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So your Mystery Date was “Shoe Salesman,” off the second Alice Cooper album, 1970’s Easy Action. As I figured, a few of our more rockin’ Townsmen knew this song right off the bat. Meanwhile, a number of you worked hard to get your heads around this awkward, highly unexpected (considering the artist) take on mid-period Beatles-style song structure.
According to Wikipedia’s entry on this album, the guitarists were NOT Hunter and Wagner, later of Lou Reed‘s Rock ‘n Roll Animal fame, but what do I know (and what does Wikipedia know, for that matter)? I thought the Townsman who guessed that there was a Lou Reed tie-in was onto something. At least that mis-clue probably helped the smartest man in the room, bobbybittman, hone in on his eventual correct, offlist guess.
As it turns out, the producer of this album was David Briggs, from Neil Young’s camp, so Mad Props! to the Townsperson who suggested the track sounded a bit like Neil Young. Neil Smith, the drummer from Alice Cooper, had this to say about Briggs:
David hated our music and us. I recall the term that he used, referring to our music, was “Psychedelic Shit.” I think Easy Action sounded too dry, more like a TV or radio commercial and he did not help with song arrangement or positive input in any way.
Whatever. Although not a masterpiece by any means, I thought this song sounded better than all the popular shit I’ve ever heard by Cooper beside “School’s Out.” I downloaded a couple of other tracks from this album and plan on checking out some more of the really early stuff, just in case it’s half decent. Growing up, Cooper always bugged me as being one of rock’s most fraudulant ka-raaay-zeeeee! artists. In recent years, however, whenever I see him interviewed I respect his self-awareness and obvious sanity. More power to him for making a career for himself with very little musical talent!
Here are two more tracks from the album Easy Action. Enjoy.
Alice Cooper, “Return of the Spiders”
Alice Cooper, “Below Your Means”
I like Easy Action and Pretties for You, but I think Love It To Death, Killer, School’s Out and Billion Dollar Babies are more worthwhile. I’ve noticed that a lot of people I tend to think are pretty open minded when it comes to rock music can’t stand Alice Cooper. I can understand not being too big on the solo artist, but when they were The Alice Cooper Group, they were a lot more than just noisy rockers. They were smart, often funny and their guitars sounded terrific, certainly Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce were better than Dick and Steve at getting the rock out.
The other thing I’ve noticed is that when I’ve played one of those Alice Cooper Group albums for people that said they didn’t like Alice Cooper, and skipped the hit singles (real easy to do with School’s Out), those people would invariably say they loved what we were listening to, and then have to squirm uncomfortably when I told them who it was. They were really big around here, and deservedly so.
Yeah! What he said! It was TB’s reference to golf that led me to the identity of the Mystery Date, as I’ve never heard either of those first two albums (though I like what I’ve heard of the pre-Alice Cooper, garage band tracks Vince F. cut with The Spiders), I agree that those next 4 albums 2k mentioned, released when Alice Cooper still referred to a BAND and not just the singer, stand up to any of the best hard rock of that era. These earlier tracks are interesting to hear, but I’m not sure that I’d come back to them very often.
I missed this by a mile — Alice Cooper — I drove by his house once in Scottsdale, up in the hills a bit, on land once owned by the Goldwater family. Guess what? His little cul de sac was blocked off cause he was having a PARTY! Rock on!
How strange…
I jus’ listened to “Easy Action” for the first time today. Some obscure song of their’s came up on a playlist I was listening to, and I decided that I needed to check out their early albums. I had not listened to the Mystery Date track, nor read this thread before that.
Is that what yous call synchronicity???
P.S. “Easy Action” freakin’ RAWKS! And sounds nothing like typical Alice Cooper fare.
Mr. Mod,
A guy who can appreciate Steppenwolf should certainly understand the appeal of “Under My Wheels’, “Be My Lover and, last but not least, “Eighteen”. I picked up those two early albums cheap at some point, probably because of my general interest in the Bizarre/Straight catalog in general. They’re tangentially interesting, but I would never say they were in any way, objectively better than Killer and the next few records.
Hey, that’s an ex-Mrs.Neil Young in the film clip!
True, geo, about Ms. Snodgrass – and Alice Cooper’s covering a Steppenwolf song as they play during the party!
Never was much of a fan of ol’ Vincent Furnier–always liked “Eighteen” a lot, though. Always found the horrorshow stuff not creepy but certainly dumb. But creepy, indeed, are “Only Women Bleed,” You and Me,” and “I Never Cry.” Simply uncomfortable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DleEdiiI1jw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuj0Ur44qig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaMbwb5GO6s&feature=related