Love it to Death Question

[revinkevin]

When you were recording LITD I’m sure you were aware that this album was very different from the previous two albums. Much more focused, better professional production and musically the band were in peak form. Were you expecting it to be a decent selling album ? If it had turned out sales wise like the previous two releases did the band members have a plan B ? A time frame for how much longer Alice Cooper could last in its present form or was there discussion that maybe you guys might move on to other things ?

[Dreary]

I talk about this i my book.
Pretties For You was a low budget rush job and Easy Action was recorded before we had enough songs written and with no rehearsal space.

Love It To Death had several weeks of preparation and a decent amount of studio time so we did feel more confident going into the studio, however, we knew we were very lucky to be getting a third chance so we weren't popping any champagne.

It's true that the band was weary of the struggles but we never thought about a plan B. The only way plan A would be abandoned was if we were forced out, which was something that lots of people had been trying to do all along. The great strength of Alice Cooper was that everyone in the band, the crew, and the management, never considered failure. We only thought about how to get to our goal.

[revinkevin]

Thanks for the reply and a pretty darn quick one at that. So if LITD wasn’t successful you were pretty sure WB would give you another chance ? I don’t think that luxury exists in the record business anymore. And that’s a shame because bands need time to develop. But I’m not sure in the case of rock how much record sales matter these days as the business has changed so much. I think it’s about concert sales and merchandise sales. I think it’s about adaptability now.

[Dreary]

Thanks for the reply and a pretty darn quick one at that. So if LITD wasn’t successful you were pretty sure WB would give you another chance ? I don’t think that luxury exists in the record business anymore. And that’s a shame because bands need time to develop. But I’m not sure in the case of rock how much record sales matter these days as the business has changed so much. I think it’s about concert sales and merchandise sales. I think it’s about adaptability now.

Unlike our first two albums, Love It To Death had some pretty strong FM contenders that I think would have kept us viable enough in Warner Bros. view. I'd have to look at the contract again to be sure, but I think our deal was for 2 albums co-produced by Jack Richardson and Bob Ezrin before WB had the option of dropping us. That said, we had managed to build a reputation, and so an AM hit was the final key to our success.

[Daggers & Contracts]

Thanks for the reply and a pretty darn quick one at that. So if LITD wasn’t successful you were pretty sure WB would give you another chance ? I don’t think that luxury exists in the record business anymore. And that’s a shame because bands need time to develop. But I’m not sure in the case of rock how much record sales matter these days as the business has changed so much. I think it’s about concert sales and merchandise sales. I think it’s about adaptability now.

Those were the days Record Companies groomed certain artists. Let them grow because A&R saw the potential! WB & various subsidiaries kept releasing Bob Seger albums prior to "Live Bullet".
His catalog was that good & The Silver Bullet Band was great! That album was the bridge between his previous & the Top Selling "Night Moves" The same goes for Kiss & Peter Frampton their "Live" shows blew away the low budget studio production.
Ultimately Kiss brought Ezrin on board & "Destroyer" is a big step up from "Dressed To Kill".
Not much of a question Dr. D. but, I think that WB might have found a way to keep the band in the stable.
These days PFY would have been a psychedelic blip & the band would have been cut loose at "Easy Action" Not even a shot at the studio & if recorded - a "Live" (unreleased) recording to satisfy the contract. Sorry