“Road,” August 25, 2023

[Nick]

Solid album that I've had on rotation since release, and for me the best album top to bottom in quite a while.
The lyrics on a couple tracks are puerile and silly on purpose, but it's tongue firmly in cheek, it's kind of the point and it's a little late in the game to be finding Alice Cooper lyrics distasteful IMO. The goofiness reminds me of Zipper Catches Skin in spots. The Big Goodbye sounds like it could have come off Hey Stoopid.
100 More Miles leans closer to WTMN, best track on the album and I echo everyone's thoughts that it should have been longer.
Happy to see the general response on the album has been largely positive and look forward to the OG album next.

[patrick]

100 miles.. The first seconds of this song remind me of "something else", another song.... But I can figure it out which one..Any idea anyone ?

[Rod]

100 miles.. The first seconds of this song remind me of "something else", another song.... But I can figure it out which one..Any idea anyone ?

It reminds me of I never wrote those songs

[Rod]

Despite all the lack of love it is getting here (justifiable, IMO), outside of the 3 singles, Big Boots is the track with highest number of listens on the album according to Spotify stats (70k vs ~30k for the other songs). Interesting.

Also mind-boggling is The Saga of Jesse Jane with 1.7m listens, better than anything released since BP except 2 tracks from Paranormal. Maybe there is a bigger market for the silly stuff than I thought

[Mr. Misdemeanor]

Despite all the lack of love it is getting here (justifiable, IMO), outside of the 3 singles, Big Boots is the track with highest number of listens on the album according to Spotify stats (70k vs ~30k for the other songs). Interesting.

Also mind-boggling is The Saga of Jesse Jane with 1.7m listens, better than anything released since BP except 2 tracks from Paranormal. Maybe there is a bigger market for the silly stuff than I thought

That is extremely surprising. Maybe Alice should work some Spinal Tap covers into his next album.

[Lucius Morthem]

To me the best songs are Dead Don't Dance, The Big Goodbye and the criminally short 100 More Miles

[elwoodpdowd]

So, 13 DANGEROUS NEW SONGS from the "Master of Madness: The Father Of Fright", not on your Nelly. As with previous albums the build up is bigger than the final product. It does however trundle along at an enjoyable pace until we hit a brick wall with the obligitory ballad. Not one of the best. Not one you can put on the turntable and listen to for long without getting restless. The subject matter is pretty shallow and uninteresting, life on the road isn't going to sustain me passed the end of this week.

[patrick]

building up the story is part of the game I guess, just like the audience Alice is facing , is always (one of ) the best
Nevertheless, been looking at wiki and Road gets a solid 77/100 (summary of Mojo, Uncut, Classic Rock ao) which is not bad for an elderly rocker to achieve...

[Saint&Sinner]

To me the best songs are Dead Don't Dance, The Big Goodbye and the criminally short 100 More Miles

agree completely. Why did 100 more miles not have an epic outro!?

[concolz]

Road new entry charts, so far:

#2 Germany
#8 UK
#17 Finland
#19 Australia
#24 Sweden
#39 Norway

Apart from Germany & UK those are disappointing chart positions. (On physical copies sold Alice is at #3 in UK.)

[TeresofBlood]

100 miles.. The first seconds of this song remind me of "something else", another song.... But I can figure it out which one..Any idea anyone ?

It reminds me of I never wrote those songs

Also Mr. Spider from H-Vamps Rise

[Holly Grail]

Well… after some period, enough to have mature opinion, anyone that still digs and appreciates this album? Ι remember some criticism about ‘speaking’ and poor lyrics when the singles dropped.
The fact that I constantly play Road on my car and the fact that I am just passing by maybe 1-2 songs means that I finally LOVE this album!

[Dannorama]

I have never not liked “Road.” It’s a very good Alice Cooper album. I have to agree that 100 More Miles could have been longer, but that’s a slight gripe. The recent special deluxe albums have taken my eyes off the Road album, but my interest is still right where it was.

If I may put forward a slice of personal philosophy, I hope that whatever happens next has some kind of cool painting or something for the cover. It’s been far too long since a studio album has had an artists touch. (Yes, photographers are indeed artists, and Alice deserves to be seen. You know what I mean.)

[While Heaven Wept]

It's ok. I had it on in the car for a while, but my ears got tired pretty quick. Doesn't really stand up to repeated listens for me. Not the worst, but not the best for me.

[revinkevin]

Still liking it a lot.

[del]

Ithe album settled quite quickly for me with Baby Please Don’t Go and Big Boots being the tracks I skip a lot. For some reason I’m Alice has become a difficult track to listen to. I enjoy it when it comes on if I’m playing the album on random play but I avoid it automatically otherwise. Can’t work out why.

[ParanormalKiller]

This album is just pure fun, still. It's a great album to listen to - fittingly enough - while driving. The best tracks for me are still...

- "Welcome To the Show"
- "The Dead Don't Dance"
- "The Big Goodbye"
- "100 More Miles"

But the rest is still a blast. Of the new albums that came out since my time of being a big Alice fan - it's not the best of that lot (Paranormal still is King, for me), but it's a great, fun album.

Also, I missed out on the album signing but someone I know attended and had two and they parted with a vinyl copy signed, which I'm so grateful to have!

I wonder why Alice hasn't sold signed copies of this album at his concert merch stands yet. He did so for the last two studio releases.

[Saint&Sinner]

- "Welcome To the Show"
- "The Dead Don't Dance"
- "The Big Goodbye"
- "100 More Miles"

You have hit the nail on the head, they are the bangers. I can listen to the rest of it but those 4 are the true highlights.
The album is a classic 6 out of 10. just a bit above average. big boots is pure trash and magic bus just needs to be scratched off the album but them aside i enjoy it enough. 100 miles could have been epic but it feels like it was kneecapped to me. It should have had an epic outro, but feels like it was cut out.

Album cover wise, the last good one was brutal planet, the last great one was last temptation. Trash is my all time favorite. That cover is the coolest damn thing ever, he genuinely looks the coolest, sexiest, most dangerous in that picture, you can read anything into that. pure brilliance.
W2MN was such a disappointment for the cover, they had the perfect cover on the inside sleeve (the same as welcome but old decayed and rotten) instead he went full camp and big hat. sigh.

[Si]

100 miles could have been epic but it feels like it was kneecapped to me. It should have had an epic outro, but feels like it was cut out.

The most annoying thing is that they MUST have thought about allowing it to be a longer, epic closer... they HAD to have done, considering how many people have said the same thing. Everything was there to do it. But they actually decided "no, lets just keep it at under three minute...??"
It's mind boggling, annoying, and suggests that unless something changes we will never again get a true classic epic Alice Cooper song. Which is a real shame as it's clear the band and Alice have it in them to do something really special.

[ElectedPlus]

Still enjoying this album when I put it on. ... All Over the World, Big Boots, Go Away, White Line, Big Boots etc.
Road Rats is an EXCELLENT revisit.
Some songs I hear great praise on but never really warmed to - I'm Alice being one of them.

I like how the concept was executed here - it could easily be bogged down in autobiography but he still lets imagination take it away.

What I would say - if it wasn't so much talked about, I wouldn't have guessed the other bandmates had much input here which is a great shame. I'd have loved to hear more touches of their creative input. But by the by, it's still a good listen - and has alot more fun moments than previous releases (guitar licks, certain moments of delivery of lines etc.)

Maybe I'm the only one who really enjoys Magic Bus, I think it's a great uplifting end to the album. The concept of 100 miles to Magic Bus's 'only another mile' line reference is a nice touch to momentum and finishes the 'journey' from lows to highs, finishing with that applause...