Review of Alice Cooper's "Easy Action" album (1970)

[@MrMojoRisin]

Wow an original vinyl copy of this under appreciated album. This was a great band. Loved you playing the intro to Shoe Salesman. Great review, Jeff.

[@CalicoSilver]

Yep, I kept all of my original Alice Cooper Group vinyl albums, Peter. Like I said in the video, these guys were my "Beatles" back in the '70s. Thanks for the nice comment. Jeff

[@MrMojoRisin]

CalicoSilver You are most welcome.

[@scooter6472]

Your enthusiasm and love for this album has made me want to give it another go. As you know, I'm a pretty big Alice fan (with much love for those "lost years" albums) but have just not been able to develop an appreciation for EA and PFY. Gonna give EA another shot over the next week. Thanks for posting this interesting review.

[@CalicoSilver]

Thanks Scott. Yeah I love all of these early AC albums, but then again I grew up with them as my "Beatles" so I am biased, haha!

[@EdwinCannistraci]

Another great video. Love your insights, which made me appreciate the album even more. I find it’s a very layered album that rewards you with repeat listens and it’s grown a lot on me over the years.

[@CalicoSilver]

It took me a while to get used to the early pre-Ezrin albums too, because I was bathing in the glory of the "trilogy" of Killer, Love It, and Billion Dollar Babies at the time. But there are times I actually prefer those pre-Ezrin albums! Haha. Cheers. Jeff

[@TripleThreat2405]

Jeff, I've been waiting for this review and you’re so eloquent that ‘ol Alice himself might have second thoughts about this album! Having recently listened to it after many years, on my phone and dismissing it as trash - replaying it again in stereo made a world of difference. As you pointed out, the subtle musical nuances have to be appreciated. And hey, my dad remarked after seeing the cover and learning they were guys, that one of ‘em needed his roots dyed! Haha. Yep, Alice Cooper - the band were my “Beatles” too!

[@CalicoSilver]

I read that NONE of these Easy Action songs have been performed live since the LITD tour. Which surprises me, because songs like Return Of The Spiders and Mr. And Misdemeanor seem to be great concert songs, and the real FANS would eat it up if he played them.....but then again, I don't think ol' Alice could figure out which of the same-exact-15-songs-he's-played-each-show-since-1976 he'd have to throw out in order to play something like Return Of The Spiders.....haha! (I'm always picking on Alice and his never-changing set lists). Yeah, my dad ALWAYS poked fun at me when he saw those androgynous AliceCooper and RollingStones and EdgarWinter album covers. To this DAY he teases me about "Alice Cupper" (as he pronounces it). (....pssst.....hey Dan......ACG > Beatles......I know you know it too!....bwahahaha!....)

[@bjmombo]

Great album, very underrated. Love your Cooper reviews! Cheers😎

[@CalicoSilver]

Thanks. I need to get back to making more Cooper reviews! Cheers. Jeff

[@bjmombo]

@@CalicoSilver Do it! Congrats on passing 1K subs😎 Well deserved

[@LarryGravesCanadianStudmuffin]

Such an underrated album!

[@CalicoSilver]

Indeed it is. One of my favorites!

[@mistymangham4410]

One thing I love about the first 2 Alice Cooper bands they were very tight, but very loose. Most folks go by what Alice became but there's a genius to the band. They are just awesome to listen to.

[@CalicoSilver]

I've often wondered what they would have sounded like if they kept going without Ezrin. Perhaps we'd never know, if they lost their record deal. But I do wonder. There was something very special about those first two albums. They mean a lot to me.

[@rockdogization]

another absolute classic...shoe salesman is just brilliant ...and laughing at me is superb..and the fadeout at the end of mr and mis demeanor...it has so many remakable little moments...great review....

[@CalicoSilver]

I LOVE to hear from fans of the pre-Ezrin ACG albums. Thanks so much for taking the time to say hello and comment. I've often wondered what ACG would have sounded like without Ezrin. Not that I am totally anti-Ezrin, but I do wonder. Thanks again. Cheers. Jeff

[@ian7520]

I bought this and Pretties around the same time as you, your reviews are brilliant to watch and I'm going now to play them for the first time in 40 years. Your guitar work is brilliant as well.We must like a lot of the same stuff. Love you to go through the Stooges and Iggy stuff as well.

[@CalicoSilver]

Thanks, Ian. Yes I love these pre-Ezrin albums. I don't know much of Stooges/Iggy, though. I had their first two albums long ago but don't have them now. Cheers. Jeff

[@troyjarvis6449]

I loved that rendition of shoe salesman you just played ur a fan for sure you nailed them notes bro 👍👏👏

[@CalicoSilver]

Haha, thanks......it's pretty easy stuff, but yeah, it is pretty cool stuff too. Thanks again.

[@gorvo31]

Hey again Jeff, Hmm.....well I don't even know this album, and I'm here.... ;-) Now I do have 'Pretties for you' and am curious to revisit it now, as I am to hear this one overall. Another very neat sharing here. -Carm

[@CalicoSilver]

Hi Carm. Check out my Pretties For You review. I really go into that one because I love it so much. Jeff

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks for the review Jeff. I'm really not up on Alice's records so need to catch up with him/them. I really like what I've heard.

[@CalicoSilver]

Well, with 27 studio albums, there is a lot to explore. Not sure what you have already, but most of his fans will agree with me that his "classic" albums (Love It To Death, Killer, School's Out, Billion Dollar Babies, Welcome To My Nightmare) are the best places to start.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

@@CalicoSilver I only have School's Out and Nightmare.

[@progrocktommyscorner]

Love "Easy Action" album. Nice overview. Take Care - Edward

[@CalicoSilver]

Wow, thanks, Edward. Nice to meet another person who loves these pre-Ezrin Alice Cooper albums as much as I do.

[@anthonymitchellalice]

Real fantastic knowledge. I need to listen again. Always thought Alice started with Love It To Death, Never got on with the first two, but your review took me straight back to hearing this album as a teenager.

[@CalicoSilver]

Yeah, it took a few listens back then to accept the significant difference between Ezrin-Alice and pre-Ezrin-Alice, for sure. The pre-Ezrin albums sounded like a BAND where the focus was on the music and not on any particular member as a leader. And successive albums retained that band feel to lesser extents, but gradually, as you know, it became more and more Alice + band. Heck, it was ALL good stuff, though, no matter when. I'm going to enjoy "reviewing" the AC albums. Thanks for commenting, Anthony. Jeff

[@anthonymitchellalice]

@@CalicoSilver You have some very worthwhile things to say. As an Alice fan since I was 14 or so, one opinion I have that seems to differ from everyone else is my love of the early 80's stuff. Flush The Fashion, Special Forces, Da Da and Zipper Catches Skin. I think they are littered with quirky, off the wall classics!

[@CalicoSilver]

@@anthonymitchellalice I agree 100%, Anthony! I do admit that Flush The Fashion took me by surprise when it came out in 1980, but once I accepted the new sound, I took to it. That tour was fun too. There was an aluminum trash can on the stage, and out pops the new Alice from the can! Haha. What a goof he was. I liked that you never knew what he was going to release next, album-wise. He kept us guessing. And such great humor in those albums. He claims to "not remember" anything about those albums, but I never much bought into that. I was disappointed when reading his autobio (the one about music and golf) that he barely even mentioned any of these albums. Oh well.....

[@anthonymitchellalice]

@@CalicoSilver Those comments bring me round to 'Things that slightly irritate you about Alice Cooper'. Before I go on, I have been a huge Alice fan since 1978. My nick name is Alice, most of my friends and family have always called m 'Alice', so I don't get irritated too easily. I too don't like it when he kind of dismisses those albums, probably because they were not very successful. Far too convenient to say "I don't remember!" I also had enough around the time of 'The Eyes of Alice Cooper.' Thought the switch from Marilyn Manson to the White Stripes was too contrived and obvious. I know he keeps doing this, but that time it got to me! Alice! You invented this shit!! One last thing is that I find him far too eager to name drop in interviews. In my eyes, he should be way above that. Small things, and they disappear in the whole scheme of things!

[@CalicoSilver]

@@anthonymitchellalice Anthony...I mean "Alice"! I could not agree with you more!!! You hit the nail on the head, and your complaint about our hero is PRECISELY my complaint. This guy seems to be the nicest guy in rock, and I'd love to meet him.....BUT I would not even LET him start in on one of his half-dozen stories that he's been telling over and over again ever since "Me Alice", haha! Name-dropping galore, telling the same stories, and frequent hyperbole about things. He is a LEGEND and I too wish he were more straightforward without having to resort to the tired soundbites. (For this reason, I still have the books written by Dennis, Michael, and other AC writers, but have never kept Alice's own books). HOWEVER, I've seen him in some great interviews where he was flat out REAL, like when he was commenting on the passing of his friend Glen Campbell - just marvelous interview there. As for his music, I really like every album except for Trash, when he was too much like Bon Jovi or Axl Rose for my taste. But yeah, some of his later albums are not as good as others (I did two ranking videos of his music - one was his albums from 1969 to 1983, and one was his albums from 1986 to present - you might enjoy these if you are interested). Still, with all the above said, he is still pretty much my "Beatles"....just plain ol' great rock and pop and you-name-it, he can do it all.

[@Hawkwind77]

You got them chords spot on bro " i love the early cooper years 🤟👍

[@CalicoSilver]

Thanks! Me too.

[@jamesscarselletta3446]

The two albums are good but Alice just doesn't do the songs from them anymore. I feel that "Sing Low Sweet Cheerio", "Living", and "Fields Of Regret are good enough to play along with. I play drums late at night and some of the songs from these two albums is what I do. My favorite album of Alice Cooper is "Love It To Death."

[@CalicoSilver]

I agree 100%, James. I wish Alice performed these songs too. His fans would love it!

[@hentlerob7565]

I have two first albums of easy and pretties both on just one cd ….me too I like both albums of Alice cooper band ..make by Frank Zappa !

[@harryzlotzlottos5715]

Hey Jeff..I know a shoe salesman he’s an acquaintance of mine one day he showed me marks on his arms in a line.....🎵 listening to the album in it’s entirety... Thanks for bringing this album to my attention.

[@CalicoSilver]

......I did not know what to say.....do you think those freckles will stay?....

[@TripleThreat2405]

​@@CalicoSilver I need a popsicle, do you want lemon or lime?

[@harryzlotzlottos5715]

@@CalicoSilver ..that’s not like you to be stuck for words Jeff.... Do you think ..Dr.Freckles and Mr.Hives..would’ve been a good song title for...Easy Action!!

[@CalicoSilver]

@@harryzlotzlottos5715 Haha! I wasn't stuck for words....I was in the kitchen, burning the shit out of a pan full of Mrs. Paul's battered fish fillets.....we have a new fancy oven and I can't seem to figure out how to use it properly.....not that burnt Mrs. Paul's fish fillets taste that much worse than unburnt Mrs. Paul's fish fillets......DAMN THIS LOCKDOWN!! I want to go out to eat again! Hahaha.

[@harryzlotzlottos5715]

@@CalicoSilver ....Mrs.Paul’s battered fish fillets...? Sounds like a band that played at Woodstock...Besides Easy Action, on Zappa’s straight label...I use to have (Jeff Simmons) solo album..Lucille has messed my mind up)..on vinyl..it’s not bad...but the last song is worth a listen....Conversations with a recluse.....Sho’ Sumptin!

[@laurencelevene4333]

I think the first two Alice albums are amazing and underated. Although I love all the album's that followed with Bob ezrin, I don't think they were as experimental and progressive ever again as the first two.

[@CalicoSilver]

I agree 100%, Laurence. I actually listen to the two pre-Ezrin albums far more than to the others. Thanks for your comment - nice to meet others who agree, haha! Cheers. Jeff

[@laurencelevene4333]

@@CalicoSilver great review of the album by the way 👍. I have all of Alice coopers album's and never tire of listening to them. Long live the coop.

[@laceyshaymaloney2618]

Do you still play vinyl jeff and dylan's new album due in june cant wait

[@CalicoSilver]

Hi Lacey. No, I no longer have a turntable. I lost all of my vinyl collection (800+ albums) many years ago while I was off at college (long story....). However, I still have a few vinyl albums left that were not lost, and this was one of them. Are you a vinyl or polycarbonate (CD) listener? Or perhaps you've dispensed with physical media altogether? I've almost done that a few times. YEAH, I heard about the new Dylan album last night - can't wait either! Cheers. Jeff

[@joeysgamingchannel63]

I like your vids. Big fan I want your opinion on what albums I should get first and what is your favorite song from Alice cooper

[@CalicoSilver]

Hello. Love It To Death, Killer, Billion Dollar Babies, Welcome To My Nightmare, Brutal Planet, The Last Temptation are all among my favorite of his albums....but then again I like all of them (well, almost all of them) - I've posted two Alice Cooper album ranking videos that you will probably enjoy. Favorite Alice song is probably Halo Of Flies from the Killer album, or Generation Landslide from the Billion Dollar Babies album. Thanks for your comment.

[@joeysgamingchannel63]

Ok thanks so far I got along came a spider schools out and from the inside. I like the original band albums grime the 70s era

[@joeysgamingchannel63]

And maybe do a review on billion dollar Babies

[@CalicoSilver]

@@joeysgamingchannel63 Will do. I'm going in order so I have to do LITD, Killer, and SO first, but I will get to BDB.

[@joeysgamingchannel63]

Ok

[@TripleThreat2405]

If it weren't for Ezrin, Alice Cooper would be a footnote like the Shaggs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/joOclWd7iNGjfrs WARNING: If you click this link you won't be able to unhear it...

[@CalicoSilver]

Hahaha!!! Dan, I heard a bit of that Shaggs stuff once.....and I never want to hear it again.....it was almost as bad as....certain Bruce Springsteen songs I've heard.....