Named for the city that launched the original Alice Cooper group on the road to success, “Detroit Stories” follows last year’s “Breadcrumbs” EP as a modern-day homage to the toughest and craziest Rock n Roll scene there ever was. In 1970, fledgling producer Bob Ezrin walked into a farmhouse on the outskirts of Detroit to work with the Alice Cooper band. Abandoning flower power Los Angeles, because they were the opposite of the hippie peace and love ideal, Alice had brought his decidedly darker gang back to his birthplace to the legendary rock scene that gave birth to hard rock, garage rock, soul, funk, punk...and more. Ezrin drilled the band for 10 hours a day to define their signature sound. Whenever they nailed a song, the inmates at the hospital for the criminally insane across the road cheered and thus the classic Alice Cooper sound was born. “Los Angeles had its sound with The Doors, Love and Buffalo Springfield,” says Alice Cooper, “San Francisco had the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. New York had The Rascals and The Velvet Underground. But Detroit was the birthplace of angry hard rock. After not fitting in anywhere in the US (musically or image wise) Detroit was the only place that recognized the Alice Cooper guitar driven, hard rock sound and our crazy stage show. Detroit was a haven for the outcasts. And when they found out I was born in East Detroit... we were home.” 50 years later Alice and Ezrin gathered some legendary Detroit musicians in a Detroit studio to record Detroit Stories, Alice Cooper’s new album that celebrates that spirit for a new era. If 2019’s “Breadcrumbs” EP laid down the trail to the city, Detroit Stories drives like a muscle car right down Woodward Ave. Discover Detroit Stories as they were meant to be told.
C**Z
Shut Up & Rock
The copious guests, plethora of tracks, and nifty genre hopping, almost makes Detroit Stories seem like a greatest hits, or various artists, record. One advantage of fifteen songs is that some stinkers can be sidelined, yet still end up with a good album. Which is what this is.Unlike the last two Ezrin-produced albums, this one doesn't fall apart mid-way. No, it's more a roller-coaster ride; with more ups than downs. Alice is on top form vocally, whilst Ezrin dials back the bombast. There are a handful of covers; some work - Rock & Roll struts; East Side Story stomps - and some don't: Sister Anne veers too close to 'good time' Quo. Then there's the Herman's Hermits-on-acid of Our Love Will Change The World - fab, but a lazy virtual carbon copy.The original band have two of the better tracks: Social Debris and I Hate You. The former is all taut muscle; the latter is a hilarious series of personal ripostes. Lyrically, Cooper has much to offer here. What A Wonderful World allies tongue-in-cheek virtue signalling to a rather unsettling musical undertone of off-kilter foreboding. Shut Up & Rock, on the other hand, is a straight ahead 'in yer face' rocker, where Alice scoffs at sanctimony in a most succinct manner.There's some neo doo-wop re $1000 High Heel Shoes. Plus a dirty great blues number entitled Drunk And In Love; guttersnipe lyrics with a filthy guitar solo! Both work. On the other hand, Cooper's speak-singing Independence Dave is more crap than rap.Punk? Try the pedal-to-the-metal of Go Man Go. More rock? Hail Mary is a no nonsense headbanger. There's an update of an old - well 2003 - Cooper track, Detroit City. The pirate-lite background vocals are a tad irksome - you except a "yo ho ho and a bottle of rum" any second! - but it's instrumentally beefed-up. And then there's the Covid-related track - Hanging On By A Thread - released as a stand-alone single last year, but now tweaked back to its original intention of being an anti-suicide song.Detroit Stories touches many bases; probably why it's been so successful chart-wise. It's got mass appeal; nothing to 'frighten the horses'. There's some filler, but overall it's one of his best albums from the past twenty years. Worth buying with the DVD, where Cooper's current touring band - disappointingly absent from the album - strut their stuff re a 2017 gig in Paris (already released in album form).
S**E
Another good album
Depending how you look at it, Detroit Stories is the twenty eight studio album by Alice Cooper. The album was released in 2021 through earMUSIC and features Bob Ezrin on production. The album features fifteen songs including covers of Rock & Roll by Velvet Underground, Our Love Will Change the World by Outrageous Cherry, Sister Anne by MC5 and East Side Story by Bob Seger. There's a large number of musicians on this one, including the original Alice Cooper band members Bruce, Dunaway and Smith. Other guests include Joe Bonamassa, Wayne Kramer, Tommy Henriksen and many others.Everything here is all very well put together and the playing is spot on. It has that raw garage band sound mixed with top quality production throughout. Like the previous album, there's plenty of great musical hooks and big choruses to sink your teeth into. It's very positive sounding, possibly his most up beat since the early 90s days of Trash and Hey Stoopid. Though, it sounds consider edgier than those overly produced hair metal records.The only problem I have with the album is it's not the most memorable. The previous album had more interesting songs and I kind of miss the sinister side to Alice's music. But that a personal gripe. Fans of Alice Cooper will enjoy this album and if you can pick it up for a fiver like I did, it's well worth acquiring.
D**W
Another great album by an oldie.
Well, I'm first, which surprises me.SO many artists were producing great music in their 60s, beyond all likelihood. To be still doing it in their 70s is beyond remarkable. Last year we got great new music from Wishbone Ash, Magnum (as always, great), Blue Oyster Cult, The Who, and ACDC. Not bad for a drab lockdown year! This year we already have Alice, and Strawbs, with Thunder (youngsters!), Scorpions and Ken Hensley to come...and many others.This can't really be 5 star, but it can be, and is, 4 star. It rocks in various ways, and some tracks have him re-united with some of the original Alice Cooper Band from the early 70's, like he did on his last CD, 'Paranormal'. My favourite track there was Genuine American Girl, with those old bandmates. U2 drummer guests aain, too. This new album is great fun, and quite aggressive. When I was younger, any 'pop' artist in their 40s and older were rather dull folks like Perry Como, Val Doonican etc etc. Nothing wrong with them, but rather different from these old guys now - it's brilliant they still rock...and roll. There are a couple of rather naff tracks which I will leave alone...but you can decide for yourselves. Just get it!
J**O
ALICE WHATS THE MATTER
Good ol ‘ Vince still rocking and long may he !Fun punchy album from classic artist appreciate him whilst he here not many like his ilk left .
J**C
Home is where the Heart is
With “Detroit Stories” being a postcard to Alice’s beloved city & featuring MC5’s guitarist Wayne Kramer, this album (as you would expect) has a healthy slice of 1970’s rock running through it’s veins.Featuring some cracking tracks, “Go Man go” is an invigorating pulse of punk, “Our Love will Change..” is a joyfully subversive poppy love song, “1000$ high heel shoes” see Alice having a successful stab at a bit of funk & “I Hate You” features Alice & Alice Cooper band members Dennis Dunaway(bass guitar), Michael Bruce (rhythm guitar) & Neal Smith (drums) all tearing verbal strips out of each other, even saving a bit of venom for deceased lead guitar Glen Buxton! “Detroit Stories” doe’s overstay it’s welcome by a couple of songs, but along with previous album “Paranormal” I think these albums are his strongest since the 1970’s.
A**L
Pretty good
If your an Alice Cooper fan then you will love it, I think that it is pretty good, and the live dvd is very good
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