“Yeah,
I know you’re
struggling right now.
We all are,
in different ways.
It’s like a new world
that we don’t even know.
It’s hard to sleep,
even harder to dream.
But look,
you got seven billion
brothers and sisters
all in the same boat!
So don’t panic.
Life has a way of surviving
and going on and on.
We’re not fragile
and we sure
don’t break easy.”
Back in 2019,
Alice Cooper
wanted to do a
Detroit garage rock record
and pay homage
to his roots.
The Breadcrumbs EP
was originally six tracks
of stripped down goodness
on 10″ vinyl
and limited to
20,000 copies.
Now on CD,
it is expanded to include
the 2020 standalone
Covid-era single
“Don’t Give Up“,
and a live track
from 2022.
For the first six tracks
(the original EP),
Alice is backed by
the MC5’s
Wayne Kramer,
bassist
Paul Randolph,
Grand Funk’s
Railroad Mark Farner,
and Detroit Wheel
Johnny “Bee” Badanjek.
A remake of Alice Cooper’s
“Detroit City”
(from The Eyes of Alice Cooper)
is an appropriate starting point:
“Go Man Go”
is a new original composition
co-written by Wayne Kramer.
It’s punk rock Alice,
as authentic as the bands
he’s paying tribute to.
Bob Seger’s
“East Side Story”
is anchored a steady groove,
right out of Hendrix’s
version of “Gloria”.
A really funky
“Your Mama Won’t Like Me”
(Suzi Quatro)
is the centrepiece
of the EP.
Horns blastin’,
Alice hasn’t been this funky
since his dance-oriented
Alice Cooper Goes to Hell
in 1976.
“Devil With a Blue Dress On”
(Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels)
is the soulful side that
Alice occasionally shows.
It’s merged with
“Chains of Love”
(J.J. Barnes)
which pulls everything
back to rock.
Finally
“Sister Anne”
by the MC5
puts the snot
on the nose
and the grime
in the rock.
Kramer’s simply
awesome riff
is perfectly complemented
by Cooper.
The world suddenly changed
in March of 2020.
By May,
Alice had made his statement
on Covid-19:
“Don’t Give Up”!
It’s the most direct,
most topical,
and the least
“Alice”
song of the bunch.
Why?
Because this time
he’s not telling stories,
or covering a rock classic.
This time he’s
addressing the listening
directly and talking
about current events.
Wisely,
he just stuck to the feelings.
“Yeah, I know you’re struggling right now. We all are, in different ways. It’s like a new world that we don’t even know. It’s hard to sleep, even harder to dream. But look, you got seven billion brothers and sisters all in the same boat! So don’t panic. Life has a way of surviving and going on and on. We’re not fragile and we sure don’t break easy.”
Since it was 2020,
the single
was recorded in
home studios
and eventually released
on vinyl,
with a different version
appearing on the
Detroit Stories album.
This is the first CD release
of the original
2020 version.
Musically you could call
“Don’t Give Up”
a power ballad.
It has a very
80’s guitar figure,
with Alice speaking his
message over it.
The chorus is more modern,
with Alice singing as
plaintively as he can.
It was never a
remarkable track,
but it was an
important one in its time.
2020’s live version of “
Go Man Go”
features his live band,
including Hurricane
Nita Strauss
on lead guitar.
This is a short blast
of live track,
and well recorded,
at Hellfest 2020.
Probably just because
of the live vibe,
it’s a Even more
enjoyable listen.
TRACKLIST
Go Man Go
East Side Story
Your Mama Won't Like Me
Devil with a Blue Dress on / Chains of Love
Sister Anne
Don't Give Up
Hey, Bulldog [*]
Eleanor Rigby [*]
Because (w/The Bee Gees) [*]
No More Mr Nice Guy
(Remix) [*]
Poison
(Just Vocals + SFX) [*]
Poison
[Guitar & Keys only] (w/ backing vocals) [*]
Go Man Go
(Live at Hellfest 2022)
School's Out
(Live at Hellfest 2022) [*]
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