Alice Cooper was born in Detroit in 1948.
With his new album "Detroit Stories" he bows to his hometown.
Cooper has got prominent support into the studio, such as Joe Bonamassa and Larry Mullen Jr. from U2.
"Detroit Stories" is the name of Alice Cooper's new album.
The musician was born Vincent Damon Furnier in Detroit in 1948.
For the album, Cooper worked with the local music scene and celebrity guests.
We know little about Jenny.
Her life must have been pretty bland in the past.
The parents had two televisions, two cars - but everyday life was still (because of that?) Boring to die for.
Lou Reed tells in a song about the young woman who remembers how she happened to turn on the radio when she was five years old and - "her life was saved by rock'n'roll".
After this lifesaver, Reed (1942-2013) named the song that was first heard in 1970 on the album "Loaded" by his band The Velvet Underground.
Alice Cooper opens "Detroit Stories" with a song by Lou Reed
Now Jenny is back.
Instead of New York as in the original, she now lives in Detroit, but rock music has lost nothing, absolutely nothing of its strength in the past 51 years.
Alice Cooper interprets the Reed number and opens with "Rock & Roll" his new album, which has now been released.
"Detroit Stories" is a tribute to the artist, born in 1948, in front of his native Michigan and its creatively seething music scene.
"Detroit was really the place for heavy rock," the record company quotes the 73-year-old.
“At the Eastown Theater, for example, you could see Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, The Stooges and The Who in one night, all for four dollars!
Then on the next weekend at the Grande MC5, Brownsville Station and Fleetwood Mac were on stage or Savoy Brown and the Small Faces.
As a soft rock band you really had no business there. "
The album is reminiscent of Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Bob Seger and many more
In the number “Detroit City 2021” he recalls the heroes of yore, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Bob Seger (whose “East Side Story” Cooper covers stunningly) and Suzi Quatro: “Play it like today might be your last . ”Play like today is your last day.
Nothing there!
The album doesn't get stuck in the past, but draws strength from it for today.
That makes "Detroit Stories" a thrilling work.
Cooper, who was born Vincent Damon Furnier, has worked with musicians from his birthplace.
The city in the north of the USA has suffered painfully from the structural change in the auto industry in recent years.
Cooper does not overlook this and reports about it in "Social Debris".
At the end of “Don't give up” - the title says it all - he gives the Detroit number under which suicidal people can get help.
The man really cares about his homeland and its people.
Joe Bonamassa stopped by the studio
In addition to local greats, prominent guest musicians were in the studio for “Detroit Stories”.
U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. (“Shut up and rock”) or the blues rock guitar wizard Joe Bonamassa.
The latter, together with Garrett Bielaniec, who actually plays with The Rockets from Detroit, turns "Drunk and in Love" into a wonderfully slowly stumbled-off blues number about the unpleasant consequences of drunkenness: "I'm trying to stand" Cooper sings and plays the harp as if it came from the Mississippi Delta.
"Detroit Stories" was produced by Bob Ezrin
The record was produced by Bob Ezrin.
The Canadian has worked regularly with Alice Cooper since "Love it to Death" (1971);
Back then, that was the name of the band whose singer was Furnier.
Both combine fast, rough hard rock, which is driven by fine guitar work and rests on a solid, rich foundation, for which Johnny "Bee" Badanjek takes care of the drums, with excursions into neighboring styles.
There are always references to the blues.
Sure, without him there wouldn't be all the fun.
But there is also the punk going (“Go Man go”), there the soul grooves: In “1000 $ High Heels Shoes” the Hammond toggles, the Motor City Horns provide casual brass parts, while the singers from Sister Sledge the funky number let sparkle.
Snippet guarantee.
Rock and roll can save lives.
Naturally.
Not only Jenny knows this. However, there is also tremendous comfort in music.
In “Wonderful World” Cooper sings: “You're only human ... it's okay”.
We are all just human.
And that fits.
Information about the album:
Alice Cooper: "Detroit Stories" (Ear Music).