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Happy Birthday Bun E Carlos

Happy Birthday Bun E Carlos

On this day in 1951 Bun E. Carlos (drummer for Cheap Trick) is born Brad Carlson in Rockford, Illinois.  Bun E was the band’s chief setlister and archivist, and kept recordings of all the band’s shows, some of which have been released under the title ‘Bun E’s Bootlegs’.

Bun E’s band Cheap Trick released their debut album way back in ’77 But it wasn’t until  ‘In Color’ the bands sophomore release that things really took off.  The first place to go crazy for cheap Trick was Japan where they always had a huge mutual love and respect namely their iconic ‘Cheap Trick at Budokan’.

they managed to break into the US Top 10 in 1979 with ‘I Want You to Want Me’ and over a decade later they managed to take ‘The Flame’ to the number one spot in ’88.

Cheap Trick has always had a rabid following but their general popularity has always been a bit up and down over the decades but being able to boast sales in excess of 20 million albums is no mean feat. The band has toured the world many many times, playing over 5,000 shows. Even though Bun E has been replaced for almost a decade after initially needing time off after back surgery he was replaced by Nielsons Son Daxx. His contribution is huge and that archive must be something to behold to this day.  Carlos had to sue his former bandmates several years ago and things got messy as he was countersued and so it began.  However, in 2016 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on April 8, and the band was introduced and Zander, Nielsen, Petersson, and Carlos all in attendance;  performed ‘I Want You to Want Me’, ‘Dream Police’, ‘Surrender’ and ‘Ain’t That a Shame’ so not all bad.  Happy Birthday Bun E!

The Erotics – The Song Remains Deranged (Self Release)

The Erotics – The Song Remains Deranged (Self Release)

Now Lemmy’s gone whos gonna move in next door and kill yer lawn?  After the Nuclear Holocaust, there are only cockroaches crawling the globe, there will be a bar somewhere in shitville and there will be a band playing and that band will be The Erotics!  “Can’t be killed by conventional weapons” their unwavering commitment to sleazy rock n roll is admirable and Mike Trash is persistent (you have to give him that for sure) and a formidable force with easily their strongest set of tunes to date along with the Prophets Of Addiction these guys have been flying the flag for sleazy down and dirty punk n roll stateside for as long as I can remember and they do it so well.

So there are cliches.  Yup, shock horror they’re everywhere from the dirty riff to the paradiddles to the solo’s they’ve been done a million times over and some but when they’re being done by 100% committed lifers they resonate and there is an authenticity about it when Trash sings about ‘Dirty Little Secrets’ or ‘Stopdroproll’ he means it and I get that and I admire him for it.   It’s in the delivery when they hit the drums with conviction and the riff is hit and not just played without a care in the world there is a difference and these boys hit every note like it’s their last.  The lyrics sometimes veer into comedy but so what! Its entertainment, its theatre it’s FUN! and you have to agree that Trash and his gang are having fun – it’s convincing and it’s carefree and to hell with the critics and the cliches – Bring em on!

‘Nice Things’ should have accompanying horns honking over the top making it bigger – bolder more out there. So there are no horns who gives a fuck we can’t have nice things apparently. ‘Aint Talking To You’ is punk n roll in its purest form with a big dirty riff – turn it up mofos its what the band wants.

Hell there’s even time for you to get your lighters out as ‘Best Song’ is as smooth as Brett Michaels head under that bandana and sew on hair. But these cats aren’t leaving on a slowie no sir they get their groove on for one last hoorah! as ‘Pretty Little Bomb’ tips the cowboy hat to all those ladies who might be listening.  So there you go grab a lug full of the Erotics – they’ve never sounded so on it.

Author: Dom Daley

 

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Pat Todd & The Rank Outsiders – The Past Came Calling (Hound Gawd Records)

Pat Todd & The Rank Outsiders – The Past Came Calling (Hound Gawd Records)

Pat Todd And The Rank Outsiders don’t make bad records.  Might as well get that out there from the start. So, ‘Past Came Calling’ is no exception then and I spose before I’d dropped the needle I knew this but that’s not going to make much sense to anyone as far as a review goes – I knew it was going to be choc-o-bloc with top tunes that followed the time honoured tradition of Rock and Rollers.  Dan Baird, Jason and the Scorchers, Dr. Feelgood and Rockpile to namedrop a few fellow participants in the fine art of Rock and Roll. Pat and his Rank outsiders do like to kick up a shitstorm that’s a given but there is more to them than just Rockin’ out.

From the opening drum roll of ‘If Only I Could  Fly Backwards In Time’ right through its rollicking verses and chorus to the cool as guitar lick that takes us back to the verse this is a quality opener that shows real intent.  Recorded loud to be played loud as all good time Rock and Roll should be at its unkempt best.  ‘The Ballad Of Crystal Valladares’ ain’t no Ballad though folks its a bad assed Rocker, built around a rolling guitar lick and some country-tinged melody played, it’s like the soundtrack to a getaway drive by.  There’s no flash sound tricks or auto-tune going on here it’s just the sound of a kick-ass band cutting it up in a sweaty studio knowing that with every song they capture a little bit more magic than the last take.

The recording sounds like Mellencamp when he turned up the Les Paul Jr on ‘Whenever We Wanted’.  With songs like ‘Run’ which sounds like they’ve been here before such is the comfortable nature of Todd’s songwriting, it’s classic in its arrangement and one of the best songs on the record.

Todd’s cowpunk roots come to the fore on ‘Down In Old Boerne’ with its acoustic guitar and honkin’ mouth organ. ‘The Ring The Bottle And The Gun’ is pure cowpunk as we position the hay bails as we pour the moonshine ready for the yea – haws!

With fourteen songs on offer and never a let up in the quality on offer its a no brainer if you’re considering picking up a copy of this record its impossible to be disappointed you go from the gob iron of ‘Had A Bad Night’ to the smooth laid back rhythm and blues of ‘any Other Way’ straight into the acoustic jam of ‘Idle Time’ whatever style Todd chooses to write in it’s of the highest order Now if The Supersuckers wrote an album this strong – people would be salivating over it.

‘Just Between You and Me’ is the sign off in the style of Ronnie Wood doing Dylan and it just dawned on me I’ve not mentioned How good Todd’s vocals are throughout -Oh I just have.  Pick it up –  do yourself a favour and whack up the volume you can thank me later.  ‘The Past Came Calling’ is very much in the moment but I wouldn’t sit on it just go pick it up.

Buy ‘The Past Came Calling’ Here

Turbonecro/The Hip Priests/Bloody Head – The Chameleon, Nottingham – 2nd June 2019

Turbonecro/The Hip Priests/Bloody Head – The Chameleon, Nottingham – 2nd June 2019

It’s officially summer here in the UK so what better way to celebrate a wet and muggy Sunday afternoon than to head off in the direction of Nottingham for a matinee show that promises to be something very special indeed. The Chameleon in the city center is, of course, the ideal venue for a rare visit to the UK from Turbonecro with the venue packed to the rafters and already doubling up as a sauna long before a single note is even played.

With local hardcore broken blues outfit Bloody Head filling the upstairs gig room with the head-splitting sonic assaults, they like to call songs things can only get more claustrophobic as the doom sludge button is duly turned up to 11. Hypnotic yet at times psychotic their singer is one of those frontmen who really has no boundaries and a half hour spent in the company of Bloody Head leaves me feeling how I imagine Anthony Joshua must be feeling this afternoon, bruised and very battered indeed.

With Vain’s ‘Secrets’ blasting out of the PA the all new supercharged version of The Hip Priests is chomping at the bit ready show the locals exactly why they aren’t going to be UK’s best kept punk rock secret (ouch) for very much longer. There’s barely room to sweat down the front as the Priests kick straight into ‘Motherfucker Superior’ and the whole place goes suitably nuts. I hear through the RPM grapevine that a similar thing happened the day before during the band’s Camden Rocks slot and with rave reviews across the board for the band’s fourth album ‘Stand For Nothing’, packed out gigs and the continued growth of the band’s Spasm Gang membership, maybe just maybe the band’s seemingly endless battle with the general apathy of the UK might just about to be coming to an end.

Of this afternoon’s setlist every track is an A Grade classic, from the old faves of ‘Zero Fucks Given’ and ‘Sonic Reproducer’ to newer cuts like ‘Welcome to Shit Island’ (complete with a hilarious version of the English national anthem intro), ‘Deja F.U.’ and ‘Cheers To Me’ it’s impossible not to get all emotional just like Priest stalwart Lee Love and crack a smile or two at just how fucking amazing his band is sounding right now.

Forget Dom declaring the Hip Priests are a tsunami of noise, they are a motherfucking tornado of energy and we the hapless punters are being sucked up into the (brown) eye of their musical storm.  ‘Stand For Nothing’ is not only one of the best albums you will hear anywhere this year The Hip Priests are also one of the best live bands out there right now too. So if you’ve not heard or seen either of them you know what you have to do. Right?

With the current version of Turbonegro getting some pretty harsh (in my honest opinion) reviews from some factions of their fanbase who perhaps would prefer to see the band go back to their pre-Tony Sylvester sound at all costs, I can’t help but wonder “where the hell they all were today?” I’m amazed that the Midlands division of the blue denim brigade aren’t queuing rank and file around the block at the prospect of finally seeing Turbonecro playing live in the UK, perhaps there was a more important patch swap on or something?

All joking aside for those of us keen enough to drive 3 hours each way to sample some pre-Apocalyptic Rock in the company of Vegard H (guitar) Carlos C (drums), Harri F (vocals) and Bingo C (bass) it really is a chance to witness the roots of Turbonegro, and go back to a time when they simply wanted to be the most obnoxious band in Oslo, long before the sailor hats came along.

Bathed in feedback opener ‘Hush, Earthling’ and early single ‘Route Zero’ are both loose feeling white noise blasts that have Harri stalking the front few rows glaring them down with his stone-cold stare. It’s the short sharp shocks of ‘Clenched Teeth’ and ‘Librium Love’ from ‘Hot Cars’ where the hardcore roots of TRBNGR shine brightest though and I’m mindful just how much of a massive impact these guys made on the likes of bands like Christmas who carry on the Death Punk tradition to this day – albeit with their own subtle twist to the formula.

Blasting through (I think) 17 songs in just over half an hour the likes of ‘Timebomb’ and a straight to the point version of ‘I Got Erection’ whizz by in a sweaty blur whilst I’m pretty sure set closer ‘Prima Moffe’ also manages to segue into an overdriven segment of ‘Get It On’ at some point too.

Heading out into the late afternoon sunshine (see I told you it was summer here in the UK) and a few pounds lighter thanks to my punk rock sweat bath I really hope that this debut visit by Turbonecro to the UK doesn’t prove to be their only visit because whilst their mission statement might read No denim, No glam, No sailor, No fun they most certainly are whole lot of the latter and 24 hours on my ears are still ringing away almost to reinforce that point.

 

Author: Johnny Hayward

 

The Boys release brand new video for ‘Keep Quiet’

The Boys release brand new video for ‘Keep Quiet’

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the release of The Boys critically acclaimed 2014 album, ‘Punk Rock Menopause’, the band has released a new promo video for album track ‘Keep Quiet’. 
 
The video was recorded during the band’s September 2018 Italian tour. Unfortunately guitarist Honest John Plain was unable to make the video shoot due to ill health.
 
Casino Steel comments, “It was filmed and directed by Lester Greenowski at the Ligera Club in Milan. Many thanks to Lester and the enthusiastic crowd who made this possible. We had a great time!”
 
Matt Dangerfield agrees and adds, “This is now the sixth track from ‘Punk Rock Menopause’ to be immortalised in video, which I think demonstrates just how strong the album is.”
The band’s five-year distribution deal with Wolverine Records for ‘Punk Rock Menopause’ expires later this month, which means that from now on it will be available to stream/download from Revolution Records. Spotify
The band will be playing a series of live dates in Scandinavia in June & September:
Sat 22 June – Odal Rock Festival
Thurs 12 Sept – Gothenburg
Fri 13 Sept – tbc
Sat 14 Sept – Hova
Fri  20 Sept – tbc
Sat 21 Sept – Trondheim

Dangers Of Love – Dangers Of Love (STILL UNBEATABLE RECORDS)

Dangers Of Love – Dangers Of Love (STILL UNBEATABLE RECORDS)

Formed of members from GREAT CYNICS and APOLOGIES, I HAVE NONE, DANGERS OF LOVE take a head-on approach to maximum punk rock ‘n’ roll. Produced themselves at Musicland Studios in London, their debut EP is a self-titled six-track group of hits.
Lyrically themed on personal loss, self-appreciation and living in a world of people who bullshit for a living, the songs offer hope and escape from an existence where you can seemingly never get it right.

 

Dangers Of Love have released their self-titled debut EP was recorded by drummer Joe Watson at Musicland Studios in Haggerston, London. The ‘Dangers Of Love’ EP Kicks off with the sprightly ‘Holsten Pils Blues’ and a rather fine Punk n Roll tune it is too.  A catchy chorus and thumping drum beat this is a fine introduction to the band.  There is a bit of Beach Slang and Downtown Struts happening here and a healthy dose of Replacements to boot which is never going to be a bad thing around RPm HQ.

‘Why Would You Run’ is snotty in a foot-stomping Clash sort of way and to be fair a really good song. Things kick back slightly on ‘Dangers Of Love’ which is loose yet catchy and raw yet comforting.  I love the guitar solo for its understated Teenage Fanclub stylings as if the Fannies were to cover the Heartbreakers if that makes sense?

The only shame is this is only a six track release it would have been interesting to hear if they could have kept this up for ten or twelve songs.  there is even a nod to loud guitared Britpop on ‘Aries’ more so the melody and delivery of the vocals than anything else and to finish off with the great riff that is ‘She’s Coming Over’ again the spirit of Strummer is there in the delivery which should be applauded – it is round here.  what a mightily fine bunch of tunes this is and you’d be making a smart move if you were to check it out and invest in improving your collection with Dangers Of Love in it.

Buy DOL Here

Author: Dom Daley

Low Cut Connie – York, The Fulford Arms – 31st May 2019

Low Cut Connie – York, The Fulford Arms – 31st May 2019

Low Cut Connie might be a new name to you; they are a fairly new name to me too. It was just last year they popped up on my rock ‘n’ roll radar after I was recommended their 2017 album ‘Dirty Pictures (Part 1)’.

If I mention the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elton John and Billy Joel for starters, then you might get where this Philadelphia based rock ‘n’ roll outfit is coming from. Led by the piano-bashing Adam Weiner, Low Cut Connie has 5 albums under their collective belts and tour the world extensively. Check out the YouTube footage, it doesn’t lie. This is the sort of band that excels in hot and sweaty clubs, pubs and juke joints. This is the sort of band that I would travel far and wide to see, I can just tell they are going to be worth the admission price and more.

The Fulford Arms is pretty busy tonight and the temperature is rising as the band take to the stage and ready themselves. Singer Adam Weiner is last to take his place by his road-weathered piano, as he is busy hugging and shaking hands with as many people as he can, as he makes his way through the audience to the stage. Dressed in black, with a rather fetching gold and black short jacket, he looks like a cross between Steve Carell, Liberace and a matador.

He immediately beckons to the sound guy, in an effort to turn the lights up on the crowd so he can see every one of his (soon to be) adoring fans. Before they have even played a note, the atmosphere is electric and I can already feel that this could be one of the best gigs of the year.

No messing about, he sits at his piano, which is positioned side on to the crowd for maximum interaction, and the band are straight into ‘All These Kids Are Way Too High’ the opening track of ‘Dirty Pictures (Part 2)’. Low Cut Connie 2019 has a few new faces, and while key members Adam and guitarist Will remain, the new band are a tight unit that seems like they have been jamming the clubs together for years. But its Adam’s show from the off. When he’s not tinkling the ivories, he stands on his stool, he clambers on top of the piano, using it like a climbing frame, an extension of his art.

I couldn’t tell you the name of the players other than backing singer and chief tambourine girl Abi (we met her after the show). The pink haired singer appears to be having the time of her life, smiling her ass off and dancing to the, quite frankly, very danceable tunes.

It’s not long before Adam is stripped down to a white vest and braces, his black hair stuck to his head, drenched in sweat. How his guitar player manages a whole set in a leather jacket is beyond me…must be an American thing!

The countrified ‘Big Thighs. NJ’ sees the singer perched atop his piano, legs crossed, as his guitar player rips out tasty slide guitar over a catchy, hickey melody. A highlight of the night for sure. The following ‘Angela’ sees him balancing on his stool like some crazy ass crane.

Song after song flows as the heat rises. This is high energy, pure and unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll. Adam knows how to work a crowd in a way only years of paying your dues in clubs can teach you. Sure, I get the obvious Elton John and Jerry Lee Lewis comparisons, but for me, I imagine this is what it would have been like to experience Bruce Springsteen working the clubs back in the ’70s. There is something authentic and wholesome about a Low Cut Connie live show. It’s not just the songs, the singer has a way of drawing you in like he is doing a personal performance just for you. There is no going through the motions, he means it. This is blood, sweat, and tears, a full-on performance from a band who play 150 plus shows a year. They work hard, they play hard and it shows.

It helps that they have the songs to match the performance too. ‘Dirty Water’ incites crowd chorus shout-a-longs, and the following ‘Revolution Rock ‘n’ Roll’ is the over-cool radio hit that should have been.

Their cover of Alex Chilton’s ‘Hey! Little Child’ is perfect for this atmosphere. Extended and jammed out, this lost ’70s pop ditty is taken up a level, with its high energy marching beat. The band makes it their own. The upbeat ‘Oh Suzanne’ follows it’s a great tune, fair play. The whole band are loving it and smiling as they play their hearts out for us.

Adam Weiner and his band didn’t just visit The Fulford Arms to play some songs tonight, they came to put on a rock ‘n’ roll show and entertain us. I don’t think anyone here went home disappointed, we sure got out money’s worth and I think this band made some new friends.

Wowing crowds across continents, Low Cut Connie could well be the best American bar band since Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. Miss them and you miss out.

 

Author: Ben Hughes

Rainy Days & Mondays

Rainy Days & Mondays

Well, British Summertime is in full swing.  Cold Wet Miserable one minute, sunny the next. but hey, Worry not let RPM introduce you to a few new videos that will blow away any blues first up are these nutballs hailing from Switzerland with their Garage noise better known as The Jackets with ‘Loser Lullaby’

 

Next up we turn the plane around and head East to Canada to be precise and your in-flight entertainment is courtesy of this new video from Autogramm who tell us all about ‘The Cool Kids’. “Cool Kids Radio” was originally written by C.C. in Berlin with Rich Jones (Michael Monroe, Loyalties, YoYo’s, Ginger Wildheart etc.) Hey just check this bad boy out and then if you happen to be in the area why not catch them live here –

July 19 @ Yoko, Hamburg DE

July 20 @ VEB, Lübeck DE

July 23 @ Kap Tormentoso, Stuttgart DE

July 24 @ Geschichtswerkstatt Altes Volksbad, Mannheim DE

July 26 @ Charlatan Café, Gent BE

July 27 @ The Pipeline, Brighton UK

July 28 @ The Lexington, London UK

Aug 1 @ Zwille, Leipzig DE

Aug 2 @ Wild At Heart, Berlin DE

Aug 3 @ Chemiefabrik, Dresden DE

Aug 4 @ Kult 41, Bonn DE

Website Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Twitter Spotify

Finally, one taken from the recently reviewed album ‘The Down South Spaghetty Accident (reviewed Here) RMBLR is their name and ‘Next Time’ is the track so until next time take it away RMBLR  and remember kids play fair and Stay Sick!

Seeing as four is the new three we thought we’d throw this Rock and Roll hand grenade into the mix and add some Rainy Days & Mondays extra time.  Hot off the press Wet Dreams drop brand new video for ‘Boogie’ check it out here

The Boys unveil new video here at midday 10th June

The Boys unveil new video here at midday 10th June

To Celebrate the fifth anniversary of the release of ‘Punk Rock Menopause’ The Boys will be releasing a brand new video and we’ve got it here on RPM at midday tomorrow Monday 10th June.  Keep a lookout as we unveil ‘Keep Quiet’ as well as some tour dates.

POP CULTURE SCHLOCK at RPM: Exhibit A – Alice Cooper’s 1st comicbook

POP CULTURE SCHLOCK at RPM: Exhibit A – Alice Cooper’s 1st comicbook

 

POP CULTURE SCHLOCK at RPM: Exhibit A – Alice Cooper’s 1st comic-book appearance

 

Step inside; walk this way; you and me, babe; hey, hey! Welcome, RPM-People, to the first irregular column dedicated to music-related items from the Pop Culture Schlock archive. Some will be cool, some will be curious, but all will be from a simpler time when music wasn’t just binary code on a smartphone stolen by some scally on a moped. So, pour yourself a Skol, slip into your Starsky cardigan, and wrap yourself in the warm embrace of nostalgia via a New York sanitarium by way of a Seventies newsagent.

 

Marvel Comics, before becoming responsible for almost every three hours you spend in the cinema, saw the late 1970s ripe for its own slice of the mass market appeal afforded to the rock stars of the day. Rather than living fast and dying young, your common or garden rock ‘n’ roll visage was more likely to be on the cover of a teen magazine or the panel of a game show than the front of a memorial service brochure.

 

After giving KISS its first appearances in issues 12 and 13 of its monthly Howard The Duck comic-book, Marvel rocked out no fewer than three times within the first five issues of its then-new title, Marvel Super Special, a 41-issue series of one-shots published between 1977 and 1986. KISS featured in the first (famously/supposedly donating blood to be used in the red ink) and fifth issues, The Beatles Story making up number 4. Now, any UK rock ‘n’ roll archivist with a shred of honesty who was in single figures age-wise when that first Holy Grail of a KISS comic came out will admit that it took until they were well versed in the art of mail order before they could add that piece of exquisite ephemera to their collection. Not so issue 50 of Marvel Premiere which hit spinner racks in the UK prior to its October 1979 cover-date…

Marvel Premiere was essentially a “try-out” comic; publishing a one-shot tale of a character to determine whether or not he/she/it could attract enough attention and/or revenue to launch their own regular title. After throwing around the idea of an Alice Cooper comic for a few years, Marvel finally took the plunge in 1979 with the special 50th issue of Marvel Premiere. That the legendary comic company did so with a storyline based around the Coop’s album from the previous year, ‘From The Inside’ (a concept record based on the then-troubled shock rocker’s time in a NY sanitarium where he was treated for alcoholism, with songs based around patients he met inside), remains bizarre to this day.

 

To be fair, the album – housed in luxurious fold-out sleeve and playing as I type – was pretty upbeat, musically if not lyrically, no doubt courtesy of Cooper’s collaboration with Bernie Taupin. It was with that in mind, I guess, that Marvel deemed the content suitable for adaptation in comic-book form. Of course, as an eight-year-old kid I read it all in a blur, oblivious to its roots, simply joyous that I could actually find a comic that featured one of the coolest rockers to grace my turntable in a British newsagents. Reading through it now, four decades later, that sense of wonder remains, even though I now understand the serious ramifications of the original subject matter. That Marvel decided to go for a lighter-hearted tone (albeit with a wicked bite) more in keeping with the commercially-accepted theatrics of the album now means that critical re-evaluation doesn’t come with the wince that oft-accompanies the remembering of once-troubled celebrities.

 

With artwork by Tom Sutton and Terry Austin, who also provided the stunning cover art, and a script by Ed Hannigan (based on a plot by Alice, Jim Salicrup, and Roger Stern) the comic version of ‘From The Inside’ opens with Alice trying to escape from his sanitarium cell via the time-honoured tying together of bedsheets. Caught by Nurse Rozetta (yes, she of the album track – also joined in ink form by Jackknife Johnny and Millie and Billie from the record) Alice is thrown into The Quiet Room by Dr. Fingeroth. Here, the Coop recalls the unfortunate series of events that saw him stuck there on the inside looking out.

 

Y’see, Alice, his mind undergoing a meltdown whilst trying to survive the “high-powered lunacy of the showbiz world,” had checked into a clinic in an attempt to dry up and calm his nerves. As (bad) luck would have it, Alice was confused with an Alex Cooper – a “certified paranoid schizo with a radical tyre fetish!” – and locked away by mistake. As our hero is treated to electro-shock therapy, ice water baths, and a crude haircut, Alex Cooper is about to be elected governor!

 

With Veronica (his trusty snake here, yet a dog on the album track, ‘For Veronica’s Sake’) stripped from him and locked away herself, Alice has to negotiate bed straps, sedatives, muscle-bound orderlies, and a doctor seemingly more crazed than the inmates of his facility, in order to get his story believed. Spoiler alert: doesn’t happen!

With a legion of background cameos and in-jokes for lynx-eyed readers (featuring the likes of Popeye, the Incredible Hulk, and Donald Sutherland’s character from 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake), the comic is wildly entertaining, possibly more so than the album it is based on (‘From The Inside’ attracting much cooler critical acclaim than many of its long-playing predecessors), though that claim could well be down to my original childhood love for what was then the pinnacle of my fledgling comic buying.

 

“But what of the future?” asked the powers that be at Marvel Comics in 1979. “Should Alice be awarded his own regular Marvel title? Should we break him out of that Asylum and send him blasting through the Marvel Universe?” Well, it would be 1994 before Marvel featured Cooper again via a three-part, Neil Gaiman-penned comic series that tied-in with Alice’s 1994 album, ‘The Last Temptation’.

 

Dark Horse Comics would later reprint ‘The Last Temptation’ as a trade paperback, but Cooper’s comic book history doesn’t end there. 1990 saw Revolutionary Comics’ dubious Rock ‘n’ Roll Comics title (more on these chancers in a future article) feature an unofficial Alice Cooper history, with Bluewater Comics later picking up that company’s past monstrosities and lowbrow ethics. Much better was to follow in 2014 with an ongoing Alice Cooper comic book title from Dynamite Entertainment which lasted for six issues and was followed by ‘Alice Cooper vs. Chaos!’, another six-parter that saw the veteran shock rocker up against the denizens of Dynamite’s horror universe; including Evil Ernie, Chastity, and Purgatori. Oh yeah, also look out for the Coop in a Treehouse of Horror special Simpsons comic along with Rob Zombie, Gene Simmons… and Pat Boone.

 

It is Marvel Premiere issue 50 that will forever be the peak of comic-book Alice Cooper, however. With the guillotine of nostalgia cutting deep, that forty-year-old mass of paper, ink, and staples is a thing of beauty in a world turned ugly. As Millenials and Post-Millenials reminisce about their friggin’ iTunes playlists, us forever-cool-kids will always have stuff like Alice Cooper comics to read via torchlight under our covers at night, knotted bedsheets at the ready…

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Author: Gaz Tidey