SickthingsUK

With the exception of "Sound of A" and "Paramormal", two great songs, this album is just alright. The rest of the songs could pass for outtakes from other albums they just decided to use. I have given this album about 10 listens wanting so bad to change my mind but these tracks are just so....fair. Sorry, so disappointing. I see some fans on this board liking this album more than W2MN. That album was far more inventive and more fun than most of the tracks on Paranormal. Sorry

thanks for sharing. didn't realise anyone cared.

evil syd wrote:With the exception of "Sound of A" and "Paramormal", two great songs, this album is just alright. The rest of the songs could pass for outtakes from other albums they just decided to use. I have given this album about 10 listens wanting so bad to change my mind but these tracks are just so....fair. Sorry, so disappointing. I see some fans on this board liking this album more than W2MN. That album was far more inventive and more fun than most of the tracks on Paranormal. Sorry

He's still light years ahead of any other 70 year old rocker in terms of the new record - it's solid and cohesive. I'm sure Muscle Of Love was a "letdown" for a long time, even though I liked it when it came out, and still do. Maybe decades down the road Paranormal will have grown on you. Maybe not. Pretties For You sure has legions of fans these days - unthinkable in 1969.

killer wolf wrote:thanks for sharing. didn't realise anyone cared.

That's what this forum is for.

evil syd wrote:With the exception of "Sound of A" and "Paramormal", two great songs, this album is just alright. The rest of the songs could pass for outtakes from other albums they just decided to use. I have given this album about 10 listens wanting so bad to change my mind but these tracks are just so....fair. Sorry, so disappointing. I see some fans on this board liking this album more than W2MN. That album was far more inventive and more fun than most of the tracks on Paranormal. Sorry

I've been pretty quiet about 'Paranormal' and this is exactly the reason.

There is nothing wrong with the album, The songs are okay, but it really does sound like a bunch of b-sides and Alice guest appearances. There's no real spark, or excitement to it.
I like it for what it is, and enjoy it, but it doesn't come close to W2MN.
And the title track to me sounds like three ideas stuck together when they couldn't think of anywhere else to use them.
'The Sound Of A' is by far the best thing on offer.

I think the last two Alice albums have been ho-hum; plus HVs was crap. They're a mish mash of superfluous guests; a handful of great songs, derailed by another handful of 'goofy' nonentities; slick, yet soulless.

Why not use ACG, or the touring band, for a whole album? At least that would lend some cohesion. Why persist with Bob Ezrin? He coats everything with 'classic rawk' bombast. Back in '71-'75 his 'box of tricks' was fresh and invigorating; now - like AC's stage show - it's all very professional, but far too stale and sterile.

We discussed this in another thread but I really would like to see his current band do an album together. Nita Strauss has added so much to the Alice lineup and I would love to hear her shred on some songs (she has added so much) and Alice go back into a slightly heavier direction.

I will be honest, I didn't care for Paranormal outside of two or three songs when it came out but lately I have been revisiting the album and I like it much more than I did initially (The Eyes of Alice Cooper was like that for me as well). I think it is a good album, but I would agree with a few others I really, really liked the W2MN album. I would like to see Alice do one more really heavy rock album.

Fireball puts Paranormal miles ahead of W2MN just with that song alone.

VinceLeeRose wrote:Fireball puts Paranormal miles ahead of W2MN just with that song alone.

I find w/Paranormal AC & Ezrin are treading water in the same pond w/o much desire to move forward or "Jump The Shark"
I still think Paranormal rocks harder than W2MN.

concolz wrote:I think the last two Alice albums have been ho-hum; plus HVs was crap. They're a mish mash of superfluous guests; a handful of great songs, derailed by another handful of 'goofy' nonentities; slick, yet soulless.

Why not use ACG, or the touring band, for a whole album? At least that would lend some cohesion. Why persist with Bob Ezrin? He coats everything with 'classic rawk' bombast. Back in '71-'75 his 'box of tricks' was fresh and invigorating; now - like AC's stage show - it's all very professional, but far too stale and sterile.

Watch your mouth, mister. Ezrin is a savior and a gift to record-making and production, at least, these are basically the sentiments I was told when speaking ill of his production. I have tried listening to the album 10 or 12 times, but I never make it through in one sitting. The whole thing is uninteresting to me. Fireball, The Sound Of A, Rats, and You And Your Friends are “what might have been” moments, but in my opinion, there was not enough care put into the product for them to hold up, and as with most of W2MN, it suffers from overwrought, overly slick, production and the desire to be cute. The modern production on You And Your Friends makes the ACG sound like they are a pop band trying to play a The Who song. Mullins should not be trying to play like Frank Beard on Fallen In Love. He can’t do it, and it is an irritant for me to try to listen too. I get the idea behind it, since it sounds like ZZ Top and Billy Gibbons is on it, but the songs works better with a straight-forward drum part compared to trying to be cute and not being able to pull it off. I hate the vocal effect on Fireball. It sounds like a digital, post-production effect and like an afterthought instead of taking the time to get a good organic vocal distortion. The guitars have no bite, and it sounds like they hardly even took the time to work on trying to get good tone, or either it was when working on the production.


Yet again, there are ideas that could have been really great, but it seems like protools and digital production was relied on instead of taking the time to get it to sound good, and they went for “cute” ideas like the aforementioned ones above over ideas with substance.

padre_sliprat wrote: He's still light years ahead of any other 70 year old rocker in terms of the new record - it's solid and cohesive. I'm sure Muscle Of Love was a "letdown" for a long time, even though I liked it when it came out, and still do. Maybe decades down the road Paranormal will have grown on you. Maybe not. Pretties For You sure has legions of fans these days - unthinkable in 1969.

Usually if an album strikes me as a mediocre album after many tries,it stays that way, I loved MOL first listen.

evil syd wrote:Usually if an album strikes me as a mediocre album after many tries,it stays that way, I loved MOL first listen.

He has many mediocre albums (it's hard to surpass B$B, Killer, LITD, etc) and I do agree that Paranormal is one of them. It's not terrible, though. There's been a lot of cut and paste formulaic song crafting for a long time. I think once the testosterone goes, people just go through the motions. Willie Nelson keeps putting out product, yet nothing compares to his heyday. Everybody gets old if they live long enough.

padre_sliprat wrote:

evil syd wrote:Usually if an album strikes me as a mediocre album after many tries,it stays that way, I loved MOL first listen.

He has many mediocre albums (it's hard to surpass B$B, Killer, LITD, etc) and I do agree that Paranormal is one of them. It's not terrible, though. There's been a lot of cut and paste formulaic song crafting for a long time. I think once the testosterone goes, people just go through the motions. Willie Nelson keeps putting out product, yet nothing compares to his heyday. Everybody gets old if they live long enough.

I respectfully disagree. I think very few Alice albums are mediocre. It is the music business and if you have to be willing to change your sound with the times. For instance, albums like Constrictor, Raise Your Fist and Yell, etc. were very good to great sounding albums that kept Alice current and I love those albums. That can be said about many other eras as well. In fact, my favorite Alice era(s) are from 1986-2000. I think all of those albums are for the most part flawless, where some people swear by the original band albums or the early solo albums. It depends on the age of the fan, the era, etc. It is all subjective. Muscle of Love is one of my least favorite Alice albums ever. Revisited it last week and it still is one of my least favorite Alice albums ever. Just my two cents.

I still like Paranormal quite a bit.

Who plays the guitar on Fireball? I think it was Denander but I am sure someone here knows.

Maaki wrote:I still like Paranormal quite a bit.

Who plays the guitar on Fireball? I think it was Denander but I am sure someone here knows.

http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/content.p ... normal.php

cooperrocks wrote:I respectfully disagree. I think very few Alice albums are mediocre. It is the music business and if you have to be willing to change your sound with the times. For instance, albums like Constrictor, Raise Your Fist and Yell, etc. were very good to great sounding albums that kept Alice current and I love those albums. That can be said about many other eras as well. In fact, my favorite Alice era(s) are from 1986-2000. I think all of those albums are for the most part flawless, where some people swear by the original band albums or the early solo albums. It depends on the age of the fan, the era, etc. It is all subjective. Muscle of Love is one of my least favorite Alice albums ever. Revisited it last week and it still is one of my least favorite Alice albums ever. Just my two cents.

I respect your opinion as well. Honestly, MOL is a MB album with AC on vox and lyrics. Allen Schwartzburg plays drums on 4 or 5 cuts (he has an unmistakable shuffle in his style) and I know the bass on Workin' Up A Sweat might be someone else. It's finger-style and DD uses a pick. There's no GB anywhere. Even the harmonica playing is someone other than Coop. I would be surprised if I'm wrong, but it's not his style. Could I be mistaken? Absolutely. But, I wouldn't bet against my statements, either.

padre_sliprat wrote:Allen Schwartzburg plays drums on 4 or 5 cuts (he has an unmistakable shuffle in his style)

Neal was asked about that by Pitkin some time ago:
"My only comment is that there are still people that think the world is flat and that the moon is made out of cheese. Alice once said that he was Eddie Haskell, and people believed him, come on give me a **** break!! It was not true, but people believed him anyway. "

I like the 2 ACG tracks and Fireball a lot. Private Public Breakdown and Sound of A also have a good groove. The rest is pretty average to good. I agree that the production is way too slick. I wish Ezrin would back off the compression and autotune.

Overall, it is generally better than W2MN, however that album had some wonderful highs in I Am Made Of You and Last Man on Earth, along with the bonus track Under The Bed. All three of them are probably stronger that anything off the new one with the exception of Fireball which is a stone cold classic.

While Heaven Wept wrote:I like the 2 ACG tracks and Fireball a lot. Private Public Breakdown and Sound of A also have a good groove. The rest is pretty average to good. I agree that the production is way too slick. I wish Ezrin would back off the compression and autotune.

Overall, it is generally better than W2MN, however that album had some wonderful highs in I Am Made Of You and Last Man on Earth, along with the bonus track Under The Bed. All three of them are probably stronger that anything off the new one with the exception of Fireball which is a stone cold classic.

Fireball is definitely a classic and I wish he would to that one live. I like the Sound of A a lot and a few others. I actually don't care for either one of the ACG tracks.

cooperrocks wrote:

padre_sliprat wrote:

evil syd wrote:Usually if an album strikes me as a mediocre album after many tries,it stays that way, I loved MOL first listen.

He has many mediocre albums (it's hard to surpass B$B, Killer, LITD, etc) and I do agree that Paranormal is one of them. It's not terrible, though. There's been a lot of cut and paste formulaic song crafting for a long time. I think once the testosterone goes, people just go through the motions. Willie Nelson keeps putting out product, yet nothing compares to his heyday. Everybody gets old if they live long enough.

It is the music business and if you have to be willing to change your sound with the times. For instance, albums like Constrictor, Raise Your Fist and Yell, etc. were very good to great sounding albums that kept Alice current and I love those albums.

I think a lot of artists have their heyday and then make the move from setting the trends to chasing them. Some stop progressing and attempt to revert back to thier former “classic” style whilst others fight to stay current by adopting the latest sonic fashions.
To be genuinely cutting edge you have to be a pioneer and stay beyond the curve, you can’t be a follower. However keeping this up and remaining a popular commercial force is no small feat.