Dada is a undiscovered masterpiece despite it being the
third album Alice doesn't remember recording. This was to be the
final album under his contact with Warner Brothers and they gave
him the money not really expecting an album in return. Instead
Cooper brought back Bob Ezrin and Dick Wagner who sent Cooper "to
the woodshed" over and over again until he returned with lyrics
that were up to snuff. Scratch that. These lyrics are brillian!
Played almost entirely on the Fairlight CMI, an early digital
sampler, the album sound is lean yet orchestral and completely
different from anything Alice has done before or since. It is a
dark, textured, and unnerving collection of songs. Part of the
discomfort stems from the "cerebral" lyrics that explore
psychological themes and use ambiguity to play with your head.
The album was released in 1983 and never toured. Instead Alice
went back into rehab to fight for his sobriety and to win back
his estranged wife who had filed for divorce.
The album begins with the cinematic "Da" whose instrumental first
half is downright creepy! It may be the sample of the baby
saying "Dada" that repeats every so often, the tubular bells, the
unnerving low buzzing synth tones, or the eerie melody but it all works together perfectly. When the
words begin it's Cooper as a character talking to his shrink and
there's some confusion on his part as to if he has a son or a
daughter, revealing that something is definitely not right with
only a very few words. "Enough's Enough" is part two, a rocky
exploration of a father and son that makes the label
"dysfunctional" seem like a trip to Disneyland. "When my mother
died / She laid in bed and cried/ 'I'm going to miss you my brave
little cowboy.' / I saw my father smile / A smile he tried to hide
/ He told me, 'Son, I've really got you now, boy.'" Whatever that
means it is totally messed up! The last piece of the trio, "Former Lee Warmer"*, is probably about a dead brother who is kept
upstairs in the attic: "No dreams go in / No dreams go out / of
the hole in his wrinkled head." And maybe he isn't dead because
the singer can hear him up there playing. Starting with hushed
pizzicato strings the entire song is very orchestral and
masterfully composed and executed**. Near the end there is an
all-too-brief instrumental passage every bit as good as those
found on Welcome To My Nightmare.
Alice had to break the tension with some humor and the next few
songs serve the purpose well. "No Man's Land" is the story of a
guy playing Santa at a mall when a young woman comes on to him.
It's upbeat and bright, almost cheery, but Wagner's sizzling
guitar solo steals the show from an otherwise very well written
song. "Dyslexia" is synthy and bouncy with a chorus of "Is
dis love? Or is dyslexia?" No idea what it means and it sounds
completely unlike an Alice Cooper song but it's a whole lotta fun!
"I Love America" is good for one listen per decade with Alice playing the part of an uber-patriotic used car salesman who "love[s] that
mountain with those four big heads" in addition to Velveeta on Wonderbread and
commies, "if'n [they're] good and dead." If you've a hankerin' for
a middle eastern heavy metal song about a pair of seductive
sisters then look no further than "Scarlet and Sheba." Very nice
guitar tones on this one and Cooper is able to evoke a suggestive,
sinister tone without being explicit.
The album closes with a one-two punch sure to leave the listener
dazed and bruised. "Fresh Blood" could be a Peter Gabriel song with synth
horns, ethnic hand percussion, and a solid groove that borrows a
bit from Steely Dan. The lyrics are in the first person
concerning a miscreant who prowls the streets at night looking for
showgirls, businessmen, cops on the beat, anyone who can provide
fresh blood. The last song, "Pass the Gun Around," is achingly
sad. A soft caliope opens the story of "Sonny" who needs a shot
of vodka upon waking in an unknown hotel room with a stranger in
his bed. The song bursts open with organs, a choir, and a change
to first person. When Cooper sings "I've had so many blackout
nights before / I don't think I can take this anymore" there's such anguished emotion in his voice that you know he's no longer singing about a character***. The song builds into a dramatic instrumental section where Wagner is able to stretch out and play one of the finest guitar solos of his career. It's a shame so few have heard it because Warner Brothers, not even expecting an album**** did nothing to promote this album.
Rank: Essential Cooper
* Formerly Warmer. Or Formerly Warner, concerning his record
label.
** Ezrin had recently completed Pink Floyd's The Wall so
much of that vibe stayed with him.
*** Trying to describe the excruciating pain of this song to an oblivious classmate in junior high is my first memory where words completely failed to capture what music easily could.
**** And with Cooper drying out.
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