Kane Roberts

[mr.barlow]

[/quote]

Why is he an idiot for not finding anything worthwhile in Kane Roberts? In my opinion the hair metal period was one of the worst in musical history, as cringeworthy as disco. Kane Roberts is a poster boy for that era. Pretty much the majority for what stood for lead guitar from that time is just horrible - up and down the neck for speed's sake.

If only those who "do" can criticize, then why even have a forum?[/quote]

I agree with you on hair metal being a stain on music and the comparsion to disco is right on the money, although I will take disco any day over hair metal.

Now on to Kane..

I like Kane Roberts and have no problem with his playing. People have to understand that Kane deserves A LOT of credit for Alice's quick turnaround. Also, it was Kane who had a lot to do with putting together the Nightmare Returns band and the song arrangements for that tour. I think it may have been one of the most successful tours of Alice's career and that band is universally loved by most Alice fans.

Again it comes down to musical taste but I think those "metalized" arrangements were perfect for that tour and the version of "Go To Hell" on that tour is the best ever! It was the tour and that band that put Alice back on the map--more so than Constrictor.

Kane's playing was just a style of the times and a style which Alice was latching on to for his comeback. I've never been into the speed playing but Kane did have a unique style and did play with feeling. I think his appearance overshadowed his playing abilities and he was kind of taken as somewhat of a novelty.

Remember the plan for Constrictor was to make a simple light-metal record. Nothing too deep and nothing to complicated. Also, from what I understand, the budget and time constraints had a lot to do with the inferior final product.

With that being said--the biggest flaw of that album was --the awful production and --THE DRUM MACHINE! Shep---why did you allow this to market with that damn drum machine??

[pitkin88]

I think the fault lays squarely with Alice as he wrote those songs and he was calling the shots. Blaming the drum machine os just anti-robotism.

[mr.barlow]

That remark is offensive!! I have many friends who are robots!

[Maaki]

Re: Issue of hair metal

From the dawn of time there has been black eras of art. It is no different. A person who thinks ABBA didn't do wonders to pop music are - well - disagreeing with me.

Lighten up. Pretty sure some people thought that Ludwig Van dude was commercial crap and disgrace to the real artists.. :D

[evil syd]

Kane was your stereotypical 80s metal guitarist with some style.

[Saint&Sinner]

Kane was amazing. There is no other way of putting it

I would say he wasn't a typical anything. If you actually listen to his style and his way of playing it doesn't sound like any other player i know.
He played fast and with a focus on blistering guitar solos (and why not!?!?!) but in terms of technique he was unique.

What a great player and what a great era and band. Raise your fist and yell is underrated and in my eyes a classic.

[Babysquid]

Re: Issue of hair metal

From the dawn of time there has been black eras of art. It is no different. A person who thinks ABBA didn't do wonders to pop music are - well - disagreeing with me.

Lighten up. Pretty sure some people thought that Ludwig Van dude was commercial crap and disgrace to the real artists.. :D

Love ABBA

[HORRORHOLIC]

I'm a huge fan of Kane Roberts and especially the RYFAY album. I wish Alice would go back to that sound for at least one album/tour.

[evil syd]

I'm a huge fan of Kane Roberts and especially the RYFAY album. I wish Alice would go back to that sound for at least one album/tour.

Kane is a super cool dude too. I met him a few years ago and there's a lot more that meets the eye with his guitar work.

[dadascot]

I was so disappointed in constrictor when it came out! The build up was immense, the media attention incredible and then......horrendous lyrics, growling, strained vocals and incessant twiddling solos. I genuinely don't think Kane was a big part of the come back. As I have said the media attention up to the release was brilliant and if the album had been half decent it would have sold like trash did three or four years later. To me the poor playing and less than mediocre songs affected the big comeback. RYFAY was much much worse! With the worst album cover since gwar!

But it is all subjective. Some love this period and they are more than entitled to their opinion........although they are completely wrong!

[Daggers & Contracts]

But it is all subjective. Some love this period and they are more than entitled to their opinion........although they are completely wrong!

Same can be said for the DaDa lovers!

[pitkin88]

But it is all subjective. Some love this period and they are more than entitled to their opinion........although they are completely wrong!

Same can be said for the DaDa lovers!

If Da Da was one song and that song was Former Lee Warmer it would still ne better tham Constrictor. The lyrics are amongst the best he has ever written. There are NO good lyrics on constrictor.

[A_MichaelUK]

From pitkin88:
"There are NO good lyrics on constrictor."

Although I wouldn't go that far, the lyrics of "Trick Bag" are terrible.

[Saint&Sinner]

Depends what you want from "good lyrics", yeah i take your point that trick bag isn't great, nor is thrill my gorilla. But the album has great songs with lyrics that are fun, playful and even aggressive not to mention catchy and anthemic. Nothing that will ever be considered Leonard Cohen style genius - but not much is!
People keep holding up DADA as a bastion of great song writing and lyrical genius. It has great moments, that much is true but outside of Pass the gun around, former lee warmer and no mans land, DADA is not "all that" lyrically. Dyslexia is not only one of the worst songs he has ever done (along with Woman Machine, No more love at your convenience and Be with you awhile) but it has some truly terrible lyrics.

[While Heaven Wept]

Depends what you want from "good lyrics", yeah i take your point that trick bag isn't great, nor is thrill my gorilla. But the album has great songs with lyrics that are fun, playful and even aggressive not to mention catchy and anthemic. Nothing that will ever be considered Leonard Cohen style genius - but not much is!
People keep holding up DADA as a bastion of great song writing and lyrical genius. It has great moments, that much is true but outside of Pass the gun around, former lee warmer and no mans land, DADA is not "all that" lyrically. Dyslexia is not only one of the worst songs he has ever done (along with Woman Machine, No more love at your convenience and Be with you awhile) but it has some truly terrible lyrics.

I'd add the lyrics on I love America are superb too. I've also held a soft spot for Fresh Blood. I love the percussion and general rhythm section on that track.

[pitkin88]

Depends what you want from "good lyrics", yeah i take your point that trick bag isn't great, nor is thrill my gorilla. But the album has great songs with lyrics that are fun, playful and even aggressive not to mention catchy and anthemic. Nothing that will ever be considered Leonard Cohen style genius - but not much is!
People keep holding up DADA as a bastion of great song writing and lyrical genius. It has great moments, that much is true but outside of Pass the gun around, former lee warmer and no mans land, DADA is not "all that" lyrically. Dyslexia is not only one of the worst songs he has ever done (along with Woman Machine, No more love at your convenience and Be with you awhile) but it has some truly terrible lyrics.

I'd add the lyrics on I love America are superb too. I've also held a soft spot for Fresh Blood. I love the percussion and general rhythm section on that track.

Very sad that that song never had a video made for it. Agreed the lyrics are wonderful.

[mr.barlow]

Depends what you want from "good lyrics", yeah i take your point that trick bag isn't great, nor is thrill my gorilla. But the album has great songs with lyrics that are fun, playful and even aggressive not to mention catchy and anthemic. Nothing that will ever be considered Leonard Cohen style genius - but not much is!
People keep holding up DADA as a bastion of great song writing and lyrical genius. It has great moments, that much is true but outside of Pass the gun around, former lee warmer and no mans land, DADA is not "all that" lyrically. Dyslexia is not only one of the worst songs he has ever done (along with Woman Machine, No more love at your convenience and Be with you awhile) but it has some truly terrible lyrics.

I find Dyslexia to be one of the most creative songs of his career. It was nice to hear him stretch out and totally remove himself from his normal comfort zone. The lyrics are witty and in fact a very novel and original take on what it feels like to be falling in love. That lyrics on that song alone are better than anything on Constrictor---no come to think of it, that song--is better than the whole Constrictor album.

What was great about those early 1980s albums is we got to see Alice break away from the established character which by that time had grown stale and tired. Also, the horror element had turned into pure schlock as he entered the eighties.

To me Flush The Fashion is an incredible album. Not only did he completely change his sound but he completely overhauled his look. It was a fresh look for a fresh start. That album did not do too poorly overall, and had Clones been given more of a push by WB I think it could have made the Top 10. To me FTF was the biggest risk Alice ever took in his career.

At any rate--Dada to me is the pinnacle of his career. The unfortunate thing is he reached his creative peak while at his lowest point both professionally and personally.

Let's have some fun. Let's compare the songs on Dada to some songs on Alice's late 1980s albums. Lets hear some opinions.

Enough's Enough to Crawlin
Former Lee Warmer to Teenage Frankenstein
No Man's Land to I'm You're Gun
Dyslexia to Thrill My Gorilla
Scarlet & Sheba to Give The Radio Back
I Love America to This Maniac's In Love With You
Fresh Blood to The Great American Success Story
Pass The Gun Around to ANY other Alice Cooper song

[Saint&Sinner]

The comparisons are bizzare to say the least.

Crawlin is better than enough's enough for my money, crawlin is slow and sexy song with a fantastic groove. Enough's enough has a good lyrical theme but sadly comes up lacking musically (apart from dicks solo which is predictably good)

Former lee warmer vs teenage Frankenstein is a bizarre comparison, one is a slow moody haunting track the other an anthemic horror movie classic! i love both for different reasons. Now former lee warmer vs Gail (a more thematically close comparison) has gail coming out on top all over the place - one of the best kick ins' Alice has ever done!

No Man's land vs i'm you'r gun. Lyrically we know i'm you'r gun doesnt hold up. Gasp that was a shocker, but as a visceral piece of rock and roll it is great. watch it on the trashes the world tour and it (forgive the vulgar pun) explodes. No man's land lyrically is fine but again musically i find it lacking. It is neither here nor there. I feel he is uncomfortable with his stripped back "punk/new wave" and tried to move away but didn't know where.

Dyslexia is horrible. Thrill my gorilla is terrible lyrically but i can't listen to dyslexia full stop so Thrill my gorilla wins by default.

scarlet and sheba vs give the radio back? again an odd choice wouldnt bed of nails or little by little be more thematically correct? i love scarlet and sheba (and as a one, two punch combo live with goes to hell would be amazing) so i will give it to scarlet in case of give the radio back. BUT i do LOVE little by little and bed of nails so that would be closer fight where it might not come out on top.

I love america (should have been on zipper) vs this maniac is again an odd choice but musically again this maniac gets it. I love america is funny, no doubt but its a funny B side. Not a main album track. This maniac has a good hook and live was amazing. that outro by al pitreli was stunning. The keyboard line is a bit much but not a deal breaker.

fresh blood vs the great american success story? again very odd comparison. Wouldn't he's back or dangerous tonight be a better fit thematically? Well given that great american success story was supposed to be for that Rodney Dangerfield movie (which lyrically it gets bang on, and would have worked better than any track they had) it did fine but its not a great one. but i think given the choice i would still pick it over fresh blood. I don't mind fresh blood when im in the mood but its never my go to track. And it really doesn't fit on the album. Great american success is easier to pick up and play.

Pass the gun around is fantastic. You are bang on there (again forgive the pun). One of my fave solos of all time, no doubt about it. Not sure its better then everything he has done but it's definitely top 10.

[RemarkablyInsincere]

I find Dyslexia to be one of the most creative songs of his career. It was nice to hear him stretch out and totally remove himself from his normal comfort zone. The lyrics are witty and in fact a very novel and original take on what it feels like to be falling in love. That lyrics on that song alone are better than anything on Constrictor---no come to think of it, that song--is better than the whole Constrictor album.

Nope. "He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)" is a GREAT song and is far better than "Dyslexia". In fact, as much as I like DADA, HBTMBTM is the best song on either of those two albums.

The lyrics to Dyslexia don't really even make sense because it's a "language processing problem" not a vision problem and it's not treated with glasses let alone "coke bottle lense glasses". You also don't "bump into walls" with dyslexia. One thing is sure, Alice is not an optometrist.

[A_MichaelUK]

From RemarkablyInsincere:
You also don't "bump into walls" with dyslexia.

I think that's a reference to being in love.