Alice Cooper - the early stuff

[70sProgFan]

Now I guess that this thread is going to polarise a few folks on this board, but I was wondering what people think of the really early stuff and by this I'm talking about 'Pretties For You', 'Easy Action' and the even earlier album 'Live at the Whisky A-Go-Go'.
Personally I think they're great, and just to chuck another into the mix I also like the Alice material from the infamous appearance at the Toronto festival that shows up in various guises.
It's all very raw and on occasion a bit of a mess, especially the 'live' material, but the studio albums in particular show where the band was heading and include some excellent songs.
I've never actually owned either 'Pretties...' or 'Easy...' per se, as I've had two copies of the German 'School Days' double album instead. In fact I'm busy playing it right now!

I'll let others pick out favourites rather than nominate a few myself...

Over to you - what say you?

 

[That 70s Guy]

Seriously I don't like his very early albums (same with Deep Purple)

I feel Alice only became Alice with "Love It To Death"

 

[SanguineRemedy]

I think the early-early Cooper days are definitely more of an acquired taste. I used to gravitate towards later stuff, but now I prefer more early stuff on albums like Killer (my favorite, all tracks are great). I don't know if I've listened to his very early material enough to pick a favorite out of them. I'm more like 70s Guy, I have listened to most stuff LITD and beyond. I think I will listen through these albums just to see what it may be.

For a top three though

1. Killer 2. Billion Dollar Babies 3. School's Out

 

[70sProgFan]

Seriously I don't like his very early albums (same with Deep Purple)

I feel Alice only became Alice with "Love It To Death"

Yes, I'd agree with this comment, but I still like the early stuff nevertheless.

 

[Allomerus]

They are great but different. I too have School Days. Lay down and Die, Goodbye is awesome and weird!

 

[RonnieAce]

What people don’t realize is the time period. It was music from 1968. The nucleus of the songs actually date from 1967. Those albums are brilliant!! The average Foreigner, Queen, Styx, fan has no clue. They hear something different and don’t relate. It is art! The two albums are a blueprint for what was about to come. Remember!, the psychedelic ‘66-‘71 scene was slowly incorporating a more blues based hard rock sound….I love both albums. Alice changed my life.I saw them on every tour from Love It To Death until the first solo album. The fact that the guys let Vince have the name is something I could never understand. All the magic left after the breakup. Truth be told, after School’s Out. They were about finished anyway. BDB was the last stab at anything remotely related to the brilliance that was The Alice Cooper Group. Those songs are timeless. I was like 14-15 when I bought the first two albums . Both are modern day masterpieces! I some how wish they had never met Bob Ezrin. Love it to death, Killer and School’s Out are the creme of the crop. The first two albums stand alone. I know a band that only plays those albums live. They have a following because of those albums. Easy Action could be released today and sell well. Everything is a circle and what’s old is new again… Ladies and Gentlemen, The third wonder of the world- The Alice Cooper group

 

[70sProgFan]

What people don’t realize is the time period. It was music from 1968. The nucleus of the songs actually date from 1967. Those albums are brilliant!! The average Foreigner, Queen, Styx, fan has no clue. They hear something different and don’t relate. It is art! The two albums are a blueprint for what was about to come. Remember!, the psychedelic ‘66-‘71 scene was slowly incorporating a more blues based hard rock sound….I love both albums. Alice changed my life.I saw them on every tour from Love It To Death until the first solo album. The fact that the guys let Vince have the name is something I could never understand. All the magic left after the breakup. Truth be told, after School’s Out. They were about finished anyway. BDB was the last stab at anything remotely related to the brilliance that was The Alice Cooper Group. Those songs are timeless. I was like 14-15 when I bought the first two albums . Both are modern day masterpieces! I some how wish they had never met Bob Ezrin. Love it to death, Killer and School’s Out are the creme of the crop. The first two albums stand alone. I know a band that only plays those albums live. They have a following because of those albums. Easy Action could be released today and sell well. Everything is a circle and what’s old is new again… Ladies and Gentlemen, The third wonder of the world- The Alice Cooper group

I have no words...

 

[harry lentil]

I had just turned 14 when Schools Out went to the top of the charts. I my head was still spining from the release of Roxy Music and I fkng loved Schools Out the single so I got all the Alice lps then released. Loved them all including Pretties, but Killer was my favourite. I still listen to them occasionally with great pleasure.

 

[Mahogany Rush Steve]

I got a CD called The World of Alice Cooper - Nobody Likes Me

on the Trace label, even though it was released in 1992, it is definitely his early stuff.

Tracks are
1. Painting A Picture.
2. Freak Out song.
3. Nobody Likes Me.
4. I've Written Home to Mother.
5. A.C. Instrumental.
6. Science fiction.
7. Going To The River.
8. Ain't That Just Like A Woman.

To be honest I only like a couple of the tracks!

 

[70sProgFan]

I got a CD called The World of Alice Cooper - Nobody Likes Me

on the Trace label, even though it was released in 1992, it is definitely his early stuff.

Tracks are
1. Painting A Picture.
2. Freak Out song.
3. Nobody Likes Me.
4. I've Written Home to Mother.
5. A.C. Instrumental.
6. Science fiction.
7. Going To The River.
8. Ain't That Just Like A Woman.

To be honest I only like a couple of the tracks!

I like the stuff on this one. It's available on a number of differently titled albums, but beware - they're not all Alice songs!

The recording made at the Toronto Rock N Roll Revival in 1969 may be the most widely reproduced Alice Cooper live recording. It has been released by many different labels under many titles and many album covers. These releases are not authorized Alice Cooper albums. However, they are not bootlegs as the recording is owned by a private party. Unfortunately, the private party was so uncaring in the production of these releases that two of the songs ("Ain't That Just Like a Woman" and "Goin' to the River") are NOT Alice Cooper at all (the actual performer is Ronnie Hawkins and they were recorded at Hallmark Studios in Toronto in late 1964, the songs can for example be found on the 1979 album Ronnie Hawkins And The Hawks (2) - Rrrracket Time and other Hawkins releases). Also, almost all of the song titles on the album were fabricated by the private party. The actual titles (shown here in parentheses) are mostly live versions of songs from Pretties For You and one song from Easy Action

Painting A Picture (No Longer Umpire)
An Instrumental (part of "Lay Down and Die, Goodbye")
I`ve Written Home To Mother (part of "Lay Down and Die, Goodbye")
Freak Out Song ('Don't Blow Your Mind' with different lyrics)
Nobody Likes Me (aka Freak Out)
Science Fiction (Fields Of Regret)

http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/albums/a-freakout.php

The Hawkins songs have also made their way to a number of compilations, incorrectly credited to Alice Cooper.