Moreover, and most puzzlingly, the reflexive arc of these last several albums seems intent on tracing roots out of which Alice was always to cool to sprout: ever since Welcome 2 My Nightmare, one of Alice's most experimental and representative recordings, if not his strongest, his albums have become increasingly homogenized into a bed of modern hard rock cliches that aim to meet expectations rather than exceed them. The 12 original tracks that constitute Road are overproduced catwalk struts with more attitude than inspiration and more accolades than attitude the explanatory and self-referential lyrics feel more like a post-retirement Vegas revue than a rock’n’roll show, and it is difficult to imagine how Alice could evolve from here, given the self-imposed finality that this retrospective seems to deliver. Further like Detroit Stories, and less fortunately, Road positions Alice as looking back rather than forward it is another recapitulation, not a challenge. Road, therefore, occupies itself with the road and a lifetime of experiences thereon, gathering these insights into a loose concept album similar to Alice’s previous album, Detroit Stories. Alice has lived on the road longer than many of his contemporaries have lived, so if there is one artist in the musical world who is entitled to give us a lesson in the devoirs and drawbacks of the lifestyle, it is he – and with that road having been unceremoniously yanked away for an uncertain stretch a few years ago, I expect that that long history seems all the more appealing as a subject for extended musical ode.

I can only wonder what Robertson, who expressed his anxiety over potentially reaching 20 years of nomadic instability, would make of Alice Cooper’s 50+ years. In Martin Scorsese’s 1978 concert documentary, which chronicles the legendary grand finale of The Band in 1976, guitarist/vocalist Robertson dwells on his apprehensions of life “on the road”, The Band’s 16-year career as a touring act weighing on his aging mind. It’s an impossible way of life.” – Robbie Robertson, The Last Waltz “The road has taken a lot of the great ones.

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