Alice Cooper School's Out Audio Fidelity

I'll mail you a pair.

 

Cool. I'm curious to see what you find out!

 

Still waiting for my copy of School's Out and The Cars from CD Universe. It shipped Feb. 24th and I got it sent with Priority. I'm thinking it got lost

 

That sucks! Do u a tracking number? If u do check out the tracking and where it is.

 

Unfortunately CD Universe does not provide tracking for Priority International orders. I have to wait 30 business days before I can claim the parcel lost (up to 20 days so far). Hopefully it will arrive this week.

 

After a month of my local shop not being able to successfully order a copy for me, I just bought one sealed and shipped for $24 on eBay.

 

Ok, I did the shoot-out between my vintage LP and the AF CD. To be perfectly honest, I spent about 1 1/2 hours and just got through the first side, but I feel that I at least listened enough to draw some conclusions.

Parenthetical comment: I'm a bit surprised by those who say this is somewhat of a sub-par recording, or sub-audiophile, or whatever. The more I listen to it, the more I find it extremely complex and involving. There's a sense of pageantry in the production. Just compare it to Love It To Death - LITD is pretty bare-bones, but every song on School's Out percolates with activity. This makes it a fine choice for AF.

Disclaimer: Look at my profile and you'll see that I have a pretty modest system. You can make up your own mind as to the validity of my opinions based on my system. It's surely not what one would regard as "resolving." However, both CD and LP go through the same amp and the same speakers, so at least there's a certain consistency.

Basically, I did this by queuing up the CD and the LP and running through each track in its entirety, first the LP and then the CD, making mental notes when I came across certain passages which I thought were particularly noteworthy.

When I first heard the AF, I kept thinking, "I never heard THAT before." When I revisited the LP, what I found was, yeah, everything's there on the LP, I just never noticed it before because I wasn't paying attention. The two are not really in any way radically distinct from one another. This is a good thing - it means that I've got a good LP copy and that Steve did a faithful remastering job.

So, what's the difference? The AF has two distinct advantages: bass response and detail. This is pretty consistent with my other AF discs. The title track has a much more distinct and detailed sound on the AF than on the LP. Dennis Dunaway's bass is practically palpable. The AF disc has a full, rich bottom end. The LP lacks that ever so slightly. Enhanced details include the roundwound bass sound on "Gutter Cat" and "Blue Turk", and, strangely enough, the sound effects in "Street Fight." I was rather taken aback by the bottle-smashing sounds - it's a bit startling.

The AF also has a generally improved presence in the vocal tracks. This is most apparent in the songs where Alice tones down the dirt-bike growl, such as "Blue Turk."

The LP has one distinct advantage over the AF, and that is what I'll flippantly call "crankability." I was alone in the house last night, so as part of my listening session I played around with the volume, and I found that the CD, with all the sharp detail and muscular bass, tended to become oppressive at maximum volume. The LP was much less so.

Another surprising find was that the sound of the keyboard - I think it's a clavinet - on "Blue Turk" sounds much more lifelike on the LP than on the AF CD. On the other hand, the vocals on that track sounds much better on the AF.

The bottom line The AF is overall a very good match for the LP. If you're a vinyl lover, you're not going to put this one on and think, "I wish I'd put on the LP instead." It's a rich and detailed listening experience. It does sound a little aggressive when cranked but not unpleasantly so. It's certainly worth every penny I paid for it and I recommend it to anyone who has even a passing interest in this album.

 

Thanks for your review David

 

dkmonroe,

Do you compare decibal levels between the lp and cd, or did you just go by the position of your volume control.

 

No, I just set my Oppo to what sounded as the same level as the turntable and adjusted the volume on my amp. I was aware when I composed that post that the volume angle was going to lack a certain specificity.

 

That was a great review David!

 

Thanks for the review.

 

Great review! I'd like to hear your thoughts compared to the original CD as well!

 

Thanks, everyone! Didn't know this would garner so much attention.

Unfortunately, I purposefully put off buying any of the ACG albums on CD, waiting for remasters, so I have no idea how they shape up. Some people say they're great and others say they're just average, but I wasn't going to invest a penny in them until I saw what was going to happen with the catalog. I'm sure glad I waited, because I hate to keep re-buying albums in any form, and I'm confident I won't buy another digital version of School's Out unless someone does an SACD or DVD-A or deluxe edition with worthwhile extras or whatever. Or maybe not even then. The AF is really good!

But you're correct, a comparision of the original to the AF would be very helpful, because there's probably a larger difference between the WB CD and the AF than betwen the WB LP and the AF.

 

I have been listening to this disc quite a bit lately and I need to ask a question;

Is this album a concept album? I notice a deffinate beginning and end, and a cohesive theme. Is this just me or was this album put together as a concept album?

 

I dont know if it was intentional or not but there is definitely a theme to it. It seems to be the adventures of a young school boy. Cutting class, being a juvie in a gang.The one song has a West Side Story feel to it. The whole abum including its packaging ( much more apparent on the lp with the fold out desk and panties wrapped around) is about the simple story of a rebellious teen in school and how he wants to break out. James Dean in eyeliner and leather. I think of it as a teenage epic album with a very loud sound.

I definitely think it tells a story and cant see how AC wasnt trying to tie the album together as almost a rocknroll musical. I dont know if I would identify it as a concept album the same way "Welcome to My Nghtmare" is, but it has leanings. All AC's abums tell some sort of story.

I need to go see this guy before he retires. Looks like a blast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScR4nmERN9M&feature=related

 

IMO, the original Warner Green label LP (-1, -1 Matrix) sounds better than the AF disc. But the AF disc does sound better than the original CD.

Yes, by all means go see Alice in concert. He'll put on a show that you will not forget.

 

I think it was put together as a vehicle for theatrical performance with a loosely-organized theme. Not an authentic concept album that tells a story, but just a springboard for the stage performance at the time.

 

In what way? Please elaborate.

 

Please explain you conclusion. I own the vinyl of this as well however I find the detail on the AF CD only enhances the album. I actually enjoy the CD over the LP for that very reason.

 

Life is just to short.

 

It definitely has a concept feel to it. The sum of the parts seem to be greater than the parts. I never heard this album before the AF release, but I like it! And the sound is very smooth and full - quite a pleasure to listen to. Lovely!

 

the opening riff is the best thing Glen Buxton ever made up ... Alice said everybody was f**cked up on something when they made that album ... which took a really long time. I just asked him about it the other day ...

 

I believe it would fall into that category yes. I always considered it a conceptual album from the day it was released. I don't often hear it referred to that way. FWIW.