WTMN 2....

[Robbie]

Regarding the budget and Fairlight CMI discussion part of this thread goes.
I don't think the use of a drum machine is related to budget because I think the early ones were very expensive and were more laborious to programme so would probably save no more money than using a live drummer. I think the use of a drum machine is more likely explained by part of Alice's search at that time for a redefinition of what a 1980's Alice would/ could sound like. It's no co incidence that he explored that new technology as it had been popularised by the raft of new bands that emerged in the early eighties (e.g. Human League, Depeche Mode, Heaven 17, Soft Cell, Tears for Fears etc. etc.) and at that time the classic rock line up Two guitars, bass, drums (sometimes with a keyboardist) was increasingly seen as unfashionable and dated. Hence I believe the experiment with more electronic sounds.

[steven_crayn]

" My God " ( horrible song aside ) could have been epic with the orchestration and it's not. Sounds like they rented the local vicars organ and recorded it. The sound on INWTS ( one of the worst songs he ever recorded ) is also lacking. It drifts up and down and meanders. It really doesn't sound like an Ezrin produced album ( no Ezrin trademarks ) or an Alice Cooper album ( maybe it should have been released as a Maurice Escargot album ala Chris Gaines ). If Alice had released this befor WTMN alarm bells would have been ringing. At the end of the day neither Alice nor Ezrin will be remembered for this unfocused mess.

I'm a big fan of Da Da ( Fresh Blood aside )but it sounds like it was done on a shoestring budget. Drum machines replace live drums. I am sure that Wagner will not be remembered for his playing here as few have heard this album. Weren't all three of them seriously f'ed up on various intoxicants?

If Ezrin was looking for a gig and they asked him for a resume ( that you could listen to )do you seriously thing these two offerings are amongst his best works?

Did I say that Ezrin would be remembered for the 2 works in question? NO!
My point is that just because they were not as good as what went before is not the same as something being subpar. Subpar would be if the production and songs were awful and you must have serious hearing damage if you think My God and other songs on those albums fall into that label. Do you seriously think Ezrin needed a gig? Have you heard Gabriels first album from that period? There were some weak songs on Lace one of which was a cover but you clealy don't have much respect for Bob Ezrin to just write off Goes To Hell and Lace for not conforming to a "rock" stereotype. Alice always likes to throw us a curve ball yet some fans just wanna dismiss anything they can't get their head and ears around.

[Railwayman]

When the first 3 solo efforts came out I certainly thought they ranked in chronological order regarding intensity and creativity. Looking back now, I respect all 3 but still rank them in Chronological order. That is not to say that GTH and L&W were necessarily bad, in fact, in places as they are both very good. WTMN was an absolute classic and how on earth do you follow that.

[dadascot]

Hopefully you follow it up with WTMN 2!!

[criss]

Steven i think we as musicians, songwriters hear and digest music in a very different way to non musicians . It seems to me that we process several components of music at once. We are aware of the mechanics that go into creating and performing music, so have an idea of what it must be like to be the one performing the song we are listening to .A good example is say an audio engineer would be focused on the frequency response and dynamics of the recording . A guitarist may focus on the tone , the guitar used the amps effects ect .

Songwriters are focused on what exactly it is that makes it a well written song. They hear the lyrical poetry, the chord structure, the arrangement of instruments, the sequence of the parts , and everything that goes into crafting a great song .

I guess this is why someone like myself can hear a lot of depth and appreciate less popular albums like lace and wiskey , goes to hell and many others . There steller albums in my book , full of great tunes , well arranged , breaks the rules , and will surely baffle the headbangers .

What makes music such an interesting phenomenon to me is it hits us all in a different way for different reasons , and at different moments in our life. Music can and will speak volumes about an emotion with a single key stoke or guitar chord and If some poeple don t get it thats cool .

Not sure if you ve heard an album called butterfly ball , but my no musician friends think im crazy to even listen to that album let alone love it . On the other hand my musician friends totaly get into the beauty and pure emotion the artists evoke on that album .

" My God " ( horrible song aside ) could have been epic with the orchestration and it's not. Sounds like they rented the local vicars organ and recorded it. The sound on INWTS ( one of the worst songs he ever recorded ) is also lacking. It drifts up and down and meanders. It really doesn't sound like an Ezrin produced album ( no Ezrin trademarks ) or an Alice Cooper album ( maybe it should have been released as a Maurice Escargot album ala Chris Gaines ). If Alice had released this befor WTMN alarm bells would have been ringing. At the end of the day neither Alice nor Ezrin will be remembered for this unfocused mess.

I'm a big fan of Da Da ( Fresh Blood aside )but it sounds like it was done on a shoestring budget. Drum machines replace live drums. I am sure that Wagner will not be remembered for his playing here as few have heard this album. Weren't all three of them seriously f'ed up on various intoxicants?

If Ezrin was looking for a gig and they asked him for a resume ( that you could listen to )do you seriously thing these two offerings are amongst his best works?

Did I say that Ezrin would be remembered for the 2 works in question? NO!
My point is that just because they were not as good as what went before is not the same as something being subpar. Subpar would be if the production and songs were awful and you must have serious hearing damage if you think My God and other songs on those albums fall into that label. Do you seriously think Ezrin needed a gig? Have you heard Gabriels first album from that period? There were some weak songs on Lace one of which was a cover but you clealy don't have much respect for Bob Ezrin to just write off Goes To Hell and Lace for not conforming to a "rock" stereotype. Alice always likes to throw us a curve ball yet some fans just wanna dismiss anything they can't get their head and ears around.

[Shoesalesman]

What makes music such an interesting phenomenon to me is it hits us all in a different way for different reasons , and at different moments in our life.

Agreed with this point. Both Dirty Diamonds and Along Came A Spider, considered not Alice's best to some, are fantastic albums to me largely due to what I was doing when they were released or what mood I was in when I first heard them. The summers of 2005 and 2008 were wonderful times for me and when these two albums were released it just became the soundtrack to the already-great summer.
As an added bonus, both albums had musical merit.

[While Heaven Wept]

What makes music such an interesting phenomenon to me is it hits us all in a different way for different reasons , and at different moments in our life.

Agreed with this point. Both Dirty Diamonds and Along Came A Spider, considered not Alice's best to some, are fantastic albums to me largely due to what I was doing when they were released or what mood I was in when I first heard them. The summers of 2005 and 2008 were wonderful times for me and when these two albums were released it just became the soundtrack to the already-great summer.
As an added bonus, both albums had musical merit.

I thought both those of albums were very decent, both in the songwriting and execution.

[GailsFriend]

Anyone who thinks My God is not an epic song hasn't listened to it REALLY LOUD. That organ is meant to be blasted and small speakers do not do justice.

I Never Wrote Those Songs is a nerve exposing ballad about Alice Cooper's alcoholism....commendable because of lyrics and heartfelt expression.

The honky tonk vibe of Damned If You Do and Ubangi Stomp bring a balance of sillyness to offset some of the more serious themes of alcoholism and weariness of the road, expressed by INWTS and Road Rats, and You and Me.

Overall, I tend to view this album as a personal diary, and yes, the production is a little messy, but Alice's life was too at the time. I really enjoy this album a lot because its rawness, but also because there is a lot of variety in the album.

There are not many artists who could pull off this kind of album, with this much musical variety.....we should be grateful to have Alice around in 2010, because he was nearly dead when he made this album.

[WickedYoungMan]

I think "My God" is an epic song, but my main beef with GTH & L&W production is that they have WAY too much reverb for my taste and sound like they were recorded in an underground tunnel, and unfortunately that makes it hard for me tell what Alice is singing a lot of times on stuff like "My God." There are a few bright spots for me, but other than that I've hard far better recordings of songs from that time period, and even from Alice himself. Same goes in the song writing department if you ask me.

Having said that, I'd like for some of the comments that are implying some sort of fault with those who like or dislike the songs to end. No one is "more qualified" to their opinion as I've seen it implied here with a few of the posts here. The only qualifications needed are a set of ears, a brain, and having heard the song.

[steven_crayn]

Criss the Roger Glover Butterfly Ball thing I love too, featuring Ronnie James Dio and I didn't even play an instrument at the time when I heard that song.
You don't have to be a musician to appreciate great music, yes it can give you greater insights and appreciation if you do.
With Alice it was the voice and the image that got me into the music and naturally once you learn an instrument the first things you want to play is music by your favourite band which is and will always be Alice Cooper.

Welcome 2 My Nightmare even with the high expectations has Bob Ezrin onboard and for that reason I can't see it being anything other than an artistic and commercial success and I can't wait for it's release it's the Alice album I have been waiting for for decades!

[steven_crayn]

What makes music such an interesting phenomenon to me is it hits us all in a different way for different reasons , and at different moments in our life.

Agreed with this point. Both Dirty Diamonds and Along Came A Spider, considered not Alice's best to some, are fantastic albums to me largely due to what I was doing when they were released or what mood I was in when I first heard them. The summers of 2005 and 2008 were wonderful times for me and when these two albums were released it just became the soundtrack to the already-great summer.
As an added bonus, both albums had musical merit.

I thought both those of albums were very decent, both in the songwriting and execution.

so you are now saying you like ACAS having at the time and in this thread said

nah, they're probably just rough demos, lets wait to hear the finished article! I'm sure it'll be worth it.

Anythings better than that last album anyway :x

you are one confused man!

[While Heaven Wept]

Sorry Steven, i misread the post, i thought he was talking about Dirty Diamonds and TEOAC. Must pay more attention next time!

[steven_crayn]

no problem, thought it was a bit strange as you have been very critical of ACAS which divided quite a lot of Alice fans, hopefully we will all be united in our praise for Welcome 2 My Nightmare

[While Heaven Wept]

no problem, thought it was a bit strange as you have been very critical of ACAS which divided quite a lot of Alice fans, hopefully we will all be united in our praise for Welcome 2 My Nightmare

Yeah, it's no secret that i disliked the music on ACAS.... although everything that went with it was generally excellent (the promo video in particular was fantastic).

Yep, am very much looking forward to hearing WTMN2

[scotty]

just the lineup of musicians makes it worth buying alone! now we can know if the magic of the old days can be recaptured...I'm betting yes,big time.

[ALICEROCKS]

I really can't wait for the new album!

[MovieDemon]

I really can't wait for the new album!

Me too.

I thought ACAS was Alice's best album in 15 years, so with Ezrin returning to the fold, I have a high expectations for W2MN.