A coupla months ago (this past summer possibly) I saw this album in the used shop for $2...



I thought about picking it up, but declined. When I got back into work that day, I looked it up on Amazon to see if I passed up a gem or a turd. Apparently 2 dollars would have been $1.99 too much for this greased-up goomba.

EDIT: I may have been a bit hasty. A quick search on both Amazon & ebay shows Mr. Roberts might be worth more than I gave him credit for.

If I were to happen upon it again in my travels, my interest would be to mainly re-sell it on ebay. A $2 investment could turn around a decent enough profit to feed my own cd addictions.

Another fine release from the original shock rocker. This is the second Alice Cooper disc featuring music in the '80's metal category. And what a great album it is. This is the sound I got into Alice for, and I wish he had stayed that way. Songs like the metal anthem "Freedom" gives me as much pleasure today, as it did back in 1987. Unfortunately Mr. Cooper always tries to renew himself, and follow the trends. And off course in the mid-80's, pop-metal was the big rock thing.

Killer tracks: Freedom, Prince Of Darkness, Roses On White Lace

This album has been released and re-leased, reissued countless times. Alice, the band, and management either lost the rights, or never had the rights to these recordings and around 1985 countless labels would issue this album under a variety of album titles, covers and labels, it is mostly commonly released as 'Freak Out Song'

The album titles on the album are all fabricated since all these songs appeared under their real titles on their debut album 'Pretties for You'

These live recordings are supposedly from the Toronto Music Festival from 1969, when the embryonic Alice Cooper opened to John Lennon and The Doors for a few selected dates thru out Canada. The unknown band did make an impact thanks to chicken incident on one of the dates of the tour, but whether this album was actually recorded during this tour remains in doubt. The only reason this unknown, proven band got on the bill in the first place because Alice and Glenn Buxton were close friends and drinking buddies of Jim Morrison.

The sound of the disc is a glorified bootleg, and for these cheapo exploitative album it works. What this album exposes is how hungry the band were and how they were not quite ready for prime time. The band sounds hungry, lean and mean, while the songs are hanging by threads. Buxton does not so much play solos as much as coaxes noise, following the example of MC5 and at times the raves up of Jeff Beck lead version of the Yardbirds.

The lyrics on the songs are slightly different then they would appear on the actual studio recordings, it sounds Alice may have been listening too much Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd.

Not a horrid album, but far far from essential, and one that need not be purchased unless one is a completeist or insist on hearing what Alice and the boys sounded like before they found their sound.

The worst part of this disc, is the best songs on this disc are not even Alice Cooper, but some dude named Ronnie Hawkins who recorded two songs 'Aint It Just Like a Woman' and 'Goin' to the River' where slapped at the beginning of the recordings.

As a matter fact the cheap ass who recorded this concert, recorded over most of Ronnie Hawkins demo, and just credited the whole thing to Alice Cooper.

Here are the real titles of the songs, to anyone who happens to own this disc.

Painting A Picture (No Longer Umpire)
An Instrumental (part of "Lay Down and Die, Goodbye")
I`ve Written Home To Mother (part of "Lay Down and Die, Goodbye")
Freak Out Song ('Don't Blow Your Mind' )
Nobody Likes Me ( Don't Blow Your Mind)
Science Fiction (Fields Of Regret)

Not Alice:

Going to the River and 'Aint that Just Like a Woman'

I don't have that album but it has to be one of the most re-released albums of all time.

The blood splattered white cover of Freak Out was the vinyl I bought in the late 1980s.
Fairly sure the organizers of the Toronto festival own the rights since they recorded it,as it ALWAYS has been available in some form/under some title, in Toronto record stores.
I finally downloaded last year footage of teh chicken incident, and it has some music. Not sure if it was on the originakl film, or edited in, but is the same as from this album.

For years I never knew it was Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks on the 2 studio tracks, as the vocals sound a LOT like they COULD be Alice.

Played this LP to death since the first 2 LP's were impossible to find for me in the 1980s.
"Nobody Likes Me" was always a fave,especially later on as the main riff was ripped off on Deceased's debut demo Evil Side of Religion (forgot their song title).

For years I had no idea that the studio cuts were not Alice and not like mlotek I just assumed it was Alice since it sounded alot like him

'Nobody Likes Me' is one of numerous versions of the infamous Toronto '69 live concert "official bootleg" albums. These releases are not authorized Alice Cooper albums. However, they are not bootlegs as the rights to the recording were sold by Alice's management at the time to a third party. That party has licensed out the rights to the recording many times to various companies. There also exists similar releases from other bands which also played at the festival, like Chicago Transit Authority (pre-Peter Cetera Chicago) , Chuck Berry and The Doors. And they didn't even care to do a proper research for the right song titles, or even if it really is Alice singing on all of these tracks. In hindsight it has come forth that 2 of these songs, "Ain't That Just Like A Woman" and "Goin' To The River", were actually recorded at Hallmark Studios in Toronto in late 1964, by Ronnie Hawkins & the Disciples. It is still a mystery how these songs ended up on the master tapes of the Alice Cooper recordings. Because the Alice portion of the album was recorded during the Toronto Rock N Roll Revival, September 13th, 1969. I've added the correct song titles in parentheses, according to Sickthingsuk. The live show features mostly songs from 'Pretties For You', Alice Cooper band's debut album, released just a few months prior to concert where this live album was recorded. "Freak Out Song", however, is actually "Don't Blow Your Mind", a song the band recorded back in 1966, when they were still called The Spiders, here featured with different lyrics. The sound quality on this CD is not the best, and I don't know if the record company even bothered to use the master tapes as a source. I know they released it on vinyl back in 1989, but I reckon this CD version came much later. 'Nobody Likes' me is nothing more than a curious album for any long time Alice Cooper fan.

Rock trivia: The Toronto Rock N Roll Revival gig is said to be the venue for the infamous chicken incident. A chicken somehow made its way on stage during Alice Cooper's performance. Not having any experience around farm animals, Cooper presumed that, since the chicken had wings, it would be able to fly. He picked it up and threw it out over the crowd, expecting it to fly away; the bird instead plummeted into the first few rows of the crowd occupied by disabled people in wheelchairs, who reportedly proceeded to tear the animal to pieces. The next day, the incident made the front page of many national newspapers, and Zappa phoned him to ask if the story, which reported that Cooper had bit the head off the chicken and drunk its blood on stage, was true. Cooper denied the rumor, whereupon Zappa told him, "Well, whatever you do, don't tell anyone you didn't do it", obviously recognizing that such kind of publicity would be priceless for the band.

Alice's profile was higher then it had been since the mid 70's, albums were selling well again and his tour were selling out or close to it, and not only was doing well at home, but internationally he was kicking ass, but Alice was not selling in the numbers that KISS and Aerosmith, his contempories were selling.

Scanning over the songwriting credits to alot of their hits and Bon Jovi, a band Alice was studying, he noticed the name Desmond Child. While Child was a proven songwriter, as a producer he was not yet as well known, Alice took a chance a hired him to co-write and produce 1989's 'Trash' album, Alice's biggest commercial success since 1976.

If you ever were curious to hear what Alice would sound like fronting Bon Jovi, then this is the album for you. An album so calculated for mainstream radio and success, I am pretty sure a consulting firm was hired to road test these songs to future soccer moms and pimply faced pop metal fans.

This is by far, at least in my opinion the worst Alice Cooper album. The songs are not horrible but they are not great, and the problem is they don't really sound like the Coop.

You can hear the chorus coming from a mile away, the songs have more hooks then a tackling box and are made to fit comfortable among the Bon Jovis, Def Leppards and Warrants of the world. That would be fine, but this is an artist with a long history at this point.

Lyrically Alice does not use much imagination, and he must have bought a rhyming dictionary into the studio.

Artistically Alice for the first and (thankfully) last time let someone else take the driver's seat as far as giving them complete control of the recordings, song selection, arrangements.

What Desmond Child did is what Alice asked him to do, make an album that will sell outside of his core audience and get played on both radio and MTV. The best track on the album is 'Poison' which is still a great song.

The rest sound like a time capsule of an era that would soon be eclipsed by Nirvana, etc. In interviews Desmond Child claimed as the recording proceeded, Alice would call from the golf course to check on the progress of the recordings.

The saving grace of this disc, is Alice is very likeable and his sense of humor remains intact on the album. Also Alice was very honest in interviews on his intentions with the album, and that he was playing it safe.

"Bed of Nails' ' Spark In the Dark' 'Why Trust You' feature big choruses, production slicker then an Exxon exec, and the album even contains a power ballad, that Alice did not even bother to pen, 'Only My Heart Attacking' that features Steven Tyler. Not just one power ballad but two, 'Hell is Living without You' written with and featuring Jon Bon Jovi.

The album went platinum but never again would Alice would work with Desmond Child and other then 'Poison' the rest of the songs from this album have not been revisited live.

On the next album, the Coop tired to have it both ways by attempting to combine the pop metal direction and his original sound, but that is story for the next installment.

Constrictor - Crap
Raise Your Fist and Yell - Slightly better. 'Prince of Darkness', 'Gail' and 'Roses on White Lace' are good songs.
Trash - Trash...

You guys are nuts! This is a great album

My favourites are "Poison", "Spark In The Dark", "Why Trust You" and "Bed of Nails". The album does slow down a bit on the second half, but I still like it.

One of my housemates was a huge fan of Trash too (not me, but it was tolerable), but I think that's because that was the first Alice album he ever bought when he moved out on his own. His mother was crazy and it sounded like he was not allowed to own any rock n roll at all when growing up.

One of Alice' most successful albums. He was really hitting the jackpot with hits like "Poison" and "Only My Heart Talkin'". I really enjoy this albums, but find it kind of humorous that the song I remember the least, is the title track. Desmond Child produced this commercial album, and he also co-wrote all the songs, save for one. He also became famous for "helping" KISS write some of their biggest hits. Look out for guest appearances from members of Bon Jovi and Aerosmith.

Killer tracks: Poison, Only My Heart Talkin', Bed Of Nails, Hell Is Living Without You

With Alice Cooper back in the spotlight, it was time for someone to exploit this new found success by digging into the vaults and release a live album. What is interesting is that this performance was recorded a few months prior to the release of their debut 'Pretties for You'

Whiskey a Go GO was the famous nightclub that helped break many acts in the late 60's, sadly Alice Cooper would not be one of them.

This live recording is only 25 minutes or so long, and its mainly interest in completest or someone who might be interested in artist earlier performances to see how much he has developed.

In the case of Alice Cooper, he and they have grown leaps and bounds. This performance shows that Alice Cooper has not yet developed into a character, but he is a singer who just happens to have a girl's name.

Alice does not yet sing with his trademark sneer, and does something you never him do, talk to the audience.

The music and performance are not bad, the songs are all pre-fame Alice, and the band is still wearing their influences heavily on their sleeves. A combination of Pink Floyd and Yardbirds is the best way to describe their early sound.

The rhythm section of Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith carry most of the weight and guitarist Glen Buxton does his best impression of Jeff Beck on acid.

This short little disc has since gone out of print, and thankfully I grabbed it as a first day release,

I don't think I've ever seen that album before. Kooky.

ya learn somethun' new everyday !

Thanks Man-ny

Released in 1991, 'Hey Stoopid' follows the template established by his previous album 'Trash', with a few big differences.

For one thing Alice took back the creative reins of the album and did not ask Desmond Child back to produce the follow up album, instead hiring surprise choice Peter Collins, who was best known for working with Queensryche and Rush, and the material Alice was creating was the complete opposite of those bands. Desmond Child is not even the main songwriter, with the exception of the abysmal "Dangerous Tonight' and 'I Might as Well be On Mars' which is actually a good song, but these is because the song was mostly written by Alice and Dick Wagner.

Like the previous album, the album features big choruses that you can hear coming from a mile away, features songs that are geared for radio play, and could fit in nicely with Bon Jovi, Warrant, and will not offend the future soccer moms of tomorrow.

Unlike 'Trash'. I actually like this album, even if I do not exactly love it. Stylistically it is not much different then the previous direction, but I do like it.


The album features an array of super star guests on the disc such as Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, Motley Crue, Joe Satrini . As cool as that maybe, even a selling point for his label, they had very little to the album, since these songs are reflection, musically of that period of time.

The album's title track, an anti suicide and features Ozzy, is a cool song, and the main hit on the album. The other stand out the track is the ballad, "I Might as Well be on Mars' where Alice and Dick Wagner connect on the song, bringing back a little of that old black magic, but the song does not stay in that vein, I am Desmond Child is blame for this since he is listed as a co songwriter.

This album has something, that is bit rare for an Alice album, filler material or at least sounds like filler material to me, such as 'Little By Little' and ' Die for You' are two examples of this.

The songs for the most part are predictable and offer no real surprises. The album's main goal was to be commercial and successful, and in that the album succeeds. What saves this album above the level of pedestrian is Alice himself. His sense of humor and likeability make this a more enjoyable album then it has any right to be.

Alice even writes with Nikk Sixx, Mick Mars and Jim Vallance on one track 'Die for You' which is an ok song at the best.

Not even close to Alice's best disc, but it is a fun album, even if it is a bit calculated.

Hey Stoopid is probably the AC album I've listened to the most. It's part of my youth, and one of the few albums I have sense associations with on insane levels!

I can remember places, episodes and smells associated with this album.