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Old 14th May 2016, 05:23 AM
Susan Foreman's Avatar
Susan Foreman Susan Foreman is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Childhood home of Billy Idol - Orpington
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The 1987 album 'Raise Your Fist And Yell' was a continuation of the hair metal sound from 'Constrictor', but with a much more polished production. The guitar histrionics were still there, but they sounded better - it's almost as if they were now there for a reason, rather than being there for the sake of playing a million notes a second

Alice Cooper - vocals
Kane Roberts - Guitars, Vocals
Kip Winger - Bass, Vocals
Ken K. Mary - Drums
Paul Horrowitz - Keyboards

Producer - Michael Wagener

The working title for the album was 'Summer Blood'

During the hiatus, Alice had all but been forgotten by America. During this time, the PMRC, which was the American committee formed by Tipper Gore with the goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes, had risen to prominence, and Alice had found him their public enemy #1. The opening track on RYFAL, 'Freedom', was his answer to this. It is a good, catchy song, and I have been unable to stop singing it since I listened to it to refresh my memory of the album

The video was shot during the dress rehearsals for the tour to promote the album, dubbed the 'Live In The Flesh' tour. Sadly there is no official release of this tour, so this is the only way to get an idea of what the stage setup looked like

It was the only single to be released from the album, reaching #50 in the UK charts

01/10 - Freedom (Cooper, Roberts)



"We the people of the United States
In order to form a more perfect union

Stop pretending that you've never been bad
You're never wrong and you've never been dirty
You're such a saint, that ain't the way we see you
Ah, You want to rule us with an iron hand
You change the lyrics and become Big Brother
This ain't Russia, you ain't my Dad or Mother
(They never knew anyway)
'Cause I never walk away from what I know is right
But I'm gonna turn my back on you

Freedom, we're gonna ring the bell
Freedom to rock, freedom to talk
Freedom, raise your fist and yell
Freedom to rock, freedom to talk
Freedom - ring

Aaaah
You're playing God from your ivory tower
Back off preacher, I don't care if it's Sunday
I ain't no angel, but I've never felt better
We're a make-up metal generation
We're not as stupid as you want to make us
You better leave us, man
'Cause you sure can't take us
Oh... Nobody better tell you how to live your life
Or you gotta do it on your own

Freedom, we're gonna ring the bell
Freedom to rock, freedom to talk
Freedom, raise your fist and yell
Freedom to rock, freedom to talk
Freedom - Yeah...

Oh yeah
'Cause I never walk away from what I know is right
But I'm gonna turn my back on you
Freedom, we're gonna ring the bell
Freedom to rock, freedom to talk
Freedom, raise your fist and yell
Freedom
Freedom, we're gonna ring the bell
Freedom to rock, freedom to talk
Freedom, raise your fist and yell
Freedom
Freedom, we're gonna ring that bell
Freedom to rock, freedom to talk
Freedom, come on, raise your fist and yell
Freedom
Come on, yell
Come on, yell
Freedom to rock, freedom to talk
Freedom
Make a fist
Make a fist
Make a fist
Freedom
And yell......"


As good as the opener is, the following song, 'Lock Me Up', is banal to the extreme. Dumb through and through. I get the impression that it was written as an audience participation song (due to the 'Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh' segment of the lyrics), but top of my head, I don't think that this song was ever performed live

The spoken opening to the song is by Robert Englund, best known as being Freddie Kruger in the 'Elm Street' movies

02/10 - Lock Me Up (Cooper, Roberts)



"[Spoken] Alice Cooper
You have been accused of mass mental cruelty
How do you plead?
Guilty!

Don't wanna be clean
Don't wanna be nice
The whip's gonna crack
My leather is black and so are my eyes
I'm gonna be rough
I'm gonna be mean
I'm here 'til the end, my sick little friend
I'm back in your dreams
You can take my head and cut it off
But you ain't gonna change my mind

If you don't like it you can lock me up
Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh
If you don't like it you can lock me up
Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh

Cover your eyes or cover your head
You'll never know what hit you til you're covered in red
Screaming bloody murder 'til the barricades bend
Sweatin' in the fog til the end

It's gotta be loud
I want it to roar
I want it to blow everyone at the show off of the floor
I'm in for the kill
I'm back with a rage
I want them to write in the paper each night how I bloodied the stage

Oh, If you don't like it you can lock me up
Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh
If you don't like it you can lock me up
Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, lock me up or shut up
No no no no, no...

Cover your eyes or cover your head
You'll never know what hit you 'til you're covered in red
Screaming bloody murder 'til the barricades bend
Sweatin' in the lights 'til the end

If you don't like it you can lock me up
Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh - I wanna be hot
If you don't like it you can lock me up
Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh - I wanna be cool
If you don't like it you can lock me up
Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh - I wanna be sick
If you don't like it you can lock me up
Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh - ah, real sick"
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Just because we get around

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