Hide Article Text (OCR)
“Remember the Coop, hul'71 hope...I hope you don't forget me or nothin”'. Prophetic words indeed from Vincent furnicr, a clergyman's son. But how could we forget ALICE? How could wc forget thu King of Shock Rock who nightly died on stage, cut heads from dolls, attacked giant decaying teeth with gargantuan toothbrushes and gave birth to the kids’ anthems Department ol Youth and School’s Out? It seems wc have. . . or at least his old following has. Critically, Alice hasn’t been doing too well since his highly publicized drying out. It also seems that nobody is interested in 3 cleaned up Coop. The fact that for ten years he’d been the most dcgcner ate figure in the rock music business, and possibly the person most instrumental in widening the generation gap, seems to lt;.jrr y no weight at all.What we had feared had happened. . . Alice Cooper had become icspccublc. . . sold out. . mellowed out ..Not so! Flush The Fashion sees a real 80’s Cooper with new band, song-wrilcrs and concept, tine vocals and strong songs. This one doesn’t sound like .« West Coast session album as did the previous. This fires like ,i good ncw-wavc album with sharp guitar chording (hardly any (cad) and not-jo-subilc use of electronics The cover portrays a wan but butch Cooper, sort ol a perverted extension olt; his I.JCC and Whiskey” detective maclto: This image is a tar cry Irom his earlier days in rock's fiist transvestite band ..The Coop's lirst band lasted almost ten years, when, in their early teens, they played whooI dances. Their appearance was. at that time, extraordinary. They wore mod suits and had longer hair than the Beatles in '64 and by ’67 had the lull use of psychedelic lighting and backdrops as a part of their act. By then their hair was on their shoulders when the clean-cut mod image was sweeping America Even more bi/arrc theatrics (always ahead of their time) and strangely advanced music (something like the Beatles meet the Residents) were incorporated by ’68 when they were •'discovered by ftank Zappa, who gave them the opportunity to record when no-one would touch them with a ten-foot boom stand.At that time their transvestite image had blossomed and young Vincent had changed his name Needless to say, no-one was ready lor I heir music or their show, but a strong cult following grew on the West Coast and in (heir home” Detroit. The music from this era (“Easy Action” and “Pretties For You) was made available in 0/ as the Schooldays compilation.By their third album, Love It To Death”, Alice and guitarist Michael Bruce had struck on ,i winning combination in terms ot song-writing. The band's firsthit, I’m 18, gave a much wider exposure to a band more triie-U»4ffc and entertaining than the pseudo - hip or pseudo -squeaky-clean bands that were then going down. Their music was much more accessible than before, but I heir concept songs still contained quite a punch (Second Coming/Ballad of Dwiglu Frye).The following year saw “Killer” and another hit single. Because of their widespread exposure, they were banned from more places than they were allowed to play. A reaction, much more fervent than the original rock 'n roll mclcc of the Jjte 'SO’s. was generated within the establishment All the time the band was gloating over their notoriety. We can't have this band inlecting and subverting our child run! loo late.. .The School's Out tour had hit the road; the album hit the streets and subsequently the American charts (by Ibis stage Warner’s knew that there were big bikkies in being obscene and degenerate). Cooper's philosophy seemed to bo to prove lhat what he was doing was no different to what everyone else was think ing. At his concerts, he'd throw live chickens into his audiences, which they’d tear apart. He would throw huge sums ot money into the crowds and sit on the stage laughing at them as they grappled. See? You’re all crazier then I am! he'd scream as they almost killed each other. Near the conclusion of the live set. Cooper would be hung on stage to atone for his crimes, but was later resurrected in top hat and tails subsequently Fred Astaire-ing his way into everyone’s heart.As the Billion Dollar Babies concept emerged, Alice sought newer ways to entice or incite his audience. A top American illusionist was recruited lo stage .1 guillotine execution tor Cooper. One article reviewing this spectacle Tor the music press bore the title Alice Is Dead. While- reading further, one is told of an accident occuring with the safety bolts in the device, and lhat Alice was actually beheaded on stage. Latci,though, the hoax is given away, but many a Cooper fan (including myscff) read this piece in horrific disbelief. This stage show was captured in the film Good To Sec You Again, Alice Cooper.The album featured Donovan on vocals and new boy Dick Wagner provided some powerful guitar work. Its anthems Llccted (about Cooper's fans pushing for him to be president), Unfinished Sweet and I Love The Dead (yuk!) made this truly their Finest work.Muscle ol Love”, by comparison, was fairly timid. Although produced well and played powerfully, the tracks mellowed and varied from the previous full-on approach. Pure Bourbon St, on Crazy Little Child, M.O.R. on Teenage Lament and Hard Hearted Alice showed Cooper’s desire to experiment with real music. Alice then decided to Like the big step and go it alone. The band, some years later, returned for one album as the Billion Dollar Babies, .• fairly amateur attempt at power-pop.Cooper's new hand, the Hollywood Vampitcs, (again featuring Wagner in both guitar and songwriting), were all touring session players. They’d backed up Lou Reed and had enjoyed mild success in their previous bands. The first fruit ol this newer, slicker collaboration was the concept Welcome To My Nightmare” which has loaned its njme to an album, a tour, a movie and a T.V. show. The album is a killer (ahem); its music is First class whether heavy rock, quiet ballad or up-tempo M.O.R. Cooper had really broken world-wide. People had thought where could he go from here except down? Alice got married. ALICE! Nightmare Part 2, Alice Cooper Goes To Hell”, was an admirable follow-up with some fine pop and thick production. His subsequent tours contained songs and images from these two albums. It seemed he only played the hits from the old band to appease his die-hard fans. All the other material from this era is forgotten. His dabbling work on a concept album FlashFearless v. The Zorg Women Parts 5 6 has him backed by Bill Bruford and Ox hntwistle as be screams I’m Hash!Alter Cooper's marriage a mellowing out too place. His wife had encouraged him to eat and sleep better and was trying to convince him to give up drink (during the 0/ tout, after one performance. he vomittcd blood. . . the result of acute alcoholism).A fairly watered down work, Lace and Whiskey, concluded his Hollywood Vampire collaboration. His long-standing (over) producer, Boh Ezrrn, then also ceased working with Cooper. All of them went to work with Peter Gabriel, ]im Curry. Dick Wagner and Hall and Oates. Due to this split in the ranks, a series of live shows were recorded, edited and issued as the iivc album The Alice Cooper Show.Wagner, however, had stayed on through the Coop’s drying out. It was here that Cooper experienced a real-life Dwight Frye existence. His 0.1 .'s and the plight ol the other inmates at his clinic gave rise to a musical One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, “From The Inside. This was to be Cooper’s only work with lyricist Bcrnie Taupin. Hearing the finished product, it was little wonder. The lyrics had the commonscnse insanity angle but none of Cooper’s stinging wit. Maybe Alice had cleaned up a little too much. The production was pure West Coast using the stock session men. Good vocals, clever arrangements, clear instrumentation. . . pure sophistication. Ho hum. This concept seemed to lack a real direction . . . just cute stories linked together along a central theme. Cooper's hits from-thosc last three albums were all ballads. Maybe it was time lot another change. The 80’s Cooper was born.It’s Cooper's toughest since Nightmare, clever both lyrically and mclodi-cally. (We’re All) Clones is like the latter day Beatles meeting the electronic Bowie. His story of being normal while Mum and Dad lead a trendy bohemian existence, is a stunner. The Coop’s wit is there, sharp as ever He may be a married milk drinker but he’s filing with the fury of old.P.S. Cooper’s adventures outside his own product also included the Sergeant Pepper movie, a Mac West movie, an episode of Ail In The Family and the Muppet Show (Gad! How respectable can you got?).It’s also interesting to note that while Starling out, Cooper and band skipped out on a whole bunch of hotel bills. Alter they’d succeeded commercially, they returned to these hotels and paid their bills.During the Australian tour, record crowds turned out wearing Cooper’s face makeup. These records still stand.Ian Chambers.
Newspaper Details
Kensington Tharunka
Kensington, New South Wales, AU
Mon, Jun 02, 1980
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Brian J.
MI, USA 06 Jan 2019
Other Publications Near Kensington, New South Wales
Kensington Tharunka
