Cooper, Alice - "The Last Temptation"

Cooper, Alice - The Last Temptation
1994, Epic

1. Sideshow
2. Nothing's Free
3. Lost In America
4. Bad Place Alone
5. You're My Temptation
6. Stolen Prayer
7. Unholy War
8. Lullaby
9. It's Me
10. Cleansed By Fire

The Last Temptation is Cooper's concept album about his conversion to Christianity. You'd think this would be right up my alley. Me too... like I'm surprised at how much this one just doesn't do too much for me. I like "Sideshow" and "Lost in America" a lot, but the rest of the album...meh. Not that I hate this album or anything, I'm just very neutral about it. Even Chris Cornell's appearance didn't do too much for me. Maybe it will grow on me over the years...

Useless Fact: There was a comic or graphic novel made to go along with the album. I remember seeing it somewhere but I don't think I ever owned it.

Cooper, Alice - "Paranormal"

Cooper, Alice - Paranormal
2017, Ear Music

DISC ONE:
1. Paranormal
2. Dead Flies
3. Fireball
4. Paranoic Personality
5. Fallen In Love
6. Dynamite Road
7. Private Public Breakdown
8. Holy Water
9. Rats
10. The Sound of A

DISC TWO:
1. Genuine American Girl
2. You and All of Your Friends
3. No More Mr. Nice Guy (Live)
4. Under My Wheels (Live)
5. Billion Dollar Babies (Live)
6. Feed My Frankenstien
7. Only Women Bleed
8. School's Out

I've been wondering when Ol' Alice would put out a new albums. It seems like it's been forever since Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Paranormal is a pretty straightforward album - no concept, no varying styles - just pure rock and roll. It kind of reminds me of Alice's more seventies stuff, especially with the Alice Cooper band. Speaking of which, they reformed and wrote two songs for this album, "Genuine American Girl" and "You and All of Your Friends." It's funny because this record is pretty simple and it's not really taking Alice Cooper to any place he's never been before, but I really love it. The songs are just so catchy and the production is clear and clean so you can really hear the guitar tones. This isn't a groundbreaking release or anything but I'll be danged if I haven't spun it a ton and have plans to spin it some more. Alice has said in interviews that he really tried to get out of his comfort zone on this album. It tickles me that he's said that because it doesn't seem like this album takes many chances. Not that it needs to, mind you. It's amazing how it can risk almost nothing and still be so dang good. The live tracks are pretty cool bonus. The name of the drummer escapes me at the moment but he is absolutely killing it! See "Feed My Frankenstein" for an example of what I mean.

And let's talk about the packaging for a moment. It's a two-disc digipack with a nice fat booklet full of lyrics. The artwork is pretty cool. Definitely an A++ for packaging here.

Useless Fact: This album was produced by Bob Ezrin who's produced a metric butt-ton of Alice Cooper records. I know that's not much of a fact. *sad face*

Cooper, Alice - "Hey Stoopid"

Cooper, Alice - Hey Stoopid
1991, Epic

1. Hey Stoopid
2. Love's a Loaded Gun
3. Snakebite
4. Burning Our Bed
5. Dangerous Tonight
6. Might as Well Be On Mars
7. Feed My Frankenstein
8. Hurricane
9. Little By Little
10. Die For You
11. Dirty Dreams
12. Wind-Up Toy

So here's something weird - Hey Stoopid does pretty much all the same things as Trash but I like it better. Again, there wasn't anything wrong with Trash, it just didn't do a lot for me. Another weird thing because it's totally 80's and you would think I'd be all over it. But, nope. Hey Stoopid for some unexplainable reason was more likable and catchy to me. I think this one might actually more commercial too. Yeah... I don't know. I do want to point out the cool guitar part in the verses of "Might as Well Be On Mars." I think this album also has more of the creepy Alice Cooper feel too (especially in "Wind-Up Toy"). I'm not sure this one will rank up there with my top Cooper platters, but it's definitely in the upper B-tier.

Useless Fact: Alice Cooper was in Wayne's World. "Feed My Frankenstein" was featured in the movie as well. Though I'm sure you probably already know that.

Cooper, Alice - "Trash"

Cooper, Alice - Trash
1989, Epic

1. Poison
2. Spark in the Dark
3. House of Fire
4. Why Trust You
5. Only My Heart Talkin'
6. Bed of Nails
7. This Maniac's in Love With You
8. Trash
9. Hell Is Living Without You
10. I'm Your Gun

I remember seeing a lot of "Poison" on MTV back in the day. Of course, as an innocent young lad I had no idea of the scope and breadth of Alice Cooper's work. I liked that song and that was pretty much it. Though it did really well on the old countdown shows they used to have...can't remember how high it got, though. Aww...remember video countdown shows? I totally miss those. Anyway, this is another of Alice's commercial hard rock platters that conforms to the style of the era. Trash is brazenly sexual - not necessarily vulgar, but definitely sexual. Some of Cooper's hallmark "horror vibe" is kind of missing here, which is a shame. That's not to say the album is bad - it's not. The songs are all good with good hooks and performed by competent, professional musicians. It's a solid album but I don't think this will be my go-to album when I need an Alice fix.

Useless Fact: Bon Jovi has some songwriting credits on this album.

Cooper, Alice - "Raise Your Fist and Yell"

Cooper, Alice - Raise Your Fist and Yell
1987, MCA

1. Freedom
2. Lock Me Up
3. Give the Radio Back
4. Step On You
5. Not That Kind of Love
6. Prince of Darkness
7. Time to Kill
8. Chop, Chop, Chop
9. Gail
10. Roses On White Lace

Remember way, way back in my review of Firehouse's debut album where I talked about how they were an example of everything that was good about Eighties hard rock? Well, here's another good example. The Coop continued the direction he'd begun in Constrictor with Raise Your Fist and Yell. It's textbook Eighties hard rock... in a good way. The riffs are fast and furious. The songs are to the point and catchy. I'm kind of surprised by how heavy this is. I mean, it's not Brutal Planet heavy, but it's pretty heavy considering the time. You know from the opening notes of "Freedom" that the Coop has arrived and he's taking no prisoners! The mood is appropriately dark as well. I would say it's essential listening for Halloween. Or possibly before or after a horror movie marathon. Now I never heard this album when it originally came out but listening to it totally activates my Eighties nostalgia chip. Especially the during the heyday of slasher movies and what not. Hey, remember when they used to market stuff from Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street to kids? Remember how, for the most part, parents were okay with it? It was just part of popular culture back then and I don't think people were so worried about how it would effect children. Weird. Anyway, this is definitely one of the best Cooper platters I've listened to.

Useless Fact: I think "Freedom" was the hit off this album.

Cooper, Alice - "Brutal Planet"

Cooper, Alice - Brutal Planet
2000, Spitfire

1. Brutal Planet
2. Wicked Young Man
3. Sanctuary
4. Blow Me a Kiss
5. Eat Some More
6. Pick Up the Bones
7. Pessi-Mystic
8. Gimmie
9. It's the Little Things
10. Take It Like a Woman
11. Cold Machines

A friend in college gave me a copy of Brutal Planet and I think it was my first exposure to Alice Cooper. I think I still have that burned copy somewhere. Anyway, I liked it then but for some reason or another lost track of it. Sometimes I am a crazy person who loses track of good music. Anyway, this disc is absolutely the heaviest thing the Coop has done. It's got thick, chunky guitars, and heavy production. There's a bit of a nu-metal vibe here, I think. The songs are immensely catchy with most being up-tempo rockers. It's probably one of the darkest albums Alice has recorded, thematically speaking, but it's also (ironically enough) one of his most Christian.

Useless Fact: This album and the next, Dragontown form sort of a duology as it's been said that Dragontown is the worst city on Brutal Planet.

Cooper, Alice - "Welcome To My Nightmare"

Cooper, Alice - Welcome To My Nightmare
1975, Atlantic

1. Welcome To My Nightmare
2. Devil's Food
3. The Black Widow
4. Some Folks
5. Only Women Bleed
6. Department of Youth
7. Cold Ethyl
8. Years Ago
9. Steven
10. The Awakening
11. Escape

This is the one. This is the album that finally converted me fully into an Alice Cooper fan. I've reviewed several albums of his this year and they've been good. However, it was Welcome To My Nightmare that finally pushed me over the edge (in a good way). I remember seeing the video to the title track on MTV. It was Halloween I think and they had Freddy as a vj. It was a very unsettling video and that vibe permeates the entire album. The story involves a boy (or man?) named Steven who is trapped in a dream world (maybe?) where he suffers torture and does horrible things. It's very effective, especially with the late Vincent Price lending a crazy monologue in "Devil's Food." The album is a lot more diverse than the Alice Cooper band platters. It's like a creepy Broadway musical mixed with good old Detroit guitar rock.

Now, after having heard this one I can see why some would be disappointed with Welcome 2 My Nightmare. The tone is distinctly lighter on the new album. Where the original is a terrifying journey into madness, 2 is a sort of fun, creepy collection of (very good) pop songs.

Useless Fact: "Only Women Bleed" did real good I hear.

Alice Cooper - "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell"

Cooper, Alice - Alice Cooper Goes To Hell
1976, Warner Bros.

1. Go To Hell
2. You Gotta Dance
3. I'm the Coolest
4. Didn't We Meet
5. I Never Cry
6. Give the Kid a Break
7. Guilty
8. Wake Me Gently
9. Wish You Were Here
10. I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
11. Going Home

With every Alice Cooper album I listen to my appreciation for him grows. Alice Cooper Goes To Hell is a sequel to the original Welcome To My Nightmare. Like that album this one has a lot of variety from the guitar rock he's known for to some more 50's-style sounds (like on "I'm the Coolest" and "Give the Kid a Break"). There are a couple songs on here I don't care for, like "I Never Cry" and "Wake Me Gently" . what can I say? I'm not much for Alice Cooper ballads for some reason. As I understand it this album wasn't nearly as successful. For me though, it's a pretty solid, enjoyable platter.

Useless Fact: Wait...wasn't Welcome 2 My Nightmare the sequel to Welcome To My Nightmare?

Alice Cooper - "School's Out"

Alice Cooper - School's Out
1972, Warner Bros.

1. School's Out
2. Luney Tune
3. Gutter Cats Vs. the Jets
4. Street Fight
5. Blue Turk
6. My Stars
7. Public Animal #9
8. Alma Mater
9. Grand Finale

So what should I find in my mailbox the other day but a package from my buddy Uvulapie! It's had a few CDs in it and School's Out was one of them. He is trying to transform me into a genuine Alice Cooper fan... and to be honest, it's an uphill battle for him. I previously mentioned my work's radio station and when I listen to anything from this era I think of work. It makes me sad. But I bit the bullet and sunk my teeth into this disc. It's actually really good. Excellent even. It makes me sad but only because the general public will only know this album for the title song. It's filled with cool songs - my personal favorites being "My Stars" and "Public Animal #9." Also, the bass work on this album is phenomenal. You know, like it was played by a genuine bass player and not a guitar player who decided to become the bassist after the band was formed.

Useless Fact: If the liner notes are to be believed the Alice Cooper band got their name from a Ouija board reading.

Cooper, Alice - "Welcome 2 My Nightmare"

Cooper, Alice - Welcome 2 My Nightmare
2011, Universal

1. I Am Made of You
2. Caffeine
3. The Nightmare Returns
4. A Runaway Train
5. Last Man on Earth
6. The Congregation
7. I'll Bite Your Face Off
8. Disco Boogie Bloodbath Fever
9. Ghouls Gone Wild
10. Something to Remember Me By
11. When Hell Comes Home
12. What Baby Wants
13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
14. The Underture

I've been complaining a lot lately about not having any new and interesting music. Well, the other day at Walmart I saw this, Welcome 2 My Nightmare. I don't have much experience with Ol' Black Eyes. I've owned both The Last Temptation and Brutal Planet and they never did much for me. I've never heard the original Welcome to My Nightmare either. I know I'm probably making Alice fans cringe right now! Anyway, on a lark I decided to get this because it looked different and interesting. All in all I'm really glad I did.

"I Am Made of You" is a phenomenal worship song and one of the main reasons I picked this up (I'd heard samples on Itunes). Alice uses auto-tune for the verses but I think it gives the song a very ethereal effect. It's a slower paced song and kind of an odd way to kick off the sequel to one of Alice's most popular albums but I can't argue with the results - I love this song. "Caffeine" treads in what I assume would be normal Alice territory. It's peppy and catchy and I like it too. Some of my other favorites are the country flavored "A Runaway Train," the bizarre "Last Man on Earth," the club anthem "Disco Boogie Bloodbath Fever." Alice kind of raps on it, which apparently annoys some long-time fans. However, in context of the song I think it makes sense as the character is mocking club culture anyway. There are some weak moments here though. I'm not too crazy about "Something to Remember Me By." It's a love song. It's not bad or anything but it just kind of sits on the disc around all these fun, creepy songs. I don't skip it, but it's definitely not a highlight. Oh, this album also features Kesha. You know... friggin' Ke$ha. I was surprised that the song featuring her ("What Baby Wants") is actually one of my favorites. Weird huh? "The Underture" features pieces of songs from both Nightmare albums. It's okay but it really just makes me want to get the original Nightmare disc.

Useless Fact: I've heard that Alice was planning on continuing the story from his last album, Along Came a Spider, when he decided to to a sequel to Welcome to My Nightmare instead.