The Retrospective - Alice Cooper

6   10  

1969

Produced by Alice Cooper

6   10  

1970

Produced by David Briggs

13   8.6  

1971

Produced by Bob Ezrin + Jack Richardson

Tuomas's rating:

17   9  

1971

Produced by Bob Ezrin

Tuomas's rating:

22   8.2  

1972

Produced by Bob Ezrin

Tuomas's rating:

29   8.3  

1973

Produced by Bob Ezrin

Tuomas's rating:

11   7.2  

1973

Produced by Jack Douglas + Jack Richardson

Tuomas's rating:

20   7.9  

1975

Produced by Bob Ezrin
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Haunting, scary, fun...Welcome to My Nightmare has it all! Alice Cooper's first solo album is a masterpiece that centers a story about a boy called Steven. I always thought that Steven was actually man who killed his wife but was mentally in level of a child. But the story goes in the dreams to Steven - it could me anything. Welcome to My Nightmare also has songs that have nothing to do with the Steven charachter so it's a loosely a concept album.

1. Welcome to my nightmare 10/10
2. Devil's Food 9/10
3. The Black Widow 10/10
4. Some Folks 9/10
5. Only Women Bleed 10/10
6. Department of Youth 10/10
7. Cold Ethyl 10/10
8. Years Ago 10/10 (kylmävärepaskaa in finish)
9. Steven 10/10
10. The Awakeking 10/10
11. Escape 10/10

Tuomas's rating:

11   7.2  

1977

Produced by Bob Ezrin
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Holy Shit! The album opener "Goes to Hell" is straight-up fire. Cooper still got it. Very good riffs, progressive elements and fuzzy singing goes so overboard that i'm stunned with this song. And the follower - You Gotta Dance - is a twisted musical number that reaches "Some Folks" -level of hilariousness (is this a word?). Cooper continues his concept-style of storytelling. This time Alice goes to hell - which is presented as a disco tech. Songs like "I'm The Coolest" are insightful Alice Cooper -songs that you love if you're true Cooper-head. Album has couple of weak tracks so GTH is not a flawless effort but good for druken Alice.

1. Go To Hell 10/10
2. You Gotta Dance 8/10
3. I'm The Coolest 8/10
4. Didn't We Meet 9/10
5. I Never Cry 8/10
6. Give The Kid A Break 3/10
7. Guilty 8/10
8. Wake Me Gently 6/10
9. Wish You Were Here 8/10
10. I'm Always Chasing Rainbows 7/10
11. Going Home 8/10

Tuomas's rating:

4   4  

1977

Produced by Bob Ezrin
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Tuomas's rating:

8   5.3  

1978

Produced by David Foster
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From the Inside has some good songs in it but also bunch of terrible ones - so I can't really recommend this one. It's a concept album about Cooper's time in sanitarium. From the Inside is a strong lyrical LP with more pop roots than rock. Album was produced by David Foster, some sort of pop guru. I absolute hate some of the production in this album.

1. From The Inside 10/10
2. Wish I Were Born In Beverly Hills 7/10
3. The Quiet Room 6/10
4. Nurse Rozetta 4/10
5. Millie And Billie 7/10
6. Serious 7/10
7. How You Gonna See Me Now 8/10
8. For Veronica's Sake 6/10
9. Jackknife Johnny 8/10
10. Inmates (We're All Crazy) 5/10

Tuomas's rating:

8   6.7  

1980

Produced by Roy Thomas Baker
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Alice Cooper '80! After very personal but musically boring From the Inside Alice hooked up with the Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker to bring some new sound to his music. flush The Fashion sounds like a new wave product but it's still better LP than the history gives us to understand.

1. Talk Talk 9/10
2. Clones (We're All) 10/10
3. Pain 7/10
4. Leather Boots 5/10
5. Aspirin Damage 6/10
6. Nuclear Infected 7/10
7. Grim Facts 8/10
8. Model Citizen 6/10
9. Dance Yourself to Death 7/10
10. Headlines 9/10

Tuomas's rating:

8   5.8  

1981

Produced by Richard Podolor
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Terrible album and I refuse to listen this album anymore. There's two nice songs in this piece of crap, the other one is "You Look Good in Rags" and it's a shameless rip-off from Blondie's "Call Me".

1. Who Do You Think We Are 6/10
2. 7 and 7 Is 5/10
3. Prettiest Cop on the Block 3/10
4. Don't Talk Old to Me 4/10
5. Generation Landslide '81 (live) 1/10
6. Skeletons in the Closet 1/10
7. You Want It, You Got It 2/10
8. You Look Good in Rags 7/10
9. You're a Movie 3/10
10. Vicious Rumours 7/10

Tuomas's rating:

8   7  

1982

Produced by Alice Cooper + Steve Tyrell

7   3.5  

1983

Produced by Bob Ezrin

8   4.3  

1986

Produced by Alice Cooper

8   6  

1987

Produced by Alice Cooper

13   6.3  

1989

Produced by Desmond Child

17   6.4  

1991

Produced by Peter Collins
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My problem with Hey Stoopid is that it doesn't sound like it's a body of work - more like a commercial sequel to Trash to keep the name in the headlights. Album features Ozzy Osbourne, Joe Satriani, Slash, Nikki Sixx, Vinne Moore (UFO), Steve Vai and Mick Mars. - Alice Cooper's most famous character, Steven, makes an appearance in the final track.

1. Hey Stoopid 6/10
2. Love's A Loaded Gun 6/10
3. Snakebite 7/10
4. Burning Our Bed 8/10
5. Dangerous Tonight 10/10
6. Might As Well Be On Mars 10/10
7. Feed My Frankenstein 5/10
8. Hurricane Years 6/10
9. Little by Little 7/10
10. Die For You 8/10
11. Dirty Dreams 6/10
12. Wind-Up Toy 10/10

Tuomas's rating:

9   6  

1994

Produced by Andy Wallace + Don Fleming + Duane Baron + John Purdell
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Alice Cooper is back with a concept! The LP follows a story about a boy and a mysterious showman - magician who wants the boy to join their travilling circus. Showman is played by Alice Cooper. Neil Gaiman (Sandman) did the booklet and also a comic for Marvel.
Cooper's lyrics are, like always, funny and insightful. Album didn't get much of attension so Alice did a small hiatus between this and his next LP.

1. Sideshow
2. Nothing's Free
3. Lost In America
4. Bad Place Alone
5. You're My Temptation

Tuomas's rating:

11   6.8  

2000

Produced by Bob Marlette
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Album starts with the line that defines the LP: "We're spinning ´round on this ball of hate". Brutal Planet is a concept album about planet earth - it's just hidden behind the gimmicky science fiction cover. Album themes goes from school shootings (Wicked Young Man) to how terrible wars are (Pick Up The Bones). This was the first Alice Cooper LP that I heard from start to finish back in summer 2000. Cooper's lyrics are good but the funny lines are missing. Brutal Planet is one of Alice's most serious albums (apart the hilarious It's the Little Things). The overall sound is very industrial but i don't hate it - Alice just tried to jump into a trend but it didn't pay off. I can live with this LP - it has some strong songs in it.

1. Brutal Planet 7/10
2. Wicked Young Man 8/10
3. Sanctuary 8/10
4. Blow Me A Kiss 8/10
5. Eat Some More 7/10
6. Pick-Up The Bones 9/10
7. Pessi-Mystic 7/10
8. Gimme 8/10
9. It's The Little Things 7/10
10. Take It Like A Woman 7/10
11. Cold Machines 8/10

Tuomas's rating:

10   5  

2001

Produced by Bob Marlette
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Sequel to Brutal Planet tells a story of the most notorious town in the Brutal Planet called Dragontown. It's also a study of the devil, satan himself. Dragontown is a huge leap from Brutal Planet when it comes to actual music. Riffs are blazing and the sound carpet is full of elements. Lyrics are, well, very dark. There is two humoristic songs, Fantasy Man and Disgraceland, but they both sucks.

1. Triggerman 9/10
2. Deeper 7/10
3. Dragontown 9/10
4. Sex, Death and Money 7/10
5. Fantasy Man 6/10
6. Somewhere in the Jungle 7/10
7. Disgraceland 5/10
8. Sister Sara 7/10
9. Every woman has a name 4/10
10. I Just wanna be god 9/10
11. It's Much Too Late 8/10
12. The Sentinel 8/10

Tuomas's rating:

10   6  

2003

Produced by Mudrock
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This is a very important LP in the Alice Cooper -saga. It's not perfect or even good - but it's full of echoes to early Cooper -stuff. Even MC5's Wayne Kramer makes a guest appearance in this one! The new era has started - and it doesn't sound nu-metal. Motor City hell yeah!

4   6.5  

2005

Produced by Steve n' Rick
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Dirty Diamonds starts where "The Eyes..." left of. Even the premise is the same: it's all about the eyes. Sounds are pure Detroit rock with some flirts into country with The Saga Of Jesse Jane, heavier era with Run Down the Devil and hiphop (bonus-track) Stand featuring Xzibit. Overall this album is amazing! Even the most typical rock-song like Steal That Car and Your Own Worst Enemy are HEAT ROCKS.

1. Woman of Mass Destruction 7/10
2. Perfect 8/10
3. You Make Me Wanna 9/10
4. Dirty Diamonds 9/10
5. The Saga of Jesse Jane 9/10
6. Sunset Babies (All Got Rabies) 8/10
7. Pretty Ballerina 5/10
8. Run Down The Devil 8/10
9. Steal That Car 8/10
10. Six Hours 9/10
11. Your Own Worst Enemy 8/10
12. Zombie Dance 9/10
13. Stand [*] 3/10

Tuomas's rating:

2   6  

2008

Produced by Greg Hampton + Danny Saber