 ALICE
COOPER
The Eyes of Alice Cooper
Eagle Rock Records 2003
www.alicecooper.com
What’s the 4-1-1?
Alice Cooper's back with his latest Eagle Records release. If you
were getting comfortable with the industrial sounding, world
decaying themes on Brutal Planet and Dragontown, you're in for
a surprise. Cooper has thrown a curve ball and departed briefly
to return to his roots. Stripped down to the basics, The Eyes
of Alice Cooper is a throwback to 70's classic rock, with minimal
studio polishing. Still using the tried-and-true duel guitarists,
bass, and drums combination, this latest offering is more a group
effort than a solo project, with most songs co-written by Cooper,
Dover, and Roxie. The disc was produced by Andrew Murdock whose
previous work includes Godsmack and Powerman 5000.
Genre
Hard rock / classic rock
The Good
One of Alice's strong points is that he tells a story through his
music, complete with characters that the listener can relate
too. The opening track "What Do You Want From Me?" tells
the comical tale of a love-sick boyfriend pleading for his girlfriend's
love. He claims to have given up the habits and distractions
that he cherishes just to be with her. However, some of his possessions
and habits aren't so wholesome. "Man of the Year",
a simple guitar driven track, boasts the main character's flawless
life; perfect grades, perfect job, perfect family. In true Alice
Cooper fashion, the final verse contains an ironic twist. “Novocaine” the
CDs first single, is the most melodic and radio friendly song.
The catchy chorus drives this number which is about when Alice’s
woman touches him, he feels no pain. The trademark ballad shows
up with “Be With You a While”. This one’s more
in step with Alice’s early ballads “You and Me” and “Only
Women Bleed”.
The hard-rocking “Detroit City” is where Alice pays
homage to his fellow hometown rockers and takes a few shots at
the new breed; Ted and Seger were burnin’ with fever/ And
let the silver bullet fly / The Kid was in his crib / Shady wore
a bib. On “This House is Haunted” the creepy mood is
set with chamber-like music, as our central character speaks of
a lost loved one. Did he kill her? Was it an accident? Either way,
he’d rather have her haunt him, then have to live with her.
The lyrics on “The Song that Didn’t Rhyme” are
well written, as they completely contradict the way the song is
arranged. It’s about a bad song. My favorite line is the
last; A three minute waste of your time / No redeeming value of
any kind / but thanks for the $12.99 / On the song that didn’t
rhyme. The question I have for Alice is, “Can you tell me
were I would find a CD for $12.99?”
The Bad
Nothing
The Verdict
Alice continues to please his fans on this latest release. This
is classic Alice Cooper! It’s got gritty guitars, memorable
rhythms, and entertaining lyrics. I’ve see a few negative
reviews about this CD because of its stripped down, garage rock
sound. In my opinion, the intelligent songwriting makes up for
the lack of high production. It’s refreshing to hear that
Alice and company can still just plug in and rock.
Did you know?
There are four different covers for this CD. They all contain the
black and white photo of Alice, but his eyes can be found in
blue, red, green, and purple.
Rating:  out
of 5
Related Reviews:
Alice Cooper - Trash
Alice Cooper - Dirty Diamonds
--George Dionne
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