Rating: 13 out of 13
Ear Music
A live album that comes with a DVD and a story.
This album was recorded at Good Records in Dallas, Tex. on Oct. 6, 2015.
This live album exists because of the hard work of record store co-owner Chris Penn of Good Records in Dallas.
Chris, a life-long Alice Cooper fan, found a very interesting way to arrange a reunion of the original Alice Cooper group, who had last performed together in 1974.
Dennis Dunaway, original bassist, was coming out with a book about his career in the group called Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!
Chris Penn had the brilliant idea of arranging a book signing with Dennis at Good Records.
The scheduled date coincided with an off date on the then-current Alice Cooper tour in the area.
Chris, with this in place, was able to finagle the rest of the surviving original members to be in Dallas that day: Michael Bruce on guitar; Dennis Dunaway on bass; and Neil Smith on drums.
The other original member, Glen Buxton, passed away in 1997.
Replacing Glen for this performance was Ryan Roxie on guitar and vocals.
Needless to say, they also got Alice Cooper to join for this surprise performance.
Two tracks from this recording originally came out as the “Alice Cooper’s Live From The Astroturf” single in 2016 for Black Friday Record Store Day.
In 2018, a full-length album of this performance was released on pink vinyl, also for a Black Friday Record Store Day.
Now, thankfully, these recordings have a worldwide release and not just something people could scoop up on a Black Friday Record Store Day.
This new version has a different cover and comes in glow-in-the-dark or orange vinyl.
It was also released on compact disc.
Both the CD and vinyl come with a DVD.
Meeting Cooper at Port Plaza Mall
Since we’re talking about Alice Cooper in record stores, I must mention my Alice Cooper record store story.
The year was 1986.
The setting, the late, great Port Plaza Mall, formerly located in downtown Green Bay.
Alice Cooper was in town to perform at the late, great Brown County Veterans’ Memorial Arena for a performance on his Constrictor tour.
On the way to see Alice Cooper, I decided to first stop at the Port Plaza Mall on the chance I might run into Alice Cooper.
Low and behold, I spotted Alice Cooper on a pay phone near the big clock.
Alice had a bodyguard with him, and I waited from a distance for him to finish his phone call.
When he did, I walked up and said, “Oh my gosh, it’s Alice Cooper.”
I introduced myself to him, and then I explained to him I work in a record store in this mall not too far from where we’re at, and I asked him if he wouldn’t mind coming down there with me so I could buy a couple of copies of his new CD for him to autograph for me.
He agreed, and with bodyguard in tow, we walked down to the Galaxy Of Sound.
I wish I had a picture of the face of my manager, the late, great Ellie Harrison, when I walked in with Alice Cooper.
Alice Cooper was super nice in this whole process and was definitely an immense joy to meet in person.
It also meant a lot to me because the early Alice Cooper group records are some of my favorite recordings of all time.
Live From The Astroturf does a phenomenal job of recapturing the magic of that era 40 years later.
My favorite songs on this album are all of them.
Tom Smith works at the Green Bay UFO Museum Gift Shop and Records, 2248 University Avenue.