Alice Cooper: Muscle Of Love CD Track Listing

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Alice Cooper Muscle Of Love (1973)
Originally Released 1973\nMetal Blade CD Edition Released July 1, 1991\nImport CD Edition Released October 18, 1995\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Coming off such conceptual hard-rocking theatrical sleaze as the massively successful 'School's Out' (1972) and 'Billion Dollar Babies' (' 73), the Alice Cooper group decided that their next release would be more along the lines of their earlier, more straightforward work (a la 'Love It to Death'). While the album was a gold-certified, top-10 success, it performed below expectations (their previous 2 albums peaked at #2 and #1, respectfully), and would unfortunately prove to be the original Alice Cooper band's last studio album together. The album may not be as coherent as their previous classics (producer Bob Ezrin took a leave of absence) and more filler is present than usual, yet 'Muscle of Love' is perhaps Alice Cooper's most underrated record - more than a few overlooked and forgotten classics reside here. The 2 best-known tracks are undoubtedly the top-20 anthem "Teenage Lament '74, " which features none other than Liza Minelli and the Pointer Sisters on backing vocals, and the boisterous title track. But other tracks are just as good - the Led Zep-stomping opener "Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo), " the gentle "Hard Hearted Alice" (a precursor to Cooper's future ballady direction), the raging "Working Up A Sweat, " and "Man With the Golden Gun" (which was written for the James Bond movie of the same name, but rejected). A forgotten hard rock classic. [Note- currently, 'Muscle of Love' is available only through Metal Blade mail-order] -- Greg Prato\n\nHalf.com Details \nContributing artists: Liza Minelli, Ronnie Spector, The Pointer Sisters \nProducer: Jack Douglas, Jack Richardson \n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel includes: Alice Cooper (vocals); Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton (guitar); Dennis Dunaway (bass); Neal Smith (drums); Liza Minelli, Ronnie Spector, The Pointer Sisters (background vocals).\n\nOriginally released on Warner Brothers. Featuring the US Top 20 Hit 'Teenage Lament '74', Which Features The Pointer Sisters And Liza Minelli On Vocals; Also Includes 'Man With A Golden Gun', 'Woman Machine' And Six More.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAlice Fans You Can't Pass This One Over!, July 15, 2004\nReviewer: D. Girod "graboidz" (westminster, md)\nI think "Muscle of Love" also has a slapdash feel about it, sort of like Led Zep's "Coda". It's like Alice and crew went through their musical closet and just emptied out left over stuff from previous recordings. But that in no way should indicate these cuts are bad. You have the haunting "Hard Hearted Alice", the Dixie-Jazz "Crazy Little Child", and typical 70's rockers like "Woman Machine", "Muscle of Love" & "Never Been Sold Before". All of the songs are good, just not as good as what had been put out before. I think one of the best tracks on the disk is the failed James Bond theme song "Man With the Golden Gun". I would love to have seen that open the movie (as a Bond fan MWTGG could have used something, as it was one of the worst bond movies ever). But if you are a fan of Alice Cooper, you have to get this landmark recording if for no other reason that to hear the original bands last recording. I always wondered what would have happened had the original band stayed together, but I don't know if they could have made it past the 70's and into the 80's. Just look where Alice went after this with "Welcome to my Nightmare" and where the rest of the band went with "Battle Axe". Two albums that sound completely different. But, now, 30 years later, wouldn't it be great to hear Alice once again with his old mates?! Man that would be a Killer!\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nLimping Muscle, January 26, 2003\nReviewer: Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States)\nThe last gasp of the original Alice Cooper Group was recorded with dissention in the ranks, and it shows. The band was getting tired of their role as support men for Alice and wanted to get back to rocking, and Alice was, well, just being Alice. Bob Ezrin was out of the picture as well, and his presence is sorely missed sonically.\nWhat you get with "Muscle Of Love" is a couple of standard AC songs like "Teenage Lament 74" and "Big Apple Dreaming," but for the first time since "Love It To Death," some bad songs find their way into the mix. The James Bond riff was done better on B$B's "Unfinished Sweet," and "Hard Hearted Alice" sounds like something they wrote for "School's Out" but left it off for the superior "Alma Mater." \n\n"Muscle Of Love" is still worth checking out, after all, it's the last blast from the seventies best shock rockers. I'd recommend it for purists only, since Alice himself made this album a moot point when he ditched the band for hired guns and made the much better "Welcome To My Nightmare," and when the rest of the band discovered how much they needed him when they recorded the long out of print "Battle Axe" as the Billion Dollar Babies.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe CD loses over the original vinyl LP!, December 9, 2006\nReviewer: SkySgt (Cibolo, TX)\nI am a BIG Cooper fan, from "back in the day," and can agree with just about everything that has been written here about this album, music-wise. \n\nHowever, I stopped listening to AC the day the original band split up. As far as I'm concerned, AC stopped being a rocker and became a Hollywood infused sideshow from that point on. If you want solid AC rocking, the required albums are: Killer, Love It To Death, Billion Dollar Babies, Schools Out, and Muscle Of Love. Anything after that is fluff! \n\nAt any rate, what this CD loses, over the original vinyl LP, is the quirkyness of the packaging. The original product actually came in a corrugated cardboard box, as depicted by the album image above, and was about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. This is vintage Cooper, right down to the fake water-damage stain at the bottom of the cover! \n\nI remember that it had a flap on the back that was sealed with the typical "impossible to open neatly" glue found on almost all manufacturer sealed boxes of the day. Thus, when you opened the album, you ended up with a mangled flap that would never close correctly after that. If you were lucky, you might even have ripped away other parts of the album cover. Also, due to the thickness of the cover, it never quite fit in my album rack ... remember the album rack? \n\nGod I miss those days! Now, if I could just remember what all came inside the box (other than the vinyl LP), I could die a happy man. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA Kiss And A Fist, January 29, 2005\nReviewer: J. Cogliano (USA)\nThis album was going to be called "A Kiss And A Fist" but was rejected. \nProduced by Jack Richardson this is the last album by the original Alice Cooper Group. So there is a little sadness to it even though the band didn't intend it to be their swan song album. "Muscle Of Love" was caught up in the shadow of "Billion Dollar Babies" best selling record. But MOL has plenty of good tunes and lyrics. \nThey brought in guests vocalist but some thought it was too Broadway sounding. Which was the intention as Alice's main theme was Broadway as being a big part of New York. With guests vocalists like Liza Minella on "Teenage Lament 74" and "Man With The Golden Gun". La Belle (Noma & Sarah) & Ronnie Spector on "Teenage Lament 74". Pointer Sisters on "Teenage Lament 74" and "Working Up A Sweat". \nThe backing musicians involved are Dick Wagner, Mick Mashbir on guitar and Bob Dolin on keyboards. \n\nA tribute to a club that Alice Cooper Group performed in N.Y. in their early days. A club called The Hippopotamus was the first track "Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo)". \n\nOne of my favorite tracks is "Hard Hearted Alice" which is Alice's view on it's not always nice to be Alice. \n"....noise seems logically right, ringing ears in the night, when you live in an airport..." \n\n"Crazy Little Child" reminds me of the foreboding "Lace & Whiskey" album that Alice will release in 3 years. It has that film noir story line. Which takes me to "Man With The Golden Gun" that Alice wrote hoping that the Bond film people will use it. It's a shame cause it's classic Bond music. \n"Muscle of Love" and "Teenage Lament 74" became singles from this album that both have teenage themes. \n\nIt's interesting that the last song is actually an old song from their early days in the 60's. It seemed they came full circle. "Woman Machine" was original called "Mr. Machine". Alice being influenced by TV once again from a series that actress Julie Newmar portraits a female robot. \nThe chorus sounds a bit of "Superstitions" by Stevie Wonder. \nAt the end of the recording you hear with audio enhancement a robot type voice that's actually Alice's who is reading from an Ampex tape recording manual as the song fades out. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe End of an Era..., January 21, 2005\nReviewer: J. Anderson\nAn underated gem, Muscle Of Love was the last LP by Alice Cooper as a Band. While most critics consider this album inconsistent, I consider it to be the groups finest effort. With the focus on the shocking and grotesque themes of past recordings toned down, the songwriting structure became even more versitile. Contrary to other opinions given here, I believe there is no filler here. This is one of those Lp's that is great from start to finish. "Man With the Golden Gun" was actually written for the James Bond film of the same name but was, sadly, turned down by the film's producer. "Muscle of Love" was daring as a radio single, even for Alice Cooper. And "Teenage Lament '74" is a classic tribute to kids who grew up in that period. When this record was released, no one knew that in less than 2 years, the name Alice Cooper would stand more for slick pop production and radio freindly ballads, than the "In Your Face" rebellious shock rocker we all came to know and love. This was the end of an era. The last of the best. Together, these guys were one of a kind. There was no one like them in their heyday. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nNot to be overlooked, July 23, 2004\nReviewer: melodygoddess (usa)\nThe last album from the original Alice Cooper BAND. 1973-74. The band didn't really tour much to promote this album. they did 13 cities in the northeast usa and about 5 gigs in brazil and that was it yet it still made the top 10. if you can get a copy of billion dollar baby by bob greene he described the recording of the vocals to this album in the studio in detail in that book. The songs have got some swagger both in the vocals and the music. Bob Ezrin didn't produce this album rather produced by Jack Richardson and Jack Douglas. there a lot of long fading endings to songs here, some are noisy so I skip ahead to the next song but some endings if you listen to the fades have some great subtleties...some great guitar work with the addition of dick wagner and mick mashbir cameos by labelle sisters, liza minelli, ronnie spector and pointer sisters...it's not a bad touch...it's kind of a cut loose album trying something different. i've been playing this one a lot on my car cd player lately sometimes too much horns and strings...ex: Never Been Sold Before rocks from the start but towards the end is buried in horns and strings and get too noisy so i skip a head to the next song. Hippo rocks. it's funky 70's swagger it's cool, clever. heart hearted alice dueling guitars at break nice melody crazy little child big band dixieland? old show business again...alice seems to enjoy singing like a hollywood starlet...workin up a sweat and muscle of love rock out. golden gun has some moments as well lament 74. if you have love it to death, killer, school's out, billion dollar babies you should get this too. it's the same band trying a different tact for a change of pace. it's a light album not to be taken too seriously. it's only meant to be enjoyed as fun. despite the fragmented status of the band at this point, no glen buxton on this album, and all the tracks were laid down by the musicians separately it still holds together and the mix is suprisingly good. actually i think the mix is better on this album than the previous 4 albums by ezrin. the album shows a maturity. these were clever and witty rock stars with a sense of humour and some subtlety. it shows on this album. at times alice sings like mae west but the music also supports that...for all the personal differences the band was having with shep, the manager and alice, as a combined group they could generate some great sound...dennis Dunaway - bass, neal smith-drums, great rhythm section along with mike bruce on guitar and song writing plus the excellent addition of mick mashbir on guitar who really lifted the band to more sophisticated playing\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nMuscle of Pain, March 1, 2004\nReviewer: clarissa jones (england uk)\nIn 1973 nothing could stop the truly stellar Alice Cooper Group. Nothing exept they were clearly splitting up.\nPressured recording and touring commitments and worsening band relations were the background to this album. Packaged almost as controvesially as Billion Dollar Babies, Muscle was never really going to consolidate it. \nThough daring in the courting of musical styles Muscle is lazy in composition and hurried in its working out of things. The garage sound is still there but I need music with my decadence. There are flashes of inspiration but too few, the guitar solo's are frequent but choppy.\nBig Apple Dreamin opens the album promisingly, and the very interesting Woman Machine closes on an impressive note the last album by a band that had saved my adolesence. In between there is the impressive title track, and the requiem like Hard Hearted Alice. Then true classic standard returns with Teenage Lament, a superb semi acoustic remake of Eighteen and a deserving top twenty hit, but the irony was an audible one. There would be millions of teenage laments for the passing of the Alice Cooper Group across the world.\nA bittersweet farewell for rock's greatest, most seditious and challenging band. \nAlice sings My Hearts A Muscle oF Love. Mine's a muscle of pain (Clarissa Jones)\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nWhy don't you get away? I'm gonna leave today..., December 17, 2003\nReviewer: Pamela Scarangello (Middletown, NJ USA)\n1973's "Muscle of Love" is the last album to be released by the Alice Cooper band. At that time, the band members were exhausted from the grueling months of touring and promotion. Eventually, Alice Cooper, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Neal Smith, and Dennis Dunaway chose to split up. Afterwards, Alice pursued a solo career and began his long legacy as the Godfather of Shock Rock. \nDespite the occasional violins, trumpets, organ, and piano keys, "Muscle of Love" consists of basic hard rock. The album doesn't exude the theatrical flair of "Billion Dollar Babies." On some sections, the guitar and bass riffs are a little too glossed over, while the lyrics leave little to the imagination. Tracks like "Big Apple Dreamin'" and "Woman Machine" are lacking in sonic magnetism, while "Never Been Sold Before" sounds too heavily like a Rolling Stones hit. However, this CD does possess numbers that reveal the band's versatility in their craft. "Hard Hearted Alice," with its harmonious, Beatles-style chorus, is a psychedelic acid trip that transports listeners to the 1960's. "Crazy Little Child" is a clever narration about Jackson, a thief who is shot and killed while working for a dangerous gangster. Interestingly, this one song is a Cajun-hot mixture of Dixie and syncopated ragtime (as indicated by its brass section and banjo). Then, Alice blows his harmonica to "Working Up a Sweat," a slice of blues rock generously laced with sexual humor. "Man with a Golden Gun" is a stylish theme to the action-packed James Bond film. "Teenage Lament '74" can best be described as a sequel to "Eighteen;" it's another teen angst tune that features background vocals by Liza Minnelli. Finally, the album's title track is a flashy, decadent ode to puberty and the sleaze of NYC nightlife; symbolizing America's sexual revolution, the song is complete with pimps, porn shops, and even a little self-gratification!\nIf you enjoy metal acts with shocking, flamboyant theatrics, "Muscle of Love" isn't for you. However, this album is perfect for anyone who prefers streamlined, 1970's rock and blues, especially from Kiss and Aerosmith. I recommend you purchase this CD along with "Billion Dollar Babies" and Mr. Cooper's monstrous solo debut, "Welcome to My Nightmare."
This rock cd contains 9 tracks and runs 39min 33sec.
Freedb: 75094309
Buy: from Amazon.com

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