Rockblog

The Rockblog is away from home at the moment, having flown to Phoenix to catch this afternoon’s NFC Championship game between the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles. If their are any EntreCard droppers wanting to do the EntreCard competition, there was your answer.

One of the Phoenix area’s most famous residents is of course one of my all-time favourite rockers, Alice Cooper.

As well as being the number one shock-rocker in the world and an avid golfer, Alice also owns a restaurant and bar in Phoenix called Alice Cooperstown.

Alice Cooperstown is part rock bar and part sports bar and is billed as “Where Rock Meets Jock”. Considering the Rockblog is flying out to Phoenix to watch a football game, the saying seems appropriate.

Besides my brothers and watching the Eagles kick the stuffing out of the Cardinals (fingers crossed), the only other thing I really want to do while in Arizona is visit Alice Cooperstown. Hopefully when I get back next week I’ll have some pictures to show the Rockblog readers.

In the meantime here is an often overlooked Alice Cooper song from the mid-80s. “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)”was the theme tune for Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives and the song can also be used to describe Alice’s return to the music industry. Enjoy!

Before Alice Cooper became a solo artist with a mean golf swing, Alice Cooper was also the name used to refer to the entire band consisting of Alice Cooper on vocals, lead guitarist Glen Buxton, rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith.

The Alice Cooper group released 7 albums between 1969 and 1973, including a run of all-time great classic rock albums from 1971 to 1973 of Love It To Death, Killer, School’s Out, and Billion Dollar Babies.

SickthingsUK , which is THE best Alice Cooper resource on the internet, report:

“Further to the announcement that Alice will be appearing at the Monstermania horror convention between March 13th and 15th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ, it has been confirmed that Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith will also be in attendence. Whether this suggests they could perform together is so far unconfirmed.”

So there is no confirmation that the band will play together, or if any of them will play at all. But getting all the surviving members (Guitarist Glen Buxton sadly passed away in 1997) in the same room at, potentially, the same time should have any fans of the original Alice Cooper group salivating.

I still love Alice Cooper’s solo work , but the original Alice Cooper group put out some of the best rock albums ever. They broke up when I was 4 years old, so I never had a chance to see them.

I was born in Cherry Hill, so would love to make it to Monstermania to at least meet the original Alice Cooper group members. If only this pesky Atlantic Ocean didn’t get in the way of me going.

The Rockblog has liked a number of good rock albums in 2008. Be warned, narrowing this down to one winner and two runners up has been so difficult the results might change by the time I reach the end of this post.

Criteria for best album are the album has to rock and it has to have been released in 2008. Judging is down to what the Rockblog has been listening to repeatedly through 2008 and will likely continue to listen to in 2009 and beyond.

First up are the runners up for the Rockblog’s Best Rock Album of 2008…

The Hellacopters - Head Off

I wouldn’t usually consider an album consisting solely of cover versions for an album of the year candidate. But Head Off is not your typical covers album consisting of the Led Zeppelin favorites the band grew up listening to. Instead, the Hellacopters chose songs by bands they felt deserved more attention, so instead of getting another version of songs you’ve heard a million times before and were done better by the original artists, you get an album of songs where you can go search out the original artists to fill in the gap left by the Hellacopters calling it a day in 2008.

Sound and Fury - S/T

I’m really liking this debut from Canadian punk/rock band Sound and Fury. I like it so much it’s playing right now and it hasn’t been out of my 5 CD changer since I received it a couple of weeks back. Sound and Fury claim to be fans of 1970’s punk and rock and the influences come through loud and clear without sounding like a wannabe retro act. This is what rock and roll is meant to be - down and dirty and packed full of attitude. Sound and Fury recently completed a UK tour with Australian band Airbourne, whose Runnin’ Wild album just missed out on this list and is also well worth checking out.

and the winner of the Rockblog’s 2008 Rock Album of the Year is:

Alice Cooper - Along Came A Spider

I’ve been an Alice Cooper fan since I was five years old and I still am 30 some odd years later. Does that mean I’ve liked everything he’s put out in that time? No. I’ve been disappointed a few times along the way, but Along Came A Spider is one of his best albums in years.

Alice returned to the concept album for Along Came a Spider, which is about a serial killer that wraps his victims in silk. I’m sure there are criminal psychologists that could point out where the story falls down factually, but who cares? It’s a great rock album from a true rock legend.

Alice has said there would be a tour for Along Came A Spider in 2009, and I hope it happens. Nobody does theatrical rock like the Coop and it’s not hard to imagine where a lot of Alice classics could be woven into a stage show that revolves around the Along Came A Spider story to keep even casual fans happy.

The Rockblog would like to wish all its readers a Happy Thanksgiving and take this chance to list some of the things the Rockblog has been thnkful for over the past twelve months.

The first thing to be thankful for is the Norton Records release of the Dictators collection Every Day is Saturday. I’m not usually into collections of rarities and alternate versions, but Dictators releases are too rare as it is. It helps that the alternate version of “Sleeping With the TV On” from the Manifest Destiny album pisses all over the original release and most of the Bloodbrothers album that is included sounds great as well. Throw in some very early Dictators songs including the best song ever written about an episode of the original 1950’s Superman TV series, “Fireman’s Friend”, and you’re on to a winner.

Sticking with the Dictators, the Rockblog is not only thankful, but eternally grateful, for the Spanish tour the band did in October and easyjet for providing cheap flights to Spain. The Barcelona show was easily one of the best I’ve ever been to and it was a pleasure meeting Ross the Boss, Handsome Dick Manitoba, and Andy Shernoff after the show.

The Rockblog is also thankful for getting to see Neil Young again at the Hammersmith Apollo and Ace Frehley at the Astoria. Hell, I enjoyed seeing Ace more as a solo artist then I did when I saw him with KISS in 1996.

I’m thankful I got the chance to catch up with old friends in the Grateful Dead tribute band the Cosmic Charlies. It’s a shame the UK market for a Dead tribute band is so small because these guys are good. Hopefully it won’t be so long between shows the next time I see them.

I’m thankful AC/DC added a second date at the O2 in London. I was still trying to buy tickets for the sold out first gig when Ticketmaster notified me tickets were on sale for another date at the arena.

And speaking of the O2, I’m thankful to Metallica for the £5 tickets to their Death Magnetic release party gig held at the arena.

I’m thankful Guns N Roses finally released Chinese Democracy. I may not like the album, but the coverage in the music press became almost as tedious as that of the Presidential election and should die out within the next couple of weeks. I’m also glad Dr Pepper screwed up on their free soda deal. Why should us in the UK not be able to get a free Dr Pepper?

And that brings me to some things I’m thankful to look forward to in 2009. A new album from the New York Dolls. Tours from George Thorogood and Lynyrd Skynyrd. And hopefully a tour from Alice Cooper with a full stage production of his latest album Along Came A Spider.

I almost forgot, I’m also thankful to Today.com for providing beer money to blog about something I really love. Check them out, you too could earn some extra cash blogging about something dear to your heart.

Have a happy and rockin’ Thanksgiving.