24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pefect Cure for a Bad Day or a Boring Drive, March 11, 2002
This review is from: Special Forces (Audio CD)
Lotsa dark humor and hard rockin' music with a new wave flavor make this a must-have. Favorite tracks: Skeletons In The Closet and You're A Movie.
Alice had fallen out of favor when he released this album in 1981 which stalled at US #125. That's the only explanation I can think of for it not yielding a handful of hits. This is a peppy, slick, high-energy feel good album with some of Alice's funniest lyrics. The (very) loose theme is some kind of para-military fantasy and the album begins with a helicopter (which Aldo Nova would steal a year or so later for Fantasy) dropping the head banging song Special Forces into your ears. There is a good cover of Seven and Seven is (a mixed drink?) and a piece of fluff about a transvestite policeman, Prettiest Cop On The Block, which is probably the weak link in the chain of tunes.
Don't Talk Old To Me comes at you with a real punk feel. Generation Landslide adds a few lyrics to the classic from Billion Dollar Babies, but not much else. Skeletons in the Closet is as good a song as Alice ever did, and could've fit on any of his more popular albums. It begins with a nice faux harpsicord and ends with the trademark whispering of "Alice Alice..." This is an obligatory track for your next Halloween party mix.
You Want It, You Got It and You Look Good In Rags continue the hard punk sound Alice was experimenting with here quite successfully. Vicious Rumours rocks pretty hard and closes out the album where it began with guns loading and helicopters flying. The stand out piece, though, is You're A Movie, which features Alice as a General, who is the reincarnation of Patton, with Hannibal's heart, and Alexander's prowess. It is delightfully smug and condescending. After 21 years I still laugh out loud everytime I hear it.
This is the perfect cure for a bad day or a boring drive. It's hard not to nod along and smile as Alice struts and frets his hour or so on your CD player.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
80's Alice That is Really Fun & Funny, August 6, 2004
This review is from: Special Forces (Audio CD)
This album is probably not at the top of too many Alice Cooper fan's favorites list, but I love it. Maybe because of, or despite being a child of the 80's, Alice's 'New Wave' CD's are among my favorites. This CD is a pure 80's delight, with sound effects, robotic background vocals, heavy synth use, all mixed with Alice's unique lyrical style create one of most original CD's in the Cooper catalog. 'Special Forces' kicks of with a really good tune called 'Who Do You Think We Are', the synth drum and bass lines are pumping and really set the tone for the whole album. 'Seven & Seven' continues with the 'Punk/New Age' driving sound. 'Prettiest Cop on the Block' is a goofy little tune that has some clever lyrics. 'You Look Good in Rags', 'Don't Talk Old To Me' and 'Skeleton in the Closet' are all really good songs that have been overlooked. 'You Want It, You Got It' is a quick moving song that will get caught in your head. And 'You're A Movie' is another funny song that only Alice Cooper could get away with. If you only know Cooper for 'School's Out' or 'Eighteen' give these 80'S cd's a listen and enjoy some Alice Cooper music that often gets pushed aside. Plug in your old Intellivision or Atari, slap on a pair of parachute pants and get ready to enjoy the 80's all over again.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Special Forces attack!, January 16, 2006
This review is from: Special Forces (Audio CD)
The early '80's Alice is a much overlooked portion of his carrer. Although we all love the original Alice Cooper group this was a brave new direction for the master. Things get off on the right foot with the opener 'Who do we think we are' and continues in the tradition of the Coops clever lyrics throughout the album. Just trust an old Cooper fan. If you like Alice - you won't be disappointed.
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