Along came Alice's best album in years

[Owepar]

I came to the boards yesterday looking for info on the album (which I've already pre-ordered on vinyl and CD), discovered it'd been leaked, so I did a search and instantly found it. Since I've already paid for two copies and have put thousands of bucks in Alice's pocket over the years, I feel no guilt in downloading it early... Nice that everyone has different opinions (and I certainly won't belittle anyone who loves it), but in this case, I have to agree with the naysayers.

Admittedly, I've had preconceived notions about the album -- which the current internet marketing campaign fed into. I wish "The Last Temptation" had gotten this kind of promotion. The teaser photos and videos makes it look like a dark, twisted, hard-rockin' masterpiece. I anticipated a concept as great as "The Last Temptation" with eloquent "Brutal Planet" lyrics and some of the raw energy of "Hey Stoopid" and "Raise Your Fist." Far from it. Easily the biggest letdown of the year (and Alice's career) for me. Much like "The Last Temptation" and "Da Da" (which are two of my faves), it's a total one-off -- it doesn't have a companion album (hopefully it never will) and it's hard to accurately compare it, as a whole, to anything else he's done.

The majority of the songs are inappropriately upbeat given the subject matter (85% of them remind me of "Lost in a Dream," though they're neither as clever or catchy) with redundantly forgettable refrains that rival the inanity of "Dyslexia." And following in the footsteps of the last two albums, it's got way too much of a garage sound, not the polish that it should've had. Lyrically, there are a few Alice-isms, but it's way too straight-forward and seems dumbed down. The storyline feels a bit skewered, as if the songs should have been in a different order and like there's big chunks of the story missing (not surprising, since it was once announced it'd be a double album). The epilogue feels forced -- it's like, "Since you're too stupid to understand what just happened...." -- and bringing Steven into it feels wrong; like an insult to "Welcome to My Nightmare" (and TLT, "Goes to Hell," "Wind Up Toy," etc.). **SPOILER** And speaking of Steven, Alice's math seems to be off too. 33 (WTMN) or 30 ("From the Inside") years might have set okay with me, but 28 years suggests Steven was altogether abandoned with "Flush the Fashion."

I dunno if Coop's distracted by the endless tours/radio show, etc. or what, but this is not the album I was anticipating, and personally, I think the last two were better (which is sad since they rank amongst my least favorites) . I've listened to it four times now, and have yet to find a hook song. Matter of fact, the ONLY song that sticks in my head is "Vengeance Is Mine," probably because it's the first song I heard (and the best cut from the album, which isn't saying a lot). And I don't understand why people are raving about "Salvation," in my opinion it's the weakest link, both musically and lyrically.

Am I mistaken in thinking it was announced that Bob Ezrin was gonna produce the album? This is a project that screamed for Ezrin, and it's really unfortunate that he wasn't involved.

[Feezle-Nuts]

I came to the boards yesterday looking for info on the album (which I've already pre-ordered on vinyl and CD), discovered it'd been leaked, so I did a search and instantly found it. Since I've already paid for two copies and have put thousands of bucks in Alice's pocket over the years, I feel no guilt in downloading it early... Nice that everyone has different opinions (and I certainly won't belittle anyone who loves it), but in this case, I have to agree with the naysayers.

Admittedly, I've had preconceived notions about the album -- which the current internet marketing campaign fed into. I wish "The Last Temptation" had gotten this kind of promotion. The teaser photos and videos makes it look like a dark, twisted, hard-rockin' masterpiece. I anticipated a concept as great as "The Last Temptation" with eloquent "Brutal Planet" lyrics and some of the raw energy of "Hey Stoopid" and "Raise Your Fist." Far from it. Easily the biggest letdown of the year (and Alice's career) for me. Much like "The Last Temptation" and "Da Da" (which are two of my faves), it's a total one-off -- it doesn't have a companion album (hopefully it never will) and it's hard to accurately compare it, as a whole, to anything else he's done.

The majority of the songs are inappropriately upbeat given the subject matter (85% of them remind me of "Lost in a Dream," though they're neither as clever or catchy) with redundantly forgettable refrains that rival the inanity of "Dyslexia." And following in the footsteps of the last two albums, it's got way too much of a garage sound, not the polish that it should've had. Lyrically, there are a few Alice-isms, but it's way too straight-forward and seems dumbed down. The storyline feels a bit skewered, as if the songs should have been in a different order and like there's big chunks of the story missing (not surprising, since it was once announced it'd be a double album). The epilogue feels forced -- it's like, "Since you're too stupid to understand what just happened...." -- and bringing Steven into it feels wrong; like an insult to "Welcome to My Nightmare" (and TLT, "Goes to Hell," "Wind Up Toy," etc.). **SPOILER** And speaking of Steven, Alice's math seems to be off too. 33 (WTMN) or 30 ("From the Inside") years might have set okay with me, but 28 years suggests Steven was altogether abandoned with "Flush the Fashion."

I dunno if Coop's distracted by the endless tours/radio show, etc. or what, but this is not the album I was anticipating, and personally, I think the last two were better (which is sad since they rank amongst my least favorites) . I've listened to it four times now, and have yet to find a hook song. Matter of fact, the ONLY song that sticks in my head is "Vengeance Is Mine," probably because it's the first song I heard (and the best cut from the album, which isn't saying a lot). And I don't understand why people are raving about "Salvation," in my opinion it's the weakest link, both musically and lyrically.

Am I mistaken in thinking it was announced that Bob Ezrin was gonna produce the album? This is a project that screamed for Ezrin, and it's really unfortunate that he wasn't involved.

Very much the way I feel about it. Glad I'm not alone.

[Jumping Jack]

I agree about the story and lyrics, also find Salvation the weakest on the CD, but I rather like the music and look forward to the likely stripped down live arrangements with Keri and Chuck rocking out even if there are not memorable riffs.

[TeresofBlood]

Owepar, that is an excellent review, even if I disagree slightly with your opinion. I agree that the order of the songs should have differed and it feels like chunks of the story are missing.

I don't think the 28 years thing is an error. There has to be some intention behind it. I also don't mind the upbeat nature of the songs, as I've come to expect such strange juxtaposition from Alice.

The hooks take quite a while to set in. For me, the first was Vengeance and Wake the Dead. Now, Wrapped in Silk and Hungry have really set in for me. Those took the longest.

I would say the weakest tracks are I know Where You Live and Catch Me If You Can.

[Feezle-Nuts]

I might totally change my mind on the live versions of the songs. If Alice trims them down and cuts out some of the repetitive lyrics, they may be a whole new animal live. Have to wait and see. A lot of songs sound better live.

[NotSoPerfect]

it's hard to accurately compare it, as a whole, to anything else he's done.

I don't know as that's such a bad thing.

[Swinger]

**SPOILER** And speaking of Steven, Alice's math seems to be off too. 33 (WTMN) or 30 ("From the Inside") years might have set okay with me, but 28 years suggests Steven was altogether abandoned with "Flush the Fashion."

Maybe it should be interpreted as Steven was abandoned when the 70s ended.

[TeresofBlood]

If he was locked in a cell for 28 years, all that means is he was caught in 1980. His killings could have taken place at any point in that time from 1975 to 1980. I don't see why it is such a problem for people.

[RemarkablyInsincere]

I came to the boards yesterday looking for info on the album (which I've already pre-ordered on vinyl and CD), discovered it'd been leaked, so I did a search and instantly found it. Since I've already paid for two copies and have put thousands of bucks in Alice's pocket over the years, I feel no guilt in downloading it early... Nice that everyone has different opinions (and I certainly won't belittle anyone who loves it), but in this case, I have to agree with the naysayers.

Admittedly, I've had preconceived notions about the album -- which the current internet marketing campaign fed into. I wish "The Last Temptation" had gotten this kind of promotion. The teaser photos and videos makes it look like a dark, twisted, hard-rockin' masterpiece. I anticipated a concept as great as "The Last Temptation" with eloquent "Brutal Planet" lyrics and some of the raw energy of "Hey Stoopid" and "Raise Your Fist." Far from it. Easily the biggest letdown of the year (and Alice's career) for me. Much like "The Last Temptation" and "Da Da" (which are two of my faves), it's a total one-off -- it doesn't have a companion album (hopefully it never will) and it's hard to accurately compare it, as a whole, to anything else he's done.

The majority of the songs are inappropriately upbeat given the subject matter (85% of them remind me of "Lost in a Dream," though they're neither as clever or catchy) with redundantly forgettable refrains that rival the inanity of "Dyslexia." And following in the footsteps of the last two albums, it's got way too much of a garage sound, not the polish that it should've had. Lyrically, there are a few Alice-isms, but it's way too straight-forward and seems dumbed down. The storyline feels a bit skewered, as if the songs should have been in a different order and like there's big chunks of the story missing (not surprising, since it was once announced it'd be a double album). The epilogue feels forced -- it's like, "Since you're too stupid to understand what just happened...." -- and bringing Steven into it feels wrong; like an insult to "Welcome to My Nightmare" (and TLT, "Goes to Hell," "Wind Up Toy," etc.). **SPOILER** And speaking of Steven, Alice's math seems to be off too. 33 (WTMN) or 30 ("From the Inside") years might have set okay with me, but 28 years suggests Steven was altogether abandoned with "Flush the Fashion."

I dunno if Coop's distracted by the endless tours/radio show, etc. or what, but this is not the album I was anticipating, and personally, I think the last two were better (which is sad since they rank amongst my least favorites) . I've listened to it four times now, and have yet to find a hook song. Matter of fact, the ONLY song that sticks in my head is "Vengeance Is Mine," probably because it's the first song I heard (and the best cut from the album, which isn't saying a lot). And I don't understand why people are raving about "Salvation," in my opinion it's the weakest link, both musically and lyrically.

Am I mistaken in thinking it was announced that Bob Ezrin was gonna produce the album? This is a project that screamed for Ezrin, and it's really unfortunate that he wasn't involved.

You really need to listen to the album more...

I just don't think it's possible to have this definitive of an opinion on an album you've given less than 24 hours of time to.

It be one thing if it's not a favorite artist... but you are an Alice fan... and some Alice albums need and deserve more listening time.

While I liked the album out of the gate to a degree... my enjoyment of it has only increased exponentially over the near two weeks I've been listening to it.

Some of the great ones are like that... "The Eyes of Alice Cooper" didn't exactly knock my socks off initially.

I'm not saying it'll be your favorite album of all time, but I think you'll find there are things to like about it if you give it a chance.

[Owepar]

I don't think the 28 years thing is an error. There has to be some intention behind it.

I dunno if I was thinking "error," but 28 years just doesn't feel right to me. That was when "Flush the Fashion" was released, and I guess by Alice's reckoning, that's when Steven took a hiatus... left in the institution from "From the Inside," I suppose (where he still resided in "Wind Up Toy").

I also don't mind the upbeat nature of the songs, as I've come to expect such strange juxtaposition from Alice.

I like Alice's upbeat songs usually. Again, they just feel wrong, given the nature of the material. Maybe that's the point and it just went over my head.

it's hard to accurately compare it, as a whole, to anything else he's done.

I don't know as that's such a bad thing.

No, it's not a bad thing, but everyone (myself included) seems to want to compare it to his other concept albums, and one really can't.

You really need to listen to the album more...

I just don't think it's possible to have this definitive of an opinion on an album you've given less than 24 hours of time to.

Every Alice Cooper album -- going all the way back to "Pretties for You" -- has had at least one song that instantly hooked me. Most of them had numerous songs, and during my repeated listenings, I got attached to the filler in between. That's what's baffling to me about this one, there's not one single song that I instantly loved and wanted to listen to over and over. And in 24 hours, I generally have half of the lyrics to the newest Cooper album memorized. Not the case here. I dunno if I'm in the wrong mood (possible but not probable) or if I had exceedingly high expectations (which I'm sure I did), but this album seems like a real anomaly to me. I'll certainly give it more of a chance -- something I wouldn't do if it weren't Alice -- and it might grow on me, but there's never been a Cooper album before that I had to let grow on me (and I've got 'em all). Although they're not my favorites, I even liked "Eyes" and "Dirty Diamonds" out of the gate. "Spider" just has me stymied.

I lurk more than I post, but it's great that criticism can be given here without everyone ripping apart the one who's criticizing. That's certainly not the case on most message boards. I really wish I weren't criticizing it at all.

[criss]

I don't think the 28 years thing is an error. There has to be some intention behind it.

I dunno if I was thinking "error," but 28 years just doesn't feel right to me. That was when "Flush the Fashion" was released, and I guess by Alice's reckoning, that's when Steven took a hiatus... left in the institution from "From the Inside," I suppose (where he still resided in "Wind Up Toy").

I also don't mind the upbeat nature of the songs, as I've come to expect such strange juxtaposition from Alice.

I like Alice's upbeat songs usually. Again, they just feel wrong, given the nature of the material. Maybe that's the point and it just went over my head.

it's hard to accurately compare it, as a whole, to anything else he's done.

I don't know as that's such a bad thing.

No, it's not a bad thing, but everyone (myself included) seems to want to compare it to his other concept albums, and one really can't.

You really need to listen to the album more...

I just don't think it's possible to have this definitive of an opinion on an album you've given less than 24 hours of time to.

Every Alice Cooper album -- going all the way back to "Pretties for You" -- has had at least one song that instantly hooked me. Most of them had numerous songs, and during my repeated listenings, I got attached to the filler in between. That's what's baffling to me about this one, there's not one single song that I instantly loved and wanted to listen to over and over. And in 24 hours, I generally have half of the lyrics to the newest Cooper album memorized. Not the case here. I dunno if I'm in the wrong mood (possible but not probable) or if I had exceedingly high expectations (which I'm sure I did), but this album seems like a real anomaly to me. I'll certainly give it more of a chance -- something I wouldn't do if it weren't Alice -- and it might grow on me, but there's never been a Cooper album before that I had to let grow on me (and I've got 'em all). Although they're not my favorites, I even liked "Eyes" and "Dirty Diamonds" out of the gate. "Spider" just has me stymied.

I lurk more than I post, but it's great that criticism can be given here without everyone ripping apart the one who's criticizing. That's certainly not the case on most message boards. I really wish I weren't criticizing it at all.

Although i have grown to like more of the album i do agree with many of the points you've made .

To my ears Alice's delivery of the epilogue come's across as weak and second rate . Once you ve heard a master like vincent price its hard not to campare what there doing . Re useing Steven , its the coops character so he can do whatever he like's with him . He can sing about steven working on the railroad for all i care , if the tunes and lyrics are solid im hooked .

I agree most of the lyrics and hooks are at best fairly weak . Not much of the wit the coop normaly throws out there . Who knows maybe the coop wanted to stray from his normal style to gain a wider market . still scratching my head wondering what the master plan was and is re the lyrics and hooks and overall album vibe . Some will prob love the tunes , but to me most of the tunes still sound like rushed basic rock filler tunes not worthy of a coop album .


Like yourself i m into every coop album , can sing every lyric to every song and love em all . But for me as an overall album along came a spider don't cut the mustard . It seems to lack almost everything i love about coop albums .

[Owepar]

"Steven's been working on the railroad, all the livelong..." Oh, sorry. There's an image. I actually like that Alice has a love affair with, and reuses several of, his characters. Whether it's Steven or the Showman or Maurice Escargot, he's made great use of his recurring characters in the past. Here, however, it feels like, "Oh, I've got this tortured character I sometimes use, so I'll involve him so the fans have something to theorize about." Obviously it worked, but like the epilogue itself, the implication of Steven feels forced.

I'm on my eleventh listen now (this album is criminally short), and still no more hooked than I was the first time. I hope this isn't a Fonzie, shark-jumping moment. Better yet, I hope I'm just in the wrong mood and find that "Spider" is a masterpiece that I'll be hooked on two weeks from now. I don't see that happening though.... and obviously, I'm not alone in my disappointment.

But if you haven't heard it yet and are reading, don't take my word as gospel. Just because I'm disappointed doesn't ensure you will be.

[Alicehunter2000]

Owepar, excellent review....hope I won't agree with you in a couple of weeks.

[steven15322]

"Steven's been working on the railroad, all the livelong..." Oh, sorry. There's an image. I actually like that Alice has a love affair with, and reuses several of, his characters. Whether it's Steven or the Showman or Maurice Escargot, he's made great use of his recurring characters in the past. Here, however, it feels like, "Oh, I've got this tortured character I sometimes use, so I'll involve him so the fans have something to theorize about." Obviously it worked, but like the epilogue itself, the implication of Steven feels forced.

I'm on my eleventh listen now (this album is criminally short), and still no more hooked than I was the first time. I hope this isn't a Fonzie, shark-jumping moment. Better yet, I hope I'm just in the wrong mood and find that "Spider" is a masterpiece that I'll be hooked on two weeks from now. I don't see that happening though.... and obviously, I'm not alone in my disappointment.

But if you haven't heard it yet and are reading, don't take my word as gospel. Just because I'm disappointed doesn't ensure you will be.

Give it a day or two off from listening then come back to it and see how you feel about it. I have had some albums by different artist that I listened to the first day and hated even thought about throwing in the trash only to come back to it later and like alot. Maybe I was in a wrong frame of mind. Listining to it over and over the first day when you didn't like it the first few listens generally for me doesn't make it any better..maybe a few days off would help?

[Shoesalesman]

Um... call me Canadian... but what the heck is a Fonzie, shark-jumping moment? :halloween-10:

Anyway, I'm eagerly awaiting the first crack of that CD case, where I'll have nothing but the headphones on and a few Labatts Blues riding shotgun on each armrest.

Noticing grey in the vigil beard.

[Owepar]

Um... call me Canadian... but what the heck is a Fonzie, shark-jumping moment? :halloween-10:

Sorry, the actual term feels overused, so I put my own spin on it. "Jump the Shark" is a term coined for when something good (usually a TV show) goes bad. The term originated in reference to the show "Happy Days" -- there was a wtf episode where Fonzie waterskiied over a shark (the "Jaws" films were popular at the time), and fans consider that the beginning of the terrible days of "Happy Days." Like I said, I certainly hope that's not the case.

And steven15322, funny thing is, I don't hate "Spider," I just don't 'love it to death, ' and I'm extremely frustrated that I don't. It's just... blah. And I've never found an A.C. album that felt 'blah' as a whole (on a song by song basis, certainly, but not an entire album). I sort of have a ritual with the newest Alice releases that are totally unique to A.C. (there are a few other artists I follow pretty devoutly too, and I don't have this ritual with any of the others) -- after I get a new Alice release, the album stays on in constant rotation for two to three days, by the end of which, I've memorized every line and note. I've done that with nearly every Alice studio album (and now that I've admitted what a weirdo I am...) I turned off "Spider" after the 12th listen. I'll give it another chance, but I decided on my own to let it rest for a while. Maybe I will love it when I come back to it. Here's hoping. There's a full moon this week, maybe it's already screwing with me.

[Shoesalesman]

Fonzie shark-jumping moment! Right! I remember that episode! Thank you.

[glamprincess]

Fonzie shark-jumping moment! Right! I remember that episode! Thank you.

Yeah, like whenever a tv show stops being good, they say it "jumped the shark". And now there's a new one for when a celebrity ruins his/her career. They say he/she "jumped the couch" (think Tom Cruise).

[TeresofBlood]

I listened to it a when it first leaked and then I stopped for a week. Now I'm listening to it over and over again, again. I was hoping it would reveal something new, or my expectations would have withered a bit, so I could enjoy it more.

I have grown to like the songs themselves more, but I still feel that the album as a whole is rather blah. It plods along from beginning to end and never rises to greatness. I find myself drifting into boredom while listening to it. Nothing grabs me. No other Alice album has been like that for me.

Last night I listened to it in total darkness and silence (with headphones) and I must say that helped quite a bit. I could hear a lot of the little instrumental nuances that get lost in the unforgivably bad mix. Unfortunately, most often we can't listen to music under these circumstances. If you can, do it - and do it multiple times. I'm goning to try to find a dark room today and set myself up for several listens.

[WickedYoungMan]

Am I mistaken in thinking it was announced that Bob Ezrin was gonna produce the album?

Badly...