In the new episode of Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon (streaming below), Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith offers an update on Alice Cooper's recent reunion with the original band members and the upcoming new album, Paranormal.

The episode also features an interview with musician/producer Todd Rundgren, who discusses his new album White Knight, working with Cheap Trick, the importance of music education and more. Also included is an interview with Uriah Heep guitarist Mick Box, who looks back at the band's storied career, discography, album artwork, keeping the band alive, band member changes and more.

Last week, Alice debuted the first single, "Paranoiac Personality”, off the forthcoming album, Paranormal.  As previously announced, Paranormal features two songs written and recorded with the original members of the Alice Cooper band and also has guest appearances by ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons, U2 drummer Larry Mullen and Roger Glover of Deep Purple. The album is out July 28th on earMUSIC and can be pre-ordered via Amazon (widgets below) and iTunes today. There will also be a limited run of blood-red vinyl available at indie retailers across the country.

The guitar-driven "Paranoiac Personality" (available for streaming below) is a perfect entry point to Alice's searing rock record. An album that explores the fringes of society, the end of the world, encounters with the devil and more. Paranormal was produced by long-time collaborator Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Deep Purple). In addition to the new studio album and the two new recordings from the original Alice Cooper band, fans will receive a bonus of 6 live tracks recorded at one of Cooper's 2016 shows in Columbus, OH.

Tracklisting:

"Paranormal"
"Dead Flies"
"Fireball"
"Paranoiac Personality"
"Fallen In Love"
"Dynamite Road"
"Private Public Breakdown"
"Holy Water"
"Rats"
"The Sound Of A"

Studio recordings with the original Alice Cooper band:

"Genuine American Girl"
"You And All Of Your Friends"

Live in Columbus, Ohio, May 6th, 2016 with the current Alice Cooper band:

"No More Mr. Nice Guy"
"Under My Wheels"
"Billion Dollar Babies"
"Feed My Frankenstein"
"Only Women Bleed"
"School’s Out"

"Paranoiac Personality”:

 

 

 

 

Brad Tolinski on Paranormal:

"Paranormal is like 12 great episodes of The Twilight Zone," laughs Alice Cooper, "each song tells its own twisted little tale."

Yes, the inimitable King of Shock Rock is back with his first album of original material in six years. It's a weird and wonderful collection of guitar-driven delights, but what else would you expect from the composer of beautifully warped classics like "Under My Wheels," "I'm Eighteen" and "Billion Dollar Babies"?

Produced by long-time collaborator Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Deep Purple), and featuring guests like ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons, U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr., Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover, as well as a highly anticipated mini-reunion of the original Alice Cooper band members, Paranormalis full of surprises and riveting turns.

"My definition of paranormal is something that is 'other than normal' or 'alongside of normal'," says Cooper. "You could say my whole career has been that. I would look at what was normal and step left of it. That's what gets people's attention. They'd listen to our music and see our show and say, 'That's so strange...oh yeah, that's so Alice."

In keeping with his passion for the unexpected, the singer decided to steer clear of writing another concept album like 2011's Welcome 2 My Nightmare, and focused on creating an explosive collection of unforgettable standalone songs.

"Bob Ezrin and I wanted to break the mold," says Alice. "I said, let's get 20 different ideas from 20 different places, put our spin on them, and go with whatever turns out the best."

Out of the 20 tunes, they picked a dozen to immortalize, each played for thrills, chills and even a few laughs. "Dynamite Road" tells the story of a band that has a deadly encounter with the devil. In "Fireball," the singer has a bad dream about the end of the world, only to wake up in time to see it happening in real life. "Genuine American Girl" is about a tough guy who is transgender and not afraid to let the world know about it, and the title track is the tender story about a girl and her best ghoul friend.

"Alice doesn't have a problem being scary," Cooper says about his rock and roll alter ego. "He likes to be a villain, but he also has a slapstick side. He'll threaten to slit your throat, and then slip on a banana peel."

Banana peels aside, perhaps the biggest surprise on Paranormal is the historic two-song mini-reunion with his former bandmates, guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neal Smith.

"When the original band broke up in 1975, there was no bad blood," explains Cooper.  "There were no lawsuits-we had just burned out the creative process. We had gone to high school together and had recorded something like five Platinum albums in a row. We were never out of sight of each other for 10 years. Everybody just went their own way. Neal, Dennis and I always stayed in touch. Mike disappeared for a while and Glen Buxton passed away in 1997, which was a big blow."

"But last year Neal called me up and said, 'I have a couple of songs.' I said great, bring 'em over. Then he said Mike was stopping by, so I had them come to my house and we just worked on a few things for a week. Then Dennis called up and said, I got a couple songs. So, I thought, hey let's do this! When you listen to record, it just fits right in."

One could argue that the two songs, "Genuine American Girl" and the Who-inspired "You and All Your Friends," do more than fit in. They stand out, as in their iconic sound being instantly recognizable.

Like any great entertainer, Alice Cooper is compelled to over deliver. In addition to the 12 new tracks on Paranormal, the singer has included a bonus disc of his current band playing killer live versions of some of The Coop's greatest hits, such as "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "Billion Dollar Babies" and "School's Out." Think of it as a taste of what to expect at an Alice Cooper concert circa 2017, including a summer co-headline North American tour with the equally legendary Deep Purple.

"This album is like the sideshow at a circus," Cooper concludes. "It's a little creepy. There's a three-headed monkey and the snake woman, but you're intrigued. That's where Alice lives, and it's been the place to go for 50 years."

Alice Cooper's North American tour also kicked off this week. He'll join up with Deep Purple beginning in August. Highlights include The Greek in Los Angeles on August 13th and Jones Beach on August 26th. Alice Cooper is on a world tour throughout 2017. Full North American tour dates below.

Tour dates:

June
12 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theater
13 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kingsbury Hall
16 - Lincoln, CA - Thunder Valley Casino Amphitheatre
17 - Eugene, OR - Cuthbert Ampitheatre
18 - Airway Heights, WA - Pepsi Outdoor Summer Concert Season at Northern Qu
20 - Bakersfield, CA - Rabobank Theatre
21 - Temecula, CA - Pechanga Theater
22 - Tucson, AZ - AVA Amphitheater
24 - El Paso, TX - KLAQ Streetfest

August (with Deep Purple, Edgar Winter)
12 - Las Vegas, NV - The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan
13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre
15 - Phoenix, AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion
16 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
18 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
19 - Dallas, TX - Starplex Pavilion
21 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre
23 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
24 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion
26 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
27 - Boston, MA - Xfinity Center
28 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
30 - Indianapolis, IN - Klipsch Amphitheater

September (with Deep Purple, Edgar Winter)
1 - Pittsburgh, PA - KeyBank Pavilion
2 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
3 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
6 - Chicago, IL - Tinley Park
8 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
9 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
10 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center

(Photo: Rob Fenn)