Since the original
Alice Cooper band was a major catalyst in the creation of punk rock (
Cooper's snide lyrics, the band's raw rock, etc.), by the early '80s
Cooper decided to re-embrace the genre after such overblown albums as
From the Inside distanced him from his roots. The resulting album, 1981's
Special Forces, was
Cooper's most stripped-down and straightforward since his classic early-'70s work. But without the original
Cooper band to back him up and help out with the songwriting, it's an intriguing yet sometimes uneven set.
Cooper was heavily into the guns and ammo publication Soldier of Fortune at the time; hence the album title and lyrical subject matter. The opening track, "Who Do You Think We Are," is one of
Cooper's punchiest rockers, and one of his most overlooked, while "Seven & Seven Is," "You Look Good in Rags," and "Vicious Rumours" are also rocking highlights. A faithful rereading of the
Billion Dollar Babies nugget "Generation Landslide" is included as well, titled "Generation Landslide '81 (Live)," even though it was, in fact, entirely created in the studio (with added audience cheers). While
Special Forces didn't return
Cooper to his earlier status as a chart-topping superstar, it is certainly one of the strongest and most interesting releases of his post-1975 period. ~ Greg Prato