DaDa is the eighth solo studio album by American rock singer Alice Cooper, released in September 1983, by Warner Bros. Records. DaDa would be Cooper's final studio album until his sober re-emergence in 1986 with the hard rock album Constrictor.
| DaDa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 28, 1983 (US)[1] November 4, 1983 (UK)[2] | |||
| Studio | ESP Studios (Buttonville, Ontario, Canada) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:15 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Bob Ezrin | |||
| Alice Cooper chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from DaDa | ||||
Background and recording
editDaDa was produced by long-time collaborator Bob Ezrin, at the time his first production with Cooper in six years since his third solo studio album Lace and Whiskey (1977), during that interim Ezrin had produced Pink Floyd's studio album The Wall (1979), with people comparing certain track's sound on DaDa to Pink Floyd.[6] With the guitar solo on "Pass the Gun Around" being compared to David Gilmour's playing-style.[7]
The album was recorded at ESP Studios in Buttonville, Ontario, Canada, and made use of local musicians with contributions from Juno Award-winning vocalist and keyboardist Graham Shaw, bassist Prakash John and vocalist Lisa Dal Bello, who would soon be known by her stage name Dalbello. A mostly synthesizer-focused album, it made extensive use of the then-new digital sampling synthesizer, the Fairlight CMI.
Guitarist and co-songwriter Dick Wagner revealed in 2014 that Cooper had relapsed to drinking heavily during the recording of DaDa,[8] and had suggested that the album was a contract fulfillment requirement for which Warner Bros. was not pleased and consequently made no effort to promote,[9] though Warner Bros. has never confirmed or denied this. This and other details, like the real-life cocktail waitresses that inspired "Scarlet and Sheba" are in his autobiography Not Only Women Bleed (2011).[10]
DaDa is the final of three albums in which Cooper refers to as his "blackout" albums, the others being preceding studio albums Special Forces (1981) and Zipper Catches Skin (1982), due to substance abuse. Cooper stated "I wrote them, recorded them and toured them and I don't remember much of any of that",[11] though he toured only Special Forces, the tour for which ended in February 1982.[12]
In 1996, Cooper said that DaDa was the scariest album he ever made,[13] and that he never had any idea what it was about. There was no tour to promote DaDa, and none of its songs have ever been played live.
Artwork and packaging
editThe front cover for DaDa was based on a painting by Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dalí titled Slave Market with the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire (1940). The back cover features a photograph of a young Cooper holding a dog with a separate photograph of an old man next to it.
Release and legacy
editDaDa peaked at No. 93 in the U.K. but failed to dent the U.S. Billboard 200. "I Love America" was released as a single solely in the U.K. over a month after the album's release. DaDa was Cooper's final studio album for his long-time label Warner Bros., and after its release he took a three-year hiatus from the music industry.
Influence
editDaDa is cited as[14] the main inspiration behind the birth of the Italian gothic and shock rock band the Mugshots, the first ever European band produced by Dick Wagner, who is also featured on Love, Lust and Revenge. That EP contains the first cover ever recorded of "Pass the Gun Around", a live favourite for the Mugshots.[15]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [16] |
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Gary Hill wrote that "As Alice Cooper albums go, this one is really far above average." Adding that "This album is a rather varied release, showcasing several sides of Cooper's musical tastes, but it is all very entertaining. If you missed it when it first came around, do yourself a favor and give it a try now."[16]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "DaDa" | Bob Ezrin | 4:45 |
| 2. | "Enough's Enough" | 4:19 | |
| 3. | "Former Lee Warmer" |
| 4:07 |
| 4. | "No Man's Land" |
| 3:51 |
| 5. | "Dyslexia" |
| 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Scarlet and Sheba" |
| 5:18 |
| 7. | "I Love America" |
| 3:50 |
| 8. | "Fresh Blood" |
| 5:54 |
| 9. | "Pass the Gun Around" |
| 5:46 |
| Total length: | 42:15 | ||
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from the DaDa liner notes.[17]
Musicians
- Alice Cooper – vocals
- Dick Wagner – guitar; bass guitar; backing vocals
- Prakash John – bass guitar on “Fresh Blood”
- Richard Kolinka – drums
- Graham Shaw – Oberheim OB-X; Roland Jupiter; backing vocals
- Bob Ezrin – Fairlight CMI programming; keyboards; drums; percussion
- John Anderson – drums
- Karen Hendricks – backing vocals
- Lisa DalBello – backing vocals
- Sarah Ezrin – DaDa
Production
Charts
edit| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[18] | 93 |
References
edit- ^ "DaDa — Alice Cooper". alicecooper.com.
- ^ "Music Week (UK)" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. p. 25.
- ^ DiVita, Joe (September 18, 2020). "26 Bands Who Sound Nothing Like Their First Album". Loudwire. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ a b Masley, Ed (March 16, 2021). "From 'Love it to Death' to 'Detroit Stories': The best Alice Cooper albums ranked". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "Music Week (UK) Releases page" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com.
- ^ "In Defense of … Alice Cooper's 'DaDa'". Ultimate Classic Rock. 12 December 2017.
- ^ "Alice Cooper — DaDa (Album review ) | Sputnikmusic".
- ^ "Albums Unleashed - DaDa w/Dick Wagner (Ep. 134)" audio interview
- ^ Parks, John (February 29, 2012). "Alice Cooper guitarist Dick Wagner talks Coop, KISS and his new book Not Only Women Bleed". Legendary Rock Interviews. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "Dick Wagner on Outsight Radio Hours". Archive.org. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
- ^ Love And Poison, An Alice Cooper Interview
- ^ Alice Cooper Tour Archive
- ^ Dominic, Serene; "Hanging with Mr. Cooper"; in Phoenix New Times; June 20, 1996
- ^ Mugshots Biography
- ^ Love, Lust and Revenge on Bandcamp
- ^ a b Hill, Gary. "DaDa — Alice Cooper". AllMusic. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ DaDa (CD booklet). Alice Cooper. Warner Bros. Records. 1983.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2024.