CD Odyssey Disc 364: Arrogant Worms

I'm not feeling terribly hot today; a stomach ache and a sore neck. The neck is probably from sitting still for so long on Saturday (see the previous entry as to why - it was worth it). I have no idea about the stomach ache. I'm waiting to hear back from the doctor, and doubt it is anything terribly significant. He'll probably eventually call me back to tell me that my problem is that I'm 41.

Speaking of things that are not terribly significant, the next record is a comedy album - the third one I've reviewed, and I think the last one I own. Comedy just doesn't lend itself to repeat listening.

Disc 364 is...Self-Titled

Artist: Arrogant Worms

Year of Release: 1992

What’s Up With The Cover?: A very ordinary drawing, which the liner notes indicate is done by "Bovis Threads." I use the term 'liner notes' very losely here, as this is a very cheaply produced CD. The cover is just a single slip of paper (not even folded in half) with credits on the reverse side.

How I Came To Know It: I was a big fan of Captain Tractor's version of "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate" (on "East of Edson" reviewed back at Disc 148). When I found out the Arrogant Worms did the original, I sought them out.

How It Stacks Up: Amazingly, the Arrogant Worms have seven studio albums. This is their first, and the only one I have, so it is hard to know how it compares.

Rating: 2 stars.

The Arrogant Worms are a college novelty band, so it is ironic I found out about them more than four years after I was out of college. They've carved out a modest career for themselves over the years writing catchy little songs that poke humorous fun at ordinary life, but particularly Canadian life.

Their most famous song is the aforementioned "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate," but principally because it was remade by the aforementioned Captain Tractor. The original Worms version is passable, but it doesn't have nearly the energy of Captain Tractor's version. Still, they wrote it, so that counts for something.

Musically, the Arrogant Worms are not the greatest. They can carry a tune, they can play their instruments competently enough, and they have a knack for comedic timing, but that's the extent of it. The arrangements are very basic. The sound is sparse and the production amateurish.

Of course, that's not the reason I listen to comedy. I want some funny songs that are quotable and not so challenging that I can't sing along. At this level, the Worms deliver. Their debut album is full of all kinds of whimsy and fun. Among the topics they cover: going into debt, bowling, cross-border shopping, and bickering over Christmas dinner.

Not all these songs are equal, "The Credit Song," "Car Full of Pain" and "Let's Go Bowling" are all examples of songs that not only aren't catchy, but are about obvious comedic topics, and frankly, not all that funny.

When they hit though, they hit well. "The Christmas Song" is particularly funny, as the dinner progresses from the typical family spats:

"Everyone is wearing big smiles
They all try to act nice for a while
Then George calls his in-laws vile
Christmas! Christmas is here!"

And quickly degenerates:

"George picks up the carving knife
Wields it around and starts to slice
Henry cocks his shotgun twice
Christmas! Christmas is here!"

Before the grisly ending:

"Police arrive just after eight
Responding to a noise complaint
Open the door - what a grisly fate
Christmas! Christmas is here!"

Throughout the song has a merry penny whistle between verses and each "Christmas! Christmas is here!" is more gleeful than the last. It is bloody good fun.

This is dark as the album gets (not very). That's because the Arrogant Worms are pretty light-hearted with their humour. Even when poking fun they aren't particularly nasty - they just want to have fun.

That said, once you've had a laugh at the two or three best songs you're done with the record. The music isn't good enough to hold your attention, and there are just too many comedic moments that fall flat. This one is best to pull out after a few drinks to share with someone who hasn't heard it, or if you need a 2-3 minute humour break in the middle of a playlist or mixed CD.

Best tracks: The Last Saskatchewan Pirate, The Christmas Song

CD Odyssey Disc 363: The Proclaimers

I surprised myself with a relatively early morning this morning, after a long Saturday.

I started out getting my 3rd tattoo! Technically, I suppose this is my third and fourth tattoo, since they are parallel armbands. I get all my tattooing done by Leroy at Union Tattoo. Leroy is the best - he not only understands what I want, he makes it better than I imagined it. I've posted picture of my latest at the end of this blog entry. If you want to check out more of Leroy's stuff, visit: http://www.junkyarddesigns.ca/.

OK - on to the music review, which was not nearly inspiring as my new tattoo.

Disc 363 is...This Is The Story

Artist: The Proclaimers

Year of Release: 1987

What’s Up With The Cover?: Look, w'ere identical twins! And we're in a band together! And we're twins! Yeah...this is not a good cover.

How I Came To Know It: I had purchased their huge follow-up album, "Sunshine On Leith" and liked it, so I was looking for more. This was their only other record that I could find at the time, and so I bought it.

How It Stacks Up: I was surprised to find the Proclaimers have made eight records, but I only have two. Of the two, "This Is The Story" is the weaker one.

Rating: 3 stars.

The theory that people lose their accents when singing never listened to the Proclaimers. These guys are Scottish, and they want you to know about it.

This could be distracting, except for the fact that many of their songs are specifically about Scotland, including one ("Throw the 'R' Away) which is specifically about their accents:

"I've been so sad
Since you said my accent was bad
He's worn a frown
This Caledonian clown
I'm just going to have to learn to hesitate
To make sure my words
On your Saxon ears don't grate
But I wouldn't know a single word to say
If I flattened all the vowels and threw the 'R' away."

The lyrics are playful, but there is a harder edge of nationalism in Proclaimer songs, including the more than occasional poke at the English. Having been to Scotland, I can attest this is a pretty common sentiment, although for the most part Scots take a humorous and self-deprecating approach to the question of England-Scotland relations.

In 1996 Sheila and I were lucky enough to watch a soccer match between England and Scotland while sitting in a pub in Oban (a small town on the northwest coast, and famous for amazing Scotch). The pub was packed with enthusiastic fans, chanting complicated songs at the TV, and booing every time English star Paul Gascoyne touched the ball.

In between shouts from older folks sitting in the back yelling at younger folks in front to 'move yer head!' the Scottish side put up a spirited attack before losing 2-0 to a more talented English team. After the game, the enthusiasm of the crowd was barely diminished by the loss, although there were many colourful epithets directed at the English, and a lot of fatalism over the ongoing struggles of the Scottish side. Beside that, everyone just returned to their beers and getting to know the tourists in their midst. But I digress...

Back to "This Is the Story," which captures this unsinkable, gregarious spirit through jumpy folk-pop. Most songs have nothing more than the two brothers (Craig and Charlie Reid) singing and a couple of acoustic guitars. When not singing in harmony, one Reid brother will typically do a background, supportive melody that creates the effect of another instrument in the mix. It sounds simple at first, but the more you listen, the more intricate you realize it is. It is music that requires incredible timing to work, and it is done without the aid of a drummer.

In addition to "Throw The 'R' Away" other standouts on the album are "Over And Done With" and "The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues."

"Over And Done With" is a song about not dwelling on your past, or using it as a crutch for how you're feeling in the present (a sentiment that appeals to my existential leanings). The first verse is about a nasty teacher from high school:

"This is the story of our first teacher
Shetland made her jumpers
And the devil made her features
Threw up her hands when my mum said our names
Embroidered all her stories with slanderous claims
But, it's over and done with. It's over and done with."

Sure, we've all had a rotten teacher along the way that tried to fill our heads with doubt. The Proclaimers remind us that dwelling on that is completely pointless. Better to just say "It's over and done with" and move on. Of course, if she is a real shrew, you can additionally write a nasty song about her, and make some money out of it.

"The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues" has a wordy title, but the same basic message. It is an up-tempo song featuring all of the best elements of the Proclaimers: catchy guitar strumming, heavily-brogued singing and lyrics that make you smile and forget your worries.

It isn't all peaches and cream on this record, though, which despite a few highpoints is very uneven in places. On "Misty Blue" the music and lyrics combine a cutesy melody that belongs in a children's song, with lyrics that have an over-large helping of schmaltz. "The First Attack" is a religious dirge, without the gravitas a dirge requires to work.

Also, for all the joy I've gotten out of Scotland forever lyrics, on repeat listens the songs lose some of their impact and stray toward novelty.

However, on balance I'm going to take some advice from "The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues," namely:

"I'm not going to talk about doubts and confusion
On a night when I can see with my eyes shut."

A line that has gotten me through many a negative moment in my life, and for that reason alone I'll relax my hard-marking ways and give this album three stars for nostalgia.

Best tracks: Throw the 'R' Away, Over And Done With, Sky Takes The Soul, The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues

And now, as promised here are my awesome new tattoos!
They are two armbands. The top one is a band of grape leaves, with two crossed thyrsi (the thyrsus is the symbol of the Greek god Dionysus), representing wild abandon, revelry and artistic inspiration.

The lower band is a band of laurels, with a lyre in the centre, representing the Greek god Apollo, god of music and the arts. As a writer, I like the dichotomy between these two ideas as they would apply to the creative world, one representing spontaneous inspiration and the other the discipline required to forge finished art out of that inspiration.

Here's a view going around the arm.

Yes, the bands go all the way around, nearly touching on the inside of my arm. That area I didn't photograph because it is still quite pink. Getting tattooed on the inside of your arm is far less pleasant than the outside, but art has its price.

Thanks again to Leroy for his amazing work. You are a true artist, sir!

CD Odyssey Disc 362: INXS

When left to my own devices, I will sometimes get into a genre of music and explore it to the utmost. Over the years, I've had deep and meaningful relationships with metal, folk, swing, punk and seventies rock, and dalliances with a host of others.

Because of its random nature, the CD Odyssey prevents me from doing that, which I sometimes regret. However, by mixing all of my past loves together it keeps me engaged with all my musical interests at once, which I think I prefer.

Case in point the last couple of albums, a neo-disco record and this next one - classic eighties pop. Neither one that I would feel like seeking out right now on my own, but both of which I enjoyed once I gave them a bit of my time.

Disc 362 is...The Swing

Artist: INXS

Year of Release: 1984

What’s Up With The Cover?: A low budget? Seriously, this cover looks like a high school art project from a/v class. I do like the use of slides, which are so anachronistic in the modern digital age. Kind of like the haircuts on the INXS guys pictured - yikes. Also, do you think they could've put a little effort into looking in the same direction? This must be what passes for cool detachment in the day.

How I Came To Know It: I have known INXS since high school, but I didn't know "The Swing" until I met Sheila and she introduced me to it. This is her album, and one that she has sworn by over the years.

How It Stacks Up: We have three INXS albums. Of the three, I'd put "The Swing" as my least favourite, behind both "X" and "Listen Like Thieves" (the latter reviewed back at Disc 292).

Rating: 3 stars.

When I rolled this album for my next review I kept up a brave face, but I secretly dreaded it. Sheila loves this album, but I've never found it in my wheelhouse. It is very New Wave and heavily eighties. The only time it usually gets into the mix in our house is when Sheila picks it.

When I first started listening to it, I found it actively annoying, but in retrospect this wasn't because of the music, it was because of the context. I heard the first four songs driving to see the doctor for some tests, and then racing traffic to get back to work after the trip to the doctor took longer than expected. I hate going to the doctor. (FYI, I'm going to be fine - just checking on some minor stomach pains, so no get-well cards necessary).

However, once I gave the album my full attention on my walk to work, I found I had judged it too harshly. "The Swing" is one of those records that is not well known, but is all the more interesting for its lack of commercial success. (It was number 1 in Australia, but only got to #52 in North America with one minor chart success in Canada: the single, "Original Sin.")

It is a very dance-heavy album, and if you were of an age to party in Sydney back in 1984, songs off of "The Swing" likely got heavy airplay. The Farriss brothers can write a catchy lick, and while eighties dancing seems silly to us now, in the day this record would make you want to move. In fact, it still made me want to move, but that was just my age showing.

The accompanying eighties production distanced my emotional connection to it, however. I'm not a fan of the drum machine, and the very bad synth hook on "Burn For You" wrecks what is otherwise a promising song. I found myself thinking of the interesting expirements Tom Waits was doing with percussion around the same time ("Swordfishtrombone", "Rain Dogs") and wishing INXS had tried something along those lines. Still, not everyone has Tom Waits' brilliance. The fact that I even thought of INXS in the same sentence demonstrates they were showing something.

"The Swing" has a pop brilliance to it. Sparse and edgy, it has some rough edges that would be smoothed away by their next record, "Listen Like Thieves," but it is these rough edges that give it its charm and unique sound. On "All The Voices" the music sounds almost tribal and "Johnson's Aeroplane" captures some of the same catchy-yet-distant quality of some Cure songs like "A Forest" or "The Hanging Garden."

Also "Johnson's Aeroplane" scores bonus points for spelling airplane in that cool old-fashioned way. I'd like to see that spelling return as the default. People could eruditely ask one another questions like, "how are you traveling on your holiday - motorcar or aeroplane?" Such convesations should ideally be held among middle-aged dowager ladies with mid-Atlantic accents and broad-brimmed hats tied down with a broad scarf. But I digress...

Back to the album, which benefits greatly not only from the ability of INXS to write a memorable pop lick, but also the deep, back-of-the-throat eighties voice of Michael Hutchence. Hutchence doesn't always get the credit he deserves as a vocalist, likely because INXS doesn't do a lot of songs that force him to belt it out over multiple octaves, but the band isn't the same without him. Like Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, Hutchence knows his role, singing along with the beat, and never leaving the rest of the song behind.

Lyrically, "The Swing" features a lot of themes around tolerance and acceptance, notably "Original Sin" and "Face The Change" and the anti-war song, "Dancing On The Jetty." None of their lyrics are particularly deep, but there are a lot of worse things to sing about.

This album crept up on me over the last couple of days, and I got a new appreciation for it. It didn't change my life or anything, but the music was interesting, innovative in places and on more than one occasion it made me tap my feet. I'm actually looking forward to the next time it goes into rotation on our CD player.

Best tracks: Original Sin, Dancing On The Jetty, Johnson's Aeroplane, Love Is (What I Say)

CD Odyssey Disc 361: Scissor Sisters

Hello new readers! I've noticed that a lot more folks are checking my blog out recently, which is very cool. If you're wondering what this whole CD Odyssey thing is all about, the rules are in the sidebar.

If you've left a comment on a review and I've posted it but haven't replied, that's because I don't usually reply to any comments that aren't direct questions. This is because I feel like by posting a review I've already had my say - now it is your chance to have the last word. And now...on to the music!

Disc 361 is...Scissor Sisters (Self-Titled)
Artist: Scissor Sisters

Year of Release: 2004

What’s Up With The Cover?: A woman in white steps walks through a garden toward a portal that appears to lead to a downtown city street. With all that flowing red hair, she looks like Florence Welch from behind. If you look closely, you'll see the Scissor Sister logo at the top of the portal's arch: a pair of open scissors, where the blades are a set of high heeled legs. As band logos go, that's a good one, and captures their blend of sexiness and fun well.

How I Came To Know It: I think I saw a video for "Filthy/Gorgeous" and really liked it, so I took a chance and bought the album. I do that sometimes - it's how I've ended up with so many damned CDs.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Scissor Sister albums; 2006's, "Ta Dah" (reviewed way back at Disc 146) and this one. Of the two, I prefer this one.

Rating: 3 stars.

Just because everyone wanted disco to die back in the early eighties doesn't mean it did. Sure it stopped because so pervasive on pop radio, but the best parts of disco survived and morphed over the years, surfacing in the music of Beck or Jamiroquai. If those acts are at least one part disco, then Scissor Sisters are more like three parts disco.

Disco-driven as the groovy dance tracks on this record are, the band's love of late seventies music extends beyond the Bee Gees. In various places, this record also has its musical roots in Elton John, Queen, and even Pink Floyd. Not exceptionally innovative, the Scissor Sisters are still talented enough to update these sounds to a new generation of music listeners. They're a bit derivative, but only in a good way.

This album has a a gem of a remake, with a disco re-interpretation of "Comfortably Numb." Played up tempo, sung in falsetto and accompanied by a crazy bass-heavy backbeat, it is an inspired re-imagining of the original. At one point, they even sneak in a panting "Aah aah aah aah" that is strongly reminiscent of the Bee Gees "Stayin' Alive." This and the overall arrangement had me re-imagining the song as a cry for help from a drug-crazed club goer, rather than a disenchanted rock star.

Or maybe that's just my humanities education messing with me, as I try to find a deeper meaning. You would be just as well served by Scissor Sisters simply enjoying the disco beats they lay down, which is what this album is mostly about. There are a host of songs that are about very little more than having a good time, notably "Tits On The Radio" and "Filthy/Gorgeous." Sure you could read more into these songs, but ultimately the lyrics are secondary to just making you want to tap your feet and bob your head along.

I don't mean this as dismissive either. Scissor Sisters write excellent dance pop - as good as anything Lady Gaga has done, despite receiving far less recognition. The bass line on "Tits On The Radio" rivals "Another One Bits The Dust" in catchiness, and the synthesizers on "Filthy/Gorgeous" are like laser pistols shot at your feet to force you to dance. Even the band's occasional use of the squawk box is done tastefully, and that's not easy to do.

This is a fun album, and if you are really into dance music, could easily rate four stars. For me, it settled in at a high three, but that said I have little bad to say about this record.

Best tracks: Take Your Mama, Comfortably Numb, Tits On The Radio, Filthy/Gorgeous

CD Odyssey Disc 360: Thin Lizzy

Last weekend, we had friends of ours over (Ross and Catherine) to play some games, and since there were four of us, we decided to each pick a CD to listen to.

Ross - whose ear for music is second to none, chose this album. At the time I remember thinking how much I'd like to listen to it on my walk to work if it weren't for this damned CD Odyssey I embarked on almost three years ago.

Well, here we are - you leave enough sacrifices on the altar of randomness, you occasionally get a prayer answered, I suppose.

Disc 360 is...Jailbreak
Artist: Thin Lizzy

Year of Release: 1976

What’s Up With The Cover?: A comic book vibe, with the band depicted as escaping some kind of evil overlord character, explosions going off all around. The artist is Jim Fitzpatrick, which is funny given the previous review featured art by Tony Fitzpatrick. Could this signal the beginning of a reign of terror by artists named Fitzpatrick? Somehow, I doubt it. Of the two, I prefer Jim by a wide margin.

How I Came To Know It: My buddy Spence is a walking encyclopedia of seventies rock and he has often talked about Thin Lizzy and this album in particular. My other friend Nick is also keen. Spurred on by the both of them, I bought this record, which is the most iconic of Thin Lizzy's career. I am seeing both of them this weekend and will be sure to thank them again for the good advice.

How It Stacks Up: This is my only Thin Lizzy record, but I am meaning to get more. I will delve into Spence's brain this weekend for recommendations on what should be next.

Rating: 4 stars.

The 1970's are the golden age of guitar rock, and "Jailbreak" is one of the decades seminal records. Not as heavy as the metal generation that would follow it, its true weight is found in the incredible influence it had on the generation of musicians that grew up listening to it.

It spawned one of guitar rock's most famous hits, "The Boys Are Back In Town," a song which is no better than 4th best on the record. That is saying something, because there is a reason that the "The Boys Are Back In Town" still gets heavy rotation on rock radio thirty-five years after it was released; it is that good.

It is a song about very little - as near as I can tell it is basically a bunch of young guys out on the town drinking and carousing. The lyrics are hardly poetic, yet Phil Lynott makes them come alive, reminding us of what it was like to be young and go clubbing. I wouldn't want to go back to that, but Lynott reminds me how the power of youth can make even the most pointless night out drinking and dancing into an adventure.

However, you'll note I didn't quote any of the lyrics, because frankly, the lyrics on "Jailbreak" are forgettable, salvaged only by Lynott's genius delivery. At least twice, women are referred to as 'females' simply to serve a strained rhyme. "Romeo And The Lonely Girl" has a chorus that goes

"Oh-oh, poor Romeo
Sittin' all on his own-ee-o."

Yeah, that just happened. What's amazing about this record is even a song with a lyrical crime that heinous, is still a great song.

This is because musically "Jailbreak" is as fine a record as you will hear. This is rock and roll at its best - written with skill, played with passion, with every player, as Thin Lizzy might say, "shakin' what they got."

Whether they are rocking out on the title track, or "Angel From The Coast", or infusing rock into soul music ("Fight of Fall") or into western music ("Cowboy Song") they always hit just the right balance. They walk to the edge of rock excess, lean over that cliff and play as hard as they can without falling over.

The guitar work on every song overwhelms me. I always know a guitar piece is good when I catch myself wanting to air guitar while walking down the street with the headphones on. This record had me actively doing it, and I didn't care who saw - the song was too good to be contained in the confines of my skull; it had to find release in my limbs.

"Jailbreak" is probably my favourite song on the record, but for a pure demonstration of the musical might of this band at the peak of their powers, I recommend "Warriors" a riff-laden monster, complete with a killer guitar solo and a killer drum solo, and which accomplishes everything it needs to in a respectable 4:08.

If it weren't for its lyrical crimes, this would easily be a 5 star album. As it is, Phil Lynott's vocal delivery was so good he almost cancelled that negative out entirely. The musical genius of "Jailbreak" is easily 5 star territory, so if lyrics are secondary to you, you should be racing out to buy this album. If lyrics are important to you, you should still be racing out to buy this album. There is an exception to every rule, my friends.

Best tracks: Jailbreak, Angel From The Coast, Romeo and the Lonely Girl, Warriors, The Boys Are Back In Town, Cowboy Song,

CD Odyssey Disc 359: Steve Earle

Today was a cold one in my town - about minus 7 celsius, which is serious for Victoria. I enjoyed walking through the snow-swept landscape, with this album serving as my soundtrack.

Disc 359 is...The Revolution Starts Now

Artist: Steve Earle

Year of Release: 2004

What’s Up With The Cover?: Yet another piece of unappealing Tony Fitzpatrick art. Earle has used Fitzpatrick's art on his last nine albums, and while he must have his fans, I'm not one of them. The star is OK, although it looks like it's cautiously poking its right toe in a pool. Maybe that's the idea, but I doubt it.

How I Came To Know It: I am an avowed Steve Earle fan, and while I don't own all his live records, I buy every studio album he puts out. I am rarely, if ever, disappointed.

How It Stacks Up: I have all 15 of Earle's studio records. Of these, "The Revolution Starts Now" holds its own, but the competition is fierce. I'd put it 8th or 9th.

Rating: 4 stars.

Never make Steve Earle angry, and then think you're going to silence his anger by snubbing him. He doesn't bow to such pressures; they just encourage him to yell louder.

So it is with "The Revolution Starts Now," Earle's first record following up on 2002's "Jerusalem." I'll write about "Jerusalem" when I roll it, but a little bit of information is necessary for context.

"Jerusalem" was a record that was heavily critical about U.S. actions in Afghanistan, and the contemplation of an invasion of Iraq. Whether you agree with Earle or not, he is never shy of expressing his opinions, and "Jerusalem" hit very hard, questioning not only U.S. foreign policy, but their democratic future as well.

Mainstream country radio is not known for its bravery with respect to artistic controversy (just ask the Dixie Chicks) and after "Jerusalem," Earle found himself no longer welcome on their rotation, consigned to sattelite radio and the more avante garde outlaw stations. This is where he belonged anyway, so there was no loss, and fans could still find him.

For those who did, two years later he'd deliver his retort, with "The Revolution Starts Now," an album every bit as politically charged as "Jerusalem" and probably a little more pointed now that the Iraq conflict had also started.

From the opening title track, Earle openly calls for revolution. Not the kind Karl Marx envisioned, mind you (toe-dipping red stars on the cover notwithstanding), but a call for Americans to re-engage with the political process. This is Tea Party/Occupy politics before those things existed.

Calling for political action is nothing new to folk music. Leonard Cohen reminded us to stay involved with "There Is A War" and Kris Kristoffersen has a long list of songs exhorting his countrymen to greater involvement. Fresh from his mainstream shunning though, Earle has a fire that burns hot even for him. And just in case you didn't get his message, he records "The Revolution Starts Now" a second time, and closes the record with it. While this is annoying when you're listening on repeat, he makes it clear he wants your attention.

Later songs delve into the subject of war with Earle's classic songwriting style, as he sings about an army truck driver hoping to get out of Iraq alive ("Home To Houston") a series of character vignettes that showcase war's horror through the prism of poverty ("Rich Man's War") and a broken special-ops agent who now finds himself on the wrong side of his former masters ("The Gringo's Tale").

Musically, this album is classic Earle, with rock-country fusion guitar licks that make you want to drive your car fast down a dirt road, wishing all the while it was a pickup truck. The songs are simple and timeless in a way that makes you wish you'd thought of them first. They speak clearly to the soul, despite the dust they throw up in the air (in the deserts here and the deserts far away, as Cohen would say).

Lyrically, this record has some of Earle's finest stuff. In particular the song "Warrior" which is in a strongly alliterative poetic form that reminded me of Beowulf:

"This is the best time of the day - the dawn
The final cleansing breath unsullied yet
By acrid fume or death's cacophony
The rank refuse of unchained ambition
And pray, deny me not but know me now,
Your faithful retainer stands resolute
To serve his liege lord without recompense
Perchance to fail and perish namelessly
No flag-draped bier or muffled drum to set
The cadence for a final dress parade"

This stuff was so drenched with powerful language, I checked the liner notes just to be sure Earle hadn't just lifted it from an old poem, but it is original. The music on "Warrior" is muted, but Earle works in a drone that is heavily evocative of the music at the beginning of "Apocalypse Now" - a decision I cannot believe is coincidence.

Following on four straight pro-soldier, anti-war songs, Earle then throws a curveball, with the humorous and upbeat "Condi, Condi" in which, tongue-in-cheek, he asks Condoleeza Rice out on a date. It gets rude from place to place, and there's no missing the undercurrent of anger as Earle serenades her with but I like to think if Rice has ever heard it, she'd secretly have a good-natured laugh. She looks the type that can handle a little satire. That said, she shouldn't take Earle up on the offer: I'm pretty sure the date would go poorly.

Earle then takes aim at censorship with "F the CC" which is one of the finest, most direct assaults on censorship that you'll hear, not least of which because it is replete with ripe language that would lead Tipper Gore to slap an "Explicit Lyrics" caution on it (although it is notably absent).

"F the CC" is the seventh of eleven songs on the album, but by its conclusion Earle has exhausted the majority of his anger. The record closes out with songs that are more relaxed in both theme and tempo, switching to romantic and introspectic themes.

"Comin' Around" is a duet with Emmylou Harris, who shows that she isn't afraid to be associated with Earle's music, even when he's dead set on offending someone. Emmylou knows good art, and that's her only requirement.

That's my only requirement as well. I often find myself at odds with Earle's politics, but there is no denying his essential humanism. He cares not just about the human race, but about the individual humans that make it up, and his honest compassion translates into songs that speak to and from the heart.

Best tracks: Home To Houston, Warrior, The Gringo's Tale, F the CC, The Seeker

CD Odyssey Disc 358: Wilco

Although I'm allowed to insert new albums into the review process, I rarely do. The truth is, I prefer rolling randomly, and I get to listen to new albums on my own time anyway.

That said, the next album is a new album (to me) but I did not select it; the fates still rolled it randomly.

Disc 358 is...Being There


Artist: Wilco

Year of Release: 1996

What’s Up With The Cover?: Not much. A hand holds the neck of a guitar. I like the simplicity of this album cover, but it is hardly interesting beyond that.

How I Came To Know It: I was recently at a Christmas party for Sheila's work and I ended up meeting a fellow music enthusiast, Greg W. We had a few good conversations about music. He is a big Wilco fan, and after hearing which albums I already owned, and what I liked about them, he recommended "Being There" as my next purchase. He was exactly right.

How It Stacks Up: I now have four Wilco albums. "Being There" is one of my favourites. I'll say it is second only to 1995's "A.M" (reviewed way back at Disc 84).

Rating: 4 stars.

"Being There" was a lesson for me that the best way to find good records is to get recommendations from other music lovers. After falling in love with "A.M." I had purchased "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and "A Ghost Is Born" pretty quickly thereafter. These two didn't grab me the way I had hoped they would, as Wilco expanded into a more atmospheric detached sound, and away from their southern roots rock sound.

Enter the aforementioned Greg W., who advised that if I liked "A.M." that "Being There" had a similar sound. I think he also warned it was a 'break up album' but I can't be sure, since I had had a few beers by that point. That wouldn't have put me off in any event, as often nasty break ups result in quality art. Thank you artists the world over for suffering so we critics can have a better time of it.

Whether Wilco mastermind Jeff Tweedy was in fact miserable or not (apparently he'd just had a child, but I expect that was a joyful occasion), the quality of "Being There" plays like he was. Many of the songs are about relationships breaking down, and specifically the anguish of knowing you are growing apart from someone, but not losing the love you hold for them. The opening track, "Misunderstood" quickly highlights the theme:

"There's something there that you can't find
Honest when you're tellin' a lie
You're hurt but you don't know why
You love her but you don't know why."

The opening song on Disc 2 (yes, it is a two disc album), "Sunken Treasure" is just as depressing, more so, as Tweedy sings "I am so out of tune with you" in a way that turns minor keys into miniature emotional Armaggedons.

While the theme is held tightly together, the music shows exceptional range. Up tempo indie rock anthems like "I Got You (At The End Of The Century)" fit in effortlessly beside sparsely arranged songs like "Red Eyed and Blue", which feature only piano, acoustic guitar and Jeff Tweedy's earnest singing. Tweedy's voice would've made him a star of indie, southern rock or country. On "Being There" he wisely chooses to be all three.

Wilco is definitely a band for music geeks like me. They like to showcase their many influences, and have clearly mastered traditional forms before they put their own unique style on them. This record is a lesson in how to pay homage to what has come before, and still innovate. Even Picasso painted traditionally before he moved on to cubism. Wilco has the same solid foundations.

What's more, they seem genuinely humble about their roots. On "Someone Else's Song" Tweedy sings:

"I can't tell you anything you don't already know.
I keep on trying, I should just let it go.
I keep on singing, you're eyes they just roll.
It sounds like someone else's song from a long time ago.
You already know the story and the chords are just the same.
You already know I love you, and I sound like what's-his-name.
But you can't stop me, I want you to know.
I know it sounds like someone else's song from along time ago."

The song itself sounds like two musical greats, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, if they could somehow be combined. The vaguel out of tune Cash guitar mixed with the plaintive Williams vocals. I love the combination, but not nearly as much as I love a band willing to set ego aside and admit that like all artists, they borrow from those they admire. So it should be - even Neil Young has admitted in interviews that he borrowed from Pearl Jam.

I was disappointed this was a double album, which is so hard to pull off. Between the two albums, there are 19 songs, and despite the consistently high quality, I think I could weed (tweed?) it down by four or five tracks if I put my mind to it, particularly off of disc two. It is rare a band needs a double album, and while "Being There" comes close to pulling it off, I set the bar high on this front.

Another minor beef, is their refusal to capitalize song titles. Capital letters exist for a reason, Mr. Tweedy. You wouldn't try that if Mrs. Tweedy were here - standing over you threateningly, with a chicken in each hand and a look on her face that would melt plastic. She's already angry enough over that debacle with the meat pie machine, and now this whole lower case thing. Wait a minute - I think I've got my Mr. Tweedys mixed up.

OK, back to the album. In addition to being beloved by music geeks like me, Wilco are also critical darlings, and this phenomenon can be very annoying over time. Fawning articles about these guys are pasted all over the internet. They're a band that it is 'cool' to like, which is something that usually drives me in the other direction. I couldn't do that after listening to "Being There" for the last five days, though. The truth is this is a great record, and well worth the praise it receives.

Best tracks: Misunderstood, Monday, Forget The Flowers, Red Eyed and Blue, I Got You (At The End Of The Century), What's The World Got In Store, Say You Miss Me, Sunken Treasure, Someone Else's Song

CD Odyssey Disc 357: Alice Cooper

After the briefest of classical respites, Alice Cooper has returned to demonstrate that his Reign of Terror (now so terrible as to be capitalized) is still in full command of the CD Odyssey. This next review is the 3rd Alice Cooper album in the last four reviews, and the 5th in the last fifteen.

Given that I have nearly 1,000 CDs, and I randomly roll each new review, the odds of this happening are astronomically high.

Disc 357 is...Muscle of Love

Artist: Alice Cooper

Year of Release: 1973

What’s Up With The Cover?: No, I did not spill something on this cover - this is what it is supposed to look like. It is designed to resemble an old cardboard box. The effort is lost a little in the translation to the CD, but the original vinyl album jacket is made out of corrugated cardboard, and very cool. I don't own this record on vinyl, but only because I'm on the lookout for one with a jacket in good condition (the years are not kind to corrugated cardboard).

How I Came To Know It: This is getting repetitive in recent reviews, but I've known Alice Cooper since I can remember walking. This album is one of the original "with the band" efforts, but probably the last of those I added to my collection - around ten or fifteen years ago, I believe.

How It Stacks Up: Again with the repetition, but for the sake of convenience, I have all 26 of Alice Cooper's studio albums. "Muscle of Love" is one of Cooper's strongest efforts, but competition at the top is fierce. I'll put this album 6th, a hair better than "Dada."

Rating: 4 stars

From 1971 to 1973 the Alice Cooper band put out five of rock and roll's great records (the whole band was once "Alice Cooper" not just the man born Vince Furnier).

"Muscle of Love" is the last of that great run. Shortly after its release, the band fell victim to that all-too-common fate, "creative differences." Alice Cooper (the man) wanted to delve further into fantastical stage shows and theatrical numbers. Alice Cooper (the band) wanted to focus on a more traditional rock and roll career. They were open to musical expirementation, but less interested in stage shows and musical numbers.

It is a damned shame they couldn't agree to do both in the long term, because "Muscle of Love" shows what they would have been capable of. This record combines the theatrical brilliance that Alice would show on his later solo albums like "Welcome To My Nightmare" and "From The Inside" but it keeps the rock and roll brilliance of bassist Dennis Dunaway and lead guitarist Michael Bruce intact. These two are often underrated by the casual fan, and are every bit as responsible for the band's early success.

Ordinarily, I like to wax poetic about Bruce's lascivious guitar (he plays it so dirty, you feel uncomfortable listening, but so well you can't stop). Bruce's skill is certainly present here. But with a renewed effort to expirement with their sound, Dunaway's bass comes through strong on this record, and deserves mention. Besides, bass players need all the love they can get.

Beyond the regular players, in places "Muscle of Love" features horns, classical violin, and even background vocals from none other than Liza Minelli (who appears on "Teenage Lament '74"). There is even a tragic song about a street hustler sung in burlesque style, "Crazy Little Child."

The song "Hard Hearted Alice" begins by showing the band's early Pink Floyd influences, with atmospheric acid rock sounds, eerie organ and bells, and Cooper singing in a ghostly falsetto. Halfway through, a quirky drum beat kicks it into gear, and the singing switches to the more traditional rock voice we all expect from these guys. It is a very proggy song, and it sounded like something you might expect from the band's 1971 masterpiece, "Killer."

"Hard Hearted Alice"'s topic mirrors the music, bemoaning how the band must conform to the expectations of their audience:

"Mind gets scrambled like eggs
Gets bruised and erased
When you live in a brainstorm
Noise seems logically right
Ringing into the night
When you live in an airport.

"Hard hearted Alice
Is what we want to be
Hard hearted Alice
Is what you want to see."

Numbed by the demands of touring, the band makes efforts at musical innovation, but ultimately gives in to what the people want. The music dutifully follows suit, but not without slipping something interesting in on the unsuspecting listener.

"Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo)" is a more traditional rock song, and as good as the genre gets. I recently learned it has survived countless purges on Sheila's MP3 player, and will likely survive countless on mine as well.

It is a song about the wonder and grandeur of New York, and how it can grind down the unsuspecting and the soft. Like many of the songs on the album, this song blends two warring themes, whose opposition creates a third, disturbing hybrid. In this case, triumphant music paired with words about emotionally drowning in a sea of humanity.

A lot of people claim "Muscle of Love" is a concept album, entirely about a group of young teens that move to the big city and lose their innocence. While I wouldn't go so far as to call it a concept album, sexual awakening is definitely a heavy theme throughout. On this listen I particularly liked the title track, which is about the raging hormones that overtake us in our teen years. As Cooper sings in the second stanza:

"Well, I must've reached that crazy age
Where everything is hot
'Cause I don't know if the things I'm thinkin'
Are normal thoughts or not.
Holy muscle of love
I've got a muscle of love."

The song briefly references the heart as the muscle of love, but in typical Alice Cooper fashion, quickly switches to a more primal and literal interpretation which I will again leave for more adventurous readers to seek out on their own. In 1973 sections of this song would've been positively lewd, and was no doubt blamed for locked bathroom doors and long showers across America.

The record also includes "The Man With the Golden Gun" which was written to be the theme song for the Bond film of the same name. It never was: Cooper has claimed they missed a deadline to file it with the producers, but it is also reported the film's makers just happened to prefer the song by Lulu that was eventually chosen. Hmmm...Lulu or Alice Cooper... I wonder who got the last laugh on that one?

Only a need for brevity prevents me from going on, but if I did I'd be tempted to give this album five stars, thus putting my reputation as a hard marker into jeopardy, so I'll stop now and say simply that this is, far and away, the best Cooper album I've reviewed during his recent reign of terror on the CD Odyssey.

Best tracks: Muscle of Love, Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo), Teenage Lament '74, Hard Hearted Alice

CD Odyssey Disc 356: Tchaikovsky

Whew! A busy day of work, workout, laundry and (after this review and dinner) vaccuuming the house. It is a busy day for me today.

As for the CD Odyssey, Alice Cooper has finally released it from his death grip (enjoyable as it was) and returned us to that hard rock composer of the 1870s, Tchaikovsky. Dude rocked out.

Disc 356 is...Tchaikovsky Box Set Disc 4 (of 5)

Artist: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Year of Release: 1875 through 1878 for these pieces

What’s Up With The Cover?: Just the boring photo of my Tchaikovsky Box Set. I discussed this cover briefly back at Disc 265, when I reviewed Disc 3. However, you will note that I have not just recycled the same cover, but instead taken a fresh photograph for this review - this one taken after sunset and noticeably darker. We spare no expense here at acreativemaelstrom.

How I Came To Know It: As I mentioned in my last review, Tchaikovsky is my first true love in the classical genre, and remains one of my favourite composers to this day. I got into him in my first year of university, in 1988/89, which is when I bought this compilation. I am fairly certain that for some time after I tried to impress girls with my Tchaikovskian knowledge, with mixed results.

How It Stacks Up: Because this album has excerpts from complete works (more on that below) it is a 'best of' by the CD Odyssey definition, and therefore is not permitted to stack up against other recordings. Rules are rules, Pyotr!

Rating: 4 stars, because it has an excerpt from a larger piece. Ordinarily, it wouldn't qualify for a rating at all as a 'best of', but since classical music doesn't really follow modern conceits, I'll let it go.

As I've indicated in many previous classical reviews, I know very little about classical music, other than what I like. Describing just how I like it in terms that a classical music enthusiast would appreciate is pretty much out of the question, so I'm going to steer hard in the other direction.

Ordinarily, I comment largely on the album as a whole and highlight a few tracks of particular interest, but since there are only three compositions on this album, I think I'll just cover each one individually.

Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op.23 (composed: 1875)

Let me start by saying that classical musicians really needed to put in a better effort on their song titles. "Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor" is a bit of a mouthful, and "Opus 23" is a fine title if you're filing something in the Library of Congress, but doesn't inspire flights of musical fancy.

Which is too bad, because from the first flourish of this track, listeners will recognize it as something they've heard a hundred times before. This is the classical equivalent of a hit.

I gave it three listens on this go-around and on each one I found it increasingly beautiful. Through its three movements and roughly thirty two minutes it covers a range of emotion as well, conveying romance, adventure and whimsy with equal skill.

I am admittedly not a big piano guy, and I preferred the parts in the composition where other instruments were forward in the mix. That said, this piece is written principally for the piano, and the parts that feature it sound damned hard to play. My hat is off to Andrei Gavrilov, the guy who delivered the piano mastery on this particular recording (as part of the Berlin Philharmonic).

Interested if the Berlin Philharmonic is any good? Me too - I have no idea, but given the stiff competition to be in any major city's orchestra, I'm going out on a limb and saying, 'pretty damn good.' But I digress...

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (composed: 1878)

This is my preferred song of the two major works on this album, probably for no better reason than I just tend to prefer violin concertos to piano concertos. This particular performance features the legendary Itzhak Perlman, playing with the Philadelphia Orchestra. I'm a pretty good judge of fiddle playing, but not as confident on the violin. That said, the violin parts sound damned hard and yet well played.

This piece was less familiar to me, but so exceptionally beautiful. I walked to work on both Friday and Monday listening to this album, plus two drives to and from the gym. Every time this song came on, I found my spirits lifted. I believe on at least one occasion I played at conducting with my coffee mug as I walked to work.

If wikipedia is to be believed (is it ever wrong?) this piece was written by Tchaikovsky to help him get over a deep sadness. I can believe it; they could prescribe this song as a cure for clinical depression. It is worth a listen in the proper classical manner - in the dark, with no other sound to interfere with it's beauty.

Waltz from "Eugene Onegin," Op. 24 (Composed: 1878)

The last track on the CD is a six minute waltz, pulled from the much larger opera, "Eugene Onegin" which is based on a Pushkin novel. I can't express enough how frustrating I find it when these classical compilations decide to try to please the masses by pulling a chunk of recognizeable music out of a larger work. Someone should tell them that we're talking about classical music here, so it isn't like your audience has a short attention span.

To which the Soulless Record Exec would say, "yes, but it does help sell the record!" Well played as always, Soulless Record Exec, well played.

I will say that this waltz is one of the most beautiful I've ever heard. I imagine this song being received at high society European gatherings with great enthusiasm. Women grabbing their men by the hands and drawing them in close to plead, "o darling, don't you just love this song! Please, let's dance, shall we?" And dapper gents with ridiculous facial hair happily acquiescing to the demands of their girls.

Even though I don't waltz, this song makes me want to cross a crowded ballroom and take a lady by her gloved hand and give it a whirl. It is like a high school dance favourite, one hundred years ahead of its time.

So this album, ultimately was like the first three in the Tchaikovsky Boxed Set; filled with amazing music that has survived the test of time for over 130 years. It is an impressive and well-deserved achievement. It may even make you want to dance.

Best tracks: There's only two full works here, with a piece of a third, but I'll take Violin Concerto in D Major (Op. 35) over the rest.

CD Odyssey Disc 355: Alice Cooper

What is up with the CD Odyssey right now? I haven't seen this much random selection of one artist since Mark Knopfler's brief reign of terror between discs 128-136.

This is my fourth Alice Cooper review in the past twelve, and after this one I will have reviewed every one of his studio albums from 1977 through 1991. And I'm still only halfway through his collection. Crazy.

Disc 355 is...Zipper Catches Skin
Artist: Alice Cooper

Year of Release: 1982

What’s Up With The Cover?: A tightly typed selection of lyrics from the songs on the record. Ordinarily, this would be pretty lame, but the small smear of blood, along with the album's title make it deliciously evocative. Besides, the alternative picture from the liner notes would not have been much better:
I call this picture "The Thin White Drunk."

How I Came To Know It: This is one of the last Cooper albums added to my collection, because for years I didn't know it existed. I think about four or five years ago I was digging through some vinyl and found this. I didn't buy it on vinyl, but it got me searching for a copy on CD, which I found shortly thereafter.

How It Stacks Up: By now you will have tired of reading it, but I have all 26 of Alice Cooper's studio albums. This is not top tier, but I enjoy it and I'd rank it around 16th, just a notch ahead of "Flush The Fashion" and "Special Forces."

Rating: 3 stars.

On my first time through the CD Odyssey, I did it in chronological order, which I enjoyed. I avoided it this time around by randomly rolling them, partly on the advice of my friend Karen, and partly because I didn't want to be writing successive reviews about the same artist. There's no avoiding it this time, however. "Zipper Catches Skin" is the immediate follow up to "Special Forces."

From 1980-1983 Cooper put out four albums, all of which he recorded blind drunk: "Flush The Fashion," "Special Forces", "Zipper Catches Skin", and "Dada." I've reviewed them all, and far and away "Dada" is the best (check it out way back at Disc 18). The other three I tend to lump together as inspired but flawed.

This describes "Zipper Catches Skin" well. The songs have promising hooks never fully developed and tragico-comical lyrics (thanks, Polonius) that needed a sober rewrite.

By 1982, only a few remnants remained of Cooper's expirements with New Wave arrangements. "I Like Girls" strays into pop territory, but in the main "Zipper Catches Skin" is a return to a more traditional Alice Cooper rock sound. I also think he improves the production on this record after a couple of sub-par efforts. That said, it could have used Bob Ezrin's brilliance.

The best song on the album is the first one, "Zorro's Ascent," a song sung from the perspective of that famous fictional freedom fighter. The song finds him lying dying in the streets, defiant still, and refusing priestly benedictions for the afterlife because as he puts it, "for I am the fox and I go where I like." The song is complete with sword swishes worked into the music and is delightfully silly.

"Make That Money (Scrooge's Song)" is another winner, this one about selling out. Cooper is an artist that could easily be accused of selling out, but I think first and foremost he is an entertainer. For all of his counter-culture appeal, Cooper wants to be liked; it is his characters that he wants you to despise, and the Scrooge in "Make That Money" is easy to hate.

The heavier rock sound on this record was welcome, and the riffs on songs like "Make That Money" really find a nice groove. Beyond that, the songs are innovative, but unfocused, which apart from the miracle exception of 1983's "Dada" was an unavoidable side effect of the booze in Cooper's system, during this time.

Lyrically, my favourite song is an odd pick, "No Baloney Homosapiens." In the song, Cooper muses aloud what aliens might be like. He welcomes first contact ("feel free to drop in anytime") but his chief concern is that they not eat us. Then he appeals to alien sympathy, and things get even more ridiculous:

"Just 'cause you got more ears and eyes
That just gives you more places to cry
And acutely hear the moans and sighs
Of the relatives of the people you disintigrated."

This is the kind of esoteric topic Rush would cover, but Cooper strips it of any shred of gravitas. It may be a guilty pleasure, but "No Baloney Homosapiens" entertained me, which is all Alice would've wanted.

The lyrics to "I Better Be Good" are so dirty that I'll eschew publication, but if you're not easily offended, go ahead and look them up. Just don't look them up in the liner notes of the CD, because the lyrics there are not only incomplete, they're often incorrect. They were transcribed by some woman named Linda Hennrick, and the effort is truly awful. It is particularly awful, given that the lyrics to most songs are part of the frickin' cover!

Not every song is great on "Zipper Catches Skin" but even the lesser tracks are listenable, with one exception. That would be "I'm Alive (That Was The Day My Dead Pet Returned To Save My Life)." Yes, that is the title of the song, and no, it is not nearly as interesting as it should be.

"Zipper Catches Skin" is not well regarded, even among die-hard Cooper fans that otherwise embrace "Flush The Fashion" and "Special Forces." I can't understand how those two records are always put ahead of this one and "Dada" but it won't happen on my blog. I enjoyed this album - another winner from one of my favourite artists. That said, I sincerely hope I roll something else next time.

Best tracks: Zorro's Ascent, Make That Money, No Baloney Homosapiens

CD Odyssey Disc 354: Alice Cooper

Happy New Year! It is my first album review of 2012. 2011 was a pretty eventful year for me, I lost a job, found a job, wrote a novel and my favourite hockey team - the Boston Bruins - won the Stanley Cup. Still waiting on the Miami Dolphins, of course, but hope springs eternal.

My New Year's Resolutions are: Read More, Write More and Listen More. We'll see how it goes.

As for now, it is my third Alice Cooper review in the last eleven albums. I said it was randomly determined - I didn't say it'd be even.

Disc 354 is...Special Forces

Artist: Alice Cooper

Year of Release: 1981

What’s Up With The Cover?: A couple of cheesy short swords are crossed over the picture of a very sick looking Alice Cooper. This album was at the height (depth?) of his battle with alcohol, and he looks every inch the addict in this picture.

How I Came To Know It: I never heard any of these songs until I bought the album, and I only did that to complete my Alice Cooper collection at the time.

How It Stacks Up: As noted many times before this, I have 26 Alice Cooper albums. I would put this one in the middle of the pack, around 18th.

Rating: 2 stars but almost 3

Worst Alice Cooper record ever.

That's what I fully expected to type as an intro for this review when I uploaded this album to my MP3 player Tuesday morning for the walk to work. However, five full listens later, both in the car and walking, I have to admit I was wrong to dismiss it so offhandedly. Much like the album that preceded it chronologically, 1980's "Flush The Fashion" (reviewed back at Disc 264), "Special Forces ended up pleasantly surprising me.

This is another record solidly in Alice Cooper's drunken phase, and one of a handful that he admits he does not remember writing or recording. He recently said in an interview with the avclub that he thinks the songs show promise and would like to go back and 'finish' them. I guess his drunkenness didn't affect his exceptional talent but likely impacted his attention to details.

Maybe it was my recent reading of that article, but I got the same impression listening to "Special Forces." You can see the artistry of the construction but the detail work isn't completely filled in. As a record, it is a bit of a mess, but I found it to be an enjoyable mess.

One consistency are Alice's vocals, which are excellent on this album, and some of his best later work. Admittedly these songs don't call for a lot of high notes, but they do require a serious flare for showmanship, and even blind-drunk Cooper can always deliver on that front. He absorbs the character of a cross-dressing undercover vice cop in "Prettiest Cop On The Block," evoking equal amounts of humour and discomfiture over traditional gender roles in his audience (even more so, given this was 1981).

"Skeletons In The Closet" is a hokey song that sounds like Alice's attempt to get invited back on the Muppet Show (I would've loved to see that in 1981, but no such luck). Yet it is enjoyable because his delivery walks the line of silly and creepy so effortlessly. He always knows he's sending himself up, but he delivers it with such a straight face he still manages to draw you in.

Musically, the album continues his exploration of early eighties New Wave sound, admittedly dressed up liberally with Cooper's hard rock sensibilities. He starts the record in rock mode with "Who Do You Think We Are," full of rock guitar but before you know it he has added a robotically repeated chorus, capturing both the macho and the dehumanizing aspect of a commando operation that has gone over to the dark side.

Later in the album, "You Look Good In Rags" descends into a strange combination of guitar riff, and what I think is the pumping of a shotgun used as percussion. Not content, Alice then adds a bunch of overdubbed voices coming out of alternating speakers chanting "rags RAGS rags RAGS!" over and over. It reminded me of those two alien creatures from Sesame Street that used to try to figure out what something was by repeating the sound it made. You know 'bring! bring! bring!...tel-e-phone..." and then excitedly going "yuuup, yupyupyupyup..." to confirm their answer. Again with the muppets, Alice.

On "You Want It You Got It" he abandons any suggestion of rock and roll and goes Full Monty on the New Wave sound, with drum machine, hand claps and early synthesizer. The title of the song felt ironic given how it would've enraged Cooper purists at the time. I liked it, but it was an acquired taste, certes.

"Special Forces" also includes a 1981 live version of "Generation Landslide." I don't usually like having live tracks on studio albums, but this version is passable, and even included new verses I hadn't heard before.

As you may have already gathered, this is a weird album. If you just want to hear traditional seventies Alice Cooper shock rock, or eighties metal Alice, then you will be disappointed. This record doesn't fit into any genre usually associated with him. At the same time - despite drunkenly wandering from idea to idea, and sounding like it was produced in an oil barrel - "Special Forces" has a strange beauty to it. I'm sorry I didn't give it a proper chance before, but I'm correcting the error now and declaring it gloriously and inspiringly average.

Best tracks: Who Do You Think We Are, Skeletons In the Closet, You Want It, You Got It