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  #331  
Old 7th July 2016, 08:36 PM
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While on the 'intermission' segment, here is a rarity



It's 'Teenage Lament '74' closing the edition of 'Top of the Pops' that was broadcast on February 7th 1974. The song was #15 at the time and reached its highest position of #12 the following week.

This 30 second clip has been wiped from the BBC archive

Also, to show what a genuinely nice person Alice is, have a read of this
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  #332  
Old 8th July 2016, 05:16 AM
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BONUS INTERMISSION: The Life And Crimes Of Alice Cooper


Over the years, there have been a lot of 'best of..' type albums, most of which have been quicky cash-ins, offering nothing new. These include titles such as 'The Beast Of Alice Cooper' (1989) and 'Classicks' (1995). The best of these however, had been the 1974 release 'Alice Coopers' Greatest Hits', which was a single album featuring the original ACG.

A compilation box-set had been planned for many years. Originally conceived as being a three CD set, 'The Life And Crimes Of Alice Cooper' was ultimately expanded to four CD's, includes at least one track from each album release to date, plus lots of rare recordings.

I know I have recommended this set before, but I really cannot sing it's praises high enough. Alongside the box-set released by The Who, '30 Years Of Maximum R & B', it is probably the best compilation set I own

Ironically, The Life And Crimes was released on April 20th, 1999 - the same date as the Columbine High School Massacre

This is the press release for the set, quoted exactly, including spelling and factual errors!:
"Debuting in 1969, Alice Cooper didn't take long to turn the music world upside down by wearing outrageous costumes and make-up, while performing loud, hard rock music framing witty, sharp-edged lyrics. Add to that his colossally horrific stage theatrics and an outrageous, rebellious persona, metal pioneer Alice Cooper (nee Vincent Furnier) defined shock-rock, and he hasn't retired his black eye-makeup yet. Longtime Cooper fans (not to mention the man himself) have been dying for this box set to see the light of day. Now, after more than five years underground, THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF ALICE COOPER box set has finally been unearthed.

THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF ALICE COOPER stuffs 4 CDs full of 88 tracks from 21 albums released on various labels between 1969-1994, plus we've unleashed a slew of rare tracks, including early, pre-Alice Cooper (band) singles, imports, non-LP B-sides, live versions, unreleased album outtakes, and demos.

Includes Cooper's contributions to various movie soundtracks - such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Flash Fearless Vs. The Zorg Women, and The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years - as well as his duet with Rob Zombie from 1996's The X-Files tribute album, Songs In The Key Of X.

Book includes and intro written by Johnny Rotten, liner notes by former Creem editor Jeffrey Morgan, and tributes from Iggy Pop, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Joey Ramone, Dick Clark, Boy George, Bono, Mike Myers, and Dana Carvey ("Wayne and Gath"), among others."


The track listing is a pure delight

Disc 1
  • Don't Blow Your Mind - The Spiders (1966)
  • Hitch Hike - The Spiders (1965)
  • Why Don't You Love Me - The Spiders (1965)
  • Lay Down And Die, Goodbye - (OriginalVersion) The Nazz (1967)
  • Nobody Likes Me (demo version - 1968)
  • Levity Ball (studio version - 1968)
  • Reflected (Pretties For You - 1969)
  • Mr. And Misdemeanor (Easy Action - 1970)
  • Refrigerator Heaven (Easy Action - 1970)
  • Caught In A Dream (Love It To Death - 1971)
  • I'm Eighteen (Love It To Death - 1971)
  • Is It My Body (Love It To Death - 1971)
  • Ballad Of Dwight Fry (Love It To Death - 1971)
  • Under My Wheels (Killer - 1971)
  • Be My Lover (Killer - 1971)
  • Desperado (Killer - 1971)
  • Dead Babies (Killer - 1971)
  • Killer (Killer - 1971)
  • Call It Evil (demo - 1971)
  • Gutter Cat vs The Jets (School's Out - 1972)
  • School's Out (School's Out - 1972)
Disc 2
  • Hello Hooray (Billion Dollar Babies - 1973)
  • Elected (Billion Dollar Babies - 1973)
  • Billion Dollar Babies (Billion Dollar Babies - 1973)
  • No More Mr. Nice Guy (Billion Dollar Babies - 1973)
  • I Love The Dead (Billion Dollar Babies - 1973)
  • Slick Black Limousine (Flexi-disc from New Musical Express 1973)
  • Respect For The Sleepers (demo - 1973)
  • Muscle Of Love (Muscle Of Love - 1973)
  • Teenage Lament '74 (Muscle Of Love - 1973)
  • Working Up A Sweat (Muscle Of Love - 1973)
  • Man With The Golden Gun (Muscle Of Love - 1973)
  • I'm Flash (Flash Fearless Versus The Zorg Women - 1975)
  • Space Pirates (Flash Fearless Versus The Zorg Women - 1975)
  • Welcome To My Nightmare (Welcome To My Nightmare - 1975)
  • Only Women Bleed (single version )
  • Cold Ethyl (Welcome To My Nightmare - 1975)
  • Department Of Youth (Welcome To My Nightmare - 1975)
  • Escape (Welcome To My Nightmare - 1975)
  • I Never Cry (Alice Cooper Goes To Hell - 1976)
  • Go To Hell (Alice Cooper Goes To Hell - 1976)
Disc 3
  • It's Hot Tonight (Lace And Whiskey - 1977)
  • You And Me (Lace And Whiskey - 1977)
  • I Miss You (Battle Axe - 1977)
  • No Time For Tears (Sextette Outtake - 1977)
  • Because - With The Bee Gees (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1978)
  • From The Inside (From The Inside - 1978)
  • How You Gonna See Me Now (From The Inside - 1978)
  • Serious (From The Inside - 1978)
  • No Tricks (Single B side - 1978)
  • Road Rats (Roadie - 1980)
  • Clones (We`re All) (Flush The Fashion - 1980)
  • Pain (Flush The Fashion - 1980)
  • Who Do You Think We Are (Special Forces - 1980)
  • Look At You Over There, Ripping The Sawdust From My Teddybear (Outtake - 1980)
  • For Britain Only (UK only Single - 1982)
  • I Am The Future (Zipper Catches Skin - 1982)
  • Tag, You're It (Zipper Catches Skin - 1982)
  • Former Lee Warmer (DaDa - 1983)
  • I Love America (DaDa - 1983)
  • Identity Crisis (Monster Dog - 1984)
  • See Me In The Mirror (Monster Dog - 1984)
  • Hard Rock Summer (Friday The 13th - 1986)
Disc 4
  • He`s Back (The Man Behind The Mask) (Demo with music from Trick Bag - 1986)
  • He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask) (Constrictor - 1986)
  • Teenage Frankenstein (Constrictor - 1986)
  • Freedom (Raise Your Fist And Yell - 1987)
  • Prince Of Darkness (Raise Your Fist And Yell - 1987)
  • Under My Wheels (The Decline Of Western Civilization - 1988)
  • I Got A Line On You (Iron Eagle II - 1988)
  • Poison (Trash - 1989)
  • Trash (Trash - 1989)
  • Only My Heart Talkin' (Trash - 1989)
  • Hey Stoopid (Hey Stoopid - 1991)
  • Feed My Frankenstein (Hey Stoopid - 1991)
  • Fire (Single B side)
  • Lost In America (The Last Temptation - 1994)
  • It's Me (The Last Temptation - 1994)
  • Hands Of Death (with Rob Zombie, Remix of the track from The X Files - 1996)
  • Is Anyone Home? (A Fistful Of Alice - 1997)
  • Stolen Prayer (The Last Temptation - 1994)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++

For Alice, the first half of 1999 was spent playing golf and appearing on television shows to promote the album

On June 28th, he appeared at The Royal Albert Hall, London for the 'Classic Rock Symphony Show', where he performs 'Another Brick in the Wall' (Pink Floyd), 'Start Me Up' (The Rolling Stones), '5:15' (The Who), and 'School's Out'

From Sept 1st, he resumes the 'Rock And Roll Carnival Tour' in the US. The band and set list was the same as before except that 'Public Animal #9' has been replaced by 'Is It My Body' and a cover of Elton John`s Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting' is played instead of 'Jailhouse Rock'. The tour finishes on October 16th

Although never released on DVD, an audience recording from this tour can be found here

On Dec 31st, a new year/welcome to 2000 party is hosted at Cooperstown, a sports bar/restaurant that Alice opened in Dec 1998 in Phoenix.

From the advert for this:
"MILLENNIUM MASQUERADE WITH ALICE COOPER, LIMITED NUMBERS OF TICKETS AVAILABLE
TO THIS INTIMATE NEW YEAR'S EVEN PERFORMANCE IN PHOENIX, AZ.


Alice Cooper will rock in the Millennium on Friday, December 31, in true Cooper style with a Millennium Masquerade Party at Alice Cooper'stown in Phoenix, Arizona. The evening's festivities begin at 8:00pm.

The once-in-a-life-time New Year's Eve extravaganza will definitely be a twist on the typical "Black Tie" event. With masquerade attire required for this festive "Black Eyed" affair, and as an EVENT, it promises to be one of the most anticipated and talked about Millennium celebrations around the world.

The atmosphere of Alice Cooper'stown lends itself to be an intimate up close setting. The highlight of the evening will no doubt be the live and private concert featuring Alice Cooper. Cooper will perform a full set with his touring band. As the clock strikes midnight and guests unmask, Alice Cooper will personally ring in the New Year and usher in the new century. Who knows, there may be a few surprise guests that jam with Alice.

Beginning Octobers 11th, confirmed seating may be purchased through Alice Cooper'stown by phoning Kim Stitham at 602.253.7337. Tickets are priced at $*** each and may be purchased via all major credit cards. Space at this elaborate party is limited to 300 people and is based on first come first served basis. Included in the price of the ticket, will be a gourmet feast, champagne bar, decadent desserts, keepsake gift, party favors and much more.
Tickets do not include tax and/or gratuity."
Attached Images
File Type: jpg life and crimes 1.jpg (14.5 KB, 2 views)
File Type: jpg life and crimes 2.jpg (95.3 KB, 2 views)
File Type: jpg life and crimes 3.jpg (93.4 KB, 3 views)
File Type: jpg life and crimes 4.jpg (97.9 KB, 2 views)
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Last edited by Susan Foreman; 8th July 2016 at 05:36 AM.
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  #333  
Old 8th July 2016, 09:43 AM
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I love that Medusa Alice, is that a Japanese cover for Teenage Lament '74?
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  #334  
Old 8th July 2016, 09:50 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Justin101 View Post
I love that Medusa Alice, is that a Japanese cover for Teenage Lament '74?
Yes, it is the cover to the original Japanese 7" single, released in 1974
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  #335  
Old 8th July 2016, 09:55 AM
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I might have to grab a copy of Life and Crimes. I've never heard Hard Rock Summer properly.
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  #336  
Old 11th July 2016, 05:55 AM
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Hollywood Vampires Guitarist Joe Perry Collapses on Stage in New York - NBC News

Rock legend Joe Perry stable after mid-show collapse | Page Six
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  #337  
Old 12th July 2016, 06:05 AM
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PART 5: The New Millennium


The year 2000 ushered in a new Alice. He had a new record label - Spitfire - which specialised in heavy metal. He had a new musical style - a heavier, more industrial metal sound. And, more importantly, he released his first studio alum for 6 years

'Brutal Planet' is a concept album. It deals with a dystopian world, containing themes of dark 'social fiction', including domestic violence, prejudice, psychopathic behavior, war, Neo-Nazism and school shootings. Ironically however, the lyrics on the album were praised by Doug Van Pelt, who was the editor of the alternative Christian music-oriented HM Magazine, who stated that they 'communicated biblical morals in a very powerful way'

The band used were constant throughout the entire album

Alice Cooper - Vocals
Ryan Roxie - Guitars
Phil X - Guitars
China - Guitars
Bob Marlette - Bass, Keyboards
Eric Singer - Drums

Producer - Bob Marlette

The first song is the title track, 'Brutal Planet', which establishes the dark atmosphere of the album right from the start. The guitar riff is simple but ear-catching, and the melody is very memorable

The video is the live version of the song, opening with a monologue from 'The Controller'

01/11 - Brutal Planet (Cooper, Marlette)



"We're spinning round on this ball of hate
There's no parole, there's no great escape
We're sentenced here until the end of days
And then my brother there's a price to pay

We're only human, we were born to die
Without the benefit of reason why
We live for pleasure to be satisfied
And now it's over there's no place to hide

Why don't you, come down to
It's such a brutal planet
It's such an ugly world
Why won't you, come down to

"This world is such perfection" (What a sight)
"It's just like paradise" (For your eyes)
"A truly grand creation" (What a sight)
"From up here it looks so nice" (For my eyes)

It's such a brutal planet
It's such a living hell
It was a holy garden
That's right where Adam fell
It's where the bite was taken
It's where we chose to sin
It's where we first were naked
This is where our death begins

We took advice from that deceiving snake
He said "don't worry it's a piece of cake"
And sent us swimming in a burning lake
Now we're abandoned here for heaven's sake

Why don't you, come down to
It's such a brutal planet
It's such an ugly world
Why won't you, come down to

"This world is such perfection" (What a sight)
"It's just like paradise" (For my eyes)
"A truly grand creation" (What a sight)
"From up here it looks so nice" (For my eyes)

Here's where we keep the armies
Here's where we write their names
Here's where the money god is
Here's our famous hall of shame
Here's where we starve the hungry
Here's where we cheat the poor
Here's where we beat the children
Here is where we pay the whores

Why don't you, come down to
It's such a brutal planet
It's such an ugly world
Why won't you, come down to

"This world is such perfection" (What a sight)
"It's just like paradise" (For my eyes)
"A truly grand creation" (What a sight)
"From up here it looks so nice" (For my eyes)

Right here we stoned the prophets
Built idols out of mud
Right here we fed the lions
Christian flesh and Christian blood
Down here is where we hung him
Upon an ugly cross
Over there we filled the ovens
Right here the holocaust"


The second song, 'Wicked Young Man', is even better. It's been a long time since Alice recorded something that is truly chilling and disturbing, and this song is both. This is a response to rising number of school killings that were happening around the world, specifically the Columbine massacre. When Alice sings:
"I got a pocketful of bullets
and a blueprint of the school
I'm the devil's little soldier,
I'm the devil's little tool"

the hairs on the back of the neck stand up

Musically, it's another very catchy song, and the evil vocal performance is spot on for the subject matter

02/11 - Wicked Young Man (Cooper, Marlette)



"Cold blue swastika tattooed on my skin
The ice in my veins the staples in my chin
I've got it carved in my forehead "Slave To My Sin"
Too violent for the brotherhood to ever take me in

Gonna write down my law in blood upon the street
To the cadence of a goose-step heavy metal beat
Wanna purify my race gonna turn up the heat
Just wanna make 'em die and make the job complete

I am a vicious young man, oh I am a wicked young man
It's not the games that I play, the movies I see, the music I dig
I'm just a wicked young man

I like to run my body on heavy heavy fuel
I can punch through a wall, I can kick like a mule
I got a pocketful of bullets and a blueprint of the school
I'm the devil's little soldier, I'm the devil's little tool

I am a vicious young man, oh I am a wicked young man
It's not the games that I play, the movies I see, the music I dig
I'm just a wicked young man

I got every kind of chemical pumpin' through my head
I read Mein Kampf daily just to keep my hatred fed
I never ever sleep I just lay in my bed
Dreamin' of the day when everyone is dead

I am a vicious young man, oh I am a wicked young man
It's not the games that I play, the movies I see, the music I dig
I'm just a wicked young man
I am a vicious young man, oh I am a vicious young man
I am a vicious young man, oh I am a wicked young man"
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  #338  
Old 13th July 2016, 04:26 AM
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The third song on the album, 'Sanctuary' is a fast rocker, with Alice performing parts of the song in his spoken-singing voice.

03/11 - Sanctuary (Cooper, Marlette)



Your world full of creeps
Zombies walk the street
9 to 5 barely alive
Have a beer go to sleep
And start all over again

Same gray suit
Same brown shoes
Same headache
Same pills
He goes home thinks about suicide
But hes got his diploma, ya got to give him that

I got a radical place
Got my own private space
It's my sanctuary
It's the castle of doom
I'm the king of my room
Just a Quasimodo
Let the world blow away
This is where I will stay
In my sanctuary
Got my mess on the floor
Got my lock on my door

Go Away, Sanctuary
Go Away, Sanctuary

Someday I gotta get outta here
Gotta put on a shirt put on a tie
Get a job buy a car get some insurance
'Cause I'll probably have a heart attack by the time I'm 40

I guess I'll find the perfect wife
And I'll have 2.3 perfect kids
And if I work real hard
And if I die real fast
They'll all turn out just like me

I got a radical place
Got my own private space
It's my sanctuary
It's the castle of doom
I'm the king of my room
Just a Quasimodo
Let the world blow away
This is where I will stay
In my sanctuary
Got my mess on the floor
Got my lock on my door

Go Away, Sanctuary
Go Away, Sanctuary
Go Away, Sanctuary
Go Away, Sanctuary

I got a radical place
Got my own private space
It's my sanctuary
It's a castle of doom
I'm the king of my room
Just a Quasimodo
Let the world blow away
This is where I will stay
In my sanctuary
Got my mess on the floor
Got my lock on my door

Go Away, Sanctuary
Go Away, Sanctuary
Go Away, Sanctuary
Go Away, Sanctuary"


'Blow Me A Kiss' was touted to be released as a single, but it didn't happen! The song, a mid-paced rocker, is about prejudice. It's a good one, but Alice can do much better things

Bob Ezrin was one of the co-writers

04/11 - Blow Me A Kiss (Cooper, Marlette, Ezrin)



"Take one in the leg [Think about your baby]
Take one in the side [Think about your girl]
Take one in the head [Think about your mother]
Take one in the heart [It's the end of the world]

So blow me a kiss 'cause I'm black
Blow me a kiss 'cause I'm gay
Blow me a kiss 'cause I'm shakin'
Say goodnight then blow me away
Blow me away
Blow me away
Tell me what you're thinkin' tell me why
Blow me a kiss then blow me away

Take one in the face [Think about your life]
Take one in the eye [Think about your soul]
Take one in the mouth [Think about your savior]
Take one in the thigh [Are you ready to go]

So blow me a kiss 'cause I'm lonely
Blow me a kiss 'cause I'm afraid
Blow me a kiss 'cause you don't know me
Say goodnight then blow me away
Blow me away
Blow me away
Tell me what you're thinkin' tell me why
Blow me away....

I'm in my room I'm Dr. Doom
'Cause I'm not me I'm someone else
Why should you die don't ask me why
You know it, you know it, you know it
Blow me away

I turn the page I am the rage
I'm coming from a darker place
A much darker place
So blow me away
Blow me away
Yeah blow me away
Tell me what you're thinkin' tell me why
Blow me a kiss then blow me away
Yeah blow me away
C'mon and blow me away
Tell me what you're thinkin' tell me why
Blow me a kiss then blow me away"
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  #339  
Old 15th July 2016, 05:34 AM
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If there is such a genre as Doom Industrial Metal, then the 5th song on the album, 'Eat Some More' falls into this category. I can't fault the sentiments behind the song, but I'm not a fan of it - I find it tedious and non-interesting

05/11 - Eat Some More (Cooper, Marlette)



"Sixty million tons of meat
Spoiling in the stinking heat
Train loads full of moldy bread
Millions will still go unfed

Acres full of dying wheat
Burning brightly at our feet
A billion tons of ocean fish
Some with nothing on their dish

We can't see, we're going blind
We're just dying on the vine
We're all sinking from the weight
Open wide and salivate

Do you like the taste?
Stuff it in your face
Its not nice to waste
We're not happy 'til we're choking
So we eat some more
Throw up on the floor
Go back to the store
We're so hungry, so pathetic

Lots of melting cheddar cheese
Spreading it's unique disease
Rotting veggies on the ground
Where little hungry little kids are found

Worms in fruit an ugly sight
They're begging for a single bite
Our garbage dumps are mountains high
While other people sadly die

We can't see we're going blind
We're just dying on the vine
We're all sinking from the weight
Open wide and salivate

Do you like the taste?
Stuff it in your face
Its not nice to waste
We're not happy 'til we're choking
So we eat some more
Throw up on the floor
Go back to the store
We're so hungry, so pathetic

We can't see we're going blind
We're just dying on the vine
We're all sinking from the weight
Open wide and salivate

Do you like the taste?
Stuff it in your face
Its not nice to waste
We're not happy 'til we're choking
So we eat some more
Throw up on the floor
Go back to the store
We're so hungry, so pathetic"


Much better is 'Pick Up The Bones', which is a power-ballad. It's a very atmospheric song, starting with acoustic guitar arpeggios amidst a creepy background soundscape, before turning into a nasty song about the horrors of war - specifically the Kosovo genocide

06/11 - Pick Up The Bones (Cooper, Marlette)



"Collecting pieces of my family in an old pillow case
This one has a skull but it don't have a face
These look like the arms of father so strong
And the ring on this finger means my Grandma is gone

Here's some legs in a cloud where my sister once played
Here's some mud made of blood and these teeth are decayed
The ear of my brother, The hand of a friend
And I just can't put them back together again

Pick up the bones and set them on fire
Follow the smoke going higher and higher
Pick up the bones and wish them goodnight
Pray 'em a prayer and turn out the light

There are stains on the floor where kitchen once stood
There are ribs on the fire place mixed with the wood
There are forces in the air, ghosts in the wind
Some bullets in the back and some scars on the skin

There were demons with guns who marched through this place
Killing everything that breathed, they're an inhuman race
There are holes in the walls, bloody hair on the bricks
And the smell of this hell is making me sick

Pick up the bones and set them on fire
Follow the smoke going higher and higher
Pick up the bones and wish them goodnight
Pray 'em a prayer and turn out the light

Pick up the bones and set them on fire
Follow the scope going higher and higher
Pick up the bones and wish them goodnight
Pray 'em a prayer and turn out the light

Now maybe someday the suns gonna shine
Flowers will bloom and all will be fine
But nothing'll grow on this burnt curs'ed ground
'Cause the breathe of the death is the only sound"
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  #340  
Old 15th July 2016, 11:29 AM
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Default Alice and the changing musical climate. An indiependent viewpoint.

Over the years many artists have been influenced by Alice Cooper, but in my opinion the Brutal Planet album was Alice attempting to remain relevant in a musical climate where hard rock and the general form of heavy metal was dead in the water.

Nu-Metal, stoner rock, Industrial and even grunge were still the genres that topped the rock sales charts and Brutal Planet is directly influenced by all of them. Alice's heaviest album to date, the title track is a real behemoth with it's chugging riff and Alice snapping out the stinging words.

Does the much heavier Alice sound work? I like it. Alice, a canny character, knew what might put him in the magazines and more importantly make people want to go out and see him live. This heavy Alice was definitely what was wanted at the time.

A year later, Alice released Dragontown, a sequel to Brutal Planet. Given it was a whole six years between The Last Temptation and Brutal planet just a single year between albums kept him in the news and the momentum continued.

In fact the years 2000-05 were very productive with Alice releasing four albums including my two favourites of his - The Eyes of, and Dirty Diamonds.

The musical climate was changing again in the early 2000's. Although no new form of heavy metal was breaking through, the music press changed their tune on older acts and simpler forms of hard rock / metal as the newer bands were telling tales of being influenced by the likes of Saxon, Dio, Motley Crue and of course Alice Cooper. The press clearly decided they should show respect and that heralded the return of classic rock which remains in our hearts today and is probably the most popular type of rock in 2016 - witness huge album sales for Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Black Sabbath and the rise to near former glory for acts like Def Leppard, Journey and Whitesnake. Hell even W.A.S.P. gained a UK Top 50 album with last years Golgotha, their first since 1992's The Crimson Idol.
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