Search - Alice Cooper :: Constrictor

Alice takes on Hair Metal......and Wins!!

Graboidz | Westminster, Maryland | 07/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Constrictor" was the very first CD I ever bought and this was my first Alice Cooper CD. I had heard "School's Out" of course, but had never really paid attention to who performed it. I went to see "Friday the 13, Part 6" and was immediately taken by "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" during the end credits. So decided to pick up Alice's disk to see how the rest of the album was. Thanks to Jason and another batch of hapless counselors at Camp Crystal Lake, I found Alice Cooper. "Constrictor" features what is best about Alice's music. Great songwriting, laden with wit and catchy hooks and chorus'. The songs on "Constrictor" are some of Alice's best. "Teenage Frankenstein" is a song only Alice Cooper could pull off. The guitar driven ode to teenage angst is fun and catchy, and Kane Roberts guitar work is just made for cranking up the car stereo. "Life and Death of the Party" is a personal favorite with fantasic guitar work, and a song that is hurt in no way by the electro-drumming. "He's Back" should become part of your Halloween mix CD! I think one of the best songs on the disk is "Simple Disobedience". The chorus is catchy and again the electro-drumming really keeps the song moving. "The World Needs Guts" is a great, in your face metal track, with some of the coolest lyrics Alice ever penned.
I see several reveiwers slammed Alice for the electric drums, and synth use on this disk, but that was just a product of the times. What is great about Alice Cooper is that he wasn't using the latest technology as a crutch, but rather he used it to enhance his songs. It's great that Alice Cooper is willing to take risks and try out various musical styles. As a fan, I may not always care for the end product, but I can appreciate how Alice is always giving something new to his fans. Look beyond the techno stuff and you will see that "Constrictor" still features simply great songwriting."

One of Coopers most wrongfully bashed gems.

L. Floor | ELYRIA, OH United States | 07/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is an Alice Cooper masterpiece, heck an 80's hardrock masterpiece, its got some of the best music that Alice Cooper ever realeased, and it was my first Cooper album.



A little background on this album, it was 1986, Alice Cooper had finally finished his rehab, and had to plunge back into the Rock and Roll universe with a Return album, and what better way to do it then make a corporate hair metal cd (some say) however the way it really should be is what better way... then to make a Rock and Roll Masterpiece. This album got Alice back in toon with himself in a way, and the Tour that supported this album - The Nightmare Returns was good if not great. Now lets look at the cd itself. As a great carreer move Alice hired Guitarist Kane Roberts which was a great great choice due to him co writing the lyrics on the songs, and coming up with some of the best riffs to ever hit Rock and Roll. Kip Winger from the band (Winger) this was Kips first mainstream musical job. and alot of other musicians that helped to make this album great.



The cd is released in a Jewel cd case for the ultimate protection, and the disc has been remastered to perfection. 5/5



The inserts of the cd are good, with an adress to write to Alice Cooper (now out of date) and Lyrics and a Great album Cover. Then the back inserts have the songs and times listed, and a picture of Alice and a snake. 5/5



Songs.

Teenage Frankenstein - A great opener for this Album some of the best Cooper lyrics and music to back it up, its a great great song. 5/5



Give it Up - One of Coopers old school style party hard songs that he managed to pump up into this song, great guitar solo here. 5/5



Thrill My Gorilla - This song is ok however I feel its the weakest song on the album, don't get me wrong its good and worth listening to, but it dosent match up to the other songs on this disc. 3/5



Life and Death of the Party - This song is quite possibly the best song on the cd, its got the best guitar work on the cd, and some of the greatest lyrics, it sounds so crisp and clean, and its another one of Coopers pumped up party hard songs that survived through the decade. Now when I say pumped up it dosen't mean he remasterred an old song, it means it sounds like his old stuff, that has the 80's style in it. 5/5



Simple Disobedience - A good 80's hard rock songs, nothing memorable but its still alot of fun to listen to. 4.5/5



The World Needs Guts - This song has the 2nd best guitar work on it, and some of the best metal lyrics iv'e ever heard, definently a 5/5 song.



Trick Bag - Another good version of old school Cooper with an 80's boost. Some good musician work, and Lyrics. It was the original version of he's back but it was turned into Trick Bag and people say thats filler, but it isn't its just a creative re- creation of a song. 5/5



Crawlin - Another good song but not memorable. its alot of fun to listen to though. 4/5



The Great American Success Story - This song was supposed to be in some movie, but it never saw the light of day, and this Album saved it from being completly forgotton, and thats a good thing because this song is a great song. 5/5



He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask) - This song was originally on the Jason Lives part 6 movie, its got good synth work, and just a great song with some spoooky spook lyrics. 5/5



and last but not least - Price, 7 bucks, thats a good price for a cd like this its rare, and rather cheap for an album full of fun filled hard rocking hits. 5/5



So all in all this is an 80's album that is amazing, its hair metal, glam rock, 80's Shock Rock, call it whatever you will, its Alice Cooper and its great 80's rock. This is the album that got Cooper out of the Dark Times. It's so great, and it deserves more then the 3 and 2 and especially 1 star ratings its getting, it deserves atleast a 4 and deffinently a 5."

Cooper Goes Hair Metal

Steven Sly | Kalamazoo, MI United States | 12/15/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Alice takes 3 years off to sober up and get his life back together. With the release of "Constrictor" Alice teams up with guitarist Kane Roberts and bassist Kip Winger to re-invent himself as a hair metal rocker. "Constrictor" would be the first in a series of 4 albums with Roberts and Winger that would eventually get Cooper back to the top of the rock n roll heap. With the release of "Constrictor" Cooper made a very successful comeback mounting "The Nightmare Returns" tour which was also made into a very successful live video concert recording. The album gets mixed reviews from Cooper fans. Many new fans discovered Cooper during the late 80's period and love this stuff, but most older fans find it somewhat lacking. I have to give Cooper credit for totally updating his sound at the time and doing something completely different from what had made him famous. Most of this album is pretty average hair metal, but there are a few exceptions. The opening track "Teenage Frankenstein" is a good one mining similar territory to the Cooper classic "18" about teenage angst and coming of age. "Life And The Death Of The Party:" has a killer hook and seems like it could have been a hit. The final track "He's Back" was the theme from the motion picture "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives". It actually got Cooper back on the radio and the video got some airplay on MTV. It was not a big hit, but enough to remind people that Cooper was still around and by far his most successful single since "Clones". The song is actually completely different than the rest of the album with keyboard synths being the main instrument instead of Robert's metal guitar. Overall I find this to be an average Cooper release, but it does have it's moments."