it is time for Alice Cooper - Love it to Death praise of poll.

"sure like to see that little children
she's only four years old
I'd, I'd give her back, all of her playthings
even, even the ones I stole..."

Voted "I'm Eighteen", but I see this as the weakest album of his 1971-76 heyday. Bit too straightforward rock'n'roll album, really.

He never got better than "Welcome To My Nightmare". Particularly side 2.

the triptych of "Years Ago"/"Steven"/"The Awakening" has to be considered among the most uncanny music ever to surface on a rock album...and to follow all that with "Escape"?...man, somebody better poll this one, fast...

(I think Muscle Of Love is his/their weakest LP of that period..."Hard Hearted Alice" and "Man With The Golden Gun" are pure sleepwalkers...this is the LP that Bob Greene "sang" on in preparation for his Billion Dollar Baby behind-the-scenes book)...

such an awesome album....

sun arise is sort of awesome in a beach boys/hoe-down sense

I must confess that I always stop this record before "Sun Arise." It bugs me.

Not a patch on Rolf's version, for sure.

or The Godfathers!

"Caught In A Dream" gets my vote.

"Caught In A Dream" gets my vote"

otm

dwight fry comes 2nd.

"Bit too straightforward rock'n'roll album, really"

that is exactly why i like this album BETTER than the rest.
the sound is more power pop glamy and less polished classic heavy metal.and it's not pretentious.
in fact, i can't listen to anything but.

i think flaming lips did a nice cover of "sun arise".great tune.

Caught In A Dream" gets my vote

not a patch on the Gibson Bros' version, for sure...

the sound is more power pop glamy and less polished classic heavy metal

I hear no polished heavy metal in Alice Cooper's music until "Thrash", by which time he had long since jumped the shark.

Zeno, not tryin' to start shit seriously, but are there Alice Cooper albums that are too pretentious for you to listen to? If so, which ones and what makes 'em pretentious? And what is it about pretense in music that turns you off it?

I know, vague questions.

What's the best track on "Welcome To My Nightmare"?

maybe i chose the wrong word.
as a matter of fact, i can't remember if they were pretentious (it's been like 5 years since i listend to them), but i do remember the sound of them turned me off,esp. compared to "love it to death".

sometiems i like "pretentious" albums (rundgren,some sparks,tv on the radio..)
sometimes i don't (arcade fire,zappa,bauhaus...(

and yeah, trying to put the finger on what exactly is pretentious is a vauge thing, and of course kind of subjective.

but I see this as the weakest album of his 1971-76 heyday

Bollocks. The 2nd side of this album is almost perfect, one of the sequences ever! "Sun Arise" = genius, genius for covering a Rolf Harris song at all and genius for being great. "Ballad of Dwight Fry" wins however.

one of the sequences ever = one of the greatest sequences ever

I love how the militaristic drumming of "Second Coming" fades into the girl's voice on "Dwight Fry"...I'm always a bit miffed when "Second Coming" turns up on my iPod (in shuffle mode), and I'm denied that moment...

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

This thread shoulda got more responses. I certainly should have responded to it.

Wha'? "Caught in a Dream" is easily the worst track on this album.

"Wha'? "Caught in a Dream" is easily the worst track on this album."

you are not real

Boring song. Far too conventional.

conventional yes boring no.
it is very catchy and simple but thats the whole point of it's greatness.
just a great pop rock song.

Would have voted for 'Second Coming'