Saturday, June 23, 2012

She Asked My Why the Singer's Name is Alice

Since my last post, I obviously got a bit sidetracked; instead of any of the names mentioned in the last post, I'm giving you "Is It My Body" by the Alice Cooper Band.  Before I talk about the song, I give you a picture of the original band.  This is before Alice became a born-again Christian, golf pro, republican.  As you can see this was early 70s rock n roll sleaze at its finest.   

The Alice Cooper Group, 1971

This original Alice Cooper Band recording featured Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce on guitar, both of whom are highly underrated and underappreciated guitarists.  As a composition, this is a near perfect rock song.  It features a very cool riff and the build into the chorus is ear candy.  Buxton's solo begins with that slow bend and resolve before moving up the neck for a few classic licks and an equally satisfying bend at the end.  It's a perfectly greasy addition to the song rather than a self-satisfying note fest - and that's why I LOVE it.

My performance isn't perfect of course.  Most obviously, I miss the bends a bit and I rush the first ascending run into the chorus.  The second was more an issue of a brain fart than anything.  Either way, it's ok.





I will post Synchronicity II and the BB King song soon.  The BB King song will likely be solo as the tuning on the recording I've used to learn the track is a little off...not uncommon in 1960s recordings.  But, when you play along with it, it makes for a bit of an unpleasant listening experience.