Alice Is Still Hinting At Re Staging The Nightmare Show

[glamprincess]

I don't think the chemistry that the original band had back in the early 70s could be re-created. For one thing, Glen is gone. And very importantly, the 70s are over and the original band are no longer a bunch of guys in their twenties. Instead, they are a bunch of 60 year old men who haven't really collaborated together in almost 35 years.

it's hard enough watching one 60 year old on stage. imagine more?

Too much has happened and changed since then. Rock music has changed and the crazy 70s are now a distant memory.

for a good reason!!!!!

And there have been creative differences and jealousies and they are not the cohesive group they once were.

jealousies made very clear by the original band. it's called 'survival of the fittest.' alice survived, they didn't. of course there's going to be jealousy and resentment!

I am confused. Your comments seem to agree with everything I have said but your tone does not. I don't understand your harsh tone when your comments don't say anything different than what I've said.
As I said in my previous post, you took my first comment out of context as I was not agreeing with Neal. I did NOT say that they were Alice Cooper, I was pointing out that Neal has said it. So you should not have told me to "get over it" but it should have been that "he should get over it". (See my previous post which may get missed because it's on the previous page.)

[mattcoddington]

But would some of the other original members be happy with that? (For example, I believe Neal has said he doesn't even like the term "Alice Cooper Group" because he feels that they were "Alice Cooper".)

waaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! neal has said a lot over the years. get over it. alice cooper has always been, and will always be, one single person/character.

Matt, read my Entire post please! You took my comment completely the wrong way! I am not agreeing with Neal, so I don't know why you are saying "get over it". You should be posting that "he should get over it". I am actually agreeing with much of what you said, in that, I don't think the others would be happy not to get the attention and be "Alice Cooper" when WYM suggested they could use another name.

sorry, i should have been more clear. my dialogue was directed at what neil has said. not what you just said. there are countless interviews to back up my point, also. i believe neil has been the most vocal about resenting the fact that alice has gone on to be so successful on his own.

[A_MichaelUK]

>i believe neil has been the most vocal about resenting the fact that alice has gone on to be so successful on his own.

That's possible although based on past comments, I'd say Michael Bruce was the main contender for that particular trait.

[MacQueen]

Sometimes I think Neal is a bitter old bastard with some of his comments. The thing about the break up is that there six different opinions and views on what happened. We'll never find out what was the truth.

However, what I DO believe is that Alice left the door open for all of them to come back if they wished. All it would have taken was a phone call or meeting to get set up and voila, new partnership.

Also, there's NOTHING anyone can say to the contrary that the remaining members could have done something different that would have been successful had they just kept trying and been consistent.

[steven_crayn]

Alice is also an old guy

of course. way old!

and can still deliver as can the remaining members of the original band who I have seen play in recent years.

matter of opinion, but ok.

I would have thought Feed My Frankenstein would be way down the pecking order of songs to play

seems to be a regular in the live shows.

and those guys could still write a great song with Alice, it's called talent.

the spark that was once there, may no longer be. especially when you include the jealousy coming from certain individuals.

Alice way old?

Are you some kind of ageist?

He still puts on a great show so what has his age got to do with anything?
Alice is a timeless character.
By the same token when I've seen Michael, Neal & Dennis play in recent years they have proved to me that they can hold their own with any musican half their age, and when it comes to those Alice songs they help create, no one can ever play them as good.

I appreciate Alice has had a career post Muscle of Love and will always play material that has been popular since 73, but lets debunk this myth you are trying to create that Michael, Neal & Dennis couldn't play a song like Feed My Frankenstein.

Don't get lost in the Vai/Satriani guitar solo pyros, not even the current band play those solos the same, it is all about putting your own stamp on a song.
Michael as well as a great writer is primarily a rhythm guitarist (one of the greatest that ever lived) and has played technically more difficult rhythm parts on Alice songs than that Zodiac Mindwarp song, which is a really good song but not in the same league as the stuff the original band came up with.
Like wise Neal and Dennis would also be able to play said song.

Say those 3 made an album and toured with Alice with the addition of a great lead player like Slash, does anyone seriously think they wouldn't be able to cut it?
You are seriously deluded if you think so.

I know it is hard for some people to realise that the 80's metal boom and all that followed was a case of what came first, the chicken or the egg?

As great a band as Guns n Roses were, you only have to listen to Welcome To The Jungle to hear the Alice Cooper group influence.

[mattcoddington]

I am confused.

i aim to please.

[mattcoddington]

>i believe neil has been the most vocal about resenting the fact that alice has gone on to be so successful on his own.

That's possible although based on past comments, I'd say Michael Bruce was the main contender for that particular trait.

you have a point. i guess i didn't think of michael's comments because they might not have the same merit as neil's.

[mattcoddington]

Sometimes I think Neal is a bitter old bastard with some of his comments. The thing about the break up is that there six different opinions and views on what happened. We'll never find out what was the truth.

However, what I DO believe is that Alice left the door open for all of them to come back if they wished. All it would have taken was a phone call or meeting to get set up and voila, new partnership.

Also, there's NOTHING anyone can say to the contrary that the remaining members could have done something different that would have been successful had they just kept trying and been consistent.

furthermore, who's to say they would have continued their success after mol? just how far could they have taken it? would they still be touring now? tough to say. i'm leaning towards 'no.'

[mattcoddington]

Alice way old?

Are you some kind of ageist?

He still puts on a great show so what has his age got to do with anything?
Alice is a timeless character.
By the same token when I've seen Michael, Neal & Dennis play in recent years they have proved to me that they can hold their own with any musican half their age, and when it comes to those Alice songs they help create, no one can ever play them as good.

I appreciate Alice has had a career post Muscle of Love and will always play material that has been popular since 73, but lets debunk this myth you are trying to create that Michael, Neal & Dennis couldn't play a song like Feed My Frankenstein.

Don't get lost in the Vai/Satriani guitar solo pyros, not even the current band play those solos the same, it is all about putting your own stamp on a song.
Michael as well as a great writer is primarily a rhythm guitarist (one of the greatest that ever lived) and has played technically more difficult rhythm parts on Alice songs than that Zodiac Mindwarp song, which is a really good song but not in the same league as the stuff the original band came up with.
Like wise Neal and Dennis would also be able to play said song.

Say those 3 made an album and toured with Alice with the addition of a great lead player like Slash, does anyone seriously think they wouldn't be able to cut it?
You are seriously deluded if you think so.

I know it is hard for some people to realise that the 80's metal boom and all that followed was a case of what came first, the chicken or the egg?

As great a band as Guns n Roses were, you only have to listen to Welcome To The Jungle to hear the Alice Cooper group influence.

next, you're going to tell me they could cover dream theater songs. uh huh.

[steven_crayn]

Alice way old?

Are you some kind of ageist?

He still puts on a great show so what has his age got to do with anything?
Alice is a timeless character.
By the same token when I've seen Michael, Neal & Dennis play in recent years they have proved to me that they can hold their own with any musican half their age, and when it comes to those Alice songs they help create, no one can ever play them as good.

I appreciate Alice has had a career post Muscle of Love and will always play material that has been popular since 73, but lets debunk this myth you are trying to create that Michael, Neal & Dennis couldn't play a song like Feed My Frankenstein.

Don't get lost in the Vai/Satriani guitar solo pyros, not even the current band play those solos the same, it is all about putting your own stamp on a song.
Michael as well as a great writer is primarily a rhythm guitarist (one of the greatest that ever lived) and has played technically more difficult rhythm parts on Alice songs than that Zodiac Mindwarp song, which is a really good song but not in the same league as the stuff the original band came up with.
Like wise Neal and Dennis would also be able to play said song.

Say those 3 made an album and toured with Alice with the addition of a great lead player like Slash, does anyone seriously think they wouldn't be able to cut it?
You are seriously deluded if you think so.

I know it is hard for some people to realise that the 80's metal boom and all that followed was a case of what came first, the chicken or the egg?

As great a band as Guns n Roses were, you only have to listen to Welcome To The Jungle to hear the Alice Cooper group influence.

next, you're going to tell me they could cover dream theater songs. uh huh.

What an insufficient and unsurprising response.

But since when has Alice or band members ever sounded or wanted to sound like Dream Theatre.

I don't mind some Dream Theatre, but next you'll be telling me they would be able resist overplaying on Alice songs that are already perfect, uh huh?

[mattcoddington]

What an insufficient and unsurprising response.

But since when has Alice or band members ever sounded or wanted to sound like Dream Theatre.

when have they wanted to sound like steve vai or joe satriani?????????? they haven't. point proven.

I don't mind some Dream Theatre, but next you'll be telling me they would be able resist overplaying on Alice songs that are already perfect, uh huh?

no songs are perfect. not even song written by his original band members. get out of the 70's. it's over.

[A_MichaelUK]

>The thing about the break up is that there six different opinions and views on what happened.

Exactly.

>However, what I DO believe is that Alice left the door open for all of them to come back if they wished.

Really?! You need to read that recent interview with Neal (the link is on the "News" page of this site) because it was Neal who said it was the band who "left the door open" for Alice to return. It's just that he Alice chose not to, as was his right.

[A_MichaelUK]

When I made my comment about Michael Bruce, I should have pointed out that Maurice was correct in making the same point (before my post).

[WickedYoungMan]

However, what I DO believe is that Alice left the door open for all of them to come back if they wished.

This sort of makes it sound like it was Alice's band and the band members deserted him. As I recall hearing, it was the other way around as to "who left the door open" and it was in fact the band members who were waiting for Alice. Wasn't it said that Neal or one of them went to see Alice during WTMN and told him backstage that "the door was open for him?" I always thought the "understanding" was that they would do their solo projects and get back together after a year. After WTMN, I think Shep and Alice may have liked the arrangements they had with Alice as a solo artist and kept it that way? Speculation of course.

For what it's worth and in all fairness to Alice, it's stated on this site somewhere that in 1981 a reunion was almost going to happen, and in fact it was Alice who made the initiative to call everyone (if memory serves) but either Bob Ezrin didn't want anything to do with it or something like that and it was ultimately scrapped. It's a shame, based on the "Virgin" videos it seems like Glen was back as far as playing goes.

[WickedYoungMan]

BTW, my post was being written while Andy posted, didn't mean to echo (strangely some of it is almost exactly) what was said on purpose.

[WickedYoungMan]

But would some of the other original members be happy with that? (For example, I believe Neal has said he doesn't even like the term "Alice Cooper Group" because he feels that they were "Alice Cooper".)

My own opinion [this is not directed at WYM's comments but just my own opinion]:
I don't think the chemistry that the original band had back in the early 70s could be re-created. For one thing, Glen is gone. And very importantly, the 70s are over and the original band are no longer a bunch of guys in their twenties. Instead, they are a bunch of 60 year old men who haven't really collaborated together in almost 35 years. Too much has happened and changed since then. Rock music has changed and the crazy 70s are now a distant memory. And there have been creative differences and jealousies and they are not the cohesive group they once were. So I don't think they could get that original chemistry back....and go back to 1972.

You're probably right on all of that. My suggestion not to do it as "Alice Cooper" was of course just my opinion though if they could work it out.

[mattcoddington]

because it was Neal who said it was the band who "left the door open" for Alice to return..

oh, how nice of them!!!!!!!!!

[A_MichaelUK]

>oh, how nice of them!!!!!!!!!

Exactly - as if Alice was an employee or something.

[steven_crayn]

What an insufficient and unsurprising response.

But since when has Alice or band members ever sounded or wanted to sound like Dream Theatre.

when have they wanted to sound like steve vai or joe satriani?????????? they haven't. point proven.

I don't mind some Dream Theatre, but next you'll be telling me they would be able resist overplaying on Alice songs that are already perfect, uh huh?

no songs are perfect. not even song written by his original band members. get out of the 70's. it's over.

You haven't proved anything, and don't tell me what era of music I should listen to, the stuff that Alice did then was his best stuff.Songs like Halo Of Flies couldn't be improved so they are in effect perfect.
That doesn't mean I don't like his current album, I have gone on record about how good I think the album is and have had heated debates with the albums detractors on here.

[steven_crayn]

I don't think the chemistry that the original band had back in the early 70s could be re-created. For one thing, Glen is gone. And very importantly, the 70s are over and the original band are no longer a bunch of guys in their twenties. Instead, they are a bunch of 60 year old men who haven't really collaborated together in almost 35 years. Too much has happened and changed since then. Rock music has changed and the crazy 70s are now a distant memory. And there have been creative differences and jealousies and they are not the cohesive group they once were. So I don't think they could get that original chemistry back....and go back to 1972.

With respect glamprincess, a lot is said about chemistry, but Dennis, Neal & Michael are still great players, so don't you think if they got in a room with Alice and Bob Ezrin they couldn't write something great?
Of course with the sad death of Glen they would need a lead guitarist, be it someone with an Alice Cooper group connection such as a session player from that era like Dick Wagner, Steve Hunter or Mick Mashbir or even someone from the current band or a big name like Slash.

They would certainly be able to play those classic songs better than anyone and I have no doubt they would be able to write more great stuff.