Alice Cooper - A Fistful Of Alice

This album begins with Alice Cooper wanting to make up for how much he thought The Alice Cooper Show sucked. So well down in Cabo San Lucas, at Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina, Alice recorded this little gem of an album. Well it's sort of a gem. If I owned the Japanese release of this album it would be a gem. Instead I get a shitty American release, with less tracks. Could someone please explain to me how Japan get's a better version of this CD than North America or Europe. Better yet, what the hell is with Europe getting more songs than North America?

Also, after all these years I have not been able to get my hands on the Japanese copy, but I haven't really tried either. The album's good but not good enough to have to pay some stupid import fee, unless I can find a good used copy.

Now the first thing about this album that is so interesting is how it opens with School's Out. That's normally the closer, if not the opener and closer. Now as I've already mentioned this was recorded at Sammy Hagar's club, which is uber cool because that different sounding guitar on this track is him playing. It is great to hear Sammy get to just play, instead of singing. Most people forget that he's a decent player, because he's such an awesome vocalist. Also a decade of dealing with Van Hasshole being the only guitarist didn't help.

From there we move on to I'm Eighteen, which it seems that Alice was anxious to get those two over played ancient tracks put to bed early. Which is okay, because some of us are thinking the same thing.

After that comes Desperado, a song that Alice "Wrote for Jim Morrison." It starts off with a great little spanish sounding playaround on the opening riff, until the introduction is done, and then it moves into the classic that so many love and know.

Then much to my happiness Slash comes out to play Lost In America. This was the only hit from The Last Temptation, which is very sad. However, Slash's take on the song, while both different and yet the same, is a fresh blast of fresh air, to a song that I thought overly praised.

Now, I must say that it was really cool to see that Teenage Lament '74 was on here. That's where my opinion stops being positive, since I don't like the song normally even. I also feel the same way about I Never Cry being on here. It's my favourite of the 70's ballads, but I only really ever liked one Alice Ballad and it's from the 90's, and not on here.

Then we continue with songs that Alice performs live that I don't care for. I understand that Poison is the reason so many people my age got into Alice Cooper, and I also understand that those people are morons. I've only ever heard one version of this song that I've liked and it was from Alice's Live at Montreaux. I always thought the lead guitar sounded weak and too held back. That thing should have been allowed to roar.

Finally we get back to the stuff I like. Billion Dollar Babies is always wicked cool when the drums are played right. In this case they are okay. Jimmy Degrasso, is a decent Metal drummer, but this song is not Metal. This is some deranged backwards Swing Beat Rock song that is pretty much built upon a continous Jazz fill. His playing of it is basic and does the trick more or less. In all honesty the only drummer besides the original (Neil Smith) that can play this song even close to right live is Eric Singer.

After that we are treated to a little tease of Steven right before moving into the classic Welcome To My Nightmare. This is one of those songs that only seems to sound right when Alice is actually performing the song. Not the case here. This sounds like he's standing at the mic just singing along. Also the abience that makes the song eerie isn't there either.

I've already mentioned my dislike for Alice Cooper ballads, and chances are you've already read my ragging on Only Women Bleed before. I will say that Slash plays the lead on this live one, but even that doesn't make me feel better about it. Still can't stand the song.

Normally I would rip on Feed My Frankenstein as well. The most over rated song on an excellent CD full of prime cuts. This version has Rob Zombie dueting with Alice instead, and that is cool. It's like listening to two monsters battling over the same scrap of meat. A welcome change from the normal treatment of this song.

The last live song on the album is Elected. Which of all the tracks on this particular collection, is probably one of the best. I've seen this song performed live in person multiple times, and this version is just as good as all those were. Hell I'm a big fan of the original even. But it get's even better when Rob Zombie and Slash are performing too! This is actually the most energetic sounding performance on the entire CD, and a great way to end any show.

The album ends with a new studio track, well new at the time. Is Anyone Home? sounds a bit like your standard Alice Cooper crazy song. Which it is and it isn't. Sure it's all about a guy suffering from a lonely depression, but it's brought on by his loss of internet access. A bit of an old story with a modern twist if you like.

All in all A Fistful Of Alice is not that much of an impressive apology. If it had been the full version that Japan recieve then maybe, since that album also had Clones, No More Mr. Nice Guy, and Bed On Nails. Two out of three of those songs Alice barely plays live even, so it would be something special. Instead we get an album full of the same basic standards, with to many ballads.

7/10 - content

7/10 - production

7/10 - personal bias