Is Anyone Home?

[Swinger]

Does anyone know the story about "Is Anyone Home?"? I mean as in why a studio song ended up on a live album, was it new or had it been written and/or recorded earlier (the Wexler/Saylor co-writing seems to suggest that it might have been written during TLT) and so forth.
Just wondering.

[A_MichaelUK]

>I mean as in why a studio song ended up on a live album,

It was meant as a bonus.

[Gunner]

I got the impression that it was a track left over from TLT project and used as a bonus track for that live thing. However, the aspect I found alarming is that it is better than any track on TLT for me. Don't know, Si, Andy and/or Matt may know more...

[A_MichaelUK]

>I got the impression that it was a track left over from TLT project

It was not (at least the lyrics weren't).

[cooperrocks]

I always liked that song. Though it is highly unlikely, I would love for Alice to play that one live at some point.

[RemarkablyInsincere]

Song always struck me as having a "Byrds-ish" quality to it.

[Dannorama]

This is an all-time favorite of mine. I like the fact that he produced it himself. I've always wondered if he enjoyed the process. He said at the time that "the next album is going to sound just like this." Brutal Planet came next, and I was a little disappointed that it wasn't the sound I was prepped for. He hasn't produced himself since.

I would love to hear a whole album like this. Mature rock music. For me, these last five albums have not stood the test of time like this one song has.

[WickedYoungMan]

I mean as in why a studio song ended up on a live album,

This is sorta common actually as there are quite a few examples of new studio tracks ending up on Live or Compilation albums. They might be written just out of an obligation to the record label if they request an original song in one of these cases (which I'm not saying is the case here, but could be possibly?)

An interesting example of this would be for a Greatest Hits album WB wanted to do with Tom Petty in 1994. WB wanted to put it out despite Tom Petty's objections (which they could do regardless,) but also requested Tom to record two new songs (something he also apparently wasn't too keen on.) He obliged to keep the peace, and one of those bonus tracks ironically ended up becoming one of Tom's greatest hits ever known as "Mary Jane's Last Dance."

So perhaps this is sort of an idea of how these things end up coming to be, but maybe not always though.

[steven15322]

This is an all-time favorite of mine. I like the fact that he produced it himself. I've always wondered if he enjoyed the process.

I forgot about him producing it himself. I wonder what would happen if Alice produced more songs? Maybe a whole album?

[A_MichaelUK]

> I wonder what would happen if Alice produced more songs? Maybe a whole album?

It would certainly be very interesting, but I think he prefers to collaborate with others (as he pretty much always has done).

[Shoesalesman]

Song always struck me as having a "Byrds-ish" quality to it.

Good call, I hear a bit of that in the song.

[Gunner]

It does seem rather strange that the songwriters of TLT should get together to write one song at a later date. I think Andy is close to the truth when he implies that the music may have been written from those TLT sessions. It is quite possible then that Alice would put melody and lyrics (different) to it a later date. In any case, it is a really good Alice track in my opinion, he does that kind of 'expressive talking' type singing in it which is excellent!

[A_MichaelUK]

>It does seem rather strange that the songwriters of TLT should get together to write one song at a later date.

No - it isn't. You don't know anything about what those particular song - writers do and don't do when it comes to writing songs. Why would you even think of saying anything like that? It’s absolutely extraordinary.

>I think Andy is close to the truth when he implies that the music may have been written from those TLT sessions.

That’s all it is – a possibility. The difference between you and me is that I wouldn’t find it “rather strange” if they got together later to write a song. Besides, you should go to
http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/musicians/m-danwexler.php and read what it says there.

[SickThings]

Renfield had this to say about the song back in
June 1997:

>I'd also be interested to know the origin of 'Is anyone home' ie is it an
>out-take or a left over from TLT

Neither. It was done during the last tour.

Hunter

[A_MichaelUK]

>Renfield had this to say about the song back in

Thanks. I wonder if Gunner still finds it "rather strange that the songwriters of TLT should get together to write one song at a later date" in that case.

[Gunner]

Whilst songwriters getting together later to write a song may not be unusual, the point I was making (and no doubt you understood this but just wanted to argue as usual) was that it appears out of context and for no particular reason - THIS IS WHY this thread has been started! For the fact that it seems unusual to be on a live album. Many many, many........well, nearly ALL Alice fans have questioned whether this is an 'outake' from TLT for the fact that it features songwriters on that album that don't appear as a songwriting team on any other album and is rather out of context on a live album...if not just lyrically. Read the first post! Besides, what the hell does 'Bonus' mean? surely, they don't think 'oh this album is not enough, it needs more'?? No, a bonus track is almost ALWAYS something of an outake, ot intended for an earlier release - nearly ALWAYS! You people that think you are 'close to Alice' (and there is a good few of you here) think you know everything and you don't. What I put was perfectly reasonable and you are not!

Do you really believe that Wexler and Saylor teamed up with Alice during the 1996 tour (although not in the touring band) to write a studio track for the live album??

[A_MichaelUK]

>Whilst songwriters getting together later to write a song may not be unusual,

But you said it seemed “rather strange”. That almost the same thing.

>the point I was making (and no doubt you understood this but just wanted to argue as usual) was that it appears out of context and for no particular reason - THIS IS WHY this thread has been started!

I know “WHY this thread has been started!”. I thought it was clear (obviously not to you) from my answer that the song in it’s final form was not intended for “The Last Temptation” and Brian Nelson’s answer confirmed it.

>For the fact that it seems unusual to be on a live album.

I can’t believe I’m reading this. It’s a BONUS TRACK, for crying out loud. We get people complaining that there aren’t enough bonus tracks, now we’re told it’s “unusual” when we do get a bonus track!

>Many many, many........well, nearly ALL Alice fans have questioned whether this is an 'outake' from TLT

They have? You mean, the thousands and thousands of fans all over the world have asked this question?

>for the fact that it features songwriters on that album that don't appear as a songwriting team on any other album

WHO CARES THAT THEY DON’T?! I ALREADY SENT YOU A LINK TO SOME INFORMATION ABOUT WEXLER - IF YOU BOTHER TO READ IT, YOU WILL SEE THAT HE AND ALICE KNEW EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY BOTH LIVED IN ARIZONA AT AROUND THE SAME TIME AND HAD WORKED TOGETHER A BIT BEFORE, SO IT WOULD NOT BE UNUSUAL FOR THEM TO GET TOGETHER TO WRITE SONGS. WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS THAT ALICE WENT THROUGH A PERIOD WHERE HE WAS ALMOST ALWAYS WRITING SONGS WITH ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE WHETHER IT BE FOR THIS OR THAT PROJECT OR FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON. IT’S WHAT SONG – WRITERS DO. WHAT AN AMAZING CONCEPT.

>if not just lyrically. Read the first post! Besides, what the hell does 'Bonus' mean? surely, they don't think 'oh this album is not enough, it needs more'?? No, a bonus track is almost ALWAYS something of an outake, ot intended for an earlier release - nearly ALWAYS!

WRONG. What about the example WickedYoungMan gave?!

>You people that think you are 'close to Alice' (and there is a good few of you here) think you know everything and you don't.

No – one said anybody knows anything. However, compared to you, the chair I’m sitting on knows more about Alice Cooper than you do. Maybe you know more about Alice than Brian Nelson did? After all, his answer (as provided by Sickthings destroyed your idiotic theory about what a bonus track represents.

>Do you really believe that Wexler and Saylor teamed up with Alice during the 1996 tour (although not in the touring band) to write a studio track for the live album??

What an idiotic question. The burden of proof isn’t on me – it’s on you because you don’t think it’s plausible. Are you saying that Brian lied?

[RemarkablyInsincere]

Besides, what the hell does 'Bonus' mean? surely, they don't think 'oh this album is not enough, it needs more'?? No, a bonus track is almost ALWAYS something of an outake, ot intended for an earlier release - nearly ALWAYS!

Sorry to burst your bubble, but including a studio track or two on a live release is nothing out of the ordinary and it isn't indicative of it being a leftover track either.

Arists/record companies have been doing this for a long time... one of the reasons is to appeal to people not interested in live material who might otherwise ignore the release.

It's not dissimilar as when a new track or two are included on "greatest hits" releases... which is common... it motivates fans who might otherwise already own all the material to buy the release.

[Swinger]

Thanks Hunter for providing that Renfield quote it was info like that I was hoping for.

Contrary to some, I don't think it's that strange that Wexler/Saylor/Cooper got together and wrote that song post-TLT especially since Wexler lived in Arizona, the song was recorded in Arizona and Wexler played on it as well. If he gets back to play it's not strange if he got back to wrote. Besides, Renfield said it was written during the tour but he didn't say it was written on the road (maybe when they played in Phoenix?).

The reason why I got curious about "Is Anyone Home?" is becuase it sounds between eras. Even if it had been written during TLT, it doesn't sound like that album. I can't really think of any other (Alice original) song that's like that. It makes it interesting and also a bit odd in my opinion.

[glamprincess]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but including a studio track or two on a live release is nothing out of the ordinary and it isn't indicative of it being a leftover track either.
Arists/record companies have been doing this for a long time... one of the reasons is to appeal to people not interested in live material who might otherwise ignore the release.
It's not dissimilar as when a new track or two are included on "greatest hits" releases... which is common... it motivates fans who might otherwise already own all the material to buy the release.

Good post, RI. As you and others have said, it is not unusual to include bonus tracks on albums that have the standard songs on them. It's to entice the fans who already have all the standard songs on previous albums to still purchase the live/compilation album anyways.