Each week, Album of the Week Membership listens to and discusses the album in query, votes on how good it’s, and publishes our findings, with the intention of giving individuals dependable opinions and the broader rock neighborhood the possibility to contribute.
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Different albums launched in April 1980
Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
British Metal – Judas Priest
Empty Glass – Pete Townshend
Hypnotised – The Undertones
Seventeen Seconds – The Remedy
Heaven and Hell – Black Sabbath
Solo In Soho – Phil Lynott
Go to Heaven – Grateful Lifeless
Give ‘Em Hell – Witchfynde
Rising Up in Public – Lou Reed
Los Angeles – X
Marauder – Magnun
Center Man – Boz Scaggs
Sky 2 – Sky
Snakes and Ladders – Gerry Rafferty
Waters Edge – Candy
What they stated…
“Because of a hooking up with Vehicles producer Roy Thomas Baker, the sound is glossier; Baker additionally changed the gritty guitar riffs that served as the premise for previous Cooper rock compositions with icy synthesizers. One of the best-known tune ended up being the quilt Clones (We’re All) , which was in flip lined by the Smashing Pumpkins for his or her 1995 field set The Aeroplane Flies Excessive.” (AllMusic )
“You may barely hear the snarl of yore by means of the forest of digital vocal remedies within the Devo-lutionary Clones (We’re All) and Mannequin Citizen , the latter the artist’s sniggering commentary on his personal social standing in Tinseltown. Additionally evaluate the dramatic readability of Todd Rundgren’s manufacturing of Ache (on Roadie ) with Baker’s Phil Spector-style stranglehold on Alice’s singing within the model introduced right here.” (Rolling Stone
“With tune titles ripped from the Nationwide Enquirer , Flush the Vogue incorporates various brief, quick, punky new wave songs starting with Speak Speak at barely two minutes lengthy. You’ll both love this robust nut of a guitar-driver, or you may be detached to it for being mild on hooks and brittle in sound.” (Mike Ladano )
What you stated…
Gus Schultz: I performed this album rather a lot once I purchased it. I actually loved it and I’m not that massive of an Alice Cooper fan. I discover many of the songs on this album except for Clones…, Leather-based Boots and Aspirin Injury actually feels like basic Alice Cooper. I believe his subsequent LP Particular Forces sounded extra new wave than this album.
Having Roy Thomas Baker (The Vehicles, Queen) produce this album appear to go well with it fairly properly. I believe rather a lot higher than David Foster on From The Inside . I imagine he was having a relapse of his alcoholism plus an added cocaine habit throughout this time interval. I went to see him in live performance shortly after this album was launched, however he was a no-show and a riot happened full with riot cops and horses and a stage filled with destroyed gear. However I believe this can be a good album and one I’ll play each every so often.
Donald Davis: I assumed Clones (We’re All) was an ideal single that also holds up (Smashing Pumpkins did a good cowl within the Nineties), however the remainder of the album is truthful at greatest.
Mike Canoe : I used to be too younger for Alice Cooper (the band) after they had their heyday and abroad when he crested as a solo artist so my first publicity to him was as a pre-teen watching a efficiency of him doing Clones (We’re All) on some syndicated music present. So this grew to become my Alice Cooper and I used to be stunned when Clones … wasn’t on Alice Cooper’s Best Hits (launched six years earlier than that tune got here out – I used to be so younger, a lot to study!)
A few years later, I obtained the boxed set The Life And Crimes of Alice Cooper and located myself gravitating in the direction of disc three aka the “life and profession in freefall” years. For as tousled as he was on the time, Cooper nonetheless sounded coherent, even assured, on report.
Flush The Vogue has every thing I like about Alice Cooper with an overhaul not as radical because it will need to have appeared on the time. I believe that has rather a lot to do with the “punk” cowl artwork and the set up of Vehicles producer Roy Thomas Baker. The songs are nonetheless typically sharp and punchy and guitar solos are nonetheless welcome. The 2 covers, Clones.. . and Speak Speak nonetheless sound very very similar to Alice Cooper songs.
Alice remains to be an ideal performer, nonetheless taking part in each the perpetual put upon teenager and the deceptively clever courtroom jester with lyrics which might be value taking note of.
Examples embody:
“Dad’s wearin’ actual tight Levis and a few Gucci Tennis sneakers / He is obtained a T-shirt customized made for him saying ‘Give me pot not booze.'” (Embarrassing dad and mom’ anthem Dance Your self to Demise )
“I steadiness my Excedrin and Anacin in stacks / I am a ache reliever junkie. I obtained a Bayer on my again. ” (Upbeat habit ditty Aspirin Injury )
“Once I’m pleased I glow yellow, once I’m unhappy I glow blue, yeah / And I glow purple scorching once I’m in mattress with you.” (Studying to reside with and love radioactivity in Nuclear Contaminated )
A few of the lyrics to Grim Information and Mannequin Citizen have not aged as properly however the satirical arrow nonetheless hits the goal.
Then there’s Ache , a robust contender for strangest energy ballad ever. Cooper sings because the personification of ache, each bodily and emotional, with strains like “I used to be the filthiest phrase on the vandalized grave .”
Whereas the person as soon as referred to as Vincent Furnier was struggling throughout Flush The Vogue , his alter ego Alice Cooper was nonetheless snapping and snarling.
Tom DeMonte: I remembered it getting ripped again within the day, however listening to it now, jeeze, these have been some good tunes for positive. His “blackout interval” truly is rather a lot higher than given credit score for. If it is not what’s anticipated from the artist it is superb how individuals can pile on it with fast criticism. To me it is aged higher than a few of his 70s stuff. Undoubtedly higher than his mid 80s stuff.
Gerry Regan : I really like this album, it’s zany and off the wall. Some nice songs on there.
Greg Schwepe : Fast, brief assessment for fast, brief album, all 28 minutes and 28 seconds of Alice Cooper’s Flush The Vogue . Within the annals of me checking album operating time I don’t suppose I can recall ever seeing an album that brief. However hey, if you may get your level throughout in that period of time with 10 brief, catchy songs, go for it! I nonetheless recall some quote from an artist or producer in some article about how CD expertise allowed for higher size of any album as your fingers weren’t tied like with the deadlines of vinyl. The remark went one thing like “simply since you can make an album longer than an hour, doesn’t imply you ought to .”
As with different artists with lengthy careers and an enormous catalogue, I had not but listened to this album but with the arrival of the “now you’ve got every thing on the earth” streaming service entry. And as with a couple of different artist’s albums we’ve reviewed…dang, why did I not verify this out earlier?! The quirky and robotic sounding Clones… was performed on the radio when it was launched, and that was one I appreciated manner again then.
I all the time do my web album analysis after I pay attention to every week’s album. And after listening to this, I had already mentally thought of writing a line about somebody suggesting to Alice; “Hey, why don’t you take a look at these albums by this band referred to as The Vehicles… and see if it rubs off on you.” After which I do my sleuthing and discover that this was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, who produced… watch for it… The Vehicles.
However it’s not all new-wavey stuff (Aspirin Injury ) right here. Simply as you suppose that, Alice comes ripping together with one thing a bit punk sounding (Nuclear Contaminated , Mannequin Citizen ), then a bit metal-infused Grim Information .
All these songs have the wit, sense of humour, and sarcasm all supplied with Alice’s sneering, snarling supply. I can see his make-up encircled eyes squinting as he spits out the lyrics. Headlines completed off the album with the star eager to be within the paper headlines, moderately than attempt to keep away from media protection.
Brief and candy, Flush The Vogue is a superb assortment of Alice Cooper songs. This one obtained moved into my Alice rotation of go-to Cooper albums. 8 out of 10 for me on this one.
Tony Silvers : Not one duff monitor! Nonetheless a go-to album for me. Nice music and hilarious lyrics too! Certainly one of his greatest.
Peter Thomas Webb : I purchased Flush The Vogue on vinyl after the only, Clones (We’re All) , stomped throughout AM radio in 1980. I used to be already an Alice Cooper fan, and regardless of his apparent shift to so-called new wave on this album, it match with different music (Gary Numan, Joe Jackson, the Vehicles, and so on.) I loved on the time.
Listening once more after possibly forty years, Flush The Vogue solely actually retains the brand new wave really feel on the primary few tracks. Clones… is as vibrant as ever, and the quilt of the Music Machine’s Speak Speak is a bristling nugget of an opener. The remainder of the album feels phoned-in and too desirous to sound fashionable.
If Alice had dedicated totally to his new wave stance (a la David Bowie or Iggy Pop), Flush The Vogue may need labored higher than it does. I learn as soon as that Alice was too booze or drug-addled to recollect a lot about making the report. Regardless of the trigger, his lack of inventive focus afflicts the forgettable outcomes. My ranking: 5/10
Paul Cropper: Love this album. It is so completely different to the Alice Cooper Group albums and his solo albums from the 70s. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker who had lately produced the Vehicles’ first two albums; and you may inform. The singles from the album have been the Gary Numan-esque Clones (We’re All) and a canopy of the Music Machine’s storage band basic Speak Speak . The one dangerous factor in regards to the album? The taking part in time is lower than half an hour.
John Davidson : Wow. That is fairly the headspin.
A post-punk new wave pop album sandwiched between the basic rock of Colleges Out and the Hair Metallic of Poison .
I vaguely recognise Clones … which stays the perfect tune within the album however the remainder was new to me. Ache feels like a brand new wave mixture of a Bruce Springsteen quantity. Speak Speak feels like The Vapors. The remainder simply sounds generic new-wave guitar-led pop rock, though nearer Headlines finishes what’s little greater than an EP (by fashionable requirements) with one thing of a flourish.
As an album it is not dangerous and it is aware of higher than to outstay its welcome, but when I would heard it on the time I may need written it off as ersatz, bandwagon-jumping from an growing older rocker. That appears harsh and ridiculous now given how we’re (largely) middle-aged however youngsters are savages and I used to be nonetheless solely 17 when this got here out.
Adam McCann : Nice album, very underrated. Extra focus must be positioned on Alice’s work on this interval
Pete Delgado : Nice album! Underrated… I get pleasure from Alice’s enterprise into new sounds.
Adam Ranger : I used to be not a fan of the 4 early 80s albums – this one, Particular Forces, Zipper Catches Pores and skin and Dada – after they initially got here out. Dada is undoubtedly the worst of these 4 to my ears
Flush The Vogue is the perfect of the 4 sub-par Alice albums that moved in the direction of a brand new wave really feel. So maybe they have been of their time. Solely Ache Sounds just like the Alice all of us liked and knew. It isn’t a nasty factor to need to change your musical course in fact, however I am undecided it labored very properly for Alice.
Lots of the tracks right here sound like second-rate Rocky Horror musical songs: Aspirin Injury, Leather-based Boots, Mannequin Citizen . Clones.. . sounds prefer it desires to be Speaking Heads. Speak Speak and Ache and Nuclear Contaminated are my favorite assaults.
It isn’t as dangerous as I keep in mind, and definitely not as poor as Dada or Zipper… however it’s not one I’ll hearken to fairly often. I used to be fairly happy when he returned to the extra bombastic Alice for the Constrictor album in 1986. Sure, that was tacky. However it felt proper.
Paul Capener : Nice album. A unique really feel, however this sits properly with Zipper Catches Pores and skin as a duo of eclectic rock albums.
Andy Herrin : Comprises Alice’s normal humour. I significantly like the road “I am a buddy of Sammy Davies…casually”, and you realize he most likely wasn’t mendacity. Clones… is unbelievable, my least favourite is the opener Speak Speak . Simply not rapid sufficient for me. General a 6 out of 10. It is fairly good, and price it for some throwaway leisure. Wouldn’t it be on fixed repeat? Most likely not.
Craig Little All I am going to state is that I take into account Clones… the closest to a half-decent tune on the album, and Alice did not even write or co-write the tune.
Richard Slee : This was a large disappointment after From The Inside . Solely Clones… is any good. The subsequent two albums have been no higher, DaDa a slight return to type.
Ultimate rating: 6.05 (76 votes solid, whole rating 460)
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Alice Cooper: Flush The Vogue: Value Comparability
