Alice Cooper's "Easy Action", "Killer" and "Welcome to my Nightmare" on Rhino coming 1/23/18! *

I agree about the AF CD's, but I've also heard more than once that the original WB cd's were nearly as good. The original CD catalog was never bad, it's the vinyl catalog that's been MIA or substandard.

 

Amazon is making me nervous. 'Nightmare' is listed as "Currently Unavailable". My order still says arriving tomorrow but no movement as of yet (I know how this story ends). I'm starting to think they aren't going to get this in and I'm going to miss the boat. I've place a second order at Barnes and Noble, just in case. But panic is starting to slowly creep in.

 

I'm in the same boat. Really sucks for people like me that live so far away from a record store.

 

My panties are looking a little grey now.....

 

How long ago did you place your preorder? I've had Amazon sort of screw me over like this in the past, where they didn't order enough copies of something from the manufacturer to meet the demand they eventually had for said item. In that case, they send out product in the order in which they were the placed originally by their customers. If you ordered late, then often you will get pushed aside until they get more product back in, which could take weeks, or even months.

Now I say "sort of" as I'll take at least a partial bit of blame in one instance for not getting my own pre-order in on time for one of them. Generally, any company ordering product from record labels has "x" amount of cut off time to get their orders placed. It's generally about two to three weeks before the albums are due to be released. This guarantees that the record companies can cover demand, and get their orders shipped out in time. If you order product after that cut off time, there's no guarantee you'll get product at all. So buyers have to estimate demand, and if they don't get it right, then you end up in a situation like above.

 

I ordered December 30th.

 

It's just nice to have new decent copies of these records in print again. I was sick of seeing all the "thrashed" used versions for sale at top dollar. The first Rhino releases were pretty good in my opinion. No reason to think these won't be as well. The early Alice Cooper records are special to me as I really followed them in the early days of the band when they were based out of Los Angeles. I was able to see them early in 1968 when they just changed their name from The Nazz to AC. They were really unique and different back then. I sort of lost interest after Muscle of Love.

 

Man I'm f....cking jealous you saw them in the early days. That must be great although it wasn't clear back then they would reach world fame a few years later.

 

Just got word that Rhino is recalling these...anyone got the skinny?

 

There was a mix-up with the labels. From another thread:

Well, there was a problem with Killer and Easy Action at the pressing plant.
Stampers were mis-identified and got pressed with each other's lacquers.

Rhino Start Your Ear Off Right Vinyl Releases 2018

 

They were definitely ahead of their time then. They had a cult following but were sort of overshadowed by bands like the Doors, Spirit, Iron Butterfly, etc. who were playing in the Southern California area. Frank Zappa's straight label was considered sort of a fringe group of artists. It wasn't until Warner Brothers really got behind the band that things started to happen for them. "Easy Action" is still one of my favorite albums of all time. I use to have a 4 track cartridge tape of it and listened to it all the time while driving in my van.

 

I said screw it and cancelled my order with Amazon. My brother got his Welcome To My Nightmare today and said it is so dark purple that it almost looks black. Mastered by Ron McMaster so he says.

 

It's been 'McMastered'
I'm out.

 

Ron McMaster was involved in the Tom Waits remasters that had to be replaced with a new master being sent out a few years ago.

 

Then maybe it’s the same cut as the Friday Music edition. Ugh. Regaoso strikes again.

 

I wonder if that means that the upcoming Killer reissue will be the Friday Music one all over again.

 

Start your ear off wrong.

So is the Killer/Easy Action mix up effecting the Nightmare distribution? Should I even care at this point?

 

Apparently that slogan had too much hubris!

 

Received my order today from Bull Moose. Killer and Easy Action are switched, but I'm good.

 

Is that "switched" as in the Easy Action LP is in the Killer sleeve and vice versa? Are the labels correct?

 

I have yet to receive mine. Now I'm even more excited by all the mess-up. And here I just thought I was going to receive ordinary reissues that play their respective albums!

 

Yes, I've always said that the Alice Cooper group (and a few others in their vein) remains the single most underappreciated "well-known" rock and roll artist (if that even makes sense?).

And not just for his image and shock rock facets, which obviously have been cited and built upon by endless bands that followed, but really because the band was "there" through so many pivotal points of music in the late 60's and early 70's. I mean people endlessly rave about someone like David Bowie (and rightly so, because he was a legend, and many people loved his work), yet even Bowie took Alice's lead in initiating "glam". Not to mention, Alice moving West in the 60's and being close friends to Jim Morisson. Their impact (or rather lack of musical impact that made them an impact) on Zappa and their first signing. Their utter fearlessness in "being themselves" and making an intentional effort to be an antithesis of the "love generation" at a time when that was completely out of commercial interest (and was indeed an initial detriment to the band prior to Ezrin). Alice's use of showtune and vaudeville elements at a time when "arena rock" was yet to really flourish, his friendship with movie stars and true artists such as Salvador Dali, who all understood what he was doing, even as parents thought he was evil sent from below. The humor, the dark humor, his collaborating with Vincent Price more than 7 years before Michael Jackson and the landmark "Thriller" video.

I know you, and most hardcore Alice lovers, know all this, but relative to all he pioneered, behind a truly great band and a healthy list of tuneful riffs and creative songs, some still seem to think he was just some controversial figure in black eye makeup, singing without purpose and putting his head in a guillotine.

It's similar to what i see with a few other glam bands of their era (who followed Alice's lead no less). Most just don't appreciate all that was started or all that were influenced. They just see an "old iconic image", more or less. I always have that puzzled look when I see other pivotal artists widely credited and praised around the clock, yet it's like some people go out of their way to pretend artists like Alice didn't happen.

Then again, maybe that's good. It keeps the controversy going...

 

The Killer reissue looks great, with the original colors and calendar. Found a typo on the inside cover credits. Halo of Flies credits Alice Coopre. The outside back cover credits correctly. But it plays Easy Action!

 

It looks like Killer, red vinyl. Put it on, Easy Action comes out.

 

Well I ordered 1 each of Easy Action, Killer, and Nightmare, but received 1 killer and 2 nightmares, I already own a Bellman cut Killer, so now I guess all I need is an Easy Action cover!