Thoughts on the new album

[pitkin88]

And where the hell is Michael Bruce on this thing...

It could have worked even if there is tension between him and Alice as neither Dennis nor Neal where in the studio with Alice when they recorded their parts. Would have been nice.

[pitkin88]

I just tried to listen to this again...

I'm rescinding my 1 vote and going with 0

Maybe just try individual tracks. In one go it would be nearly impossible.

You might have a point there...

Its just such a vanity project even though I understand the proceeds are going to help a needy organization, etc...

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I doubt the charity will see much from the sales of this. Was the Rio show for the charity?

[Parish]

And where the hell is Michael Bruce on this thing...

It could have worked even if there is tension between him and Alice as neither Dennis nor Neal where in the studio with Alice when they recorded their parts. Would have been nice.

Vincent Furnier = John Boehner

[pitkin88]

And where the hell is Michael Bruce on this thing...

It could have worked even if there is tension between him and Alice as neither Dennis nor Neal where in the studio with Alice when they recorded their parts. Would have been nice.

Vincent Furnier = John Boehner

C'mon, Alice once crooned I Never Cry.

[Paul]

I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to.

[evil syd]

far superior to anything Kane Roberts managed.

I don't know about that one. At least Kane got to play with Coop's band because of his talent not because he was some huge Hollywood actor. I mean, sure, maybe Depp has some talent but you all know why is there playing with Coop. Second, Kane had a very sloppy but fun style but at least he had some kind of style. He also toured playing Coop songs, some original tunes and some old time stuff, not standard bar cover tunes. No comparison, Kane made a mark with Coop, not Depp, come on now!

[pitkin88]

far superior to anything Kane Roberts managed.

I don't know about that one. At least Kane got to play with Coop's band because of his talent not because he was some huge Hollywood actor. I mean, sure, maybe Depp has some talent but you all know why is there playing with Coop. Second, Kane had a very sloppy but fun style but at least he had some kind of style. He also toured playing Coop songs, some original tunes and some old time stuff, not standard bar cover tunes. No comparison, Kane made a mark with Coop, not Depp, come on now!

I'm not sure If Depp is decent or not. I think the covers might have been better if it was just him and Joe Perry and not the gala of the stars. Same for the live shows.

[Saint&Sinner]

far superior to anything Kane Roberts managed.

that is just hilarious. I get that you do not like alice's 80s diversion into metal but i for one love it and the kane line up is one of my fave line ups he has ever had. Kane had style and originality. His solos were exciting and he can write a tune.
Mr. Depp can neither write a great tune or play with style. there is a reason mr depp is an actor and not a musician as his day job. the same as why i am not a musician in my day job. i'm (sadly) not good enough

Still as long as some people are enjoying HV then that is good. would be a very poor show if even all the fans hated it.

[wind_up_toy]

far superior to anything Kane Roberts managed.

that is just hilarious. I get that you do not like alice's 80s diversion into metal but i for one love it and the kane line up is one of my fave line ups he has ever had. Kane had style and originality. His solos were exciting and he can write a tune.
Mr. Depp can neither write a great tune or play with style. there is a reason mr depp is an actor and not a musician as his day job. the same as why i am not a musician in my day job. i'm (sadly) not good enough

Still as long as some people are enjoying HV then that is good. would be a very poor show if even all the fans hated it.

I agree with your opinion but I'm sure that Johnny Depp doesn't regret becoming a highly successful (and very well paid) actor. I must confess to being unsure about how good a musician he is, however, I don't expect the same level of fame would have resulted had his musical career taken off at the first attempt.

[dadascot]

No matter if it sells a lot more copies or not this project is a great success for Alice. He managed to make a covers album a big event, which by itself is unusual. There are certain people on this board who hate hearing this, but I believe it enhances Alice's credibility and adds to his career legacy.

I don't plan to buy the album, just not a fan of cover albums. But I've heard most if not all the songs and a lot of them sound good even if, perhaps, none are particularly great. A great cover of a classic song might have caught on with the public and gotten airplay, but I don't see that happening so far.

Nonetheless a solid effort and a good transition towards his next solo album.

Just buy it you miserable git! For the very least because it's for charity.

[guttertrash]

Hollywood Vampires is the first Coop album that I have elected not to purchase, because nothing about it moves me. The band sounds faceless, and indeed, I doubt anybody could tell who is who on this album. Joe Perry as well as Johnny Depp have distinct playing styles, but there is no character to either. They could have easily had a dueling guitar rhythm like the Stones, Aerosmith, and Gn'R, but instead they went for a lame modern approach. Brian Johnson's screech has never been anything I desire to hear, and Whole Lotta Love and School's Out are ruined by it. The two originals are fine, but they are mediocre when compared with even the best from his newest albums. At least, they are rock songs though unlike the schlock that filled the second half of W2MN. Overall, I feel like this album was just another wasted opportunity which sounded good in theory (just like W2MN and ACAS) but came out lacking any creative spark to make the ideas worth pursuing.

I also find it sad that Ezrin who was a master producer in the 70s has made two Coop albums in a row that are heavy handed and devoid of any kind of texture and dynamics. Instead of going for true texture and dynamics, he used stupid ideas like the voice effect on I Am Made Of You. I feel like the albums could have sounded better produced on tape, but it is more important that the whole band record the basic tracks together as a band, so you get the sound bleeding that creates the warmth that is missing in most digital recordings due to everything being pieced together (like an endless amount of overdubs instead of a functioning band). Not having the whole band recording together also creates a lack of syncopation and groove. Everybody just plays their parts, and it generally comes off stiff and faceless. Ezrin's production and mixing definitely makes Vampires as well as W2MN easier to listen to than Danny Saber and Greg Hampton's amateur sounding ACAS, but as far as post-2000 Coop goes, I still prefer Eyes and DD, because they were throwback albums recorded as a band jamming songs out together.

[pitkin88]

When you have all these guests you have to find them something to do and things just got very cluttered. Instead of what does the song need you get where do we fit Joe Walsh on this? It might have been better the whole album with just Depp and Perry. Try as I can I can't get through more than a minute or so of I Am Made Of You.

[guttertrash]

far superior to anything Kane Roberts managed.

I don't know about that one. At least Kane got to play with Coop's band because of his talent not because he was some huge Hollywood actor. I mean, sure, maybe Depp has some talent but you all know why is there playing with Coop. Second, Kane had a very sloppy but fun style but at least he had some kind of style. He also toured playing Coop songs, some original tunes and some old time stuff, not standard bar cover tunes. No comparison, Kane made a mark with Coop, not Depp, come on now!

Johnny Depp is actually a very good guitarist. He moved to Hollywood to play music. The bass player on most of the songs on this album was in his early 80s band, and he has a writing credit on an album by The Rock City Angels who he was with for about a year out in Hollywood when they were considered the next big band but were pushed under the rug by Geffen when Guns N' Roses broke. He started acting on 21 Jump Street to pay the bills, while the band he was in wrote material for an album, and he ended up taking the A Nightmare On Elm Street job and leaving the band to go to Canada. He also bought the Viper Room to still be close to music. Tons of musicians such as Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, and Alice Cooper consider him a great rock n' roll guitarist. I can't pick out who is playing what guitar track or tell you the difference in the drummers or the bassist either, because it is all faceless and mired by heavy-handed production as well.

[guttertrash]

When you have all these guests you have to find them something to do and things just got very cluttered. Instead of what does the song need you get where do we fit Joe Walsh on this? It might have been better the whole album with just Depp and Perry. Try as I can I can't get through more than a minute or so of I Am Made Of You.

I agree. It should have been a barebones, five piece rock n' roll band album. It also would have sounded better with the looser, less layered and heavy handed production of Eyes or DD. The album also could have been recorded in about a week that way instead of 3 years.

[pitkin88]

When you have all these guests you have to find them something to do and things just got very cluttered. Instead of what does the song need you get where do we fit Joe Walsh on this? It might have been better the whole album with just Depp and Perry. Try as I can I can't get through more than a minute or so of I Am Made Of You.

I agree. It should have been a barebones, five piece rock n' roll band album. It also would have sounded better with the looser, less layered and heavy handed production of Eyes or DD. The album also could have been recorded in about a week that way instead of 3 years.

Maybe releasing the tracks as they where completed. In retrospect 4 or 5 Hollywood Vampires shows without an album might could have worked and maybe made more money for the charity.

[guttertrash]

When you have all these guests you have to find them something to do and things just got very cluttered. Instead of what does the song need you get where do we fit Joe Walsh on this? It might have been better the whole album with just Depp and Perry. Try as I can I can't get through more than a minute or so of I Am Made Of You.

I agree. It should have been a barebones, five piece rock n' roll band album. It also would have sounded better with the looser, less layered and heavy handed production of Eyes or DD. The album also could have been recorded in about a week that way instead of 3 years.

Maybe releasing the tracks as they where completed. In retrospect 4 or 5 Hollywood Vampires shows without an album might could have worked and maybe made more money for the charity.

They could have gone about the recording and releasing in a few different ways since it was meant for charity. After releasing them digitally, they could have always did a limited run of packaged product for the diehards. It could have been done like the kickstarter releases where there is a date set for production, and whoever pays for a physical copy could get one. Playing shows as a band is never a bad idea either before recording, so that you can get a feel for the chemistry of the each piece. I'm just surprised Matt Sorum wasn't on the album. His playing is lifeless enough to have fit perfectly.

[pitkin88]

Well they already had McCartney's drummer.

[guttertrash]

Well they already had McCartney's drummer.

Oh, I know. More of a stab at going with the early 90s Guns N' Roses rhythm section live. I like Duff, but Matt Sorum was a terrible addition to Guns N' Roses in the 90s and is a major factor in me not caring to go see this show live.

[tuneylune]

As usual, late in getting the album, but after listening for a couple of weeks, I must say...Much better than I thought it would be! Love when a band does covers and does them right, but a whole album is usually a risky proposition for me, but this pretty much does the job. Will do a Track By Track instead of the usual roundabout review...
"The Last Vampire"-Always nice to hear a classic horror actor and Sir Christopher was the last one.
"Raise The Dead"-Pretty good, although it sounds a little by the numbers.
"My Generation"-This feels forced to me, especially since Coop is in the advanced age bracket. Personally, I think he could have done a bang up job of "The Seeker".
"Whole Lotta Love"-Really like this with all the harmonica and think Brian Johnson is is fine form here.
"I Got A Line On You"-Enjoy the one he did in the 90's, but like this version better.
"Five To One/Break On Through"-Thought "BOT" was the best part of the "Raise The Dead" segment and he nails this one..nice to hear the farfisa.
"One/Jump Into The Fire"-Really enjoy this, especially the way the songs segue into each other.
"Come And Get It"-It sounds like they had fun with this, but don't find it exceptional.
"Jeepster"-Love this song, but NO ONE can do it like Bolan can. I think "Solid Gold Easy Action" would have worked better and a slight nod to his early days.
"Cold Turkey"-One of Lennon's best, creepiest songs, but this version is too ham fisted and I think Alice could have done better covering "Jealous Guy" instead of this misfire.
"Manic Depression"-Now this is more like it! One of my favorite Hendrix tunes and this version rocks...thank God it wasn't "Foxey Lady"
"Itchykoo Park"-Like The Small Faces, but have heard this song the least in the States. REALLY like this one, although the "Cutesy" part makes me sigh with pain but at least it's brief.
"School's Out"- Always great to hear DD and his Brother In Law, although I would have preferred not to have had it drug out like the concert version and don't understand why Brian Johnson has a lead vocal on here...can't see the point.
"My Dead Drunk Friends"-Very good and enjoy this a lot.
So overall, I would give this ***1/2..nothing earthshaking (although the Ezrin production is top notch as always), but not a total misfire either...hoping we won't have to wait to hear a new album though!

[pitkin88]

As usual, late in getting the album, but after listening for a couple of weeks, I must say...Much better than I thought it would be! Love when a band does covers and does them right, but a whole album is usually a risky proposition for me, but this pretty much does the job. Will do a Track By Track instead of the usual roundabout review...
"The Last Vampire"-Always nice to hear a classic horror actor and Sir Christopher was the last one.
"Raise The Dead"-Pretty good, although it sounds a little by the numbers.
"My Generation"-This feels forced to me, especially since Coop is in the advanced age bracket. Personally, I think he could have done a bang up job of "The Seeker".
"Whole Lotta Love"-Really like this with all the harmonica and think Brian Johnson is is fine form here.
"I Got A Line On You"-Enjoy the one he did in the 90's, but like this version better.
"Five To One/Break On Through"-Thought "BOT" was the best part of the "Raise The Dead" segment and he nails this one..nice to hear the farfisa.
"One/Jump Into The Fire"-Really enjoy this, especially the way the songs segue into each other.
"Come And Get It"-It sounds like they had fun with this, but don't find it exceptional.
"Jeepster"-Love this song, but NO ONE can do it like Bolan can. I think "Solid Gold Easy Action" would have worked better and a slight nod to his early days.
"Cold Turkey"-One of Lennon's best, creepiest songs, but this version is too ham fisted and I think Alice could have done better covering "Jealous Guy" instead of this misfire.
"Manic Depression"-Now this is more like it! One of my favorite Hendrix tunes and this version rocks...thank God it wasn't "Foxey Lady"
"Itchykoo Park"-Like The Small Faces, but have heard this song the least in the States. REALLY like this one, although the "Cutesy" part makes me sigh with pain but at least it's brief.
"School's Out"- Always great to hear DD and his Brother In Law, although I would have preferred not to have had it drug out like the concert version and don't understand why Brian Johnson has a lead vocal on here...can't see the point.
"My Dead Drunk Friends"-Very good and enjoy this a lot.
So overall, I would give this ***1/2..nothing earthshaking (although the Ezrin production is top notch as always), but not a total misfire either...hoping we won't have to wait to hear a new album though!

Coming out in April.