Record Mora, December 2. 1978

Alice inside out rr ALICE COOPER: 'From The Inside' (Warner Brothers K5677) t , t- THE BAT out of hell has clipped his wings, thrown sz away his last bottle of 1 booze and vowed never to be nAughty again. s Alice was In danger of A heading for that great boogie house In the sky, after years of pickling his Si liver with alcohol. But he pulled back and went on a cure. This album Is a loose a. concept of his reflections . and hospital experiences. t Apocalyptic tracks, , -k heavy with thunderous , II guitar and keyboards. The title track is a panoramic view of being on the road and how the booze troubles started. Imagine 'School's Out' meeting a quality disco track and you'll get the 'idea of how the song on the wagon sounds. ALICE COOPER: Alice now works many assorted seventies Highlights are the primarily with Bernie albums Rundgren has cocktail - piano intro to Taupin, who hasn't lost cleverly fused mid -sixties 'never Never Land' and his talent for incisive idyllic American emotional 'The Verb To lyrics. 'The Quiet Room' melodies with various Love' but 'Hello It's Me' Is full of opposing forms of heavy - rock. comes off best with Its parallels between soul; jazz, Eastern In- archetypal chorus thoughts of home and trigue and even modern utilising the vocal talents frustration about being Instrumental pieces akin of Hall and Oates, Stevie n M locked in a padded cell. to Debussy to create a Nicks (when she's not But Cooper isn't going complete 'pop - sound with her group she's to forget about his early encyclopaedia', and alright) and Rick "weirdo" Image. 'Nurse amazingly he remains an Derringer- The inane Rosetta' is a fantasy enigmatic cult. To put it plodding of 'Don't You about one of the nurses simply, if 'Revolver' is Ever Learn' works well :_ g wearing silk suspenders, ; the perfect British pop Overall it's not as subjected to his lust. record then Todd's 'A impressive as 'Another v" 'Serious' Is equally Wizard, A True Star' Is its Live' and really serves to v maniacal, Cooper American equivalent. document the old Viking's 1.11, rat balancing on a knife edge The differences bet- progress through the last 41- of horror -packed at- ween the two, apart from six years and If you have mospheric guitar. 'How the ever - present the whole Rundgren You Gonna See Me Now' evocation of the is the soap opera of the legacy there's nothing respective Fatherlands is new here. Even as an album as Alice prepares that whereas the 'Beats, return a artefact It's a must for his home and songs were the product of though and all the key meeting with his wile. four minds (or three - tracks I haven'Lheard a song are there. Shake remember Ringo) and P -P -Pop. + + + + with the lyrical calibre of working together with 'Jack Knife Johnny' for JAMES PARADE. , George Martin, the .rs.fr' years. A one - time war Rundgren heritage has ' ,tltC'- .t ' . . hero is reduced to mostly been written, a .sweeping the floors to pay sung, played, engineered vf for his morphine money and produced by him; and everybody hates him Todd's maxim obviously . _ because he has a Viet- being that if you want . namese wife. something doing The album ends on a properly, do It yourself. s9 -' - piece of Cooper horror From a humble but OW 00 7. show with 'Inmates We're auspicious start a . +A in Ml Crazy'. Alice spits like garage - band called The a Bible - thumping demon Nazz, Todd Rundgren has creature before being produced 11 solo albums NFU joined by a zombie chorus with his band Utopia, mouthing dark lyrics. changing styles more DR HOOK: 'Pleasure Phew, I need a Coke. + + frequently than Bowie (if And Pain' (Capitol EA -ST + + ROBIN SMITH you thought 'Low' was 11858). Innovative Just quickly DR HOOK'LL never be iwnv.... check out the second side rich while they record of 'Initiation' from two other people's songs. but years earlier) and con- they make such a good stantly seems to shrug off job of the Interpretation. opportunities to be It must be a temptation commercial and be they just can't resist. famous. At the moment, they're This live double album STILL struggling to covers the period from shake off 'Sylvia's the balladeering of Mother' (my God, they ON TOUR 'Something / Anything' must be sick about that. through the electrical but people have such long WITH SPECIAL trickery of the 'Wizard' memories) but it looks as TODD RUNDGREN: album and all that though the fight's nearly GUESTS GONZALEZ 'Back' To The Bars' Eastern paraphernalia to over. They have a couple 28 Nov ASHTON Thameside Theatre the more 'Utopia', of Shel SUverstein's songs (BearsviUe Records Don't 29 Nov SOUTHPORT Southport Theatre. K6511) orientated +Oops, Wrong here, Including '1 10 Nov. WITHERNSEA Pavilion Planet' of last year. It Want To Be Alone It's a I MIDDLESBROUGH Town Hall AS NIKKI Lowe often begins with the heavily Tonight'. Though Dec don't know 2 Dec. DEESIDE Leisure Centre says, "There Is nothing synthesized 'Real Man', a good song, I Capitol pulled It oN 3 Dec STOKE loners Club new," which come to Rundgren prime - cut and why Montfort U.S think of it isn't a bad I reckon that I'm right in as a single. 4 Dec. LEICESTER De In almost all of the 6 Dec. EASTBOURNE Congress Theatre excuse for constant saying that this record tact, a dubbed or songs are harder than 7 Dec POOLE Art Centre carbon copies, but wait has not been minute. Nick calls his out- altered in any way, usual, more in line wish 8 Dec WOLVERHAMPTON Civic Centre going dated - because apart from the the rest of what's 10 Dec, LONDON Ham menmíth Odeon countryish rock the pose 'pop', well listen immaculate drum -sound on instead of leaving a limb here because somewhere and superb swooping band out on a sucker for out there Is a man who backing - vocals the Although I'm weepy songs (like 'I hasn't resorted to sound quality isn't their and exactly wonderful, which Gave Her Comfort' plagiarism, gimmickry She's There') 1 or pose and who really I do believe is Knowing a to those silly think they've made taken from the forthcoming album has made Total Pop preferential move with the 10ec and Wings 'live' smart Music. to overall feel of this album. Todd Rundgren plays a recordings which tend now V the original AU they need "Madam Butterfly" musical game of pistol - sound like singgle. ++ wrapped in foam another hit packing pop best called records + ROSALIND RU9-SE11. Polypopoly . Through his rubber. an _o