The King of Shock Rock, Alice Cooper, is a regular Energizer Bunny. The aging Rocker has been taking his blood-n-guts Rock n Roll stageshow on the road for over 30 years now, thrilling rock fans and offending others. He’s scored countless hit singles, made millions of dollars, and influenced the likes of KISS, MARILYN MANSON, TWISTED SISTER, and yes, even the great OZZY OSBOURNE himself. So with Alice approaching 60 years old, he’s back again for the millennium with a new album (BRUTAL PLANET) and tour. However, despite all the man’s skills and accomplishments in the rock business, if you consider yourself an Alice Cooper fan and have followed his career over the years, you’ll notice how quick he is to jump on the Rock n Roll bandwagon. Yes, Alice will always have his classic material to play live (No More Mr. Nice Guy, I’m Eighteen, Welcome to My Nightmare, etc.), but ever since he parted ways with the original Alice Cooper Band, the man has become something of a ‘trend follower’ with his solo material. For example, back in the early 1980s when Heavy Metal was hip, he teamed with muscle bound guitarist Kane Roberts for a series of albums (like CONSTRICTOR and RAISE YOUR FIST AND YELL) that equaled the intensity of chart topping bands like BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST, and IRON MAIDEN. Later in the decade when GUNS N ROSES and other hair bands were the rage, Alice traded in his denim and leather for sleaze and teaze (like TRASH and HEY STOOPID!). Hell, even in the late seventies when androgynous rockers like DAVID BOWIE, DEVO, and GARY NUMAN were topping the charts, Alice completely abandoned his guitar-based music in favor of synthesizer-driven compositions (like SPECIAL FORCES, DADA, and FLUSH THE FASHION). Where am I going with all this? Would it shock you if I told you Alice’s latest album is brimming with PANTERA riffs and KORN melodies?

Don’t get me wrong, Alice Cooper is as American as apple pie and I’m proud to say I own almost all of the man’s albums. But I notice his career follows the same pattern. It’s as if he runs out of money every few years, rushes out a new album based on the current trends in Rock music, then assembles a tour to take his show on the road—a show (with the exception of a few props) that never changes. You are always going to witness a guillotine beheading during an Alice Cooper concert; some things never change. You’ve got to give him credit, through because for each album and tour that he does, Alice puts together a tremendous line-up of talented musicians such as Al Pitrelli, Joe Satriani, and the aforementioned Kane Roberts. Eagle Vision video has put out a new live concert DVD called BRUTALLY LIVE, containing all his greatest hits and new songs from BRUTAL PLANET. As always, Alice assembles another killer line up consisting of drummer Eric Singer (ex-KISS), guitarist Pete Friesen (ex-ALMIGHTY), guitarist Ryan Roxie (ex-ELECTRIC ANGELS), bass player Greg Smith (ex-RAINBOW), and keyboardist Teddy Zigzag (ex-GUNS N ROSES). The band gels together very well and you’d swear they’ve been together forever. Some of the (newer) music is in the PANTERA range of heaviness, and the old songs somehow sound much more ‘metal’ than previous tours.

ABOUT THE SHOW: This BRUTAL PLANET performance was taped in July 2000 from the Hammersmith Apollo in London, England. BRUTALLY LIVE was broadcast on Pay-Per-View with the sole intention of an eventual home video release. It is also the first Alice Cooper concert home video in ten years, since ALICE COOPER TRASHES THE WORLD. The show is professionally captured on 32mm film, so it has the look and feel that only celluloid can provide. The cameramen successfully capture the magic (and simulated graphic violence) that only be witnessed at an Alice Cooper show. In addition to killer renditions of Alice Cooper’s classic hits and current output, you’ll see hangings, beheadings, dripping blood, necrophilia, and S & M babes in skimpy clothing. There is sexy blonde who plays various female parts of the demented stageshow, and it turns out that she is none other than Alice Cooper’s daughter! The master showman himself launches into the various accouterments that he has worn over the years, and its a joy to see him paying tribute to all his ‘personalities’. BRUTALLY LIVE features 25 awesome Alice Cooper songs, including his chart-topping hits (No More Mr. Nice Guy, I’m Eighteen, Poison, Go To Hell, Billion Dollar Babies, Only Women Bleed, I Love the Dead), fan favorites (Ballad of Dwight Frye, Feed My Frankenstein, Dead Babies, Black Widow, Elected, Under My Wheels, Caught In a Dream,), newer songs (Brutal Planet, Blow Me a Kiss, Gimme, You Drive Me Nervous, Take It Like A Woman, Its Hot Tonight, Wicked Young Man, Pick up The Bones, It’s the Little Things), and even a cover version of THE WHO’s My Generation.

From the Special Features menu, you can view the music video for the song Gimme from the BRUTAL PLANET album. If you think about it, since MTV doesn’t play real Rock n Roll anymore, these home video releases are now the only way to see music videos from the old rock masters that are still around. Gimme is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. From this menu, you can also set up the Alternate Angle function of the DVD. This allows you to view different camera angles employed for BRUTALLY LIVE. If you enable this feature, you’ll know when the alternate footage is playing because a logo (in the shape Alice’s face) appears onscreen. This is sometimes distracting to the presentation though.

Alice Cooper is a true music legend bound for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. He is quite simply one of the best frontmen in all the recording industry. Best of all, the phenomenon that is Alice Cooper proves that you are never too old to rock. As old as he is here (around 60), he looks damn good, still moves like a youngster, and sings with conviction. As long as he stays young in mind and spirit, Alice Cooper will still be a force to reckon with. BRUTALLY LIVE is a testament to his longevity and he can still show all those young guys like MARILYN MANSON or CRADLE OF FILTH a thing or two. And while the concert celebrates the current impact of the ultimate showman, it also showcases his history with some truly memorable performances of his best songs. Kudos to Eagle Vision for delivering the goods technically and including so many audio options. Quite simply, BRUTALLY LIVE the DVD is highly recommended.