Customer Reviews

Lace & Whiskey

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have this Album on original vinyl, and I love the thing. The mickey spellane novel motif is an interesting image for Alice. Idk if the CD is the same, but on the inner record sleeve, it shows Alice wearing white shirt and tie,and a black fedora, loading what seems like a .38 revolver, with an unfiltered cigarette in his mouth, makes him look that much bad ass. The songs are great, and this album in general is one of Alice's finest in my eyes.

These late 70's Alice Cooper albums are extremely underrated. Honestly, the last three albums he made in the 70's appeal to me MUCH more than the Welcome to My Nightmare album.

Alright, something feels missing from the Lace and Whiskey album, and I think it's a creepy atmosphere along with a hard rock edge to most of the songs. BUT, you know what? That doesn't even matter, because the songwriting here is pretty darn good most of the time.

The title song has a really good verse melody and chorus, "Road Rats" and "King of the Silver Screen" both COOK with lots of energy and catchy vocals, and "Damned If I Do" recalls the classic years of stuff like "Under My Wheels" and "Muscle of Love". THESE are probably my favorite kind of Cooper songs- short and snappy hard rock that should catch anyones attention and be considered immediate highlights.

"You and Me" is just beautiful, and the final track called "My God" reminds me of Blue Oyster Cult's "Debbie Denise". "(No More) Love at Your Convenience" is a nice taste of disco. Say what you want about it, but Alice knew how to make a good melody out of a disco tune.

Overall, I fail to understand why so many people dislike the music. Talk about excellent songwriting.

Something went very wrong after "Welcome To My Nightmare." After the story of Steven and his trips into Bad Dream Land, Alice came up with a new character, Detective Maurice Escargot. The joke is partly ironic, since the album is something of a slug.

"Lace And Whiskey" kicks off with promise and deteriorates fast. "Road Rats" deserves its place in the canon of great Alice songs, but "No More Love At Your Convenience" was a bad call in the period when "disco sucks" was a rally cry for dissatisfied rockers. "You and Me" was Alice's biggest ballad hit single to date, but "Ubangi Stomp" was atrocious rockabilly. It was like he was trying so hard to be a diferent person that the album loses continuity, and ultimately, focus. Somehow, Alice forgot that the most important character in any Alice Cooper album was Alice Cooper. He bounced back from this album, but it's really the least notable disc of his seventies output.

What a strange record this is. I hadn't listened to this since it came out (I lost the vinyl years ago), and, for some reason, had to have it again for "It's Hot Tonight." Tower in NYC had it as a German import CD.

The sound: I don't think WEA Europe did anything to the tapes they obtained, because it sounds like they just used the master tapes used to make the vinyl lp. I'm not an engineer, but you can tell that the sound is all wrong at points.

Not that the original mix didn't have problems, like the song selection, it's all over the map. As Dick Wagner observed in an interview not long ago, the record lacks continuity; however, what you do get is some pretty extraordinary material.

Which is why this record deserves a bit more care--it should be remastered and remixed--there's too much good that's buried here. And while the reviews below map at where this record goes wrong, a good re-mix would define where it goes right--the playing is superb and the production is a fairly robust Bob Ezrin outing.

This would be the last of the Cooper/Wagner/Ezrin collaborations for some time, as life in LA took its toll on all of these players; however, they got the job done, fuelled by talent, money, and, most likely, a rather potent mix of chemicals, which LA was fairly swimming in at the time (not that it isn't now :-).

This album gets a lot of flack, but it has always charmed me. The title Track is a great look at alcholic self-denial (I'll wind up swearin', drunk and dyin'--but that's a long long way from today) or can just be taken as a good rockin' tune. It's Hot Tonight and Roadrats (inspiration for the movie Roadie) are two more straight-on rockers. But this album has some really interesting and unusual tracks such as Ubangi Stomp-- which is a remake of an old 50s rockabilly classic, Damned If You Do-- which is a country cheatin' song, (No More) Love At Your Convenience-- a disco ballad, I Never Wrote Those Songs-- a soft jazz look at denial, My God-- a serious choral rendition of Alice's religious upbringing, and King of the Silver Screen-- which is something that must be heard. I guess it's sort of a spoof of Hollywood musicals. . . it's a lot of fun.

The highlight of the album is the US#12 hit song, You and Me. This is Alice's prettiest ballad. I am sure many people have heard it and never had a clue it was Alice Cooper. This is my favorite song on the album, but in my humble opinion every song on this album is a treat!

Fans have been divided on Alice Cooper's 1977 album "Lace and Whiskey" for decades. Personally, I love the way this album follows the pattern set by the previous release of a few kickass rockers, a few theatrical Broadway-type numbers, a trendy discoesque effort and a couple ballads. Alice's next few albums would also follow this formula to varying levels of success.

The terrific opener "It's Hot Tonight" is a dirty, sweaty grind that would have been equally at home on "Alice Cooper Goes to Hell".

Next, we get the one of the album's best in the upbeat, Phil Spectorish "Lace and Whiskey" in which Alice reveals his two vices--alcohol and women--as '60s-style background vocals la-la-la in the background.

The equally great keyboard-driven "Road Rats" possesses fierce start-and-stop drumming, borrows a guitar line from the galloping Act I of "Halo of Flies", has a great instumental passage and has a slightly darker sound while the lyrics are an homage to the roadies.

"Damned If You Do" has Alice experimenting with a country/rock fusion which turns out surprisingly well, even if it's not one of my favorites here.

"You and Me" was a huge Top-Five ballad and while it is a little sappy and sentimental (for Alice), it's catchy and easy to see why millions of teenage romantics ate this up back in '77.

"King of the Silver Screen" is an overblown, gaudy, extremely fun romp that explores Alice's fascination with old-time Hollywood (in which Fred Astaire, King Kong, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and "Gone With the Wind" receive honorable mention). Unlike the mess of some of the "School's Out" album, by now Alice has perfected the fusion of rock and theatre topped off with his tongue-in-cheek humour. Halfway through the song, his character screams "I'm tired of closets" and admits to his fellow construction workers that he loves makeup and dresses and will "make somebody a great little wife". It's a great performance with Alice projecting total liberation by its end.

"Ubangi Stomp" is an okay rockabilly ditty--nothing special.

"(No More) Love at Your Convenience" is disco-tinged, and even has xylophone! But hey, it WAS 1977 and I love the versatility Alice shows on this song. It's got great production values and reminds me of Carl Carlton's "Everlasting Love".

"I Never Wrote Those Songs" is an introspective ballad with strings and sax. Listen close and you can hear how this one borrow's from 1971's "Second Coming".

"My God" is another theatrical number that sort of reminds me of "Jesus Christ Superstar", with its organ and religious overtones.

There's more piano on this album but it's still a far cry from Elton John or Billy Joel. "Lace and Whiskey" is a solid and varied Alice Cooper release that I consider his second-best solo album of the '70s. A newly remastered version is due out January 2012.

After `Alice Cooper Goes to Hell', the appalling disco Disney, made-for-The-Muppets follow-up to 1975's seminal `Welcome to My Nightmare', `Lace and Whiskey' was a welcome improvement from Alice Cooper (and, I imagine, somewhat of a relief for fans). Not quite a return to form, it is certainly coherent and adult, where its predecessor was anything but.

This time, producer Bob Ezrin brings a darker tone and an edgier rock sound than he did on `Goes to Hell', but as a whole it is still on the soft side compared to `Nightmare' and the Alice Cooper Band albums. Though there is no horror or shock in these songs (and bluntly, a few are lyrically limp), there is an undercurrent of sex and wretchedness to it which becomes apparent after a few listens. This infuses the whole thing with an unexpected power that will keep bringing you back.

The steamy rock riffs of `It's Hot Tonight' start the album off with a sense of restlessness that seems to stay with it throughout, despite the genre-hopping styles of the other tracks. As an opener, it definitely recalls the Alice Cooper Band of old. Possibly the most addictive track in this set follows with the castanet-infused title track rocker paralleling sex with alcoholism (Be as soft as you can, Put a drink in my hand, I'm as scared as I ever could be). The pace picks up a notch with the piano-driven `Road Rats', a song about roadies. Lyrically bereft it may be (We work this band cause we make it rock, But we're the guys that make it roll), but in its self justification that the star would be nothing without the roadie, it supports the developing theme of despair. The fifties-styled boogie of `Damned if You Do' follows, lyrically clunky as it is, continues the pace and theme - this time in the guise of a man at the mercy of his libido. The show-stopping sadness of the signature ballad, 'You and Me' lends gravitas before the vaudeville wink of the epic `King of the Silver Screen' injects some black humour in its construction site tale of gender dysphoria. A pointless and uninteresting cover of Jerry Lee Lewis's `Ubangi Stomp' interrupts the flow before the irresistible dark disco repetitiveness of `(No More) Love at Your Convenience' and the plaintive, heavily orchestrated `I Never Wrote Those Songs' resume the theme prior to the peculiar pomp of the album closer, `My God'.

Though the set is a bit uneven, it is lifted by a superb vocal performance from Alice Cooper that is largely devoid of the theatricality that had hitherto characterized his singing. It may be the reason the album seems to have been so badly received. It's true that it is not in the league of `Welcome to My Nightmare' or `Killer', but it has some soaring high points, it's interesting, a bit understated and certainly worth a listen. (***1/2)

This one alienated alot of alice cooper fans because for one thing it even has a disco song on it. But it is a good disco song 'no more love at your convience', it is a great dancible song but alice fans at the time were not amused. However there are three very songs on here. "you and me' , 'it's hot tonight' one of alices best songs ever imo,
and the ultra cool 'road rats', a different version of that one appears on the 'roadie" soundtrack from 1980. Which has never been on cd yet though. :( Other songs have some charm to them like 'ubangi stomp' but at this time alice was lost in a bottle; he'd thankfully go to rehab and like most of us who once thought substances were the answer would find freedom away from the soul killing crap. He'd document that nicely in his next release. There are four ultra cool songs on here imo that make this worth having. But metal fans might want to skip this one , alice fans will want it to complete their collections and may find with repeated listenings that this is not a total loss.

Alice Cooper's strength was the ability to write great pop songs and melodies and cover them with the veneer of horror and teenage angst. This album is Alice without the show attached. Its just an album of songs- great songs but ones that dont fit in with the Alice Cooper persona and thats where the bad reviews come from. Its like Sally Cant Dance by Lou Reed. Its out of the character that the artist had created so fans are confused and hate it. Go into it not expecting Killers and you might enjoy it. A lot.

even after 35 years die-hard alice fans are still upset over the break-up of the original alice cooper group. while we all hold our breath for a long overdue reunion, we can take comfort in the fact that @61, alice still performs most of his classics on tour and with each new studio release proves that he at least still has a sense of humor.

in an effort to reach a mainstream audience, his judgement obviously impaired by alcohol, the infamous alice cooper goes to hell and is reincarnated as maurice escargot, a film noir gumshoe detective. although a major disappointment to most cooper fans (myself included) "lace and whiskey", alice's third solo, actually starts off with one of his best rockers - "it's hot tonight". this song would have been a welcome addition to the lightweight "alice cooper goes to hell" album.

the other rocker on the album is "road rats", which is rumored to have inspired the meatloaf movie "roadies" and the title cut is a nice mid-tempo tune about the addiction of alcohol and women. the rockabilly "damned if you do", grows on you and "my god" was interesting, but it's so overproduced its hard to understand the lyrics. the reflective "i never wrote those songs" is probably the better ballad although "you and me" was a pleasant hit. the hysterical "king of the silver screen", is an absolute gem displaying alice cooper's humor at his very best, and contains a tasty extended guitar solo from dick wagner. "no more love at your convenience" was an embarrassment.

the "lace and whiskey" tour was an extension of the "nightmare" show, including the pre-filmed images, displayed on a giant television screen including faux commercials. alice gunned down giant chickens, brushed a dancing tooth, and even brought back the snake and guillotine. included in the opening slot were nazareth, the tubes and atlanta rhythm section. -- set list: under my wheels/billion dollar babies/i'm eighteen/sick things/is it my body/devil's food/the black widow/you and me/only women bleed/unfinished sweet/escape/i love the dead/go to hell/wish you were here/i never cry/it's hot tonight/lace and whiskey/king of the silver screen/school's out

released may 1977 it reached #42 usa and #33 uk. - singles: you and me b/w it's hot tonight (#9) - (no more) love at your convenience b/w i never wrote those songs (#0)

every alice cooper album has great songs that never made radio. it's not the hits, but the deeper cuts that are the real black beauties... blinddog pick: king of the silver screen