Easy Action is the second studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...

, released by Straight Records

Straight Records

Straight Records was a record label formed in 1969 to distribute productions and discoveries of Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen. Straight was formed at the same time as a companion label, Bizarre Records. Straight and Bizarre were manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by...

 in March 1970. The title comes from a line in the musical film West Side Story

West Side Story (film)

West Side Story is a 1961 musical film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was adapted from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno,...

, which was one of the band's favorite films. As with Pretties For You

Pretties for You

Pretties for You was the debut album by Alice Cooper. At this time, the name "Alice Cooper" referred to the band, not its lead singer, though the lead singer was also known as Alice Cooper. The music has a psychedelic flavor to it. The group had yet to develop the more concise hard rock sound that...

, the band's debut from the previous year, Easy Action was neither a commercial nor critical success.

Drummer Neal Smith later said of the record producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 David Briggs

David Briggs (producer)

David Briggs was an American record producer best known for his work with Neil Young and his band Crazy Horse. He is noted for his eclectic imagination and style.-Early life:David Briggs was born in Douglas, Wyoming...

, "David hated our music and us. I recall the term that he used, referring to our music, was "Psychedelic Shit". I think Easy Action sounded too dry, more like a TV or radio commercial and he did not help with song arrangement or positive input in any way." http://www.nealsmith.com/entrevue.html

Track listing

All songs written by Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...

, Glen Buxton

Glen Buxton

Glen Edward Buxton was an American musician, and guitarist for the original Alice Cooper band. He was born in Akron, Ohio....

, Michael Bruce

Michael Owen Bruce

Michael Bruce is a US rock musician. He was a guitarist, keyboard player and backing vocalist for the original Alice Cooper group .Bruce co-wrote many of the hit songs with some or all of the other members of the band...

, Dennis Dunaway

Dennis Dunaway

Dennis Dunaway was the bass guitarist for The Spiders , The Earwigs , Alice Cooper group from 1969–1974.He co-wrote such hits as "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out"....

 and Neal Smith.

1. "Mr. & Misdemeanor" – 3:05
2. "Shoe Salesman" – 2:38
3. "Still No Air" – 2:32
4. "Below Your Means" – 6:41
5. "Return of the Spiders" – 4:33
6. "Laughing at Me" – 2:12
7. "Refrigerator Heaven" – 1:54
8. "Beautiful Flyaway" – 3:02
9. "Lay Down and Die, Goodbye" – 7:36

Reception

Allmusic's Joe Viglione rated Easy Action three out of five stars. He explained that it "might be the perfect picture of an evolving Alice Cooper Group." He also stated that it "gives evidence that Cooper has more of a voice than he got credit for." He concluded by saying: "That this band could run the gamut from [Frank] Zappa to [David] Bowie, and perhaps inspired both, makes Easy Action a good study and entertaining record." The staff of Rolling Stone found the album unfavorable. They stated that "there's nothing nearly that interesting" and that "the pretty stuff sounds like something Walt Disney had the good sense to leave in the can." Robert Christgau, in The Village Voice, rated it a C, explaining that it has "its pseudo-decadent and -psychedelic charms, [...] only not as many". He also stated that it contains "tuneless singing, tuneless playing, tuneless tunes, and pseudo-musique concrete."

Personnel

• Alice Cooper
  Alice Cooper
  Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
  
   – vocals
• Glen Buxton
  Glen Buxton
  Glen Edward Buxton was an American musician, and guitarist for the original Alice Cooper band. He was born in Akron, Ohio....
  
   – lead guitar
• Michael Bruce
  Michael Owen Bruce
  Michael Bruce is a US rock musician. He was a guitarist, keyboard player and backing vocalist for the original Alice Cooper group .Bruce co-wrote many of the hit songs with some or all of the other members of the band...
  
   – rhythm guitar, piano, lead vocals on "Below Your Means" and "Beautiful Flyaway"
• Dennis Dunaway
  Dennis Dunaway
  Dennis Dunaway was the bass guitarist for The Spiders , The Earwigs , Alice Cooper group from 1969–1974.He co-wrote such hits as "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out"....
  
   – bass guitar
• Neal Smith – drums
• David Briggs
  David Briggs (producer)
  David Briggs was an American record producer best known for his work with Neil Young and his band Crazy Horse. He is noted for his eclectic imagination and style.-Early life:David Briggs was born in Douglas, Wyoming...
  
  – piano on "Shoe Salesman"