New Alice Album in 2 or 3 months

[Saint&Sinner]

Saints and sinner, imo, I thought the best tracks by far on W2MN we're the ones that involved the original band

To a degree, however my two fave tracks are "i am made of you" alice/ezrin/child (a writing combo i would LOVE to hear more of!) and "under the bed" alice/ezrin/henriksen closely followed by "What baby wants" which was alice/ezrin/henriksen/keisha

But the two contributions from dennis and bruce are both great, although "bite your face off" is a neal smith tune and i really dont like that.
It was a Great album for the most part though definitely.

[pitkin88]

Wow I didn't think anyone liked that awful Keisha track. IBYFO is by far the best song on the album.

[dadascot]

I loved the three songs from the original band, but also loved IAMOFY and caffeine. I would love a full album from the ACG doing classic rock and would give my eye teeth to see a reunion tour but strongly suspect the new album will contain around four tracks in collaboration and the uk tour will be the current band with a similar set as the last few years, the raise the dead section in tact and two maybe three songs from the new album! Personally I would love to see the RTD section replaced with an Alice obscure tracks section.

[cooperrocks]

I am with those who aren't in favor of a reunion with the original band. I love all eras of Alice. In fact my favorite era(s) of Alice are probably 1986-2000 but I love the others as well. This has always been the thing with me (and I am fully prepared to be criticized for my opinion) but I don't have a desire to see an original band reunion. Yes, working on a few songs together is fine, but I think the old expression "You can't go home again" is often true.

One, while there is no question much of the original band's work was great not everything they did was. There were plenty of mistakes too so the assumption that a 2017 original band album would be a masterpiece is wishful thinking but no evidence that is true. Second, and I know this bothers people but the average rock fan (outside of those of us who are diehards) have always thought of Alice as a solo artist so if there were an original band reunion for a full scaled album, it wouldn't help sales for the most part. Third, Alice remained in music even after the split while the others have not been consistent (a little more in recent years). Alice has always desired to stay modern and be competitive as much as he can with the current music scene. Is the original band equipped to write that way? Maybe so, maybe no. Next, as far as touring goes Alice's current band the last few years musically are the best band he has ever had in my opinion from top to bottom. They bring energy and everyone is top notch. Nothing against the original band but no one in the band is young anymore. Are they capable of doing a six month run without wearing down outside of Alice who tours extensively every year? I think most people when they go to see Alice these days leave with a positive impression. He still looks, sounds, and moves like Alice and his backing band are great. Would you be getting the same atmosphere if everyone in the band was around 70 years old?

Lastly, it has been many, many years since the original band consistently played together. Since most people think Alice was always a solo act, they would play in the same type of venues, etc so financially it doesn't make a ton of sense and there really is little value in doing it as in some ways it could hurt the legacy. People remember the energy of the original band and how unpredictable they were. That was the draw. It wouldn't be like that anymore. How tight would they be musically? It would be a case, I suspect where fans would go in with the desire for it to be 1972 all over again and outside of the nostalgia of seeing the original guys, it wouldn't be anymore than that.

I hope the new album actually is more guitar driven and is a little bit heavier.

[dadascot]

I agree with some of what you say. I wouldn't expect a full tour, but it would be great to have a few specials, perhaps Paris, London Edinburgh etc! I think the ACG still write well together as the 3 songs from W2mn proved and the magic is still there so why not expand on it? Personally it would be a dream come true to see the remaining original group on stage together.

[Dannorama]

Here's a relatively recent performance

[guttertrash]

I am with those who aren't in favor of a reunion with the original band. I love all eras of Alice. In fact my favorite era(s) of Alice are probably 1986-2000 but I love the others as well. This has always been the thing with me (and I am fully prepared to be criticized for my opinion) but I don't have a desire to see an original band reunion. Yes, working on a few songs together is fine, but I think the old expression "You can't go home again" is often true.

One, while there is no question much of the original band's work was great not everything they did was. There were plenty of mistakes too so the assumption that a 2017 original band album would be a masterpiece is wishful thinking but no evidence that is true. Second, and I know this bothers people but the average rock fan (outside of those of us who are diehards) have always thought of Alice as a solo artist so if there were an original band reunion for a full scaled album, it wouldn't help sales for the most part. Third, Alice remained in music even after the split while the others have not been consistent (a little more in recent years). Alice has always desired to stay modern and be competitive as much as he can with the current music scene. Is the original band equipped to write that way? Maybe so, maybe no. Next, as far as touring goes Alice's current band the last few years musically are the best band he has ever had in my opinion from top to bottom. They bring energy and everyone is top notch. Nothing against the original band but no one in the band is young anymore. Are they capable of doing a six month run without wearing down outside of Alice who tours extensively every year? I think most people when they go to see Alice these days leave with a positive impression. He still looks, sounds, and moves like Alice and his backing band are great. Would you be getting the same atmosphere if everyone in the band was around 70 years old?

Lastly, it has been many, many years since the original band consistently played together. Since most people think Alice was always a solo act, they would play in the same type of venues, etc so financially it doesn't make a ton of sense and there really is little value in doing it as in some ways it could hurt the legacy. People remember the energy of the original band and how unpredictable they were. That was the draw. It wouldn't be like that anymore. How tight would they be musically? It would be a case, I suspect where fans would go in with the desire for it to be 1972 all over again and outside of the nostalgia of seeing the original guys, it wouldn't be anymore than that.

I hope the new album actually is more guitar driven and is a little bit heavier.

Where did original band misstep once Ezrin was in the picture? Love It To Death, Killer, School's Out, and Billion Dollar Babies albums are pretty much perfection all the way through, and I like at least half of Muscle of Love even without Ezrin. The only album of solo Cooper that I can listen too completely is Nightmare. From there, it is one or two tracks per album except for the three ACG tracks on W2MN, and that album is a complete pile of crap otherwise.


Anyway, I don't think the idea of a full-fledged ACG tour is a possibility. I do think they could do a 10 or 15 date tour which could be better rehearsed and have theatrics unlike the few one off shows over the past years, and it would satisfy fans such as myself who would love to hear nothing but ACG era songs.

[pitkin88]

I am with those who aren't in favor of a reunion with the original band. I love all eras of Alice. In fact my favorite era(s) of Alice are probably 1986-2000 but I love the others as well. This has always been the thing with me (and I am fully prepared to be criticized for my opinion) but I don't have a desire to see an original band reunion. Yes, working on a few songs together is fine, but I think the old expression "You can't go home again" is often true.

One, while there is no question much of the original band's work was great not everything they did was. There were plenty of mistakes too so the assumption that a 2017 original band album would be a masterpiece is wishful thinking but no evidence that is true. Second, and I know this bothers people but the average rock fan (outside of those of us who are diehards) have always thought of Alice as a solo artist so if there were an original band reunion for a full scaled album, it wouldn't help sales for the most part. Third, Alice remained in music even after the split while the others have not been consistent (a little more in recent years). Alice has always desired to stay modern and be competitive as much as he can with the current music scene. Is the original band equipped to write that way? Maybe so, maybe no. Next, as far as touring goes Alice's current band the last few years musically are the best band he has ever had in my opinion from top to bottom. They bring energy and everyone is top notch. Nothing against the original band but no one in the band is young anymore. Are they capable of doing a six month run without wearing down outside of Alice who tours extensively every year? I think most people when they go to see Alice these days leave with a positive impression. He still looks, sounds, and moves like Alice and his backing band are great. Would you be getting the same atmosphere if everyone in the band was around 70 years old?

Lastly, it has been many, many years since the original band consistently played together. Since most people think Alice was always a solo act, they would play in the same type of venues, etc so financially it doesn't make a ton of sense and there really is little value in doing it as in some ways it could hurt the legacy. People remember the energy of the original band and how unpredictable they were. That was the draw. It wouldn't be like that anymore. How tight would they be musically? It would be a case, I suspect where fans would go in with the desire for it to be 1972 all over again and outside of the nostalgia of seeing the original guys, it wouldn't be anymore than that.

I hope the new album actually is more guitar driven and is a little bit heavier.

A few points:

Nothing would help recording sales at this point not even Johnny Depp, Keisha and the chubby Country guitar player.

If the public only knows Alice then it would make no difference who the line up is. It wouldn't effect ticket sales.

No mis-steps for 4 Classic albums and I don't use the word classsic lightly. Not even a bad song ntil we get to MOL which has a few sub par ones.

Alice himself has no problem thinking it's 72 again. The majority of the set is from the early 70's.

There are many bands in their late sixties rocking out today.

If you can't go home what was WTMN2? Why is Ezrin back?

Apart from Michaels health and recent hand injury there is no evidence that they could not do a six month tour if they wanted to. The Stooges held up quite well live despite two of them being in hibernation in moms basement for 30 years.

Alice, as he always has, holds all the cards. My guess is he doesn't want DD MB and NS around for a lengthy tour ( or maybe even a short one ). He is happy with these brief flirtations and will leave it at that. He took the company name and ran with it. These guys at the end of the day just want to play. I hope he is Christian enough to let them get back on board for a last hurrah.

[cooperrocks]

Some good points there, Pitkin but in regards to ticket sales that is what I am saying. Putting the original band together serves no point in regards to ticket sales, so why not go with the younger band which are now established instead of a band that hasn't been together in essentially 40 plus years with a few occasional performances. There isn't much of an upside to that in my opinion.

In regards to album sales, agreed that whoever plays on it isn't going to make a difference very much on sales so once again there is no real enticement there.

As far as my you can't go home again comment, I am referring to people's memories of the original band. They remember them in the early 70's. 2017 is much different so run the risk of people claiming "they were expecting more." Some of it may be based on reality but some of it would be based on nostalgia. It is sort of like going to see an 80's hair band reunion. I have seen a few and even when the reunited band sounds really good, it is just never quite the same.I loved the W2MN album but a lot of people claimed it didn't sound anything close to the original album.

Alice, in my view, is doing what he needs to be doing. He is putting out good albums still and is still a very good live act. He needs to keep using the types of bands he has been playing with in recent years. That is no disrespect to the original band for they were great in their day.

I don't really agree with your comment on being "Christian enough" as I am a Christian as well. We can debate what happened in the 70's and we have many times in the past, but it basically comes down to each band members take on what happened and what didn't happen. They remained friends and Alice continued on with his career. I don't think there is anything Unchristian about keeping the band he has. He gives the original guys a lot of credit and they have come on stage before with Alice and done a few gigs. In terms of giving them a "last hurrah," I feel like the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame was that for the original band. Putting the original band back together except for the diehards don't really give the original band a "last hurrah" because the general rock crowd is going to essentially think it is Alice and a backing band. Is that fair? Probably not, but that is what the perception is and that perception actually started even when the original band was together hence Alice taking the name Alice Cooper while the group was still there.

[VinceLeeRose]

I've seen solo Alice about 30 some times and I saw the Golden Gods 2011 Alice Cooper reunion live, and I've gotta tell you...that performance smoked any solo Alice show I've seen since 2000. Don't get me wrong, his solo musicians these past 17 years have been AMAZING!!! And I haven't seen one bad show out of those 30+... But there was just this "feel" the ACG+Hunter had just doing those 4 songs that unrivaled anything that any touring or session player could bring, no matter how much energy they had in their stage performance.

If Alice Cooper were to reunite for a tour, I'd see as many shows as I possibly could. With that said, their songs on WTMN2 were the best ones..I'd welcome a full ACG album with open arms

And for what it's worth - a know a handful of people personally that only liked what Alice Cooper did as a band, and didn't care much for his solo work. I see the same thing on some music forums. Would a reunion do gangbusters like the Guns N' Roses tour last summer? Not a chance. But it definitely wouldn't hurt. Would you rather see The Beatles or would you rather see Paul McCartney solo.

[Saint&Sinner]

bad songs from the ACG when ezrin joined? I can think of quite a few but its all personal taste.
I think as long as alice keeps the good stuff the original group create and dumps the rubbish we should be great.
But you really cant go home again, W2MN definitely wasn't an attempt to go back to his roots (as is evident from the story, musical variety and styles) it was an attempt to cash in on the classic original name but put a modern slant on it. While i love the album it is definitely not a true sequel in the slightest.
Bob ezrin being hired is just smart. He is a great producer who has a good personal history with alice and does what a good producer should do, bring out the best in an artists and tell him if it is no good.

Just hope we hear something soon so i can sink my teeth into it as soon as possible!

[VinceLeeRose]

He is a great producer who has a good personal history with alice and does what a good producer should do, bring out the best in an artists and tell him if it is no good.

Which I believe was the problem with Diamonds, Spider, etc. You can definitely tell Alice's vocals are in top form on Nightmare 2 and the Vampires album as compared to ACAS

[cooperrocks]

Once again this proves how subjective music is. There are several Alice solo albums I love from top to bottom. Personally I would take From the Inside and The Last Temptation over any of of the original band albums as great as they are. While the original band had a great run and had great albums there are songs on every one of those albums I don't like especially the School's Out album which to me is a mixed bag. I thought the W2MN album was brilliant.

Interesting that VinceLeeRose (and I respect his opinion) loved the 2011 Golden Gods performance with the original band. I had the exact opposite view and much prefer the current lineup these days to hear those great songs.

I guess the thing that has always amazed me (and this is not intended as a criticism toward anyone) is Alice has had a career that goes back to the 60's and so many people just never seem to be able to get past about a four or five year early 70's period. That means some people haven't liked 80-90 percent of Alice's career. That is a lot of dislike of the music, decisions, etc. I am an Alice fan because I can honestly say I find something great about all the various eras and that's why I am still a fan. Just my two cents. Great discussion everyone.

[AlongCameASpider27]

If this album is due in 2 to 3 months, we should definitely start hearing title of album, track listing, first single etc soon...and of course release date...always excited for new albums from the Master

[guttertrash]

Once again this proves how subjective music is. There are several Alice solo albums I love from top to bottom. Personally I would take From the Inside and The Last Temptation over any of of the original band albums as great as they are. While the original band had a great run and had great albums there are songs on every one of those albums I don't like especially the School's Out album which to me is a mixed bag. I thought the W2MN album was brilliant.

Interesting that VinceLeeRose (and I respect his opinion) loved the 2011 Golden Gods performance with the original band. I had the exact opposite view and much prefer the current lineup these days to hear those great songs.

I guess the thing that has always amazed me (and this is not intended as a criticism toward anyone) is Alice has had a career that goes back to the 60's and so many people just never seem to be able to get past about a four or five year early 70's period. That means some people haven't liked 80-90 percent of Alice's career. That is a lot of dislike of the music, decisions, etc. I am an Alice fan because I can honestly say I find something great about all the various eras and that's why I am still a fan. Just my two cents. Great discussion everyone.

Glad you feel empowered and like a true Alice fan due to liking him throughout his career through all stages. I personally prefer creative, original rock n' roll music, and the ACG delivered the hell out of that whereas his solo career has been filled with a man chasing the style of the time. Point blank, the ACG had a rock n' roll style that while influenced by others was all their own, and Alice's solo career has been about trying to fit in with the current trends even WTMN and GTH did this although it still had a much more original element than what came after. Dada may be the only solo album that saw Alice not being swayed by the music of the time, but even it sounds like an early 80s album due to the production. There are definitely good songs scattered about during his solo era, but WTMN is the only one I can listen to completely, and the majority of them are half filler at best with W2MN culminating in an album that is just as bad as ACAS with bigger, slicker production to make the underlying turds (two of the three ACG tracks are likable) remotely listenable. The songwriting is terrible, and the production is sterile and overblown. I dread another Alice album if Ezrin's production continues on the W2MN and HV path.

[cooperrocks]

I am not saying you aren't a fan. If you like the ACG stuff only great. What I am saying is in the scope of Alice Cooper's career, it took up on a small portion of his overall career so if someone doesn't like anything from 1975 or 1976 on (which is their business) that means they have disliked the last 40 plus years! That is a long time to constantly dislike new albums etc. I will put it this way. I loved the first two Ozzy Osbourne solo albums and then with each passing album I disliked what he was doing more and more. Now I didn't listen to him much at all and don't consider myself an Ozzy fan at at all. Not trying to be argumentative. I am just saying if you haven't liked anything since 1975, you have been long suffering!

[guttertrash]

I don't think anybody is saying that he hasn't made anything worth listening to in the last 40 years. I have every album Alice has ever made on vinyl, but while I have a playlist on my iPod that includes a few songs from his solo career, I never find myself spinning the solo albums except for WTMN, because it is ultimately a waste of my time. I have been pleased enough with the enjoyable song or two from each album to purchase them as they come out, but I ultimately know the vinyl is going to sit on the shelf and those couple songs will get added to my Alice playlist, and the album itself will never be played in full again. After ACAS, I was reluctant to buy anything new at all, but the ACG reuniting made it hard not to give into W2MN. I will more like than likely buy the new album if the ACG appears on it, but I will not be pre-ordering it as I consistently have the past couple decades, and I will more than likely want to hear the album in it's entirety to be sure it's worth purchasing or else I'll buy just a couple MP3s instead.

[concolz]

Anything to do with nightmares, serial killers, or going to hell, then I'm not interested. If it's an Ezrin kitchen-sink production, or steamrollered hair-metal, then forget it. Ditto 'guests', or covers.

Almost certainly, it ain't going to be an all-out ACG effort, or they'd have been trumpeting its jaw-droppingness already. So, unless it's as radical a departure as the final three WB albums, or 'BP' was, then I'm not splashing the cash just for old time's sake.

[guttertrash]

In all honesty, Ezrin's return did give me more hope for W2MN also. I personally did not hate the majority of the songs on ACAS, but the production was probably the worst of his career, and Dirty Diamonds wasn't great either, so I had given up hope in hearing Alice albums worth really listening too. While I don't think Ezrin's production is amazing, it is definitely the best thing Alice had since The Last Temptation, and I feel like most people's love for W2MN is more a reaction to Ezrin bringing back a professional (albeit for me unlikable) approach compared to the lackluster, amateruish production of the previous albums than it is to the actual quality of the songs or concept.

[Saint&Sinner]

I feel like most people's love for W2MN is more a reaction to Ezrin bringing back a professional (albeit for me unlikable) approach compared to the lackluster, amateruish production of the previous albums than it is to the actual quality of the songs or concept

I agree that post brutal planet alice has been pretty poor up until W2MN but while the ezrin connection may have improved some peoples early impressions the further we get away from the release the easier it is to see people like it precisely because its a return to form. Both in production and songwriting. Yeah there are a couple of underwhelming songs but it still gets heavy rotation on my stereo.

I am always interested to know whether people would still love a song by the ACG if it was "ghouls gone wild" i like 2 of the 3 by the original group but i think if they had more solid material they would have been on the album.