International edition of his 2005 album features one bonus track, 'The Sharpest Pain'. 13 tracks in all. Eagle Records.
CD Reviews
Alice Cooper Dirty Diamonds (Import)
Peter E. Maggiore | New Orleans, La. USA | 08/28/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you are buying the import version of Dirty Diamonds for the bonus track "The Sharpest Pain", DON'T. This $35.99 import version is no different than the American release which can be purchased for considerably less money. Amazon needs to revise the product description before anyone else gets ripped off like I did. The only difference between the import version and the American version is that the import version comes in a traditional jewel case whereas the American release comes in a digi-pac. As far as the quality of the music, I feel it is good but not one of Alice's best releases."
One Killer came back !!
M. Jas | Netherlands | 07/13/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Alice's best album since 3 decades.
The best album since 3 decades !!!
Like Bob Dylan once said : " Alice Cooper ? : a very under-rated songwriter".
Buy this album ! It deserves to be in any top 10 ..
Most of all: you will do yourself a great pleasure with adding this one to your cd-collection..
"
A Return to Days of the Old
James Dustin McDaniel | Covington, TN United States | 07/13/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There are few artists in the history of rock that have consistently put out more solid albums than Cooper. While some people seem to think his best days were in the 70's, I beg to differ. 1994's The Last Temptation and 2000's Brutal Planet proved that the Coop could still outrock anyone.
In 2003, Cooper decided to attempt to go back to a garage old school sound with The Eyes of Alice Cooper. However, the album, while having its moments failed to really impress me. There were a couple of great tunes but as a whole the "return to old school" didn't work for me.
However, the Coop decided he was on the right track and recently released "Dirty Diamonds." The actual US release date is August 2nd, but being the lucky man that I am I was able to get my hands on a promo copy. Don't worry I will still buy the album when it comes out!
Dirty Diamonds is superior to the Eyes in every way. The lyrics are hilarious especially on tracks like "The Saga of Jessie Jane and Run Down The Devil." The music invokes a variety of styles and does indeed sound like a 70's album with a few elements of the early 80's period of ALice thrown in as well. This is a fun album to listen to with catchy lyrics and great guitar work.
It isn't his heaviest sounding album but Alice hasn't written catchy tunes like this in years. I cannot get it out of my CD player.
If you are a fan of old school Alice you will love this album. If you like his more modern sounding stuff like Brutal Planet or Dragontown this one will not appeal to you as much"
Glitter and Grime
Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 09/02/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Probably the oddest thing about Alice Cooper's new "Dirty Diamonds" is its label affiliation. Now signed to the New West stable of artists in the USA (but on Spitfire Intl elsewhere), Alice shares roster space with -- Dwight Yoakam and John Hiatt?!? Yes, it is THAT New West label, and Alice is probably the noisiest act on the list. But fear not, I don't think Alice will be touring the folk festival circuit anytime soon.
In Fact, "Dirty Diamonds" is a hotter and more rocking album than "The Eyes Of Alice Cooper." His new, young band riffs and rips from the opening of the album, crashing into "Woman Of Mass Distraction" like it was 1976. You also are given the added treat of NO SAPPY BALLADS! The only time the tempo slows down is for the quirky "Pretty Ballerina" and a tread into old-school Alice turf in "Six Hours" (think "Cold Ethyl" meets "Mary-Anne"). The other thing that "Dirty Diamonds" has over its predecessor is a better production job. "Diamonds" is far more polished and finished sounding, and from some interviews I've read, it was because this time Alice allowed the band the time to overdub and do multiple takes, something "Eyes" obviously needed more of. Doesn't hurt that these 11 rockers and two ballads are far better songs, too.
Thus, for the greater part of "Dirty Diamonds," Alice rocks it. The topics are flippant and fun, like "Run Down The Devil" (he's the ultimate road kill...) and the western cross dressing twisted trucker tale of "The Saga of Jessie Jane" (although I liked his Elvis impersonation on "Dragontown" than his Johnny Cash here).
And is if to prove that he can still mix it up with the best of them, the bonus track with rapper Xzibit should be a hit. If Iggy can cruise with Sum-41, then Alice should be able to bring Detroit rock to a little West Coast rap. Who knows, maybe we'll see Alice and the band on an episode of "Pimp My Ride.""
Still going strong
James V. Damiano | lawrenceville, ga United States | 08/21/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was so glad when I heard that good ole Coop had a new cd out. While this may not be his best album, and probably no Alice fan will ever think he will ever top his classics anyway, this is a good disc. For a guy who's been in the biz as long as he has and to still be going strong is quite a feat in itself. There are only a couple of what I would consider weak songs on the disc, but there are a couple of real good fun ones here. "Perfect" is a great song with Alice's voice in great form even after all these years. He almost sounds a little like John Lennon on this one. "You Make Me Wanna" may be a little bit goofy in the lyrics department for a guy his age, but is still catchy and fun to listen to. "Dirty Diamonds" the title track, is a killer track with a hook that makes me think of classic Batman. That may not sound too flattering but trust me; it is. "The Saga Of Jesse Jane" is a funny one about a cross-dressing trucker with a bit of a countryish feel. That song I liked before I actually read the lyrics and then busted out laughing once I actually paid attention to them. For me, the music always comes first and then I'll indulge in the lyrical content, because really, lyrics can be great, but if u can't stand to listen to the song then it really doesn't matter, does it? "Pretty Ballerina" is a nice little fantasy theme with a melodic base. "Six Hours" and "Zombie Dance" are for me the other stand out songs in the collection while the other songs have their strong or weak points, you be the judge. It's good to hear Alice return to his musical roots a bit more as he did so well on his last cd "The Eyes Of Alice Cooper" another really good Coop cd. Don't listen to anyone claiming to be a true Alice fan and saying this disc sucks, because it doesn't. And while I don't agree with other reviewers about how this is his best effort in the past few years, "Eyes" does it for me, "Diamonds" is for sure a good one and worth having. The only bad thing is that Alice doesn't seem to get the promotion any of his records deserve and I'm not sure if he is gaining any newer fan base because of this. I never see a video or much of a mention when he releases a new record or even airplay which he could have and should have. But as long as he keeps turning out music for the fan base he has, then it's all good."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1