Paranormal Personality - the first single

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guttertrash
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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by guttertrash » Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:22 pm

Appetite For Destruction is a masterpiece, and it's been my favorite album since I was 7 years old. The time and situation just made for something amazing with them. Sadly, personalities changed and they lost the plot, but I will always admire them for what they did between 1986 and 1988. On the other hand, Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters/Imperial State Electric) who has become my favorite musician since first hearing of The Hellacopters in 2000 has made not one bad album while most of them go different directions. I wish Alice would work with that guy or Chips K who produced The Hellacopters more commercial sounding albums from 2000 to 2008. One of those two or both combined could create an amazing album with Alice.

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by GailsFriend » Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:38 pm

Frankly, production is meaningless to me....what I am looking for in a band/artist is their ability to convey their ideas in a concise time, whether in 15 minutes or 3 minutes. The best production will align with musicianship and create a mood or feeling. Production can be minimal and raw, and still create and emotional tie with an audience....like punk or live concert......OR it can be grandiose and super polished and complex, like Queen.....and still have an emotional connection.

But, arrangement matters....and Bob Ezrin is also an arranger, which is why I believe Alice's music is better with Ezrin, than with others. Alice's music is definitely simple when in a demo format. Bob Ezrin helps with the arrangement and bring more nuance to it.
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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by rgallie » Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:00 pm

guttertrash wrote:I'm tired of this song being referred to something that it is not. It is badly produced with a modern rock sound. The drumming is uninteresting...nothing creative at all about it. Boring. Glad they sound good to people, but there is nothing to listen to, and they are not very naturally produced at all.

Ezrin's production is complete modern rock crap. The tones and everything on this new single and W2MN is just not good. Everybody should listen to an organic sounding classic rock/garage rock inspired album before referring to this as either. These are all from the past decade., and as you can see a good producer can still get the proper sounds.

Robert Pehrsson's Humbucker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkOjfqlvRME

Dead Lord
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oJQqj9Q5RQ

Imperial State Electric, and it even has a nod and riffs reminiscent of early Alice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fyl7-Ob9-g

This is what music with a classic rock sound is like...not whatever ths unnatural sounding music is that Alice and Ezrin are making.
The 1st one would sound great by Bon Jovi i'm sure.
The second one was like a parody/tribute to Thin Lizzy and the 3rd, well I was waiting for Christopher Walken to step in and demand more cowbell.

I never bothered with the rest. I am sure they are great songs in there own right and they clearly are to you, but they are not Alice Cooper and I would not want an Alice Cooper album that sounds anything like that.

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by guttertrash » Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:13 pm

I'm not saying Alice Cooper should sound like these bands. I'm saying you can still get classic rock production even now unlike this modern, brickwalled production that stifles the music, and you can't get a classic sounding album without a production that fits. Don't tell me that the new album sounds like Killer or the classic era when in fact it sounds exactly like W2MN. The other three are garage rock bands. I keep hearing that this has a garage rock sound, but the only thing Alice has ever made that is garage rock came while he was still Vincent Furnier in The Spiders and The Nazz.

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by Lucius Morthem » Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:41 pm

Gutter boy, don't waste yourself. They will not understand.


I liked the song a lot but I do get you.

People are trying to say this sounds like classic rock and all that jazz but it doesn't.

Somebody mentioned that Alice's chosen tone of voice was an Ezrin thing and you know what? They kinda right....

You can love something but you can't lie about it flaws... When you learn that...

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by rgallie » Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:51 pm

Lucius Morthem wrote:Gutter boy, don't waste yourself. They will not understand.


I liked the song a lot but I do get you.

People are trying to say this sounds like classic rock and all that jazz but it doesn't.

Somebody mentioned that Alice's chosen tone of voice was an Ezrin thing and you know what? They kinda right....

You can love something but you can't lie about it flaws... When you learn that...
Why? People are taking the time to "waste themselves" on him...that is how a forum (and conversation) works :grin:

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by pitkin88 » Sat Jun 10, 2017 12:00 am

While Heaven Wept wrote:
guttertrash wrote:Alice and Ezrin thank you all for your blind devotion.
Blind devotion? That would be true if they had bought it without hearing it.

As it stands, you've single handedly posted at least 4 comments now slagging the single off. Do I detect that you're just an internet troll?

He is someone that is showing concern in the direction an artist he likes is going. How is that being a troll?

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by Daggers & Contracts » Sat Jun 10, 2017 12:44 am

RemarkablyInsincere wrote:
guttertrash wrote:Appetite for Destruction alone makes them my favorite band ever, and I have gone through 2 tapes and 4 cd of it, and I have 6 difference versions on vinyl.
You're favorite band has one good album. :rotfl:

Stop while you're ahead.
G'n'R? Give me a break! I filed that away for a year as redundant. It referenced too many influences. Got a spot in a Clint Eastwood movie (Welcome To The Jungle) & still stalled until MTV put them in Massive rotation! I do like "Mr. Brownstone" though. PM me if you want to go further, this is for A.C. related discussion after all! :alice:
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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by pitkin88 » Sat Jun 10, 2017 12:55 am

guttertrash wrote:
While Heaven Wept wrote:
guttertrash wrote:Alice and Ezrin thank you all for your blind devotion.
Blind devotion? That would be true if they had bought it without hearing it.

As it stands, you've single handedly posted at least 4 comments now slagging the single off. Do I detect that you're just an internet troll?


I remember asking the same of Pitkin years ago, but I was sorely mistaken...
It often takes guts to admit you were wrong. It's water off a ducks back to me what anyone thinks of my opinions anyway.

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by JoeyBananagoose » Sat Jun 10, 2017 2:48 am

Concessions to guttertrash, I've only worked with 3 different producers (and a 4th forthcoming in the autumn). What could I know about production?

See ya soon folks, just got to go pick my grandma up on the way she sucks eggs. Terrible!

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by guttertrash » Sat Jun 10, 2017 4:53 am

JoeyBananagoose wrote:Concessions to guttertrash, I've only worked with 3 different producers (and a 4th forthcoming in the autumn). What could I know about production?

See ya soon folks, just got to go pick my grandma up on the way she sucks eggs. Terrible!
Did I say that you know nothing about production?

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by Babysquid » Sat Jun 10, 2017 6:07 am

guttertrash wrote:I'm not saying Alice Cooper should sound like these bands. I'm saying you can still get classic rock production even now unlike this modern, brickwalled production that stifles the music, and you can't get a classic sounding album without a production that fits. Don't tell me that the new album sounds like Killer or the classic era when in fact it sounds exactly like W2MN. The other three are garage rock bands. I keep hearing that this has a garage rock sound, but the only thing Alice has ever made that is garage rock came while he was still Vincent Furnier in The Spiders and The Nazz.
I do get what you are saying regarding the single and claims that it sounds like Killer era Alice, it clearly does not. But I remember an interview back in 89 when Alice said LITD was the touchstone for Trash!
One thing to remember is that Alice and Bob's experience of the albums they made together is always going to be different to ours as a consumer. What they might feel is a "Killer" vibe in the studio may be personal to their shared experiences of making that record and might not translate to fan's expectations of what it should actually sound like.
I quite enjoyed the garage band tracks (especially The Jackets) and your comment about classic production rings true, none of those acts would sound out of place on a Pebbles record. However authentic their commitment to recreating the mid sixties is, it is now 2017 and things for better or worse have moved on.

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by pitkin88 » Sat Jun 10, 2017 6:25 am

Babysquid wrote:
guttertrash wrote:I'm not saying Alice Cooper should sound like these bands. I'm saying you can still get classic rock production even now unlike this modern, brickwalled production that stifles the music, and you can't get a classic sounding album without a production that fits. Don't tell me that the new album sounds like Killer or the classic era when in fact it sounds exactly like W2MN. The other three are garage rock bands. I keep hearing that this has a garage rock sound, but the only thing Alice has ever made that is garage rock came while he was still Vincent Furnier in The Spiders and The Nazz.
I do get what you are saying regarding the single and claims that it sounds like Killer era Alice, it clearly does not. But I remember an interview back in 89 when Alice said LITD was the touchstone for Trash!
One thing to remember is that Alice and Bob's experience of the albums they made together is always going to be different to ours as a consumer. What they might feel is a "Killer" vibe in the studio may be personal to their shared experiences of making that record and might not translate to fan's expectations of what it should actually sound like.
I quite enjoyed the garage band tracks (especially The Jackets) and your comment about classic production rings true, none of those acts would sound out of place on a Pebbles record. However authentic their commitment to recreating the mid sixties is, it is now 2017 and things for better or worse have moved on.


Well pointed out. Rule of thumb whatever Alice says she be taken with a pinch of salt.

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by pitkin88 » Sat Jun 10, 2017 6:29 am

Back to the single. It does seem like an odd choice for a 45. The first song should be something that grabs you by the throat. Is this the most commercial Thing on there?

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by guttertrash » Sat Jun 10, 2017 6:43 am

Babysquid wrote:
guttertrash wrote:I'm not saying Alice Cooper should sound like these bands. I'm saying you can still get classic rock production even now unlike this modern, brickwalled production that stifles the music, and you can't get a classic sounding album without a production that fits. Don't tell me that the new album sounds like Killer or the classic era when in fact it sounds exactly like W2MN. The other three are garage rock bands. I keep hearing that this has a garage rock sound, but the only thing Alice has ever made that is garage rock came while he was still Vincent Furnier in The Spiders and The Nazz.
I do get what you are saying regarding the single and claims that it sounds like Killer era Alice, it clearly does not. But I remember an interview back in 89 when Alice said LITD was the touchstone for Trash!
One thing to remember is that Alice and Bob's experience of the albums they made together is always going to be different to ours as a consumer. What they might feel is a "Killer" vibe in the studio may be personal to their shared experiences of making that record and might not translate to fan's expectations of what it should actually sound like.
I quite enjoyed the garage band tracks (especially The Jackets) and your comment about classic production rings true, none of those acts would sound out of place on a Pebbles record. However authentic their commitment to recreating the mid sixties is, it is now 2017 and things for better or worse have moved on.
Thank you, babysquid. That is very well put.
pitkin88 wrote:Back to the single. It does seem like an odd choice for a 45. The first song should be something that grabs you by the throat. Is this the most commercial Thing on there?
Considering that all the songs are in the 2 and a half to 4 and a half minute range, you would think it would be full of single worthy songs. I'm not sure what to expect after seeing that the album is less than 45 minutes with all 12 studio tracks.

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by Babysquid » Sat Jun 10, 2017 7:19 am

pitkin88 wrote:Back to the single. It does seem like an odd choice for a 45. The first song should be something that grabs you by the throat. Is this the most commercial Thing on there?
I really liked the intro. I don't mind the song but I don't think it quite lived up to my expectations. Somebody here said the guitar solo was widdely widdely but I don't really hear that, in fact I found it relatively restrained. I do hear similarities to previous songs such as Go to Hell, Enoughs Enough and the Black Widow as others have alluded to before.

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by nurserozetta » Sat Jun 10, 2017 7:56 am

First listen I thought it was fairly stock Alice recording , gave it several more listens and I'm appreciating it a lot more .

Am I the only one who hears a bit of "its much too late" in this song ?

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by patrick » Sat Jun 10, 2017 8:46 am

nurserozetta wrote:First listen I thought it was fairly stock Alice recording , gave it several more listens and I'm appreciating it a lot more .

Am I the only one who hears a bit of "its much too late" in this song ?
no you're not !
it could be the way he's singing it, hard to define though..

I like the single : recognizable Alice to me..
you really wouldn't understand..

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by Devon » Sat Jun 10, 2017 11:54 am

I'd really like it if we didn't devolve into calling other board members "sheep" or claiming that others do not "get it." That is simply being mad at others for not sharing your opinion. You can disagree but it's a bit stupid to go down the road of personally attacking each other for not liking it.

Thats something that should be reserved for those who like "Along Came A Spider." ;) JUST kidding.

With that being said, my view on the song is it's a typical song, I don't think it is anything "outstanding" but it's not bad either! The big take away, for me it at least, is that I feel it sounds like a mechanical song with no real feeling with copy and paste background vocals that contribute nothing. I also don't like going from the slow intro to Alice's unnaturally sounding sped up vocals. I almost thought there was something wrong with my player when Alice started singing. The tempo of the decoded clip that has been passed around the last few weeks sounded more natural to me, ironically.

I give it a gentleman's 6/10.

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Re: Paranormal Personality - the first single

Post by Spiner202 » Sat Jun 10, 2017 1:00 pm

Devon wrote: Thats something that should be reserved for those who like "Along Came A Spider." ;) JUST kidding.
Heh, I'm still surprised at just how much hate that album receives, but I suppose that's a topic for another time. Not perfect for sure, but nowhere near his worst work.

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