Top Ballads list

[darkmenace]

The discussion (and hate) for Every Woman Has a Name made me think about all the Alice ballads and which ones are my favorites. It's probably been done here before, but I thought it would be interesting to see people's lists of their favorite ballads. My original thought was a Top Ten, but there's a big drop off after #8 for me so my list is only 8.

1. I Never Wrote Those Songs
Musically a great song and the sadness and reflection coming from the writer is amazing. It leaves a lot to the imagination exactly which songs he's talking about and what he's thinking. I don't need to know the answer. I like the song on its own merits.

2. Might as Well Be on Mars
It was a tough choice, I almost put this at #1. This is a fantastic song.

3. Six Hours
Love the lyrics and mystery at the heart of this one too. A love song about an affair? Nicely done. The musical ending is good too.

4. Every Woman Has a Name
I really like this song and was surprised that many people can't stand it. For me it's very touching.

5. Only Women Bleed
The main reason this is not higher is I've heard it so many times over the years that I'm getting tired of it. But it set the bar very high for Alice ballads. Amazing lyrics, I remember how this song won over many non-Alice fans back in the day: great song arrangement; the rock section towards the end really adds a layer of complexity.

6. Wake Me Gently
A person lost in a dream, trying to wake up. I love the imagery. "This dream's a novel that I don't dare complete..." Great job.

7. Jackknife Johnny
Good lyrics and touching yet again.

8. Hell is Living Without Your Love
I can't put my finger on what I like about this song, but it made my list.

I'm not wild about the other Top 40 ballads, preferring the ballads where Alice has something interesting to say instead of just another love song. I'm curious to see which songs other people choose.

[killer wolf]

I Never Cry. phenomenal.

[kevinuk81]

How You Gonna See Me Now.

[alan1958]

I Never Wrote Those Songs is a wonderful song ....


I remember hoping it would be included on LIFE AND CRIMES , as the remastering was wonderful on that box , and it was possibly the only way to ever hear that track in all it's glory ...




I wonder if LACE & WHISKEY will ever be considered for remastering ?

I've always balked at buying the Japanese SHM version , just in case the improvement was negligible ....

[cooperrocks]

Might As Well Be on Mars (love to hear this one live)
It's Me (reminds me a lot of I Never Cry)
I Never Cry
Only My Heart Talkin'

[patrick]

the ballads are not essential to me, but they show another side of Alice and I think he somewhere said he was proud to be able to write them...
I agree with the list of Darkmenace, adding Be with you a while..
I know this is not The Alice we grew up on , but still..
there are more classic rock bands that got away with sillier ballads than those mentioned here ...

[mr.barlow]

All of the ballads written with Dick Wagner are in a class all of their own.

"It's Me" is also very good but to me the whole Last Temptation album has a very Dick Wagner feel to it in a lot of places.

I remember when it was released that upon hearing some of the songs I quickly checked the credits to see if he was involved with the writing.

Also, "Might As Well Be On Mars' WOULD HAVE been Alice's greatest balld if only he had Dick Wagner play on the song. The song suffers greatly from the dated ridiculous "metal" guitar playing and also the bloated production.

If there is any song that I would love to have Alice re-record and have Bob Ezrin produce it would be that song. It's a shame that Wagner is no longer with us but I think Steve Hunter would also do the song justice.

[pitkin88]

All of the ballads written with Dick Wagner are in a class all of their own.

"It's Me" is also very good but to me the whole Last Temptation album has a very Dick Wagner feel to it in a lot of places.

I remember when it was released that upon hearing some of the songs I quickly checked the credits to see if he was involved with the writing.

Also, "Might As Well Be On Mars' WOULD HAVE been Alice's greatest balld if only he had Dick Wagner play on the song. The song suffers greatly from the dated ridiculous "metal" guitar playing and also the bloated production.

If there is any song that I would love to have Alice re-record and have Bob Ezrin produce it would be that song. It's a shame that Wagner is no longer with us but I think Steve Hunter would also do the song justice.

This one has dated really badly. More cheese than Kraft.

[tuneylune]

Some good choices here, although "Wake Me Gently" and "Every Woman Has A Name" don't do much for me.
I also like "You And Me' and "Beautiful Flyaway".

[Keith1980]

1. Everywoman has a name
2. Take it like a woman
3. You and me
4. something to remeber me by
5. Hell is living wothout you

Thats my top 5. Not in that order cos those 5 change rankings with me based on what mood im in lol

[mr.barlow]

One ballad the we should all be thankful never saw the light of day is "The Ballad Of Alice Cooper" which I think was co-written by Jon Bon Blow Dryer.

From what I've been told it was just downright awful. But then again--it probably would have fit in perfectly with the other garbage on "Trash".