Alice Cooper
I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who hasn’t heard of Alice Cooper – he’s one of those musicians that we’ve all come across at some point in our lives. From tracks like School’s Out through to Poison and Feed My Frankenstein, there’s a track out there for everyone regardless of musical taste. Having had a career that has spanned decades, seen performances with bands of all sorts, and even spots in movies and hosting TV shows, Alice Cooper is without a doubt one of the most revered musicians still active in the world of modern rock n roll. To celebrate this career, Universal music have reissued his Old School: 1964-1974 Special Edition, showcasing the true story of the Alice Cooper group with a 4 CD set and year book which shows us how and why he’s still going today.
The boxed set we see before us is housed in a mini school desk design featuring 4 discs of demos, pre-production and rehearsal recordings of classic Alice Cooper tracks, radio spots, interview anecdotes as well as a full live show captured on the 1971 Killer Tour, live in St Louis. Also complete with a 60-page yearbook which charts the rise of the band along with many rare photos, this is a boxed set for the true collector, and the sort of thing you can’t afford to ignore.
So I hear you asking, what are we in for if we get hold of this little gem? Disc 1 is otherwise known as Treasures One with Disc 2 being known as Treasures Two, both albums featuring live recordings and demos from across the career of the band. Tracks like I’m Eighteen, Be My Lover, School’s Out and Muscle Of Love all take on a new sound, a sound which is raw and rough but shows off where the sound that we eventually saw came from. Listening through these tracks is not only enjoyable, but also interesting as we get to see an insight that we’ve not come across before. All too often we only hear the finished products that massive bands put out there, so seeing this rough side to them makes them real again, reminds us that they are just a band despite their legendary status, and renews that lust for live music which we all had when we first discovered a particular band.
Disc 3 shows us the live show from St Louis, a full recording so sitting listening to it, cranking the volume up and letting the music flow over you almost allows you to believe you were there and part of it. Tracks like Be My Lover, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah and Dead Babies all hold a new power, that sense of the live show which occasionally we see a glimpse of on a CD, but only really shows itself on the live front. This is one of the most special elements of the collection for me, and the CD which I know I’ll be listening to the most out of all of them.
The final disc in the collection is the bands own words, a full disc of interviews with the band and an insight into their thoughts and views on the time and what they achieved. Again, this is a chance to hear an insight into a band who have achieved legendary status, hearing their views and witnessing them simply speaking about their time as a band – something which again, we don’t get to see enough of.
Alice Cooper is the original ‘bad boy’ of rock n roll, hammering out tracks which, at the time, genuinely shocked people as they were unlike any band people had seen before. From the songs themselves through to live shows featuring snakes, beheadings, and a general sense of ‘horror rock’, they’re without a doubt one of the most daring acts of recent times, and a band that are still out there now touring and getting new fans onto their music. This collection is the ultimate collection for the collector, the sort of thing which will hold pride of place on a shelf, be a talking point, and will allow an unprecedented insight into the history of the guys. Quite simply, you’d be a fool not to want this – certainly one to make sure you get your hands on.
Words: Dave Nicholls
The boxed set we see before us is housed in a mini school desk design featuring 4 discs of demos, pre-production and rehearsal recordings of classic Alice Cooper tracks, radio spots, interview anecdotes as well as a full live show captured on the 1971 Killer Tour, live in St Louis. Also complete with a 60-page yearbook which charts the rise of the band along with many rare photos, this is a boxed set for the true collector, and the sort of thing you can’t afford to ignore.
So I hear you asking, what are we in for if we get hold of this little gem? Disc 1 is otherwise known as Treasures One with Disc 2 being known as Treasures Two, both albums featuring live recordings and demos from across the career of the band. Tracks like I’m Eighteen, Be My Lover, School’s Out and Muscle Of Love all take on a new sound, a sound which is raw and rough but shows off where the sound that we eventually saw came from. Listening through these tracks is not only enjoyable, but also interesting as we get to see an insight that we’ve not come across before. All too often we only hear the finished products that massive bands put out there, so seeing this rough side to them makes them real again, reminds us that they are just a band despite their legendary status, and renews that lust for live music which we all had when we first discovered a particular band.
Disc 3 shows us the live show from St Louis, a full recording so sitting listening to it, cranking the volume up and letting the music flow over you almost allows you to believe you were there and part of it. Tracks like Be My Lover, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah and Dead Babies all hold a new power, that sense of the live show which occasionally we see a glimpse of on a CD, but only really shows itself on the live front. This is one of the most special elements of the collection for me, and the CD which I know I’ll be listening to the most out of all of them.
The final disc in the collection is the bands own words, a full disc of interviews with the band and an insight into their thoughts and views on the time and what they achieved. Again, this is a chance to hear an insight into a band who have achieved legendary status, hearing their views and witnessing them simply speaking about their time as a band – something which again, we don’t get to see enough of.
Alice Cooper is the original ‘bad boy’ of rock n roll, hammering out tracks which, at the time, genuinely shocked people as they were unlike any band people had seen before. From the songs themselves through to live shows featuring snakes, beheadings, and a general sense of ‘horror rock’, they’re without a doubt one of the most daring acts of recent times, and a band that are still out there now touring and getting new fans onto their music. This collection is the ultimate collection for the collector, the sort of thing which will hold pride of place on a shelf, be a talking point, and will allow an unprecedented insight into the history of the guys. Quite simply, you’d be a fool not to want this – certainly one to make sure you get your hands on.
Words: Dave Nicholls