It’s been 20 years since the Beastie Boys released their seminal Licensed to Ill album, and on Solid Gold Hits the band celebrates the anniversary with a collection of 15 of their greatest hits spanning the past two decades.

Unlike many greatest hits packages that slip in a couple of unreleased or new tracks here, Solid Gold Hits covers no new ground. Long time fans of the band may find this a tough purchase with no new material included, however younger fans (or those somehow completely unfamiliar with the band) should find the disc quite enjoyable. There’s essentially no filler here, and with fifteen tracks included for $11.99, buying the CD is cheaper than downloading them from iTunes.

If you purchased last year’s 2 disc, 42 track anthology, you can skip this one — likewise, if you already own everything from Licensed to Ill on up, you can also pass. This is geared toward fans who “liked that Intergalactic song” or “remember those white rappers from the 80’s” and would like to hear more. It would make a great Christmas gift for a friend or relative who never got to ride in the back of a school bus singing Brass Monkey.

01. So What’cha Want
02. Brass Monkey
03. Ch-Check it Out
04. No Sleep Till Brooklyn
05. Hey Ladies
06. Pass the Mic
07. An Open Letter to NYC
08. Root Down
09. Shake Your Rump
10. Intergalactic
11. Sure Shot
12. Body Movin’
13. Triple Trouble
14. Sabotage
15. Fight for Your Right

It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since the Beastie Boys’ Hello Nasty dropped. The single “Intergalactic” came, went, and that was that. Shortly afterwards, MCA became a peace-loving monk, and the band released their dual DVD Video Collection with all the curse words bleeped out of it. It appeared that the b-boys had gone and grown up on us.

Fortunately for fans such as myself, 2004’s To The 5 Burroughs finds the boys in top shape. Any rumors that the boys have grown soft over the years should be squelched by the amount of shit’s, goddamn’s and motherfucker’s that appear throughout the album (starting during the chorus of the album’s first single and opening track, “Ch-Check it out”).

Musically, TT5B is already one of my favorite Beastie Boys albums. The beats are simultaneously new and old. Unlike Paul’s Botique, the boys manage to tastefully mix beats, samples and hooks without delivering information overload. Gone are the live rocking performances of from the Ill Communication/Check Your Head era — TT5B’s sound is completely hip hop. The multiple samples that appear throughout the album will test even the most scholared rap fan’s trivia knowledge.

Lyrically, the Boys are still on top of their game as well. It will take fans several spins to unravel the tounge-twisters and multiple messages of the album. Balance is the key, and the Beastie Boys (along with acts like Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine) have mastered the art of delivering heavy messages in tasty packages — so much so that listeners may barely notice lines like “George Dubya’s got nothing on we/we got to take the power from he” nestled into “That’s It That’s All”.

The Beasties are most mature on “An Open Letter to NYC”, a song that addresses the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center as well as the rebuilding and general pride of New Yorkers. Don’t don’t let that fool you; tracks like “The Brouhaha” and “Rhyme the Rhyme Well” are pure fun, while tracks like “3 the Hard Way” and “Hey Fuck You” give back a little of that New York attitude.

To The 5 Burroughs couldn’t be any more perfect. It’s this generations’ Licensed to Ill.

When I was five years old I used to pretend to be Batman by draping a blue towel over my shoulders and having my mom safety-pin the front two corners together. Almost 30 years later, my son does the same thing — some things never change. When Batman debuted on television in early 1966 it was an instant hit. People couldn’t get enough of the Caped Crusader and his sidekick Robin. Enthusiasm for the show spilled onto radio airwaves, where fans have been singing the masked ones praises ever since. Batmania – Songs Inspired By The Batman TV Series is a compilation of fifteen such songs, covering 40 years of tributes.

Fans of the television show will enjoy the appearances of original cast members on many of the songs included here. Adam West appears in the comedic songs “Miranda” (1966), “Batman and Robin”, and “The Story of Batman” (both from 1976). Burgess Meredith (as the Penguin) appears on both “The Capture” and “The Escape” while Frank Gorshin sings about his own capers in “The Riddler” (all from 1966). Most of these songs more closely resemble spoken-word poetry performed over generic music than actual songs.

Several of the tracks that appear on the compilation were written as tributes to the show’s characters by legitimate artists. “The Joker is Wild” by Jan and Dean, “Batman A Go Go” by the Combo Kings and “That Man” by Peggy Lee are all a little tough to take seriously, but are interesting nonetheless. Some of the other tracks play more like radio comedy skits, the strangest of which is Ratman and Bobin in the “Clipper Caper” by The Brothers Four, which, as the name implies, isn’t about Batman and Robin at all but rather their similarly named downstairs neighbors.

The remaining four tracks present different versions of the television shows theme song. The original television version by Neal Hefti makes an appearance, along with a slower, horn-laden version by Al Hirt, an 80s pop version by Dave Allan & the Arrows and an orchestral take by Joel McNeels and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus. Holy String Sections, Batman!

Batmania – Songs Inspired By The Batman TV Series includes a brief written history of Bat-related musical releases as well as a note about the recording of the song Miranda came about as told by Adam West (he was asked to sign a recording contract while lying in a hospital bed). Despite a great fondness for the show, it would be hard to recommend this disc to anyone but the most die hard bat-fans. Who needs four different interpretations of the original theme song? Most of the comedy bits aren’t that funny the first time through and are less so the second time around. Its definitely a must-have compilation for fans of the weird. I had no idea there were this many Batman-related songs released throughout the 60s and 70s, and after listening to this disc I now know why most of them have never resurfaced.

Bat-earplugs not included.

01. Batman Theme – Neal Hefti
02. The Story Of Batman – Adam West
03. The Capture – Burgess Meredith
04. Batman To The Rescue – LaVern Baker
05. Batman Theme – Al Hirt
06. Batman And Robin In The Clipper Caper – The Brothers Four
07. Batman A Go Go – Combo Kings
08. Miranda – Adam West
09. That Man – Peggy Lee
10. Batman Theme – Davie Allan & The Arrows
11. The Joker Is Wild – Jan & Dean
12. The Riddler – Frank Gorshin
13. The Escape – Burgess Meredith
14. Batman And Robin – Adam West
15. Batman Theme – Joel McNeely/Royal Scottish National Orchestra And Chorus

Baby Snakes is a film by Frank Zappa. It’s not a movie in the normal sense, but more like a cross between a documentary, a live concert, and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. With a running time close to three hours, you’ll want to go into Baby Snakes well-rested. You’ll probably get the most out of the film if you go in “reality-altered” as well.

Comprised mostly from material recorded from ’77-’79, Baby Snakes contains both studio and live concert footage from that time. The footage has an unedited “home movie” vibe to it. The scenes are intercut with completely insane clay animation by Bruce Bickford. In an interview conducted by Zappa, Bickford explains how he was once “stuck in a forest by some rocks’ natural magnetism that they had acquired over the ages” and “could not leave until the pot wore off.” Drugs are bad, mmmkay?

To be quite honest, I had a tough time getting into Baby Snakes. I’m not a big Zappa fan and I don’t do drugs, which I think are the most likely intended demographics here. As a fan and lover of all music, the behind the scenes footage was the most interesting to me. The sections where you could see Zappa work (at times seeing the gears in his head turning) were quite enjoyable.

The video quality on Baby Snakes is exactly what you would expect from a documentary mostly filmed with hand held cameras 25 years ago. The audio features a new 4 channel mix which really brings the concert performances to life. Extras are mostly limited to trailers, but the damn movie is 3 hours long people — how many extras do you need?

Zappa fans should jump at the chance to own Baby Snakes on DVD. The packaging is elaborate and stuffed with tons of goodies. Fans of music with an open mind might want to wade lightly into the waters. 3 hours is a tough pill to swallow in one sitting, but there’s plenty of moments of genius hidden within that time frame to make it worth the effort.

Legend: Brujeria, a group of Columbian drug lords named after a flavor of Mexican Satanic black magic, got together and made a band. Their music, self-described as “machete metal” and “hardcore Mexican murder music”, falls directly under the label of brutal death metal. After releasing several successful Brujeria albums, Juan Brujo (the leader of Brujeria), has once again summoned up El Demoniaco (the demonic maniac) and demanded a series of 13 “Demoniaco” recordings, each one focusing on a different member of the Brujeria clan. Think of it as the KISS solo albums of the “hardcore Mexican murder music” genre. The first of these albums is the story of and from the man known as Asesino — Spanish for assassin.

Reality: Brujeria, a super-group of sorts, features members from Fear Factory, Napalm Death, Cradle of Filth, Faith No More, and Dimmu Borgir, according to their site. Asesino is the first official side project to spring out of Brujeria — the first of 12, if their promo material is to be believed (it rarely is). Guitarist Asesino is in reality, ex-Fear Factory’s Dino Cazares, and Grenudo’s kick drum attack obviously belongs to his former partner in crime, Raymond Herrera. The new variable added to this side project is Maldito X – Tony Campos, of Static-X. (Note: After the particularly nasty breakup of Fear Factory, Herrera is no longer performing with the Asesino.)

Asesino takes the groundwork established by Brujeria and runs with it. The tracks on Corridos De Muerte all lie somewhere between semi-brutal death metal and really-brutal death metal. “Asesino” (the track, not the guy or the album title), sets the bar high by blasting forth a brutal sonic assault that doesn’t let up for 60 minutes. Occasionally, on songs like “Rey de La Selva”, the band will break up their heavy grind with a small groove in the middle, a tradition that Brujeria has always done well and Asesino (the band, not the song or the album this time) seems to have carried on. For the most part though, there’s not as much groove as their is in your face death metal.

The lyrics, like all the Brujeria albums, are sung (or yelled, rather) in Spanish. I’m sure translated lyrics will appear on the web eventually, but for now curious listeners will have to type the lyrics from “Amor Marrano” (Love Pig), “Rey De La Selva” (King of the Forest), or “La Ejecucion” (The Execution) into their favorite online translator of choice. “Lunchador Violador” apparently tells the story “of a masked Mexican wrestler who turns to a career of raping and murdering prostitutes.” Don’t they all?

The Asesino CD is also an enhanced CD which includes five music videos. I won’t ruin any surprises here, but let me just say that the videos are just as brutal and hardcore as the music, and don’t leave much to the imagination. Then again in the last paragraph, I just told you that this album includes a song about a Mexican wrestler who turns to a career of raping and murdering prostitutes. Neither the songs nor their videos are going to appear on MTV anytime soon.

What they will do, however, is go down as some of the catchiest and dirtiest death metal songs I’ve heard in quite a while. While Brujeria’s Mextremist Hits failed to inspire like their previous releases, Asesino’s Corridos De Muerte combines hardcore death metal with a “pop” sensibility. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t get much heavier than this, but Campos brings Static-X’s ability to be heavy without being unlistenable to the table, making a ferocious album not soon to be forgotten. To good to be called a “side project”, Asesino’s savage attack deserves to be on every death metalhead’s shelf.

Tracks:
01. Asesino
02. Rey De La Selva
03. Despedazando Muertos
04. Sequestro Nuestro
05. Amor Marrano
06. Luchador Violador
07. El Patron Mando
08. Cyko Maton
09. Carnicero
10. Chota Sucia
11. Donde Esta Mi Corte
12. La Ejecucion
13. Corrido Del Asesino
14. Hidden Track

Anthrax will never go out of style. I skateboarded to Spreading the Disease in sixth grade, and fifteen years later I’ve found myself headbanging to their latest release, We’ve Come For You All (although somewhere in the middle, I did end up giving up skateboarding.) Even during those years when radio and MTV became metal unfriendly, Anthrax continued releasing hard rocking albums. Even the loss of original singer Joey Belladonna (technically, their second singer) didn’t set the band back; ‘Thrax came back harder and heavier with John Bush, ushering the band into the 90’s.

And here we are again. A new album introducing Anthrax to another decade and another generation of fans. Old fans, don’t worry. We’ve Come For You All, Anthrax’s seventeenth album, might just be their heaviest to date.

After a slow and building intro, Anthrax kicks the album off with “What Doesn’t Die”. All questions pertaining to Anthrax’s ability to rock are answered right up front. The song opens up with a brutal, machine like drum track not unlike Fear Factory, complimented with the style of machine-gun riffing Scott Ian is famous for. The song quickly finds a groove and hangs there with Bush’s vocals right in the middle, where they belong. Unlike some of the band’s mid-80s releases, the bass track is loud and proud here, holding up the bottom just as it should. Ian and Bello do their best to keep up with Charlie — fast and heavy palm mutes give way to a groove heavy verse and a chord happy chorus before returning to the chunky trenches the band is known for.

Anthrax is back.

And if you think the guys in Anthrax are getting old, check out “Nobody Knows Anything”. Its complex drum rhythms and guitar pattern made me start the song over two or three times until I got the feel for it. Awesome stuff. “Black Dehlia” starts out as a semi-furious sing-a-long, but just wait until the end — Slayer, move over!

Songs like “Strap it On”, “Think About an End”, and “Cadillac Rock Box” maintain a medium rock pace. Ian’s guitar riffs have plenty of room to dance here in and around Charlie’s big open drum patterns and Bush’s balls-out vocals. Even the album’s slower moments, like “Refuse to be Denied” and “Safe Home” find ways to maintain the album’s edge.

While Metallica has wasted their talent covering old Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Seger, and Nick Cave tunes and Megadeth has officially bowed out of the metal scene, Anthrax continues to be relevant in the current music scene. The latter part of the disc contains two fist banging anthems. “Taking the Music Back” and “We’ve Come for you All” are both catchy and rocking. Just what the doctor ordered to wrap this album up in a grandios fashion.

While the band has faced many hardships, the worst one may prove to be the Internet. With a two month difference in overseas and domestic release dates, digital copies of the band’s hard work are sure to hit the net before the album is available for sale. (Editor’s note: the album actually appeared online January 21st, weeks before the overseas release date and almost three months before the US release date. According to the band, the version floating around on the net is NOT the final version set to be mastered and released to the world.) Hopefully, fans of true metal will drop a little green and support this release to show the world that we are indeed “taking the music back.”

Note: The final release of We’ve Come For You All is also set to include a bonus CD including videos, multimedia, and bonus material, plus a phenominal booklet. On top of that, the album is also being released in vinyl format. Definitely worth the cost of admission.

The latest Anthrax DVD, Anthrology: No Hit Wonders (1985-1991), contains thirteen of the band’s earliest music videos featuring original lead singer Joey Belladonna (except Antisocial). Some of the videos aren’t videos at all, but simply simply live performances. Of course after watching the entire DVD, you’re realize that pretty much all of Anthrax’s music videos were also live performances, so pretty much what you’re getting here is thirteen live performances from Anthrax.

The videos are presented chronologically, so astute fans can document Scott Ian’s hair loss throughout the years. Unfortunately, most of the band’s early hits (Among the Living, Caught in a Mosh and I Am the Law) didn’t have videos, so these videos for these songs all came from the same live concert, and all look very similar.

The selling point of this DVD is Anthrax’s video commentary track, consisting of all five original members. The bonus feature shows the videos in one window with the band members in two smaller windows. If you want to play a drinking game, take a drink every time Dan Spitz mentions clocks (he’s a MASTER clock maker these days, ya know). The video track actually has some pretty funny comments about several of the videos and is definitely worth watching.

While not life changing, Anthrax’s Anthrology is not a bad addition to any serious fan’s collection.

01. Metal Thrashing Mad (Live)
02. Madhouse
03. Indians (Live)
04. Armed and Dangerous (Live)
05. Among The Living (Live)
06. Caught In A Mosh (Live)
07. I Am The Law (Live) 08. Im The Man
09. Who Cares Wins
10. Belly Of The Beast
11. Got The Time
12. In My World
13. Bring The Noize

For those of us who grew with the band, Joey Belladonna was the voice of Anthrax. Through albums such as Spreading the Disease, State of Euphoria and the classic Among the Living, thrax ruled the speed metal genre and gave fellow thrashers Megadeth and Metallica a run for their money. And then, things got weird. First was the firing and replacing of Belladonna with John Bush (Armored Saint). At the time, Scott Ian (guitar) commented that Belladonnas voice never really fit the music he was writing anyway. Right. So, Anthrax (now led by Bush) tracked on, releasing several decent (but unpopular) metal albums. Bush and the band made it clear that they would not be performing Belladona-era material live. Then there was the reunion (of sorts) that was to take both lead singers out on the road at the same time, with the classic songs performed by Belladonna to be followed by the newer material, performed by Bush. After that it got pretty messy; Bush said if you want Belladonna, you got him. The end result was 2005s reunion tour with Belladonna at the mic. Alive 2 is a live album recording during the bands 2005 reunion tour, featuring all five original members from the classic Anthrax line up.

Considering the fact that most of the material on Alive 2 is 15-20 years old, the music holds up surprisingly well. The blast beats, double bass and dual guitar riffs match most of todays new (nu?) metal in intensity. Belladonnas voice isnt what it once was (especially the upper range), but its still nice to hear him belting out the tunes he made popular. As far as the music goes, if anything, the band sounds tighter and heavier than ever.

Unfortunately the set list on Alive 2 leaves something to be desired. With only twelve tracks, tracks like Deathrider (from Anthraxs debut album) and In My World (from Persistance of Time) waste valuable space, while other classics from the era (like Madhouse) are conspicuously missing. Still, the bands strongest tunes from the early years (Caught in a Mosh, Among the Living, Antisocial and I am the Law) all make appearances.

Back in the day Anthrax was a revolutionary band. so its a bit sad to see them turn into one of those bands, riding the coat tails of their former success (7 of their past 9 albums have been either live albums or greatest hits compilations). On Alive 2, Anthrax proves they can still bust out the tunes. Its not the end all of live albums, but its a nice nod to the older fans.

01. Among The Living
02. Got The Time
03. A.I.R.
04. Antisocial
05. Efilnickufesin (N.F.L.)
06. Deathrider
07. Medusa
08. In My World
09. Indians
10. Time
11. Be All End All
12. I Am The Law
13. Metal Thrashing Mad
14. Im The Man
15. I Am The Law

Sometimes, you have to be really specific on your Christmas list.

In 1996, Alice in Chains released Unplugged. Three years later, the boys in Chains shot the wad by releasing not one but two albums for the holiday season of 1999. Christmas shoppers had their choice between Music Bank, a 4 CD opus, or the trimmed down Nothing Safe – Best Of The Box, which was a “best of the best” release. Not bad for a band who hadn’t played together since ’96.

So when I secretly wished for a year 2000 Alice in Chains release, I should have been more specific and asked for new *material*, not just a new disc. Alice in Chains’ Live, debuting December 5th and marketed once again directly to holiday shoppers, offers live versions of all the songs you’ve already heard on their last 3 releases (not including the studio releases also).

The marketing campaign for Live pushes the fact that this is the first official, live, PLUGGED-IN release from Alice In Chains. Ok Sony/Columbia, you caught me on a technicality, it’s a little different than the last three CDs. Not all of the songs on Music Bank are live, and the songs on Unplugged are obviously acoustic, so technically, yes, these versions are slighly different. The liner notes and web site push the rarity of some of these recordings, so I was a little confused when I read the set list and saw every major AiC hit. It turns out that that the songs aren’t rare, but rather that they are rare recordings of non-rare songs. Go figure.

The CD runs the gamut from old to new material. According to their website, the tracks “span several live recordings from November 5, 1990, through tracks recorded at the band’s last shows opening for KISS in July, 1996. Live also includes tracks from the 1993 Glasgow Barrowland shows, the first to feature the then newly-recruited bass player Mike Inez.” The tracks are edited together in such a way that it sounds like all one show, for the most part.

Overall, the song choices make sense. There’s nothing too obscure here – anyone with MTV or a car radio should know most of these. The disc opens up with an odd choice, “Bleed The Freak” (where’s “We Die Young”? Bumped for “Bleed The Freak”?) and then moves to the somewhat obscure “Queen of the Rodeo” – from there, it’s all radio friendly. “Angry Chair” leads into “Man in the Box,” “Rooster” leads into “Would,” “Dirt” leads into “Them Bones” … there’s no shockers here. “God Am,” “Junkhead,” “Love Hate Love,” “Again,” and a “Little Bitter” take you through some of the Chains lesser known hits, but then the album ends on an upswing, driving the tempo back up with “Dam the River.”

The songs are all good quality, better than what you will find on any bootleg. Layne’s voice is mixed right out front, the guitar solos are there in the mix but the normal guitar parts aren’t overdriven too badly. The bass isn’t muddy, like you get with a lot of live recordings. The drums sound exactly like they do on the song’s studio counterparts.

So, what do we have here? A live CD of well-worn Alice in Chains material. Hey, I loved “Angry Chair” when it came out on 1992’s Dirt. I liked it on 1996’s Unplugged. I liked in on the Music Bank, and I liked it on Nothing Safe – Best Of The Box. I’m just not sure I need another copy of it, but here it shows up again, on Live. Yes it’s live – and yes, it’s still the same song.

We’re living in a world where Tupac Shakur has released more albums after he died than when he was alive. A Jimi Hendrix 4 CD set of unreleased material recently came out, and he’s been gone for 20 years! The major labels have repeatedly shown that they will retread the same stuff over and over – and most mindless zombies will eat it up. Checking on CDNOW, it looks like Alice In Chains had 5 studio albums, and 4 compilation ones (spreading over 7 CD’s) – so far.

Bottom line, Alice In Chains’ Live isn’t bad – it just doesn’t offer anything new. If you’re a die hard Chains fan, love live music, and haven’t picked up a bootleg of one of their shows, you might grab this for nostalgic reasons. If you’re not a big fan, go buy Dirt, stock up on what Layne would call “your drug of choice”, listen to the album with headphones, get depressed, and BECOME a fan. At least they didn’t release a different version of this disc for each city they played in.

Tracks:
01. Bleed The Freak
02. Queen Of The Rodeo
03. Angry Chair
04. Man In The Box
05. Love Hate Love
06. Rooster
07. Would
08. Junkhead
09. Dirt
10. Them Bones
11. God Am
12. Again
13. A Little Bitter
14. Dam The River

Growing up in Oklahoma, finding good music was a bit of a challenge back in the day. Suuure, nowadays you have your fancy, schmancy Internet and can order any CD at anytime from anywhere, but back then we didn’t have such luxeries (yeah, we walked to school uphill both ways, too).

In 7th grade, my friends and I discovered a heavenly like being – and that being was the BMG Music Club. No longer were the metal heads of the Bible Belt limited to Wal-Mart’s shitty music selection – oh no horn flyers, for only a penny you could order 11 rockin’ cassettes. The cassettes were white, the inserts were usually missing, the cases were often cracked, and we could care less. When you first opened that box of 11 cassettes it was like Christmas for Headbangers.

One of the first 11 tapes I got from BMG was Alice Cooper’s Raise Your Fist and Yell. What I knew about heavy music was from MTV, my friends, and my dad. MTV had introduced me to Motley Crue, my friends had introduced me to Metallica, but my dad’s record collection was the first place I had ever seen Alice Cooper. to tell you the truth I didn’t even know what Alice Cooper sounded like at the time – my friends and I would just scour the BMG catalog looking for the most creepy album covers, and order them. That’s how I discovered Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast, SOD’s Speak English or Die, and this one – Alice Cooper’s Raise Your Fist and Yell.

If you’re a fan of 80’s era rock and roll, this is a must own album. It’s got all the dementia of your average Cooper album, but the music is a far cry from his old stuff. The style on the album is more on par with other rock bands of the era – think Bulletboys or even Ratt for that matter. This is the album before Trash (you might remember the single Poison), so if you’ve heard that you know roughly what you’re in store for, although Raise Your Fist is the edgier of the two albums. Of course, the music on the disc just serves as a vehicle for Alice Cooper’s madness, plenty of which is presented throughout the 10 song lineup.

The disc opens up with “Freedom,” a rousing anthem that demands that we get our “freedom to rock” and “freedom to talk”. The chorus also demands that we raise our fist and yell. Not some of his deepest lyrics, but it works great as an album opener.

“‘cuz I never walk away
from what I know is right
but I’m gonna turn my back on you … ” – Freedom

Many of the songs on the album could be considered filler. That doesn’t make them bad, just not great singles. Still, they’re all very singable and catchy. In “Not That Kind of Love,” Cooper sings about wanting to touch, feel, and taste a girl, and tacks on “don’t get ideas, this won’t last forever.” At one point he says “I won’t be calling you to go to the prom.” Can you imagine 60 year old Alice Cooper taking anyone to the prom? What a great visual. Instead of a flower he could wear a million dollar baby pinned to his lapel. Ah shit, where was I?

Many of the songs on the album are anthems of sorts. There’s “Give the Radio Back (to the Maniac)” which talks about how he’s tired of being in school and how his friends are partying outside and he wants his radio back. Again, just thinking of Alice cramped up in one of those little school desks. “Mr Cooper, can you PLEASE take off that top hat! This is a school!” Another anthem is “Lock Me Up,” where Alice sings over and over “If you don’t like it you can lock me up, woah, oh oh oh, oooooh,” which is a message to his musical critics.

“Cover your eyes,
Cover your head,
You’ll never know what hit you
til’ you’re covered in red … ” – Lock Me Up

For all the fluff, Raise Your Fist and Yell has a couple of not only my favorite Alice Cooper songs, but some of my favorite songs of all time.

By far, my favorite song on the disc is “Chop, Chop, Chop.” If you know Alice Cooper, most of his songs are stories – this one just happens to be about a guy who performs a service for his town. Unfortunately for local prostitutes, that service is picking up local prostitutes and chopping them up, “keeping the city so clean.” I LOVE it!

“Chop, chop, chop, engine of destruction
Chop, chop, chop, a perfect killing machine
Chop, chop, chop, it’s symbiotic function
Chop, chop, chop, I keep the city so clean” – Chop, Chop, Chop

There are a couple of other classics on the disc as well. “Gail” is a song about a girl who has been dead and buried for quite sometime. As the “bugs serve time in her skeletal jail,” he wonders how the bugs will remember Gail. Later in the song, a dog sigs up a bone and wags his tail, and he wonders how the dog will remember Gail. Cool stuff. In “Roses on White Lace,” Cooper chops off the head of a former love who has betrayed him. “In my own way, I lovingly kiss the bride.” Ew.

Time To Kill is a song about a guy who’s been locked away in prison and is ready to kill when they let him out. Prince of Darkness is a song about Lucifer – not praising him, but more just the story about how he was cast out of Heaven and how he’s waiting for revenge. Of course this WAS the 80’s, so you had to have SOME Devil reference on your disc to get any sort of credibility.

I find most of Alice Cooper’s music from the 70’s to be slow and boring, and his new stuff to be just a little radio friendly. For one album through, I think he hit the nail right on the head. I’ve bought several other Alice Cooper CD’s, but ended up trading them away or selling them off. I recently bought this out of print CD off of ebay, which has totally renewed my love for it. While not all the songs are heavy hitters, they’re all singable and just this side of “pop”py, even though they all maintain an evil streak running through them.

It’s especially a great CD for road trips. Even the wife enjoys singing “Chop chop chop!” while cruising down the road. The music on Alice Cooper’s Raise Your Fist and Yell may be dated in the 80’s, but the songs themes (especially about the Devil, killing prostitutes, cutting the head off of your first true love, and demanding the right to rock) are timeless.

01. Freedom
02. Lock Me Up
03. Gave the Radio Back
04. Step on You
05. Not that Kind of Love
06. Prince of Darkness
07. Time to Kill
08. Chop, Chop, Chop
09. Gail
10. Roses on White Lace