Alice Cooper - Special Forces
Warner Bros Records - 1981
6.5/10
Ever come across an album that seems pretty cool but ultimately doesn’t realize its potential? That’s basically how I would sum up Alice Cooper’s Special Forces. With a likely fear of stagnating too much in the new wave era, slight alterations were made that worked for a few fun tracks but sadly leaves a bit more to be desired. That, or perhaps Cooper was so drunk that he had no idea what to do and some of it just stuck.
Whatever the case, there’s some clear evidence of some spots that try just a bit too hard, and others that don’t try hard enough. For one, there was no need for a live redo of “Generation Landslide” stuck in the middle of this. It’s also hard to overlook the unflattering reaches in “Don’t Talk Old To Me,” and the sheer levels of boring meandering that other songs have. It makes you wonder what the hell was going on during writing. None of these issues are crippling, but certainly bog things down.
On the other hand, Special Forces carries a couple worthwhile gems that save it from failure. “Skeletons In The Closet” is a spooky number that feels like it could be used in a classic family-friendly horror film. The haunted-house effects and eerie, cold instrumentation give it all kinds of imagery. Opener “Who Do You Think We Are” also brings on a very promising start, feeling steady as it flows wonderfully into the “Seven And Seven Is” cover. There are plenty of areas that have catchy enough chops, just not always memorable enough to want to return to them.
Similar to Goes To Hell, this is a record that’s kinda rough around the edges, but I’m glad it exists. A couple tracks to look forward to, a couple that are interesting enough to be reminded of, and then a couple that are just straight up trash. A normal balance to a just-above-average effort that could have been incredible with a touch of focus.
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