SOUND CLIPS

For chat about the current tour.
Could contain SPOILERS

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glamprincess
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Post by glamprincess » Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:43 pm

I'm not going to judge the album yet as I've only heard the 30-second clips and I can't judge an album based on short clips.
But I will say this, I am relieved to hear that it isn't like Brutal Planet. Personally, I never cared for the industrial or nu-metal sound and I'm surprised that some of you actually want Alice to go back to that sound. Alice Cooper was always more hard rock than metal and I prefer him that way.

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Post by Dragonlady » Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:52 pm

RemarkablyInsincere wrote:
Very true. I now consider "The Last Temptation" to be a masterpiece, but when it came out I initially was indifferent about a lot of it.
A perfect illustration of what I said above. I also didn't like that it that much when it came out. I just listened to it twice yesterday, there are some pure gems on that album! It just took some time for me to enjoy them.

I will wait until the album comes out to review it, but I am happy to see that it will be going a different way.

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Post by TeresofBlood » Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:10 pm

Well, I was one who said Vengeance is Mine was not great when it was released, but now I really like it and I can't stop singing the goddamn thing. If that is any indicator of the album then it would probably grow on me.

I'm really dying to listen to it. I'm buying both the vinyl and cd, but I'm debating whether or not to wait until July 29th. If I do and it isn't worth the wait, I'll be upset, but if I listen to it now, maybe it will have grown on my a bit by the time it comes out. I can't decide.

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Post by steven15322 » Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:16 pm

TeresofBlood wrote:Well, I was one who said Vengeance is Mine was not great when it was released, but now I really like it and I can't stop singing the goddamn thing. If that is any indicator of the album then it would probably grow on me.

I'm really dying to listen to it. I'm buying both the vinyl and cd, but I'm debating whether or not to wait until July 29th. If I do and it isn't worth the wait, I'll be upset, but if I listen to it now, maybe it will have grown on my a bit by the time it comes out. I can't decide.

Whatever you decide to do. Please don't judge the album by those 30 second clips that are available to listen to as they do not do the album or songs justice. Album should be heard in it's entirity to be appreciated fully.

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Post by Nev » Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:22 pm

Ive been listening to the full album for a week now and I have to say this is a great album. You can here a lot of his old songs in some of these like Steven and Cold Ethyl. Very cool. Much better than some of his last ones. I do however think that some songs are only ok. But even the 'ok' songs are cool because of the story they follow. The cool thing about this album is that he could do a FULL stage show with just this album, maybe throw in a couple songs like the Black Widow and were set for an awesome show!
My fave songs are:

Vengeance is mine - cool song
Salvation - Hope this get some radio play!
Wake the Dead - Same with this one, my fave next to Salvation!
Killed by Love - I love his ballads and this is another decent one
Wrapped in Silk - Fun song

My complaints:
I do find some of the songs almost repetitive in the sound, but only a couple. Some of the lyrics at times seem a bit to basic for Alice's mind. A lot of simple rhymes like "Pain and Brain and Train" in a couple songs. The last song I am the spider is ok but Im not sure he could sing it well in concert. Too high for him with out any help from sound technology.

Having said all that, I love this album and cant wait to buy it officially CD and LP. Its a fun album, its a dark album, and its a great story
I also cant wait for more promos!

[edit]
Oh and one thing I am so happy for is he didnt add a goofy song like "Ballad of Jesse Jane" or some junk. Yay! No Ubangi Stomp either! (Spider Stomp)
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Post by Alicehunter2000 » Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:13 pm

This was a useful review. Thanks. From only the 30 second clips, this review seems to correspond to my initial thoughts.


vince_raven wrote: First thing that struck me about this album is the sound. Not sure how to describe it, but it's modern without being over the top. Well maybe at times the effects are a little much, but after going thru the last 2 more stripped down albums, this was quite refreshing. The music doesn't completely redefine Alice, but this is a different style than we've been accustomed to. A long time fan can find elements of all eras of Alice scattered throughout, yet it still sounds new and refreshing. Although I hear alot of "Is it my Body" in "I'm Hungry" esp. the beginning, seems as if the music is an amalgam of all eras Alice. "Wake the Dead" comes to mind as having a catchy groove running thru it.

As for the lyrics, I have to agree they are pretty much straightforward. Which is a problem with most concept albums, they sometimes get lost in the narrative. There is so much story to explain that sometimes they get bogged down into it. Perhaps the problem is we already know too much of the story already. Yet, we all know lyric-wise that Alice can do better. Yet, there is no "Thrill My Gorilla" here. Maybe they will grow on me, but at the moment the lyrics aren't grabbing me. I fail to hear the classic Cooper wit or sneer in these words as of yet.

So, is this the worst Cooper album in years? Not by a long shot. It takes a few listens, but it gets to you. It would be great if this had a movie to go along with it, because it sounds like a great soundtrack album. Will this return Alice to the top of the charts and selling out arenas? Highly doubtful, unlike the last few albums, I don't hear a song here that could ever be considered a hit single. The album just flows from song to song, to me "Salvation" is my fav. at the moment, followed by "I'm Hungry". Overall, the songs are ok, but nothing grabs me as a standout track just yet, which is rare for me with an Alice album.

Overall, I think this album way be one to grow on you. I wasn't thrilled with The Last Temptation on first listen but over the years it has become one of my favorites. Maybe this will grow on me later. At the moment, I'm not sure what to think of it, but it is not as horrible as some might say.

Alice at this point I'm not sure what he knows to do. He strips the sound and concepts down, he gets ragged on. Returns with a new concept, he gets hell for it. Most artists his age would just say the hell with it and do a complete album of ballads and song-standards. I commend Alice for pressing on and giving us new material every few years. And at least this is better than listening to Lace and Whiskey for the 164th time.
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Post by RemarkablyInsincere » Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:20 pm

I really dig "I Am The Spider" and wouldn't have minded if there was a lot more of this style on the whole album.

It's actually more along the lines of what I expected.
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Post by Nev » Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:21 pm

I'm Hungry is an odd song. Because to me its a great song, very catchy and I liked it. Until he sings "I'm Hungraaaaay". It doesn't fit in that song and it turns me off of the song entirely. Its too bad because for me the song had more potential.
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Post by WickedYoungMan » Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:19 pm

glamprincess wrote:But I will say this, I am relieved to hear that it isn't like Brutal Planet. Personally, I never cared for the industrial or nu-metal sound and I'm surprised that some of you actually want Alice to go back to that sound. Alice Cooper was always more hard rock than metal and I prefer him that way.
I can't say I agree with you there. I thought the BP sound worked well for him personally. It was very up to date and "the next level" for him and he made a lot of good use out of the whole style I thought.
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Post by glamprincess » Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:36 pm

WickedYoungMan wrote:
I can't say I agree with you there. I thought the BP sound worked well for him personally. It was very up to date and "the next level" for him and he made a lot of good use out of the whole style I thought.
I know what you mean as Brutal Planet is a very popular album with Alice fans. I was really just talking about my own personal tastes. I don't really care for the heavier rock music a la Metallica. I much prefer to listen to stuff like the Rolling Stones, for instance. Just my own personal taste. But you may be right, in that, a lot of fans seem to really like the sound of BP.

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Post by Shoesalesman » Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:05 pm

Brutal Planet was almost the Constrictor of its time. Both had long breaks before release, different sounds were experimented with in both cases... could be that fans were saying, "Hey, a new Coop album's out after soooo long!" that helped BP be the success it was. Along, of course, with its kick-assness of theme, lyrics and musical delivery. :rock:
If I may put forward a slice of personal colostomy...

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Post by Nev » Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:19 pm

glamprincess wrote: I know what you mean as Brutal Planet is a very popular album with Alice fans. I was really just talking about my own personal tastes. I don't really care for the heavier rock music a la Metallica. I much prefer to listen to stuff like the Rolling Stones, for instance. Just my own personal taste. But you may be right, in that, a lot of fans seem to really like the sound of BP.
Yeah I agree. Im more into classic rock like Rolling Stones. Early punk. But not too much modern heavy stuff. This album isnt as heavy as BP and it has a nicer sound to it. But still not the ol classic Alice. I think thats why I enjoy a lot of his ballads. They seem to be timeless imo.
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Post by TeresofBlood » Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:08 pm

I've listened to it a few times now. I have to say it is a very consistent and cohesive album. In that I mean every song flows well into the next and they all carry the theme extremely well, but I find that none of the tracks are outstanding. My other problem with the album is the lack of variety. Many of the riffs sound the same way and many of the choruses repeat in the same way. It is slightly annoying.

The album starts off strong. 'I Know/Vengeance/Wake' is a solid set of tracks that tell us the foundation of the story and get us right into the action. The album starts off very strong and promising.

Here's where it starts to go downhill. Catch Me has a very similar intro to 'Wake'. The lyrics also follow the same structure of Vengeance's chorus. On the other hand, In Touch is one of the better rockers on the album. But then we take a step backward again. Wrapped in Silk, though a good song seems to have derived its riff from I Know Where You Live.

The next track saves the album from boring doom. "Killed By Love" is a minimal ballad in the same vein as "Only Women". It is the variety that is needed to remind the listener that there is more than one song on this album.

I agree with everyone about the next track "I'M HUNGRAY!!!!" Gimme a break. Very good song up till that moment. I still like the song though.

The final three tracks together are the strongest part of the album, along with the first three tracks. They not only tell an important part of the story, but they all have a sound distinctly different from the generic rock sounds that bog down the middle of this album.

Overall it is a solid album and a solid listen. If you want to really like this album, listen and get to know each track individually. Listen to a track a couple times and walk away. Sing it. See if you can play it in your head. Repeat with the next track.

On albums like this with songs that sound the same, I find myself losing interest and not picking up on the differences in the tracks, so familiarizing myself with each track individually helps me enjoy the album more.

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Post by Feezle-Nuts » Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:24 pm

No offense to anyone, but it seems like some are going through an awful lot of work to enjoy an album. It's kinda like my view on movies these days.....

Let's take Indiana Jones IV for example. I hated it. A lot of people hated it. Most of the people who loved it said that you have to watch it 3 or 4 times to love it. Why should you have to watch something multiple times to like it. Remember when you only had to watch a movie once in order to have an enjoyable experience? So is 3 or 4 times enough to make your mind numb so you don't realize how bad the material really is?

A non fan is not going to sit through an album 5 or 6 times trying to like it if they think it is crap. They are going to listen to it once and throw it in the back seat of their car. Sometimes I think fans tend to force themselves to like things.

This isn't just an Alice Cooper thing, I've witnessed it in everything that I'm a fan of. Why do you thing Star Wars continues to make the money it does when the material is crap?

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Post by TeresofBlood » Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:28 pm

It always takes me a few times to enjoy an album. The first time I listen, I never take in the individual songs. I just listen to the story the combination of songs is telling me. Then, I pay more attention to the individual songs the next time around.

Because many of the songs on this album sound similar, I needed to hear each one a few times before I knew the difference between them.

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Post by RemarkablyInsincere » Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:32 pm

I learned after the last 3 Star Wars movies that George Lucas is an insane man and he will not get anymore of my money. Thus I didn't waste my time seeing the latest Indiana Jones movie. :grin:
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Post by Feezle-Nuts » Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:40 pm

RemarkablyInsincere wrote:I learned after the last 3 Star Wars movies that George Lucas is an insane man and he will not get anymore of my money. Thus I didn't waste my time seeing the latest Indiana Jones movie. :grin:
Lucky!

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Post by Jumping Jack » Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:46 pm

This is all about personal taste, but for my money Coop has always been about live performances and I much prefer the unpolished but energetic and passionate sound of his live stuff over his studio work.

Lost In America is a good example. The studio track is very dorky IMHO, but comes alive and kicks ass live. WOMD and DD are killer live. The Montreux soundtrack is better than any of the studio albums again IMHO.

I will judge this CD when I hear his touring band play the songs and they have practiced them enough times so they flow. Some of the studio tracks like Vengeance sound unrehearsed with forced vocals to my ears.

I am no fan of over processed songs by hired guns that sound nothing like the real deal. The perfect new CD for me would be recorded entirely live in a few secret gigs.

Its like the difference between the Beatles and Stones. The Beatles gave you nice clean studio albums, but Macca live is still a bore to this day. The Stones were all about the live performance. Too much finish ruins the product and the passion. A simple killer hook is still the hardest thing to write. I wonder what Ezrin would have stripped out of this CD?
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Post by steven15322 » Mon Jul 07, 2008 9:52 pm

I look it this way it all comes down to personal tastes. WhenI got Shcool Out I listened to it and put it down, over time I listened to it here and there. It wasn't until like 2 years until I finally listened to it with an open mind and got into it. Does that mean Schools Out is a bad album? No of course not..as I said it all comes down to personal tastes not everyone is gonna like everything Alice does. Just be happy he is still making new music 4 albums so far this decade. Not very many bands from his era or even now are doing that.


Well there is one band that comes to mind that are still working hard "Motorhead"

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Post by hannu30 » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:07 am

Alicehunter2000 wrote:Just remember....there are people on this board who think that Lace and Whiskey and Special Forces are good albums.

nuff said........I'll wait for the album, and pass my own judgement.......as a group of Alice fans, we are all over the map in opinions.
Well, Lace and Whiskey is a magnificent album imo :)

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