Released at one of the lowest points in Alice Cooper's career -- he had resumed drinking with a vengeance, his recent albums had not been well received, and Warner Brothers was itching to drop him -- DaDa had almost everything going against it when released in the fall of 1983. The central players on the album are Alice, Bob Ezrin, and guitarist Dick Wagner. I'm of the understanding that Warner Brothers was caught by surprise when Producer Bob Ezrin delivered the finished product. As such, there was absolutely no promotion. And Alice, in horrible shape at the time, checked himself back into to rehab to get his life together, so there was no tour.

And this is a shame, because this album in my opinion is one of the best he ever put out. You have the horror ("DaDa," "Fresh Blood," "Former Lee Warmer"), the humor ("I Love America," "No Man's Land") and the reflective ("Pass the Gun Around"). All of it top-notch. And the album's cover, based on Salvador Dali's 1940 "Slave Market with Disappearing Bust of Voltaire" has been modified to include Alice face on the two seated merchants. It truly makes you long for the days of LP art.

The spookiest intro Alice Cooper has ever done opens this album -- a little girl's voice (Sara Ezrin) behind throbbing, menacing music, repeating the word "Dada." Try that on a dark night with all the lights out! Behind the music is a Psychiatrist and his patient:

[Doctor] "Tell me about your son."

[Alice] "My son, yeah well, he took care of me. He's took care of me for a long, he still takes care of me. She takes good, and she takes care of me. She takes, she takes good care of me. He takes care of me, Do you believe it? I have a daughter too."

"Enough's Enough" is about a menacing father who sells his son out on the streets for extra cash. The son recollects: When my mother died, she laid in bed and cried: "I'm going to miss you, my brave little cowboy"

I saw my father smile (a smile he tried to hide); He told me "Son, I've really got you now, boy."

"Former Lee Warmer" is arguably the best song on the album -- one of Alice's best songs ever. Some have said "Former Lee Warmer" is the continuation of Alice's "Steven" from "Welcome to my Nightmare." "Former Lee Warmer peeks out the window when he feels really brave; Former Lee Warmer waves at his father out in the family grave." Why this isn't played in concert anymore, I don't know, but it is truly a great song full of dark, haunting lyrics. Great guitar-work, too, by Dick Wagner.

"No Man's Land" is the tale of a nerdy department store Santa presented with an offer he can't refuse: "She sat down on my lap and said to me, "I'm twenty three and I need someone. You look like someone who could play with me, stay with me, all day with me..."

"Dyslexia." Well, this is what the song's about. A catchy tune that asks, "Is dis love? Or is dyslexia?"

"Scarlet and Sheba" opens with Arabian tinged guitar and keyboard, and appears to be an ode to the trials and tribulations of Sadomasochism with the "vulture sister act" of Scarlet and Sheba. "With blood and honey attitude; they'll never know my gratitude; I'm crossed with longitude and latitude; Upon my back...with a crack."

"I Love America" pays tribute to the red-blooded American redneck male of the 1980's: "I love my jeans and I love my hair; I love a real tight skirt and a real nice pair; And on the fourth of July, I love the rockets' red glare; I love America."

"Fresh Blood" sounds as good today as it did back in 1983. "Fresh blood, a sanguinary feast; Is all he's living for; and he craves it more and more. Old men, ladies of the night walking in the rain; if they walk alone are never seen again." Another song Alice could easily slip back into the setlist.

The album ends with "Pass the Gun Around." Alice had sobered up between "Lace & Whisky" and "From the Inside," but by this time had fallen off the wagon. Ironically, this song is similar in theme to Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution," equating liquor to a game of Russian roulette. "Why don't you, pass the gun around; Give everyone a shot...give everyone a shot, you better Pass the gun around; And dump me in the local river, let me float away."

Producer Bob Ezrin, guitarist Dick Wagner, and Alice put together an excellent album of material that defies categorization. It's not 80's music, it's not 70's disco...it can only be called Alice Cooper music. But since there was no promotion, the album came out, and no one knew about it. Over time it has become a fan favorite, but none of the songs have ever been played live.

Alice himself has said "DaDa," "Zipper Catches Skin," and "Special Forces" are three albums he doesn't remember recording; although upon listening to them, thinks there are definite moments of brilliance. He's even said he'd like to go back and redo them. Dick Wagner has said this was indeed a difficult time in Alice's life, but they managed to put together a classic Alice Cooper album -- one of his favorites.

So is this the great lost Alice Cooper album? If you haven't heard it and consider yourself an Alice Cooper fan, then the answer is YES. This album to me is what Alice Cooper is all about: A little horror, a little humor, all wrapped around great music. I place "Dada" as my favorite Alice Cooper album. Maybe because it's like "Former Lee Warmer," the misbegotten monster-sibling housed under lock and key in the attic; but I have grown to love it. And there's no arguing that Alice has put out some exceptional material to date, this one in my opinion sits at the top of the heap.

Perhaps due to his physical and mental health, even longtime Cooper fans were unaware of this album upon it's late 1983 release. Too bad; "DaDa" is actually one of Alice Cooper's most consistent and inventive albums. This is certainly one of his very finest albums. The album is loosely conceptual, technically innovative and well-played and produced. He indulges his patented creepiness to excellent effect on 'DaDa' and the woefully overlooked 'Former Lee Warmer'. The creepiness is lightened with genuine humour too ('Enough's Enough', 'Dyslexia' and 'No Man's Land'), making for a perfect balance for Cooper's odd vision. The best two tracks are as good as anything he's ever done: 'I Love America' is a hilarious, classic send- up of bigoted rednecks, and the closing track, 'Pass The Gun Around', is the most affecting song of his career. This album probably is not the one to play for those who don't particularly like Alice, but for those who do, "DaDa" is highly recommended.

This is one of Alice's most creepy albums. The eeriness is far more subtle than the likes of Billion Dollar Babies, Killer etc and that makes it pretty rare for Alice, who is usually about as sublte as a sledgehammer. The creepy feel of Dada and fresh blood, the wonderfully atmospheric Former Lee Warmer and Scarlet & Sheba, and the exquisite Pass the Gun Around combine with the tongue in cheek of Dyslexia and I love America to produce a very cohesive sounding album, despite the very different feel of the songs. Some fine guitar work, and innovative use of a computer for embellishing drums etc makes for interesting listening, and it was great to see John Prakash gracing the bass guitar again. Try to picture this coming out in 1983, and the musical climate of the time. Even now, the songs seem remarkably fresh, with the exception perhaps of Dyslexia. If you enjoy the twisted Alice rather than the tamer bubblegum rocking of his later years, buy this now.

This is a singular album in Alice's career. He has no other album that sounds like this. Die-hard fans should love it, but those who don't care for Alice should give it a try-- because it is so different from the rest of his work. Actually, it's different from anything else I've ever heard. It's not a rockin' album. If you want School's Out-- go elsewhere. This album sort of capitalizes on the creepy vibe that his Welcome To My Nightmare album conjured with songs Like Stephen and the Awakening. Like Welcome To My Nightmare it intersperses eerie melodies like Former Lee Warmer (a song about a wrinkled "something" that stares out the window) with comedic spoofs Like I Love America (which sounds like a conversation you'd overhear at a greasey spoon off a lost highway) with poignant ballads like Pass The Gun Around (apparently revealing some of the pain Alice's alcoholism had caused him). I love this album! If you are looking for something different-- you have found it.

From a commercial perspective "Dada" was the low point of Cooper's career. This album came and went so fast that a lot of Cooper fans did not even know it had come out. No radio airplay, no chart success, and very little time in the record bins. This is somewhat surprising as Alice teams back up with his most successful team of Bob Ezrin and Dick Wagner and the album has much more in common with his mid-70's stuff than the previous 4 or 5 albums. But Alice was also back in the grips of severe alcohol problems and like the previous album there was no tour to support this one. Even though this was probably Alice's lowest seller it is an album that a lot of hard core Cooper fans ten to rate very highly. I have mixed feelings on it. The album starts out as a concept piece, but the concept breaks down after the first 3 tunes and the rest of the album does not really seem to fit. It's a pity; because I think if Alice would have really tried to make this a true concept album it could have been his all time best. But......unfortunately it isn't. The album starts out great with the title track "Da Da" which features a spoken narrative of the main character (Alice?) talking with his psychiatrist. It is one of the creepiest things he has ever done and sets the tone for what could have been great story. The next two songs loosely follow the storyline "Enough's enough" and the excellent "Former Lee Warmer" which is one of the best songs on the album. After that the whole concept thing kind of breaks down. Some of the songs seem to have some connection, but it is very loose if anything. Two more highlights are to be found her though; the redneck anthem parody "I Love America" is another hilarious Cooper send up. And the final track "Pass The Gun Around" once again parallels Cooper's battle with the bottle. The album has a very cool cover which is a variation on a Salvador Dali painting. Dali and Cooper were friends before Dali's death and I have always wondered if this was a tribute to the famous artist. Dick Wagner has some terrific guitar moments on the album, but this is some what counterbalanced by the almost exclusive use of electronic drums which was a novelty at the time, but has not aged well. All in all this is a good overlooked Cooper album, but I think it could have been better if he had really taken the concept to full fruition.