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COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:14 am
by pitkin88
Lulu has admitted that her The Man With The Golden Gun was the worst of the Bond songs. It was also the first Bond song that didn't chart. She seemed a good fit with a strong voice but it is a pretty tuneless affair song written by the talented John Barry.

Alice Cooper's The Man With The Golden Gun completely blows it away. So my question is, if they had gone with the band's version could that have saved the band from splitting up?

The exposure and cache of being in a world wide hit movie would have elevated sales of Muscle Of Love and more than likely been the second hit from the album.

Thoughts?

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 9:46 am
by tuneylune
Quite possible-never hurts to have a tune associated with the massively popular JB series. Paul McCartney certainly got a boost the year before with "Live and Let Die"

As for the song itself, still think the MOL version is much better than Lulu's and even at 14, knew exactly that it's about the movie.
Alice was quite popular at the time and having a genuine hit single certainly could have MOL, but the split was inevitible seeing how practically no one of the General Population knew "Alice Cooper" was a group and with the internal friction also going on between the guys. May have delayed things, but probably not for long :( .

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 12:53 pm
by mr.barlow
I agree with TuneyLune in that it might have delayed things for a time but eventually the band would have dissolved not long thereafter.

If it did continue, I think it would have went forward as a four-piece without Glen Buxton as he had checked himself out of the band well before the release of MOL and did not play on B$B or MOL. If the band survived I think Wagner would have taken over as lead guitarist both in the studio and on stage (whether he would have been made a full and credited member is another question).

Ezrin was starting pre-production of the then proposed one-off Alice solo record which became WTMN during 1974 so I believe the record was going to be made either way. Michael Bruce was also planning his solo record. So, I think if MWTGG was chosen as a Bond song it would have given the original band maybe another year at best. However, I think the Alice Cooper version would at least have become a great Bond theme (not a classic but decent) and given them the honor of being a band that provided a Bond theme song.

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 4:13 pm
by padre_sliprat
MWTGG sounded too familiar, as if it had already been used in a Bond film. Side note: I had a WB cassette of MOL...it came in a black plastic slip case, which held the tape securely. The cassette was black with white pad print and the name of the song was listed as Man With The Gold Gun, whereas on the "coin" it had the correct title.

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 4:35 pm
by pitkin88
Although I like the song I feel it is missing something and that is probably Ezrin's stamp. Maybe he could have made it a little more Bond. I

The deal with LuLu was apparently done before the band recorded their version. It would have been a better move for the studio to have used Alice Cooper as it would have been edgy and given the movie additional press they could have never got with LuLu.

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 4:43 pm
by Toronto Bob
I think it's a fair question but I doubt it would have been able to stop what was already in motion. In a sense it could have further widened the divide of Alice and the group. With more Hollywood success Alice would have been out there alone that much more.

I don't think anything could have held the band together but more Hollywood success for Alice would likely have been an accelerator.

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 4:58 pm
by pitkin88
I wonder why they didn't release the song as a single anyway instead of Muscle Of Love which due to its title and subject matter would have had a hard time ( no pun intended ) getting played on the radio.

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:38 pm
by Ted Sallis
I agree with several of the above comments that Man With the Golden Gun might have delayed the breakup but not prevented it. I've often wondered the same thing, if the song being used for the theme song could have saved the Group. Alice has stated that it's his favourite song on the MOL album.

Ted

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 10:21 pm
by rtbuck
Even with the Original Band, if they used that in the Bond film would it have led to an earlier appearance of Maurice Escargot?

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:01 am
by mr.barlow
Perhaps he could have helped Bond played by Peter Sellers, save the world from the clutches of Martin Luther Queen and his gay ray.

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:38 am
by Daggers & Contracts
mr.barlow wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:01 am
Perhaps he could have helped Bond played by Peter Sellers, save the world from the clutches of Martin Luther Queen and his gay ray.
RIP Inspector Clouseau. :( Steve Martin did well in reboot but no PS. Since then Beyonce has been unstoppable!
Watch it Mr. B - after all it is LBGTQ month. :devil:

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:49 am
by mr.barlow
I don't believe in political correctness--in fact I loathe it! It has ruined the nature of comedy. Anyone offended by my post needs to learn to laugh at life and themselves. We get one go around on "this ball of hate" there is no sense in taking yourself too seriously.

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:53 am
by mr.barlow
I wonder if the LBGTQ will lead a protest to have Martin Luther Queen removed from The Strange Case concert video. Also, could Alice be accused on "identity appropriation" as he has a woman's name, made his name in the early days dressing in women's clothes when he actually is a heterosexual male. That would be blasphemy in today's ridiculous world.

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 2:14 am
by Daggers & Contracts
mr.barlow wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:53 am
I wonder if the LBGTQ will lead a protest to have Martin Luther Queen removed from The Strange Case concert video. Also, could Alice be accused on "identity appropriation" as he has a woman's name, made his name in the early days dressing in women's clothes when he actually is a heterosexual male. That would be blasphemy in today's ridiculous world.
Point to Mr. B.
I knew your post was tongue in cheek, but after all it is an open forum. Not many here share your sense of humor. Though I do find it interesting. :rotfl:

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 2:31 am
by mr.barlow
than all is fair because I don't share their sense of self-righteousness.

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 5:25 am
by pitkin88
mr.barlow wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 2:31 am
than all is fair because I don't share their sense of self-righteousness.
I share your sense of humour and I'm not afraid to admit it!

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 5:53 am
by PFOLGORE
The song does not sound like the original band. The song wreaks as a Alice Cooper project. It is overproduced and orchestrated. I wonder what role if any Michael played in the song, we know Glen did not play on it. So if it had been successful it would have only given Alice more encouragement to go solo. The band did a lot of range musically

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:15 am
by pitkin88
PFOLGORE wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 5:53 am
The song does not sound like the original band. The song wreaks as a Alice Cooper project. It is overproduced and orchestrated. I wonder what role if any Michael played in the song, we know Glen did not play on it. So if it had been successful it would have only given Alice more encouragement to go solo. The band did a lot of range musically
I would guess that Michael wrote the music and Alice the lyrics. All of the band were big James Bond fans. It needed that big sound as that is what Bond movies had. It does sound a little stiff though.

I don't agree that it sounds like a Cooper solo project at all. It's on the demos bootleg which I don't have anymore. Looks like it is a lot shorter in length than the finished version. Could someone report back ( maybe Toronto Bob ) if its:

A) drastically different in sound and structure.
B) if the lyrics are different
C) if it's a live run through it has overdubs.

I think I read the demos were done at Nimbus. Would Bob have been there for them?

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 10:07 am
by dadascot
In micheals book he says he likes the song and wishes it had been chosen by the Bond people. The album was released a full year before the film. My thoughts are that the song would have been re-edited for the film and would have been as big a hit as wings which would have impacted on MoL sales and opened the album up to more fans. The thing about the break up was that the band were set to renegotiate a new contract with WB and two monster hits MAY have been enough to get a great deal that would have encouraged them to continue, if the band had also been allowed a decent break.

Re: COULD BOND HAVE SAVED ALICE COOPER?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 4:26 pm
by Babysquid
mr.barlow wrote:
Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:53 am
I wonder if the LBGTQ will lead a protest to have Martin Luther Queen removed from The Strange Case concert video. Also, could Alice be accused on "identity appropriation" as he has a woman's name, made his name in the early days dressing in women's clothes when he actually is a heterosexual male. That would be blasphemy in today's ridiculous world.
I doubt that video is even on their radar. Might be good publicity for Alice if it appears though.