Alice Cooper "Live From The Astroturf" LP (2018 Record Store Day Black Friday release)
The original Alice Cooper band played a surprise reunion show on October 6, 2015 at the indie music store Good Records in Dallas, Texas. Four-fifths of the original lineup – singer Vincent Furnier (whom we now know as Alice Cooper the solo artist), rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith – performed for a crowd of approximately 200 people. Ryan Roxie took the place of original lead guitarist Glen Buxton, who passed away in 1997. The seven songs performed by this lineup made up the longest set the original band had performed in 40 years. For the Black Friday Record Store Day in 2016, a limited edition 7-inch single was issued, containing two songs ("I'm Eighteen" and "Is It My Body") from that performance. Two years later, on Record Store Day Black Friday in 2018, a full-length 12-inch LP was issued under the same title Live From The Astroturf, with the same cover art, containing the full concert. The LP was limited to 3,000 copies. Here is the Record Store Day website's description of the included extras:
Includes a double sided 24”x36” poster, a 11”x11” 16 page booklet/program, 6 trading cards, each b-side of LP will feature a different member at random, there will be 10 different color variants at random in mofi sleeves and each silver foil board gatefold jacket will be stamped and numbered.
Here is a YouTube video showing an "unboxing" of the package:
The two songs comprising the 2016 single were the third and fourth songs in the set. When listening to the full Live From The Astroturf concert, it becomes evident that the band was hitting their stride at that point in the show. The set opened with "Caught In A Dream", performed before Furnier made his surprise entrance. Michael Bruce (who wrote the song) sang the lead vocal, and although it may have been a pleasure for the crowd to hear before they were expecting Furnier, it comes across as a weak intro in retrospect. For the second song, "Be My Lover", Furnier and Roxie made their stage entrance, which was more significant than the actual performance of the song itself. But the band's performance of "I'm Eighteen" kicked the show into high gear, and the next four numbers (which included "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Under My Wheels" and "School's Out") show the reunited originals in great form, with their youthful rebellious attitudes from the early-'70's intact, like they had never been away. As an encore, the band cranked out a swell performance of "Elected", the Billion Dollar Babies-era track that had evolved from their early song "Reflected". It seems unlikely that another reunion of this lineup will happen, but let's hope they do it again!
Alice Cooper "Live From The Astroturf" single (Good Records GRR33) 2016
Track Listing:
a. Eighteen (aka “I’m Eighteen”)
b. Body (aka “Is It My Body”)
Alice Cooper "Live From The Astroturf" LP (Good Records GRR50) 2018
Track Listing:
1. Caught In A Dream
2. Be My Lover
3. I'm Eighteen
4. Is It My Body?
5. No More Mr. Nice Guy
6. Under My Wheels
7. School's Out
8. Elected
Includes a double sided 24”x36” poster, a 11”x11” 16 page booklet/program, 6 trading cards, each b-side of LP will feature a different member at random, there will be 10 different color variants at random in mofi sleeves and each silver foil board gatefold jacket will be stamped and numbered.
Here is a YouTube video showing an "unboxing" of the package:
The two songs comprising the 2016 single were the third and fourth songs in the set. When listening to the full Live From The Astroturf concert, it becomes evident that the band was hitting their stride at that point in the show. The set opened with "Caught In A Dream", performed before Furnier made his surprise entrance. Michael Bruce (who wrote the song) sang the lead vocal, and although it may have been a pleasure for the crowd to hear before they were expecting Furnier, it comes across as a weak intro in retrospect. For the second song, "Be My Lover", Furnier and Roxie made their stage entrance, which was more significant than the actual performance of the song itself. But the band's performance of "I'm Eighteen" kicked the show into high gear, and the next four numbers (which included "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Under My Wheels" and "School's Out") show the reunited originals in great form, with their youthful rebellious attitudes from the early-'70's intact, like they had never been away. As an encore, the band cranked out a swell performance of "Elected", the Billion Dollar Babies-era track that had evolved from their early song "Reflected". It seems unlikely that another reunion of this lineup will happen, but let's hope they do it again!
Alice Cooper "Live From The Astroturf" single (Good Records GRR33) 2016
Track Listing:
a. Eighteen (aka “I’m Eighteen”)
b. Body (aka “Is It My Body”)
Alice Cooper "Live From The Astroturf" LP (Good Records GRR50) 2018
Track Listing:
1. Caught In A Dream
2. Be My Lover
3. I'm Eighteen
4. Is It My Body?
5. No More Mr. Nice Guy
6. Under My Wheels
7. School's Out
8. Elected
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