Originally Posted by Susan Foreman  1 - From The Inside (1978) - Essential 10/10. A controversial choice to be sure, but 'From The Inside' just edges it as my favourite album. It has everything from fast rockers ('Serious') to tender ballads ('How You Gonna See Me Now') to songs that chill the listener ('The Quiet Room'). It's chocka with catchy songs and the trademark black humour we all know and love from the man - the sleazy 'Nurse Rozetta', the hilarious 'Millie And Billie' and the bad taste of 'Inmates (We're All Crazy)'. When I was younger, this is the album I always used to put on when I was glamming myself up for a night on the town.
2 - Billion Dollar Babies (1973) - Essential 9.5/10. The best album from the original band. Again, it contains wall to wall classics, including 'Elected', 'Billion Dollar Babies', 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' and 'I Love The Dead'. It was the only Alice album that made the #1 spot on both the US and British album charts. It's hugely enjoyable album through and through! I don't want to refund a single second of the time I invested in listening to this. In fact, I'm going to listen to it many more times in the future
3 - Welcome To My Nightmare (1975) - Essential 9.5/10. I love musical theatre, and this album is a celebration of that. It's fully deserving of its status as one of rocks most celebrated albums. The foremost reason is that the songs are very well-written, and the arrangements are inspired. Furthermore, the campy horror movie theme is a complete blast, and that's a quality that manages to make this work stand out as among the finest and most unique albums in rock 'n' roll.
4 - Killer (1971) Essential 9/10. For many people, this album would be top of the list, and rightly so. From the opening twin salvo of 'Under My Wheels' and ''Be My Lover' to the closing majesty of the title song, there is nothing shoddy about this release.
5. Love It To Death (1971) - Essential 8.5/10. Another 'must own' album, although (for me) the song 'Black Juju' drags at over nine minutes and the inclusion of the Rolf Harris cover 'Sun Arise' was a mistake. But there are enough classics to make up for these songs - 'Caught In A Dream', '18', 'Long Way To Go', 'Is It My Body' and 'The Ballad Of Dwight Frye'.
6. Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011) - Very Good 8/10. Easily Alice's best album since the 70's, it's let down by too many different musical styles and a confusing storyline.
7. Dirty Diamonds (2005) - Good 7/10. While this is not one of his most satisfying albums ever released, there are plenty of moments I like. Some songs are very catchy, but we are starting to get to the kind of songs that a generic pub band would play
8. Along Came A Spider (2008) - Good 7/10. A mixed bag of the good and the not so good! When it's dark and brooding, it's a classic Alice album, but sadly a lot of it is lightweight
9. Raise Your Fist And Yell (1987) - Above Average 6.8/10. Heavy metal! Standard heavy metal at that! The opening song ('Freedom') suggests this is going to be a great album, but the rest of the songs on side 1 disprove this. However, the serial killer trilogy at the end of the second side save this record
10. Constrictor (1986) - Above average 6.5/10. The first of the 'hair metal' albums. I probably liked it a lot more when I was 20, but now I listen to it and there is nothing to distinguish it from every other hair band of the time. Sadly, for every great song ('Teenage Frankenstein', 'The World Needs Guts') there is a poor song ('Thrill My Gorilla', 'The Great American Success Story')
11. The Last Temptation (1994) - Average 6/10. A good album
12. Schools Out (1972) - Average 5/10. The title track means that this album is always going to be popular, but other than that and 'Gutter Cats Vs. The Jets', as far as I am concerned there is very little here. Average at best
13. Goes To Hell (1976) - Average 5/10. One or two good songs, but nothing special
14. Special Forces (1981) - Average 4.8/10. One of Alice's least loved albums, 'Special Forces' still has something to offer to anyone willing to take a chance. There is only one real classic here ('Who Do You Think We Are') and the cover of Love's 'Seven and Seven Is' is a good one. Other than that tho...
15. Hey Stoopid (1991) - Average 4.5/10. Entertaining, but sounding oh, so dated.
16. Easy Action (1970) - Average 4.5/10. The bands second album is not the place for a newcomer to start with, but it shouldn't be ignored. It contains the signs of greatness to come
17. Brutal Planet (2000) - Below average 4/10. It could so easily have been a better album, but I am not a fan of the industrial metal genre. The songs on the album are very good, but they sound much better when played live. Here, they are just noise
18. Dragontown (2002) - Below Average 4/10. More industrial metal. See my comments for 'Brutal Planet'
19. The Eyes Of Alice Cooper (2003) Below Average 3.5/10. The opposite of the above two albums. This is much too poppy for my liking
20. Trash (1989) - Below Average 3.3/10. It's not an Alice Cooper album. It's a Desmond Child and Friends album. Yes, it contains 'Poison', but it also contains 'House Of Fire', 'Bed Of Nails' and 'I'm Your Gun' - songs with cringe-worthy lyrics and tunes that wouldn't be out of place on a Bon Jovi album
21. Flush The Fashion (1980) - Below Average 3/10. New wave Alice
22. Muscle Of Love (1974) - Below Average 3/10. Middle-Of The Road Alice. The last album recorded by the original Alice Cooper Group sadly doesn't hit the heights of its' predecessors
23. Lace And Whiskey (1977) - Below Average 2.5/10. Musically, it's too diverse. Disco, rockabilly, Euro-dance, country-western, church music and ballads sit uncomfortably next to each other
24. Zipper Catches Skin (1982) - Below Average 2/10. It's not an Alice Cooper album!
25. DaDa (1983) - Below Average 1/10. The album Alice made before cleaning himself up for good. None of the songs from this album have ever been played live. Maybe it should never have been recorded!
26. Pretties For You (1969) Below Average 1/10. A real psychedelic oddity! |