Love It To Death" for example.

[pitkin88]

That is a possibilty. I am only going by the demos I have heard.

[pitkin88]

Mr Barlow here are some rough notes I made from various sources:

Mick Mashbir
All tracks except Sick Things, Elected and Generation Landslide.

Steve Hunter
So I went through the album 'Billion Dollar Babies' and as far as I can remember this is what I did on the record:
1) Hello Hooray - lap steel solo in the middle section
2) Raped and Freezin' - second solo after Glenn
3) Billion Dollar Babies - solo #2 (left channel I think) and the solo at the end
4) Unfinished Sweet - slide part before last verse
5) Generation Landslide - solo
6) Sick Things - solo at end
Rockin Reggie Vincent: Billion Dollar Babies/Elected/Raped and Freezin/No More Mr Nice Guy
Dick Wagner: Guitar on I Love The Dead. Lead on Hello Hurray ( according to Rockin Reggie )

Muscle Of Love.

Mick wrote the verse on Never Been Sold Before
Co wrote Hard Hearted Alice with Mike.

Wagner: Jack Richardson brought me in to play on “Big Apple Dreamin’” and “Workin’ Up a Sweat”
WAGNER

Thank you for this great info. I never saw this breakdown. I guess now I'll have to put away my soapbox.

Mr Barlow here is a little more info I One of the most asked of any questions is of course the connection with
the Alice Cooper Band’s “Billion Dollar Babies” and “Muscle of Love”
LP’s…what were the favorite songs you worked on and why?

I ENJOYED
“NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY” BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST SONGS WE
WORKED UP AT THE FIRST REHEARSAL.”WOMAN MACHINE” WAS ANOTHER ONE. THE
PRODUCERES WERE HASSLING ME TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND I
USED A FOXX OCTAVE PEDAL TO GET THAT EFFECT..OH AND i ALSO ENJOYED THE
TALK-BOX SOLO IN “MUSCLE OF LOVE”..WE MADE OUR OWN IN THE STUDIO AND IT
JUST INSPIRED THAT SOLO.

8..What was your opinion of Bob Ezrin?

BRILLIANT TASK MASTER

-How
did you feel working with old friend Michael Bruce again?

IT WAS
MICHAEL THAT BROUGHT ME INTO THE BAND..WE HAD SPENT TIME HANGIN OUT IN
LONDON WHILE THEY WERE THERE TOURING AND I THINK HE FELT THE NEED TO
FILL OUT THE ACG SOUND.found about about Mick's involvement. Sorry for the caps but that is how he wrote it:

[Rhapsody of Fire]

I'm glad there are more shows for 2015.