A few months ago Alice Cooper reissued his 2019 EP, ‘Breadcrumbs’, with two additional tracks, “Don’t Give Up” (his message of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic) and a live version of “Go Man Go”, the studio of which appeared on the original. This is aimed solidly at people like me who remember Alice when he was a band, when he was way more feral and polished and is a tribute to Detroit’s punk scene from the late 60’s and early 70s as he returns to his roots. Although the band came initially came together in a Phoenix high school in 1964, Alice was actually born in Detroit and to assist him in recreating that garage sound he brought in fellow Detroit musicians including Johnny “Bee” Badanjek from the Detroit Wheels, Grand Funk’s Mark Farner and MC5’s Wayne Kramer.
It opens with “Detroit City 2020”, a new version “Detroit City” from 2003’s “The Eyes Of Alice Cooper”, and if anyone asked me who had written it, I would have said Bob Seger as it has his classic style all over it, but with Cooper’s swagger and vocals as good as ever (remember, when this was released Alice was already 71, but doesn’t sound it). The only other Alice song is ‘Go Man Go”, but we also get one punk classic after another with Suzi Quatro’s “Your Mama Won’t Like Me”, Bob Seger’s “East Side Story”, The MC5’s “Sister Anne”, Shorty Long’s “Devil With A Blue Dress On” and The Dirtbombs’ “Chains Of Love”. This is Alice at his most raw, with Bob Ezrin capturing the magic in his own imitable style. There are plenty of guitars, distortions, fuzz, and the feeling of a group of guys reliving their youth and having fun in the studio. “Don’t Give Up” seems very much out of place with its very subdued approach and polish, and the set would have probably been better without it. That we finish with a high octane take of “Go Man Go” from Hellfest 2022 only make sit stand out even more. The vinyl has been unavailable for quite a while, so grab the CD and hear some classic Cooper which will take you back in time. 8/10 Kev Rowland
