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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
DaDa... DaDa...,
This review is from: Dada (Audio CD)
Released at one of the lowest points in Alice Cooper's career -- he had resumed drinking with a vengeance, his recent albums had not been well received, and Warner Brothers was itching to drop him -- DaDa had almost everything going against it when released in the fall of 1983. The central players on the album are Alice, Bob Ezrin, and guitarist Dick Wagner. I'm of the understanding that Warner Brothers was caught by surprise when Producer Bob Ezrin delivered the finished product. As such, there was absolutely no promotion. And Alice, in horrible shape at the time, checked himself back into to rehab to get his life together, so there was no tour.
And this is a shame, because this album in my opinion is one of the best he ever put out. You have the horror ("DaDa," "Fresh Blood," "Former Lee Warmer"), the humor ("I Love America," "No Man's Land") and the reflective ("Pass the Gun Around"). All of it top-notch. And the album's cover, based on Salvador Dali's 1940 "Slave Market with Disappearing Bust of Voltaire" has been modified to include Alice face on the two seated merchants. It truly makes you long for the days of LP art! The spookiest intro Alice Cooper has ever done opens this album -- a little girl's voice (Sara Ezrin) behind throbbing, menacing music, repeating the word "Dada." Try that on a dark night with all the lights out! Behind the music is a Psychiatrist and his patient: [Doctor] "Tell me about your son." [Alice] "My son, yeah well, he took care of me. He's took care of me for a long, he still takes care of me. She takes good, and she takes care of me. She takes, she takes good care of me. He takes care of me, Do you believe it.I have a daughter too." "Enough's Enough" is about a menacing father who sells his son out on the streets for extra cash. The son recollects: When my mother died, she laid in bed and cried: "I'm going to miss you, my brave little cowboy" I saw my father smile (a smile he tried to hide); He told me "Son, I've really got you now, boy." "Former Lee Warmer" is arguably the best song on the album -- one of Alice's best songs ever. "Former Lee Warmer peeks out the window when he feels really brave; Former Lee Warmer waves at his father out in the family grave." Why this isn't played in concert anymore, I don't know, but it is truly a great song full of dark, haunting lyrics. Great guitar-work, too, by Dick Wagner. "No Man's Land" is the tale of a nerdy department store Santa presented with an offer he can't refuse: "She sat down on my lap and said to me, "I'm twenty three and I need someone. You look like someone who could play with me, stay with me, all day with me..." "Dyslexia." Well, this is what the song's about. A catchy tune that asks, "Is dis love? Or is dyslexia?" "Scarlet and Sheba" opens with Arabian tinged guitar and keyboard, and appears to be an ode to the trials and tribulations of Sadomasochism with the "vulture sister act" of Scarlet and Sheba. "With blood and honey attitude; they'll never know my gratitude; I'm crossed with longitude and latitude; Upon my back...with a crack." "I Love America" pays tribute to the red-blooded American redneck male of the 1980's: "I love my jeans and I love my hair; I love a real tight skirt and a real nice pair; And on the fourth of July, I love the rockets' red glare; I love America." "Fresh Blood" sounds as good today as it did back in 1983. "Fresh blood, a sanguinary feast; Is all he's living for; and he craves it more and more. Old men, ladies of the night walking in the rain; if they walk alone are never seen again." Another song Alice could easily slip back into the setlist. The album ends with "Pass the Gun Around." Alice had sobered up between "Lace & Whisky" and "From the Inside," but by this time had fallen off the wagon. Ironically, this song is similar in theme to Ozzy Osbourne's "Suiside Solution," equating liquor to a game of Russian roulette. "Why don't you, pass the gun around; Give everyone a shot...give everyone a shot, you better Pass the gun around; And dump me in the local river, let me float away." Producer Bob Ezrin, guitarist Dick Wagner, and Alice put together an excellent album of material that defies categorization. It's not 80's music, it's not 70's disco...it can only be called Alice Cooper music. But since there was no promotion, the album came out, and no one knew about it. Over time it has become a fan favorite, but none of the songs have ever been played live. Alice himself has said "DaDa," "Zipper Catches Skin," and "Special Forces" are three albums he doesn't remember recording; although upon listening to them, thinks there are definite moments of brilliance. He;s even said he'd like to go back and redo them. Dick Wagner has said this was indeed a difficult time in Alice's life, but they managed to put together a classic Alice Cooper album -- one of his favorites. So is this the great lost Alice Cooper album? If you haven't heard it, and consider yourself an Alice Cooper fan, then the answer is YES. This album to me is what Alice Cooper is all about -- A little horror, a little humor, all wrapped around great music. I place "Dada" as my favorite Alice Cooper album. Maybe because it's like "Former Lee Warmer," the misbegotten monster-sibling housed under lock and key in the attic; but I have grown to love it. And there's no arguing that Alice has put out some exceptional material to date, this one in my option sits at the top of the heap.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Unique Album, An One of Cooper's Best!,
By
This review is from: Dada (Audio CD)
You know you are in for a different type of album from Alice Cooper when it starts off with an instrumental. "DaDa" is like a great Halloween treat from Cooper. The opening instrumental is genuinely creepy, and really sets the tone of the album. The haunting little girl voice echoing "Dada" is spooky. But the centerpiece to "DaDa" is the song "Former Lee Warmer". I am not sure if "DaDa" is a concept album like "Goes to Hell", but it could be...just imagine you are hearing the story of one seriously dysfunctional family! It almost seems like all of the song's revolve around the "Former Lee Warmer" character who is locked away in the attic room. In "Enough's Enough" the singer asks his father "Hey Dad, why'd you hide your brother?" possibly Former Lee Warmer? And in the song "Fresh Blood" you hear Coop state "He gets Hungry...I go hunting", is "He" again Former Lee Warmer. Who knows for sure, but man it is cool to think about. This disk is packed with so many great songs, that showcase why Alice Cooper has managed to hang onto legions of fans. "I Love America" and "Scarlett & Sheba" showcase the witty lyrics fans have enjoyed from Alice in the same vein as "Cold Ethyl". The album does end on a sobering note (pun intended) with a tribute to Alice's struggle with his personal demons in "Pass the Gun Around", which feature some of Dick Wagner's best guitar work on the album. This isn't a metal album, and it's not a pop album. You just can't pigeonhole this CD into one catagory. But if you are a fan of Cooper's then this is a must have!
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Forgotten gem,
By
This review is from: Dada (Audio CD)
Perhaps due to his physical and mental health, even longtime Cooper fans were unaware of this album upon it's late 1983 release. Too bad; "DaDa" is actually one of Alice Cooper's most consistent and inventive albums. This is certainly one of his very finest albums. The album is loosely conceptual, technically innovative and well-played and produced. He indulges his patented creepiness to excellent effect on 'DaDa' and the woefully overlooked 'Former Lee Warmer'. The creepiness is lightened with genuine humour too ('Enough's Enough', 'Dyslexia' and 'No Man's Land'), making for a perfect balance for Cooper's odd vision. The best two tracks are as good as anything he's ever done: 'I Love America' is a hilarious, classic send- up of bigoted rednecks, and the closing track, 'Pass The Gun Around', is the most affecting song of his career. This album probably is not the one to play for those who don't particularly like Alice, but for those who do, "DaDa" is highly recommended.
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