Alice Coopers remarkable 50-year career has been lazily reduced to titles like Father of Shock Rock with a corresponding focus on his hyper-theatrical blood-spattered stage show.
In 1973, Alice Cooper was unstoppable.
The moniker Alice Cooper was not yet the sole property of singer Vincent Furnier; it still also referredto the tough and tuneful hard rock band that backed the vocalist. Starting with Love It to Death in 1971, the group tweakedits experimental psychedelic rock with the help of producer Bob Ezrin, creating the classic Alice Cooper sound: muscular guitar-driven rock coupled with anthemic, insanely catchy tunes, driven by and Coopers sneering, sinister and often satirical vocals.
Over the course of their next three albums, 1971's Killer,1972s Schools Out and 1973's Billion Dollar Babies,Cooper, Ezrin, bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce explored the boundless flexibility baked into their template. The Alice Cooper bands crowd-pleasing and relatable rock encompassed everything from the galloping garage rock of Under My Wheels to the exuberant teenage hymn Schools Outto the macabre progressive rocker Ballad of Dwight Fry.
As Ballad of Dwight Fry" illustrates, Cooper and his cohorts embraced '70s movie-fan culture with compulsive geekery. The sepulchral Doors-influenced Desperado was inspired by Robert Vaughns gun slinging character in The Magnificent Seven, and the entwining twanging guitars on Unfinished Sweet owed a debt to Monty Normans iconic James Bond theme.
Thats all the music we like, Cooper cheerfully admitted in a March 1972 Rolling Stone interview. We swiped about11 bits from the Goldfinger soundtrack on the first album [and] just redid them in guitar.
So why not do a James Bond theme for real? In 1973, the band went into the studio to record Muscle of Love, which would prove to be the last album released by the original Alice Cooper band lineup. Alice Cooper, the singer, would continue as a solo act, while Dunaway, Smith, Buxton and Bruce would soldier on as Billion Dollar Babies, a group that foundered after their sole release,Battle Axe, stiffed.
During the Muscle sessions, the band recorded The Man With the Golden Gun as a possible theme for the ninth entry in the James Bond series, and Roger Moores second outing as MI6 Agent 007. Though rumors have spread that the bandwas contracted to record the tune by Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, it seems more likely that Cooper cut the theme song on spec, reasoning that if movie-makers had opted for Paul McCartneys title tune for the previous Bond outing,Live and Let Die, they might be similarly inclined to pick a tune by the group that took Billion Dollar Babies to theNo. 1 Billboard spot.
But it was not to be. According to Cooper in a December 2011 interview for The A.V. Club, Golden Gun was delivered too late to Broccoli and Saltzman, who had already contracted Scottish singer Lulu to perform a theme written by John Barry with lyrics by Don Black. (Early efforts to get Elton John or Cat Stevens to record the track had fallen through.)
Listen to Alice Cooper's 'The Man With the Golden Gun'
It actually came in a day too late, Cooper said. By the time [the producers] heard it, theyd already signed for Lulu's song.I went, Youre gonna take Lulu overthis? Cause it was perfect forThe Man With the Golden Gun. It had helicopters, it had machine guns it had the Pointers Sisters, Ronnie Spector and Liza Minnelli doing background vocals! We went to every single one of those John Barry albums to try and invent the perfect James Bond song.
Cooper can be forgiven for being biased toward his effort, but in this case hes right. The Man With the Golden Gun is a damn near perfect Bond theme, not pegging the needle as high as Shirley Basseys performance of Goldfinger, or McCartneys symphonic thrill ride for Live and Let Die, but its a notch or two above Barrys tense ticking time bomb instrumental theme for On Her Majestys Secret Service and Duran Durans underrated rendition of A View to a Kill.
Credited to the entire lineup of the band, but recorded without Buxton, who was replaced by session pro and Lou Reed sideman Dick Wagner, The Man With the Golden Gun eschews the near-mimicry of James Bond tropes displayed in Unfinished Sweet for a more organic approach. A Bond feel is attained with many John Barry-esque motifs subsumed into the Alice Cooperbands supple and athletic hard rock sound.
A grimy guitar riff suggests the blaring brassy horns of '60s James Bond themes like Goldfinger and Thunderball, as Coopers gritty vocal slips the films title into the lyrics right off the bat. Cooper ascends an octave into the chorus, augmented by dissonant stabs of real brass, a far better use of horns than the distracting triplets Barry folds into the lugubrious official theme song sung by Lulu. In fact, Lulu and Barry have subsequently disparaged their theme.
I think mine was probably the worst one ever,the singer said to British journalist Dylan Jones in 2017, while Barry felt the entire scored was cobbled together too quickly over a three-week period. It's the one I hate most, the composer said on the 2006 U.K television show James Bonds Greatest Hits. It just never happened for me.
Listen to Lulu's 'The Man With the Golden Gun'
In contrast, Coopers theme is bursting with a barrage of satisfying surprises. A bridge with bubbling bass suggests Normans James Bond theme without copying it, as chiming guitars and spooky theremin-style keyboards segue into a swaggering reprise of the chorus. Then a double-time outro gallops on agitated ascending horns and whirligig brass like a cyclone. Cooper puts a button on the theme with a dramatic pause followed by a drawn-out wail. Its a bold and rewarding finish to a varied and punchy theme, altogether a lot more muscular and on-target than the flaccid spy adventure it was written for.
Even Christopher Lee, who played [the villain] Scaramanga in the movie, said, Oh, man, why did we take the Lulu song? This song is theone! Cooper said in the A.V. Club interview. As a consolation prize, Cooper put the tune on Muscle of Love. I said, I dont care, Im going to do a James Bond track no matter what.
In the pantheon of near-miss James Bond themes, Coopers is the biggest loss. Several, like Ace of Bases unused theme for GoldenEye and Pulps stab at the title track for Tomorrow Never Dies -- which the band re-purposed and released as Tomorrow Never Lies -- seem pallid in comparison. Only Johnny Cashs abandoned theme for the 1965 underwater 007 adventure Thunderball comes close, but that tunes spooky locomotive canter seems better suited for a spaghetti western than a James Bond movie.
Other unused entries, like the Pet Shop Boys 1987 theme for The Living Daylightsand Blondies 1981 tune for For Your Eyes Only, are credible and catchy songs, but they dont capture the James Bond spirit with the same affection and verve as the killer combination of Alice Cooper, the man, and Alice Cooper, the band. Their Golden Gun hits its target dead center, a sleek silver bullet conveying action, intrigue, sex and danger.
See the article here:
How Alice Cooper Almost Added James Bond Theme Song to His Resume - Ultimate Classic Rock
- Christopher Lee Was Furious About This 'Lord of the Rings' Moment - Collider - April 2nd, 2024
- Airdate: The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee - TV Tonight - April 2nd, 2024
- Christopher Lee's casual shorts and slippers outfit in Taiwan made heads turn - TODAY - March 16th, 2024
- Christopher Lee Dead: Horror Icon and Legendary Movie Villain Was 93 ... - February 19th, 2024
- "Chris wasn't hearing a bar of it": Christopher Lee Forcefully Auditioned For Another Lord of the Rings Character Before ... - FandomWire - February 11th, 2024
- 'Cancel everything': How Christopher Lee disciplines his son with this one phrase - Yahoo Singapore News - February 3rd, 2024
- Actress Fann Wong surprised by husband Christopher Lee on birthday - The Straits Times - February 3rd, 2024
- Fann Wong surprised by husband Christopher Lee on birthday - The New Paper - February 3rd, 2024
- Christopher Lee: The actor and hunter of Nazi war criminals - Far Out Magazine - January 9th, 2024
- Sir Christopher Lee's Favorite Performance is in a Film You've Never Heard Of - MovieWeb - December 12th, 2023
- Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93 - The Guardian - April 27th, 2023
- Christopher Lee - Tolkien Gateway - March 31st, 2023
- Christopher Lee filmography - Wikipedia - February 10th, 2023
- Where to Start with Christopher Lee - The Film Magazine - October 19th, 2022
- 'Were you desperate to get proposed to?' Christopher Lee crashes Rebecca Lim's new show and roasts her while dishing out relationship advice - AsiaOne - October 19th, 2022
- The Wicker Man TV Series In Development With Andy Serkis The Imaginarium And Studiocanal-Backed Urban Myth - Deadline - October 19th, 2022
- Tim Burton names his five favourite horror movies of all time - Far Out Magazine - October 19th, 2022
- Ten celebrities who served in the military, from Adam Driver to Prince Harry - The National - October 19th, 2022
- These 13 Actors Have Earned the Right to be Called Scream Kings - Dread Central - October 19th, 2022
- David W. Smith | Obituaries | thedailynewsonline.com - The Daily News Online - October 19th, 2022
- Jennifer Hudson Recounts "Fanning Out" Over Duet With Sheryl Lee Ralph: "I Wanted to Make Her Proud" - POPSUGAR - October 19th, 2022
- Tangipahoa Parish Jail - October 11th, 2022
- A monster calls: why the horror universe is an idea whose time has come - The Guardian - October 11th, 2022
- Oblong Box, The (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits - October 11th, 2022
- Was that the balrog that killed Gandalf in the Rings of Power? - Polygon - October 11th, 2022
- Every James Bond movie ranked by critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes - Insider - October 11th, 2022
- Overwatch 2: All Voice Actors And Cast - eXputer - October 11th, 2022
- She got Covid-19 four times this year alone - The Star Online - October 11th, 2022
- Nursing School Collaborates with Nursing School in The Philippines - Boston College - October 2nd, 2022
- The Terrifying, Terrific Horror Movies of 1972 - Nerdist - October 2nd, 2022
- Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: A beautiful conclusion to the iconic trilogy - The Shield - October 2nd, 2022
- Tyson Fury through the years: Photo gallery - MMA Junkie - October 2nd, 2022
- Duncan man jailed, accused of madness on meth - The Lawton Constitution - September 24th, 2022
- Conor McGregor "can't believe" he's being paid to film Hollywood movie - The Mirror - September 24th, 2022
- The Government of Malaysia Launches the National Energy Policy 2022 - 2040: What it Means for the Renewables Landscape - Lexology - September 24th, 2022
- New Brockton native Brandon Lee part of team cherishing NASCAR win at Bristol - Dothan Eagle - September 24th, 2022
- Cape Cod theater reviewers' thoughts on 2 scary plays and a comedy - Cape Cod Times - September 24th, 2022
- 'His presence is going to be there': Lee Roy Selmon will attend in spirit as trio of OU brothers honored with statue - The Oklahoma Daily - September 24th, 2022
- Nicolas Cage inspired by Christopher Lee for vampire movie Renfield - The Digital Fix - September 16th, 2022
- Reece Shearsmith Tells Richard Herring About Christopher Lee - Beyond The Joke - September 16th, 2022
- 8 Horror Movies So Awful They Were Pulled From The Cinema - WhatCulture - September 16th, 2022
- Man-Thing Makes his MCU Debut in Werewolf by Night - Here's what we know about Man-Thing - Attack of the Fanboy - September 16th, 2022
- Summer of Blood (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits - September 16th, 2022
- Get it over with: Suspect in Kokomo child exploitation case tells police to arrest him on the spot - FOX 59 Indianapolis - September 16th, 2022
- Alabama says it won't be ready to use nitrogen hypoxia method at Sept. 22 execution - USA TODAY - September 16th, 2022
- Christopher Lee, The Real-Life "Most Interesting Man In The World" - August 31st, 2022
- Inside The Fact And Fiction Of Christopher Lee's World War II Service - August 31st, 2022
- How to watch The Lord of the Rings movies and the series in chronological order - Lifestyle Asia India - August 31st, 2022
- Court and arrest reports for Martinsville and Henry County - Martinsville Bulletin - August 31st, 2022
- Every Tim Burton Movie Ranked from Worst to Best - Consequence - August 31st, 2022
- Court lists defendants to appear in Criminal Division on Thursday - Magnoliareporter - August 31st, 2022
- Lee County School Board makes minor revision to Parents' Bill of Rights - Wink News - August 31st, 2022
- A Cardiologist Breaks Down the AHA's New Report on the Most Common Heart Disease Symptoms Best Life - Best Life - August 31st, 2022
- Exclusive Interview: Director Philippe Mora On His Films With Christopher Lee - FANGORIA - August 14th, 2022
- 10 films turning 10 in 2022 - NewsNation Now - August 14th, 2022
- Persephone and the Poultry of the Night | Thumper Forge - Patheos - August 14th, 2022
- Unexpected Demands Made By Lord Of The Rings Actors - Looper - August 14th, 2022
- Rings of Power: Everything you need to know about Amazon's 1bn Lord of the Rings prequel - The Mirror - August 14th, 2022
- Slash Tells Us Why There Will Never Be a Guns N Roses Movie - MovieMaker Magazine - August 6th, 2022
- On the record for Aug. 4 - Seymour Tribune - August 6th, 2022
- Judge Talley will hear criminal docket on Thursday - Magnoliareporter - August 6th, 2022
- Dr. Christopher Reber Receives ACCT 2022 Northeast Regional Chief Executive Officer Award - The Hudson Reporter - August 6th, 2022
- Theatre Review: This 101 Dalmatians is barking up the wrong tree - The New European - August 6th, 2022
- Christopher Lee Euro Films, Dennis Hopper's 'Out of the Blue' Among Titles Due on Disc From Severin and MVD July 26 Media Play News - Media Play News - July 28th, 2022
- 25 Scariest Movies of All Time (2022 Edition) - Cultured Vultures - July 28th, 2022
- Fans Wonder Why a Fantasy Epic Too Big to Fail Did Just That - We Got This Covered - July 28th, 2022
- The Best Witch Movies of all Time, Ranked - The Mary Sue - July 28th, 2022
- NASCAR Driver Christopher Bell and CRAFTSMAN Raise Awareness for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals; No. 20 Special Edition Paint Scheme to be... - July 28th, 2022
- Singer Stefanie Sun turns 44 with cakes and loved ones - The Straits Times - July 28th, 2022
- Tony Dow dead: Wally Cleaver 'Leave It to Beaver' actor was 77 - USA TODAY - July 28th, 2022
- Roane Co. authorities looking for man convicted of neglecting and murdering an elderly relative - WBIR.com - July 20th, 2022
- 22 Incredible Facts About The Life and Career Of Sir Christopher Lee - July 20th, 2022
- Police and Fire Report - Winchester Sun - Winchester Sun - July 20th, 2022
- What We Do in the Shadows cast shares their favorite vampire movies, books, and more - Polygon - July 20th, 2022
- Courteney Cox Set To Make Horror Movie History With 'Scream 6' - We Got This Covered - July 20th, 2022
- Every James Bond Movie, Ranked: The Best of Bond - CNET - July 20th, 2022
- Grandparents of Dean Kerrie say he was just defending his mother and should not be jailed - Sunday World - July 20th, 2022
- Ray Wise Has Always Been More Than "That Guy" - Defector - July 20th, 2022
- Angela Ledgerwood on the Psychic Relief of Reading - Literary Hub - July 20th, 2022
- Athens man charged with manslaughter in fatal hit and run - News Courier - July 12th, 2022
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero