Alice Cooper - Road

  by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 25 / 10 / 2023

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Review

At 75, Alice Cooper - the godfather of “shock rock” - is showing no signs of slowing down! Over the past six years he has produced two studio LPs, one live album plus an EP. He has also completed three major international tours and hosts his own radio show on the digital channel Planet Rock five nights a week! And that's in addition to his other business interests which include overseeing his own restaurant chain in the USA plus some clothing sales as well as involvement in various golf tournaments! Added to that formidable list is his newly released 22nd solo album - ‘Roa’ which chronicles the experiences of a hard-living rock'n'roll band. The record sounds just as you would expect – powerful music, skilful showmanship, all delivered with humour and Alice's usual sense of irony! On ‘I'm Alice he growls cheerfully, “The shameless pretenders have come and gone, but I stand before you and the legend lives on” - with an energetic drummer, three superb guitarists and a great bassist providing powerful backing! This is a punchy, old-school record with impressive musicianship and expert production from veteran producer Bob Ezrin who has worked with Alice ever since they together cleverly forged the signature Alice Cooper sound on the 1970s classics ‘School's Out’ and ‘No More Mr Nice Guy’.. The theatricality is there on almost every track. On ‘Dead Don't Dance’ Alice sings, “If I wasn't in a band, I'd probably be a criminal; I estimate my options as absolutely minimal”. And the frenetic ‘Welcome To The Show’ is clearly intended as a dramatic opening salvo at live gigs. As The Band's Robbie Robertson once commented, when Alice Cooper gets it right, there really is nobody to equal him. An example is the tongue-in-cheek and hilariously unhelpful survival guide for aspiring young musicians in ‘Rules Of The Road’. One tip is always to acquire all the trappings of rock musician fame - including mansions, the flashiest cars, private jets and a girl from East LA – before having the cash to maintain that lifestyle. Of course, those of us fortunate enough to have met him know that in reality Alice (real name Vincent Furnier) is an erudite, charming, teetotal golf-fanatic; an Anglophile and an adoring father of three who lives happily in Arizona with his wife of 47 years, Sheryl Goddard. A rare glimpse of the true home-loving Alice behind the horror masks and showmanship is to be found in ‘Baby, Please Don't Go’ - a strummed and beautiful ballad that sees Alice leaving the house with very mixed feelings and regrets at the start of yet another world tour. - Alice Cooper is in fact a very capable balladeer and lyricist whose songwriting has won past plaudits from both Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney. In interviews Alice Cooper has always talked of his huge regard for the many 1960s British artists who contributed so much to international rock music. He is a great fan of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Mark Knopfler, The Beatles and The Who whose records he would play repeatedly and very loud up in his bedroom as a teenager whenever his parents started talking about politics! Which might be why the closing track on ‘Road’ is a great cover of The Who's 1968 single hit ‘Magic Bus’. This new album will be hugely enjoyed by Alice Cooper fans of all generations

Track Listing:-

1 I'm Alice
2 Welcome to the Show
3 All over the World
4 Dead Don't Dance
5 Go Away
6 White Line Frankenstein
7 Big Boots
8 Rules of the Road
9 The Big Goodbye
10 Road Rats Forever
11 Baby Please Don't Go
12 100 More Miles
13 Magic Bus

Band Links:-

http://www.alicecooper.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AliceCooper/
https://twitter.com/realalicecooper

Label Links:-

http://www.ear-music.net/en/news/
https://plus.google.com/+earMUSICoffic
https://www.facebook.com/earmusicoffic
https://twitter.com/earMUSICedel

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