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Special Forces(Alice Cooper album)

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Special Forces
Studio albumby
Alice Cooper
ReleasedSeptember 1, 1981(1981-09-01)[1]
StudioAmerican Recording Co.,Studio City,California
Genre
Length34:51
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerRichard Podolor
Alice Cooperchronology
Flush the Fashion
(1980) 		Special Forces
(1981) 		Zipper Catches Skin
(1982)
SinglesfromSpecial Forces
  1. "You Want It, You Got It"
    Released: July 1981[2]
  2. "Seven and Seven Is"
    Released: October 1981[3]

Special Forcesis the sixth solo studio album by AmericanrocksingerAlice Cooper,released in September 1981 byWarner Bros. Records.[4]It was produced byRichard Podolor,best known for his work withThree Dog Night.

Special Forcesis the first of three studio albums which Cooper refers to as his "blackout"albums, followed byZipper Catches Skin(1982), andDaDa(1983), as he has no recollection of recording them, due tosubstance abuse.Cooper stated "I wrote them, recorded them and toured them and I don't remember much of any of that",[5]though in fact he toured onlySpecial Forces.[6]

TheSpecial Forcestour started on June 20, 1981 inConcord, California,well before the album was eventually released. On October 9, Alice Cooper was interviewed onThe Tomorrow ShowwithTom Snyder,looking very gaunt in full military-dragmake-up, after which he gave live performances of "Who Do You Think We Are" and hiscover versionofLove's "Seven and Seven Is",both from the album. Cooper touredSpecial Forcesthrough the United States, Canada, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, but other than the aforementioned songs he played no furtherSpecial Forcessongs live, except for snippets of "Vicious Rumours" at a few shows in the U.S. and Scotland.[7]With the exception of "Who Do You Think We Are", which was a regular part of setlists during theEyes of Alice Coopertour in 2004,[8]none of the songs fromSpecial Forceshas been performed live since 1982.[6]

French television specialAlice Cooper a Pariswas recorded in December 1981 and aired on January 14, before the start of theSpecial ForcesEuropean tour – Cooper's first tour of Europe since 1975. The tour was a major success.

TheSpecial Forcestour, ending in February 1982, would be Cooper's last for over four years, as he succumbed to the abuse offreebase cocaineand a subsequent relapse ofalcoholism,until his return to the road in October 1986 withThe Nightmare Returnstour.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]

In a review forAllMusic,critic Greg Prato wrote: "1981's 'Special Forces' was Cooper's most stripped-down and straightforward since his classic early-'70s work. But without theoriginal Cooper bandto back him up and help out with the songwriting, it's an intriguing yet sometimes uneven set. " Cooper was heavily into the guns and ammo publicationSoldier of Fortuneat the time; hence the album title and lyrical subject matter. The opening track, 'Who Do You Think We Are,' is one of Cooper's punchiest rockers, and one of his most overlooked, while 'Seven & Seven Is,' 'You Look Good in Rags,' and 'Vicious Rumours' are also rocking highlights. A faithful rereading of theBillion Dollar Babiesnugget 'Generation Landslide' is included as well, titled 'Generation Landslide '81 (Live),' even though it was, in fact, entirely created in the studio (with added audience cheers). While Special Forces didn't return Cooper to his earlier status as a chart-topping superstar, it is certainly one of the strongest and most interesting releases of his post-1975 period. "[9]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Who Do You Think We Are"
4:21
2."Seven and Seven Is"Arthur Lee2:41
3."Prettiest Cop on the Block"
3:13
4."Don't Talk Old to Me"
  • Cooper
  • Johnstone
  • Mandel
2:54
5."Generation Landslide '81" (live)
3:50
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Skeletons in the Closet"
  • Cooper
  • Hitchings
3:42
7."You Want It, You Got It"
3:15
8."You Look Good in Rags"
  • Cooper
  • Hitchings
3:35
9."You're a Movie"
  • Cooper
  • Hitchings
3:37
10."Vicious Rumours"
3:43
Total length:34:51
  • "Look at You Over There, Ripping the Sawdust from My Teddybear", was listed on the album packaging, but was removed by Cooper from the album itself before the release, as he felt it didn't fit with the overall theme. It was later released indemoform on the 4-CD box setThe Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper(1999). There is a completed studio version of the song which remains unreleased.

Personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from theSpecial Forcesliner notes.[11]

Musicians

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1981) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[12] 76
UK Albums(OCC)[13] 96
USBillboard200[14] 125

References

[edit]
  1. ^"AliceCooper - Special Forces".
  2. ^"Alice Cooper singles - Dutch Charts - You Want It".
  3. ^"Alice Cooper singles - Dutch Charts - 7 & 7 Is".
  4. ^Strong, Martin Charles (1995).The Great Rock Discography (UK & US).p. 170.ISBN9780862415419.
  5. ^Love And Poison, An Alice Cooper Interview
  6. ^abAlice Cooper Tour Archive
  7. ^Gray, Iain; "Apollo, Glasgow: Alice Cooper"; inThe Glasgow Herald;February 22, 1982; p. 4
  8. ^Alice Cooper Tour Archive
  9. ^abPrato, Greg."Special Forces – Alice Cooper".AllMusic.RetrievedSeptember 28,2014.
  10. ^The Rolling Stone Album Guide.Random House. 1992. p. 10.
  11. ^Special Forces(CD booklet).Alice Cooper.Warner Bros. Records.1981.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  13. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  14. ^"Alice Cooper Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved May 25, 2024.
[edit]
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