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Closing the first side of the album is 'You're My Temptation', which is another good hard rocking song. It contains a guitar riff that reminds me of one used in the Iron Maiden song 'Powerslave' The co-writers of this song are Jack Blades, from the band Night Ranger and Tommy Shaw, who is best known from the band Styx John Purdell plays additional keyboards on the song Producers - Duane Baron and John Purdell 05/10 - You're My Temptation (Alice Cooper, Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPQmh0OGIGY "Don't touch your lips don't wear your hair like that I feel your presence all around me Don't get too close don't move your eyes like that Because they're deep enough to drown me It don't get hot like this in Heaven (please hide me in some holy place) You fool me with your angel face (protect my soul like a rich case) Your master knows where I'm my weakest. Mercy please, I'm on my knees You're my temptation Measure my faith, the devil's awake He knows you're my temptation Don't call my name, don't brush my cheek like that I curse the day that I found you Don't touch my skin, don't dance around like that I feel damnation all around you And so I raise my voice to Heaven (You fool me with your angel face) Please hide me in some holy place (You master knows when I`m weak) Protect my soul, I'm only human Mercy please, I'm on my knees You're my temptation Look down and see deliver me From my dark sensation Give me faith, don't let me waste You're my temptation (Come to me ) You're such a liar (Won't you come to me ) Move closer to the fire (Just come to me ) No, no, no (Won't you come to me I will set you free) No, no, no, no Mercy please, I'm on my knees You're my temptation Measure my faith, the devil's awake He knows you're my temptation Mercy please, I'm on my knees You're my temptation Go away in Heaven's name You're my temptation Aw... Go away, just go away My dark sensation (Sign upon the dotted line, I`ll be yours and you`ll be mind, hahahaha...)" The second side opens with the ballad 'Stolen Prayer'. It's an entertaining song, featuring a mix of acoustic and electric guitars. It also briefly features a 'children's choir', which made me think that Bob Ezrin had returned as producer! Co-writer is Chris Cornell from the band Soundgarden, who also provides some backing vocals to the song Producer - Andy Wallace 06/10 - Stolen Prayer (Alice Cooper, Chris Cornell) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHj-HzMobSQ "I walk the streets alone on feeble bones I ride My sins are etched in stone, I got no place to hide Well, I was unshakable in what I did believe I feel so breakable but have I been deceived You showed me your paradise and your carnival of souls But my heart keeps telling me that ain't the place to go Well, I'm not invincible so I want you to leave Well, I'm so convincible but have I been deceived I take your words and try them on [Chris] Yeah, it's a perfect fit, boy) You tell me one size fits us all [Chris] Yeah, like an old straightjacket Well, tell me why I'm so afraid (All my words are spoken) (All my words are spoken) All my words are spoken In a stolen prayer I remember yesterday when things were black and white Never thought I'd get confused on what was wrong and right Well, I'm not unbreakable with armour on my skin Well, it's not unthinkable, I could be fooled again I take your words and try them on [Chris] Yeah, it's a perfect fit, boy You tell me one size fits us all [Chris] Yeah, like an old straightjacket Well, tell me why I'm so afraid (All my words are spoken) (All my words are spoken) All my words are spoken In a stolen prayer You steal another minute from my life, aha You cut a little deeper with your knife You steal a little breath from my air And you don't care And even thought I'm chokin' All my words are spoken I take your words and try them on [Chris] Yeah, it's a perfect fit, boy You tell me one size fits us all [Chris] Yeah, like an old straightjacket Take this world and try it on [Chris] Man, you're lookin' good boy Stick your neck out on the block [Chris] So you won't miss nothing Stretch your finger, grab your hair [Chris] Don't you feel like screaming Feel the blood rush from your veins [Chris] Now you're a perfect zombie Now I'm down on my knees (All my words are spoken) (All my words are spoken) All my words are spoken All my words are spoken All my words are spoken in a stolen prayer"[/QUOTE] |
The second song on the second side is entitled 'Unholy War' and it has a dark, evil atmosphere. During the intro, the guitars play a very dark riff as the drums come in, and then Alice sings in the sneering voice which has been absent for some time. The chorus is slightly brighter, but it still gives off a menacing vibe. The song was written by Chris Cornell again, and his own demo version can be found here Cornell also provides backing vocals on the Alice version Producers - Andy Wallace 07/10 - Unholy War (Cornell) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71rWHVb46ws "From the start of life to my dying day In the dark of night and the burning light of day It's a bloody fight but I can't walk away I'm prime for the front line Unholy war, unholy war I'll try, I'll fight until I die (Unholy) Unholy war, unholy war I see, I know, you'll always be Unholy You see my burning fuse from a mile away I took your cruel abuse, Lord took away my shame I learned to bite the hand that used to pull my chain We'll fight, cause we ain't on the same side We're in an unholy war, unholy war I'll try, yeah I'll fight until I die Unholy When I'm all alone - Unholy With your thoughts of pain - Unholy I can break on through - Unholy With just an ounce of faith - Unholy (Unholy, Unholy, Unholy, Unholy) You're shaking in your boots because it's Judgement Day I'll get my just rewards and you'll have your hell to pay There's no time to throw out the lifeline Unholy war, unholy war I'll try, yeah, I'll fight until I die (Unholy) Unholy war, unholy war I see, I know, you'll always be Unholy Unholy" Next song is 'Lullaby', a creative and weirdly structured song, similar to 'Bad Place Alone'. It's a good one, with the verses sounding light and sweet, but the chorus is dark (that word again!) and cute and spooky all at the same time. Co-writer of this song is Jim Vallance, who is better known for hsi work with Bryan Adams Producers - Duane Baron/John Purdell 08/10 - Lullaby (Alice Cooper, Jim Vallance) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLvS9KMJAEQ "(My boy, it`s getting late, I`ll raise the stakes So close, control your fate, why hesitate, seal the deal, close the sale take my hand, ....) I was the boy who said all of my prayers Laid my clean face on the pillow Tucked in real tight, so safe and secure through the night I heard a noise, it was probably nothing It pulled me right out of a dream If I knew it was you I'd have jumped out of bed with a scream I am the one who growls in your closet I am the one who lives under your bed Get down - back where you started Get down - back into hell Your black soul, you know you're black hearted I smell your sulfurous smell All of my things that I play with in daylight You turn into monsters at night My toys were my friends until you taught them all how to bite You showed me things little boys shouldn't see You scared me with visions of fire You danced on my bed with the flames on your head dancing higher I am the one who growls in your closet I am the one who lives under your bed Get down - back where you started Get down - back into hell Your black soul, you know you're black hearted I smell your sulfurous smell I tell ya right now I don't want your reptile embrace I don't want to follow you down to your place I don't want to be a child of disgrace Oh.... You can take your whiskey soaked, foaming at the mouth, toilet talking, pea soup spewing, sweating blood demon breath out of my face Get down - back where you started Get down - back into hell Your black soul, you know you're black hearted I smell that brimstone... Get down - back where you started Get down - back into hell Your black soul, you know you're black hearted I smell that sulpher.... I was the boy who said all of my prayers Laid my clean face on the pillow Tucked in real tight, so safe and secure through the night" |
'It's Me' is the big ballad of the album. It maybe slightly overlong, but it's enjoyable enough. It's somewhat surreal hearing a a mandolin on an Alice Cooper song! The lyrics show how much Alice knows about England: "You took a first-class trip to Paris You danced in the streets of Spain You followed the sun to Rio de Janeiro 'cause you got so sick and tired of the London rain" Like 'You Are My Temptation', the song was co-written by Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades Alice Cooper - Vocals Stef Burns - Guitar, Vocals Greg Smith - Bass, Vocals Derek Sherinian - Keyboards, Vocals David Uosikkinen - Drums John Purdell - Keyboards 09/10 - It's Me (Cooper, Shaw, Blades) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVvwO7pvX5E "You took a first-class trip to Paris You danced in the streets of Spain You followed the sun to Rio de Janeiro 'cause you got so sick and tired of the London rain But honey, late at night when you close your tires eyes You'll be there, I'll be here And one of us will cry It's me, it's me When you need something more Something you're dying for It's me, it's me When you can't see too clear Baby, I'm always near It's me You played your cards, you felt the sorrow 'Cause all that dealer dealt was pain But baby, where you gonna play tomorrow The stakes were too damn high And now, you're broke again You can trip around 'till all your money's blown But who's the man that'll take you in when all your luck is gone yeah It's me, it's me What are you searching for I know you can find my door It's me, it's me I know you've sinned every sin But I'll still take you in It's me And me, I'm sitting here Nothing much has changed You broke my heart to pieces, babe But, huh, that's nothing strange Well, I ain't angry That's all come and gone My arms are still wide open girl To catch you when you fall And if someday you realize just where you belong I'm the man that'll take you in When all your luck's gone, yeah It's me, it's me When you need something more Something you're dying for It's me, it's me When you can't see too clear Baby, I'm always near It's me, it's me What are you searching for I know you can find my door It's me, it's me I know you've sinned every sin But I'll still take you in It's me Yeah, baby, it's me" The final song on the album 'Cleansed By Fire' is another good one, starting with a slow finger-plucking guitar style before exploding into a hard rock extravaganza. Oh, it's also one of those songs that...when you think it has ended, it hasn't! Alice Cooper - Vocals Stef Burns - Guitar, Vocals Greg Smith - Bass, Vocals Derek Sherinian - Keyboards, Vocals David Uosikkinen - Drums One of the credited co-writers of the song is Mark Hudson, who has gone from working with Ringo Starr, Aerosmith, The Scorpions and Ozzy Osbourne (amongst others), to being heavily involved in the television show 'The X-Factor'! 10/10 - Cleansed By Fire (Cooper, Hudson, Dudas, Saylor) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGNBK5doURk "I don't know but I've been told the streets of hell are paved with gold Crazy, crazy You told me that nothing's free except my own insanity Crazy, maybe Wake me, shake me Wake me, shake me You offer me the world and all its wealth All for myself You promised me a life eternally And drink to my health I may seem only half-glued But I can see right through you Burn it up, burn it down Burn this sucker to the ground Oh yeah, oh yeah Going, going, going, gone There's a party going on Do you think I don't know who you are A fallen star When I feel my soul scream out at night I know you're not far You need a better disguise This one won't win any prize Burn it up, burn it down Burn this sucker to the ground Oh yeah, oh yeah Going, going, going, gone There's a party going on and on and on and on and on... Cleansed by fire, cleansed by fire I may seem only half-glued But I can see right through you What about dark What about light What about wrong What about right What about death What about sin What about the web you're trying to spin What about truth What about life What about glory What about Christ What about peace What about love What about faith in God above What about war What about hell What if I stumble What if I fell What about blood What about greed And all of these things you're offering me Yeah, what about me Little me You lose, I win You couldn't suck me in It's over, you have no power You're lost And I'm found And I'm, I'm Heaven bound Go back to where you belong To where you fell Go to hell Go......................." Revisiting this album for the purpose of this review, I had forgotten just how good it is. When 'The Last Temptation' was released in Japan, it contained a bonus CD of songs that were recorded live at the Electric Lady studios in New York during 1991. Tracks included were:
The cover to the album contains a poster written in Japanese. This is an old fashioned poster for a Japanese side show. It is made up of three sets of characters. Each set is read Oriental-style, (in columns from top to bottom and from right to left. In other words, the first character is the blurry red one in the upper right corner (A), then B, then C, then D at the start of the next column, and so on). The red characters read "Sando tenran no ei o tamawaru," which literally means "Honored by being viewed by the Emperor three times." This is a stock cliche that used to be used by side shows in Japan, similar to the "Step right up and see the marvels that have amazed the crowned heads of Europe!" cliche. The Japanese expression has the same flavor. The next set of characters G-J are read "sekai muhi," which means "nothing like it in the world". "The third set K-M is read "Dai kijutsu" and means something like "great magic," "fantastic sleight of hand," "stupendous illusions," etc There was no specific tour to support 'The Last Temptation', although Alice did mention plans for one in various interviews around the release date. A reason for the non-tour could be due to the fact that Alice had left Epic (the record label the album was released on) just after the release of 'The Last Temptation', and they weren't going to finance a tour! However, he DID play four festival shows in South America (Brazil, Chile and Argentina) between Sept 2nd and 9th, 1995. Although the show from Chile was broadcast live on television, there has (to date) not been any DVD release. The basic setlist for these shows was:
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Here we are, at the end of part 4! INTERMISSION Alice had survived the heavy metal years. He had clawed his way back into the hearts of his fans and (more importantly) the charts. With 'Poison', he had enjoyed his biggest ever hit. He had revived Steven, and had (in my opinion) released his best album since 'From The Inside' - 'The Last Temptation'. More importantly, he had been influencing acts again - from the cartoon excesses of GWAR to the horror-fixated White Zombie/Rob Zombie to the new 'America's Public Enemy #1' Marilyn Manson, Alice proved that he still had things to offer His health had improved - he had given up drugs and alcohol and was now more likely to be found on the golf courses rather than the clubs However...things seemed to be changing for him. Making records slowed down, and the touring schedule increased. If Bob Dylan is the king of 'The Neverending Tour', then Alice must be the heir apparent for this title. The statistics speak for themselves. Since the release of 'The Last Temptation' in 1994, and today's date (July 2nd, 2016), Alice has: released 6 studio albums released 6 live albums/DVD's released 2 substantial compilation box sets released 1 album of covers ('The Hollywood Vampires') completed (at least) 13 different tours Before moving onto these, however, there is one event from 1996 that needs to be mentioned. Alice Cooper recorded a version of 'King Herod's Song' for a new version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's show 'Jesus Christ, Superstar'. Apparently, Rice personally requested that Alice sing the song! Knowing how much Alice loves Broadway musicals, you can just imagine how much fun he had doing this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6NSVrXQfvc "Jesus I am overjoyed to meet you face to face. You've been getting quite a name all around the place. Healing cripples, raising from the dead. And now I understand you're God, at least that's what you've said. So you are the Christ, you're the great Jesus Christ. Prove to me that you're divine- change my water into wine. That's all you need to do and I'll know it's all true. C'mon King of the Jews. Jesus you just won't believe the hit you've made around here. You are all we talk about, the wonder of the year. Oh what a pity if it's all a lie. Still I'm sure that you can rock the cynics if you try. So you are the Christ, you're the great Jesus Christ. Prove to me that you're no fool- walk across my swimming pool. If you do that for me then I'll let you go free. C'mon King of the Jews. I only ask things I'd ask any superstar. What is it that you have got that puts you where you are? I am waiting, yes I'm a captive fan. I am dying to be shown that you are not just any man. So if you are the Christ yes the great Jesus Christ feed my household with this bread- you can do it on your head. Or has something gone wrong? Why do you take so long? C'mon King of the Jews. Hey! Aren't you scared of me Christ? Mr. Wonderful Christ! You're a joke. You're not the Lord- you are nothing but a fraud. Take him away- he's got nothing to say! Get out you King of the Jews! Get out of my life!" Around this same time, he also joined forces with Rob Zombie to record the song 'Hands Of Death (Burn Baby Burn)' which was included on the 'Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by The X-Files' compilation album. Rob Zombie has described this collaboration as 'one of the great moments where you really feel like you've made your dreams come true'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEg-IOibksY |
BONUS INTERMISSION: A Fistful Of Alice On June 2nd, 1996, Alice played a solo show at Sammy Hagar's club 'The Cabo Wabo' in Cabo, San Lucas, Mexico. This show was recorded and released as the live album 'A Fistful Of Alice' in 1997. This was to be Alice's first live album since the 1977 release 'The Alice Cooper Show'. He has stated that he wanted to do a live recording after so many years to update the fans on how he now sounded live. Alice Cooper - Vocals Reb Beach - Guitar, Vocals Ryan Roxie - Guitar Paul Taylor - Keyboards, Guitar Todd Jensen - Bass, Vocals Jimmy DeGrasso - Drums There were also a number of special guest artists The record was produced by Thom Panunzio The track listing is:
There was also a new, studio recording, tagged onto the end of the record: Is Anyone Home? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5F2jKRk-JA 'How You Gonna see Me Now' was rehearsed for the show but didn't make the final setlist. Joey Ramone, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai originally agreed to appear in addition to the three guests actually on the CD, but in the end didn't make it to the show In 2005, the album was re-issued under the title 'Live At The Cabo Wabo' The rest of 1996 was mainly spent with Alice touring the US on the 'School's Out For Summer' tour, which was a co-headline tour with the scorpions. For these dates, Alice tended to go on first. Dates played were between June 6th, 1996 and August 26th, 1996. The basic setlist for these showa was:
However, the setlist was changed around a bit. Additional songs that were played at various venues include 'I Never Cry', 'Clones', 'Lost In America', 'Cold Ethyl', 'Be My Lover' and 'Cleansed By Fire' ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++ In 1997, Alice toured to promoted the newly released 'Fistful Of Alice' LP. The tour started in Europe, with dates being played between June 20th and July 20th. UK dates were between July 3rd and July 10th, and shows were played at Wolverhampton, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, London and Southampton. Support came from Tampasm. The setlist for these shows was:
By the time Alice had reached the US, the tour had been named 'The Rock And Roll Carnival Show'. Dates were played between August 1st and August 31st before heading out to Australia for dates between Sept 5th and Sept 11th The basic setlist for the 'Rock And Roll Carnival Show' was:
although 'Department Of Youth' was added to the Australian leg of the tour As a piece of sad news, Glen Buxton, the original guitarist with The Alice Cooper Group, died on October 19th, 1997 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++ 1998 was still spent touring the 'Rock And Roll Carnival Show' to promote the live album. This leg of the tour started with two shows at The Astoria Theatre in London on May 25th & 26th (with the same setlist as noted above, although a cover of 'Jailhouse Rock' was played between 'School's Out' and 'Under My Wheels') before returning to Europe between May 28th and June 7th and then back home to the States for dates between June 19th and a New Year show in Florida on Dec 31st |
Just for info, Susan. The place in Mexico is called Cabo san Lucas. It's not Cabo, san Lucas as in a place near a place. It's stunning by the way. Glorious beaches and warm blue seas. I went there for two days as part of a cruise in 1995. Sadly not to the Cabo Wabo cantina though. |
What's the album like? Is it a good performance? I've seen it about but I've never bought it or listened to it! |
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Openers “School's Out” and “I'm Eighteen,” are both rocky and also melodic but the version of 'Elected' is the best track on the album. 'Lost In America' is pretty solid and 'Desperado' is also performed with verve. To be honest, the only song I found to be lacking was 'Feed My Frankenstein', and I'm not sure why 'Teenage Lament 74' was included when there are so many better known songs that were omitted However, Alice and the entire band sound like they are having fun, and that is the main thing when it comes to music - FUN |
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You're right it is fun. It's not an Alice Cooper show, it's a good time, typical of Sammy Hagar's laid back, chilled out attitude. |
I think I'll pick it up, I like the tracklist (apart from Feed My Frankenstein, always hated that song :lol: ) |
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