Easy Action
| Easy Action | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Alice Cooper | ||||
| Released | March 27, 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 1969-1970 | |||
| Studio | Sunwest Studios, Hollywood[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:13 | |||
| Label | Straight | |||
| Producer | David Briggs | |||
| Alice Cooper chronology | ||||
| ||||
Easy Action is the second studio album by Alice Cooper, released by Straight Records in March 1970. The title comes from a line in the musical film West Side Story, which was one of the band's favorite films. As with Pretties for You, the band's debut from the previous year, Easy Action was neither a commercial nor critical success. Singles from easy action Shoe salesman/Return of the spiders
Drummer Neal Smith later said of the record producer David Briggs, "David hated our music and us. I recall the term that he used, referring to our music, was 'Psychedelic Shit'. I think Easy Action sounded too dry, more like a TV or radio commercial and he did not help with song arrangement or positive input in any way." . None of Easy Action’s songs have ever been performed live by Cooper since the tour in support of their third album Love It to Death;[6] in fact, only "Return of the Spiders" was performed on the tour for that album.
A small number of early U.S. copies were pressed on the blue Bizarre Records label. These copies carry the same catalog number WS-1845 and album cover as the regular Straight Records release.
Though perhaps seen as being a looked over work in terms of later releases, Easy Action tracks "Mr. & Misdemeanor" and "Refrigerator Heaven" were both later included in the well-received compilation album The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper. "Refrigerator Heaven" was also included in the Warner Bros. compilation album Zapped, which was a single LP (all the other Warner Bros. compilations of that time were either 2 or 3-disc sets) showcasing acts signed and/or produced by Frank Zappa. The closing track "Lay Down And Die, Goodbye" begins with a sample of Tom Smothers saying "You are the only censor; if you don't like what I'm saying, you have a choice: you can turn me off". Also, it incorporates part of a piece performed at Live Peace in Toronto, "Written Home To Mother".
Production
According to Alice Cooper's band manager, Shep Gordon, the band's record label wouldn't use the production tapes from producer David Briggs. Instead, the label opted to use the band's rehearsal tapes in the final cut of the album. [7]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [5] |
| Rolling Stone | (unfavorable)[8] |
| Robert Christgau | (C)[9] |
Allmusic's Joe Viglione rated Easy Action three out of five stars. He explained that it "might be the perfect picture of an evolving Alice Cooper Group." He also stated that it "gives evidence that Cooper has more of a voice than he got credit for." He concluded by saying: "That this band could run the gamut from [Frank] Zappa to [David] Bowie, and perhaps inspired both, makes Easy Action a good study and entertaining record."[5] The staff of Rolling Stone did not like the album, stating that "there's nothing nearly that interesting” and that "the pretty stuff sounds like something Walt Disney had the good sense to leave in the can".[8] Robert Christgau, in The Village Voice, rated it a C, explaining that it has "its pseudo-decadent and -psychedelic charms, [...] only not as many". He also stated that it contains "tuneless singing, tuneless playing, tuneless tunes, and pseudo-musique concrete."[9]
Track listing
All songs written by Alice Cooper, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith.
Side One
- "Mr. & Misdemeanor" – 3:05
- "Shoe Salesman" – 2:38
- "Still No Air" – 2:32
- "Below Your Means" – 6:41
Side Two
- "Return of the Spiders" – 4:33
- "Laughing at Me" – 2:12
- "Refrigerator Heaven" – 1:54
- "Beautiful Flyaway" – 3:02
- "Lay Down and Die, Goodbye" – 7:36
Personnel
- Alice Cooper band
- Alice Cooper – vocals
- Glen Buxton – lead guitar
- Michael Bruce – rhythm guitar, piano, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Below Your Means" and "Beautiful Flyaway"
- Dennis Dunaway – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Neal Smith – drums, backing vocals
with:
- David Briggs – piano on "Shoe Salesman"
External links
- Easy Action at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
References
- ↑ Eric Tessier. CAMION BLANC: ALICE COOPER Le parrain du Shock Rock. CAMION BLANC. p. 57. ISBN 978-2-35779-309-5.
- ↑ Peter Buckley, The Rough Guide to Rock, Rough Guides, 2003, p.224 ISBN 1-84353-105-4
- 1 2 Doyle Greene (17 February 2016). Rock, Counterculture and the Avant-Garde, 1966-1970: How the Beatles, Frank Zappa and the Velvet Underground Defined an Era. McFarland. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-4766-2403-7.
- ↑ Peter Buckley (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 1777. ISBN 978-1-85828-457-6.
- 1 2 3 Viglione, Joe. Easy Action - Alice Cooper at AllMusic. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- ↑ Alice Cooper Tour Archive
- ↑ http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-758-shep-gordon
- 1 2 Rolling Stone staff (April 16, 1970). "Easy Action by Alice Cooper". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Reviews: Alice Cooper". The Village Voice. Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
