Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper stings with Spider.This is a concept cd about a serial killer named Spider, good stories in all the songs.This rocks hard, This is one of his best cd's in years check it out if love Alice!

I have been a fan of Alice Coopers since I was a very small child and have tried to listen to all of his albums. I too have some I like more than others but I have always had a soft spot for Steven since Welcome to My Nightmare and stronger tracks from Raise Your Fist and Yell. When I learned of Steven being the center character for ACAS, I decided I had to purchase this one. After listening to it several times I was taken back in the dark lyrics to Stevens first arrival, especially with the last track, but the music wasn't as dark as our first encounters years ago. Steven started off young and inexperienced and now is much older and wiser, where the original introduction was music that sounded like he was always just on the outside of your vision in the shadows, he is now standing in front of you basking in his sheer power and ability to contain you against your will and no one the wiser.
The songs do have a storyline to them, so I have to disagree with others, including parts of stories from other albums. But, sadly, I have to agree that some songs do seem a little too light-hearted, almost a Mary Poppins homicidal song when he truly seems to delight in his psychosis. I mean that in no disrespect, if you have a dark sense of humor, you too may enjoy the change in song style to match the change in Stevens state of mind.
Not my favorite album, Welcome to My Nightmare, but a nice return to what makes us enjoy being a fan, a return to the Macabre.

I personally liked dirty diamonds and the eyes of Alice Cooper better than Spider. However, being since Alice is Alice, there will come a time when I will pick this cd out to listen to because it's one story line about (Steven), whatever the mood I'm in, there is always an Alice cd for me. I especially like the song salvation, he is a preachers son, and a lot of his songs are inspirational at a certain level without the preaching. Alice rocks and so does this cd.

This is a great cd. Alice Cooper is still giving us great music, something Kiss needs to learn from. Because if they try they can come up with new stuff too. And if you Make music that rocks and you like, the fans will still buy it. Personally my favorite cooper stuff was "brutal planet". I wish he'd return to that great sound too. but this one satisfies my hard rocking horror movie loving soul; just like his many great songs from the past do for me as well. And the songs are really cool with even Ozzy Osbourne helping out. So if you like great hard rock you will enjoy this great cd.

This is an awesome cd and you can't go wrong with Alice Cooper plain and simple.

One of the top 100 Rock albums to date, and this is the Coop at his best (with the exception of Love it to Death). Pick it up, you won't be disappointed.

The Coop's second hit album following the breakthrough "Love It To Death" was "Killer". This CD does not do the album justice. Frankly I'm surprised there is no expanded version of this on Rhino. What gives? An enhanced-with-bonus-trax, remastered version of "Killer" seems like a no-brainer. This is a classic album with one absolute masterpiece, "Halo of Flies". I love during one line how the melody from "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music" is detectable. Everybody into rock bought this album at the time. The music stands up so well because it is real and the original AC band was incredible. I saw them in 1971 at the Long Beach Auditorium and they were fierce live.

First off, all of the original Alice Cooper band albums are more than worthwhile. Get them all....on vinyl that is.

These low priced CD's that Warner Brothers is peddeling are the original transfers from back when the CD was first introduced. Terrible hiss and poor sound quality make these unlistenable in my opinion. I have MP3's and cassettes of these albums that sound much better than these factory WB CD releases do.

I also own all of them on vinyl and can firmly attest that the AC Band catalouge is in DIRE need of a remaster. Save your bucks until that happens or listen on vinyl/cassette until then. Don't encourage these guys. Shame on you Warner Brothers for continuing to sell such outdated/poor quality transfers here in the new millenium!!

This album is the epitomy of 70's hard rock. My favorite Alice cds are Billion Dollar Babies, and Killer. I was 9 years old when Killer hit the streets and this album changed my life.
Ted Templeman produced this, and there are alot of really cool sounds that make this album very creepy and cool. "Halo of Flies"...etc.
If I was going to live on a deserted island, and could only take 100 cd's with me, this one would definately go.

Arguably, the band Alice Cooper, their best album. This album peaked at #21 on the charts & it had two singles released from it, "Be My Lover" (#49) & "Under My Wheels" (#59). These chart positions are not indicative of the quality of this album. At 8 songs, let's remember this was on vinyl, it's on the short side but every song here is exceptional. The aforementioned songs are excellent as are "Under My Wheels", "You Drive Me Nervous" & "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah". There's absolutely nothing wrong with the rest of the songs.

Below is a listing of the songs as they appeared on vinyl:
Side 1
"Under My Wheels"
"Be My Lover"
"Halo of Flies"
"Desperado"

Side 2
"You Drive Me Nervous"
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"
"Dead Babies"
"Killer"

I've listed these songs this way for a reason, I don't know if anyone has noticed (I'm sure SOMEBODY has) but these songs correspond by titles. If you compare the first song (& so forth) of side 1 to the first song of side 2 they have a certain similarity. The second song of each side is the biggest stretch for similarity but I let you figure that out. I don't know if it was intentional but it's there for all to see.

Bob Ezrin was the producer & he had the Midas touch at this point in his career. He managed to get the band Alice Cooper to become a top charting act, he did the same for Alice Cooper the solo act, he produced the best album Kiss ever did, Destroyer, & then he began producing Pink Floyd albums, most notably The Wall. It should be noted that Ezrin also writes songs & is a musician.

Without a doubt, this is the band Alice Cooper's best album. It's about as close as one can get to an essential album without being one. If I were to rate these songs on an individual basis, none would receive less than a four star rating. There isn't any filler on this album! This was a very tight band that could do a lot of different things & styles.

Punk? Glam? Shock-Rock? Horror-Rock? Heavy Metal? Anything created since? Yes. It all starts here, everyone since has copied Alice Cooper. And there's nothing wrong with that, the Coop wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone from the Sex Pistols to Rob Zombie has cited Alice as the godfather of modern music, and especially all the genres of rock music in the last 30 years. One of the top 40 albums to date, and definitely Alice Cooper's best. Pick this up, and doors will open.

First off, all of the original Alice Cooper band albums are more than worthwhile. Get them all....on vinyl that is.

These low priced CD's that Warner Brothers is peddeling are the original transfers from back when the CD was first introduced. Terrible hiss and poor sound quality make these unlistenable in my opinion. I have MP3's and cassettes of these albums that sound much better than these factory WB CD releases do.

I also own all of them on vinyl and can firmly attest that the AC band catalouge is in DIRE need of a remaster. Save your bucks until that happens or listen on vinyl/cassette until then. Don't encourage these guys. Shame on you Warner Brothers for continuing to sell such outdated/poor quality transfers!!

Alice Cooper's third studio album was a major step in the right direction. Love It to Death was their first album for a major label although it had been previously released on a label owned by Frank Zappa, who's considered the discoverer of the band. The superstar producer, Bob Ezrin, was at the helm for the first time with the band. Under his guidance he helped to transform Alice Cooper into the hard rock band that most people are familiar with. Love It to Death peaked at #35 on the album charts & had two charting singles; "Caught in a Dream " (#94) & their breakthrough single, "I'm Eighteen" (#21).

The album opens with the aforementioned "Caught in a Dream" which is an excellent song. It certainly has a pop sound though not overly so. The band had a way of blending pop, rock, even garage into a unique sound & some of the darkest lyric for that era. Next is the anthemic "I'm Eighteen" which brought Alice Cooper to the attention of mainstream radio. I would turn that age in the year this album was released & it spoke bunches for me & my classmates. "Long Way to Go" didn't let up the pace as it rocked straight ahead. Michael Bruce does a great reverb soaked solo. "Black Juju" clocks in at more than nine minutes & is worth every minute of it. It has a Doors feel to it but much better to my ears. Black Juju" proves just how talented this band was. "Is It My Body" reverts to the tight song structure conducive to airplay. "Hallowed Be My Name" lyrically touches upon some quasi-religious themes that Coopper would get into sometimes. "Second Coming" slows down the pace but lyrically follows in the pattern of the previous song. Next is the incredible "Ballad of Dwight Fry" which has some of the strangest lyrics of most songs. With its tale of a deranged father, it's more than morbidly fascinating, it's downright frightening. With its opening of a little girl asking mommy, "Where's Daddy? Do you think he's ever coming home?"; it will certainly warn you that something strangely different is about to be thrust upon the listener. It's without a doubt one of Alice Cooper's best song. Up to this point we've had an album incredibly consistent, every song a keeper,not a piece of filler in the bunch. Then they had to close the album with the cover song "Sun Arise" which is incredibly lame. I know it's suppose to suggest waking up from a nightmare but the band could have written a song much stronger than this. It's a horrible ending to such an incredible album.

Where to begin. I didn't really know a whole lot about Alice Cooper until 1986 when he made his comeback and MTV (yes at one time MTV played music including good music) aired his concert from Detroit live on Halloween night. I was too young to remember his bands heyday back in the '70s so other than having heard "Eighteen" and "Schools Out" that was about the extent of my knowledge. What a show. All sorts of theatrics and weird stuff. Went out and grabbed this CD and "Billion Dollar Babies" shortly afterwards. While I love both of those this one is probably my favorite. While Alice's image conjures up Metal, the music on here is more straight forward, no frills rock and roll much like the Rolling Stones or Faces. When he made his late '80s come back the music would lean more towards Metal. Nothing fancy on here like the stage shows but boy is it great. Every song is awesome on here even "Sun Arise". But the best include "Is it My Body", "Eighteen", "Caught in a Dream"...hell, all of 'em. One thing about it Alice certainly influenced Marilyn Manson with his ourageous stage shows, but the difference is Alice Coopers music stands on it's own. He and the band could have gone without the elaborate stage shows and would have still been great. The music is that good. Manson couldn't dream of that. He couldn't carry Alices' boa constrictor.

Caught in a dream, I'm Eighteen and Is It My Body are just a few of the classics here. Alice being discovered more or less by Frank Zappa was a breath of fresh air for end of the 60's and early 70's rock n roll American style. THANKS TO HIS REBEL STYLE HE IS UNIQUE AND SHOULD BE LISTENED TO ACCORDINGLY...Charlie

Schools Out and Welcome To My Nightmare were the first two Cooper songs I remember hearing. I saw him on the Muppet show and that was it, I was hooked. Minus The various versions of "The Freak Out Song" re-released under different names I have them all and will continue buying every album as soon as they come out. I love his music. I play Schools Out on the last day of school - every year - it's a tradition. Even the radio stations around here do it.

Don't buy this!!! The product description claims it's released by Rhino,much like earlier remastered versions of Billion Dollar Babies and Welcome to my nightmare but all I received was an old Warner Bros. copy from the early 90's! It's the same thing,same poor ancient sound quality! I was prepared to buy the other cds under the other so-called 'Rhino flashback' series but I won't get suckered twice!Don't waste your money!

Alice's best and most consistent album. The hit title track only scratches the surface, the rest hold up to that standard. I would speculate that the reason only the hit single appears on Alice's best of's is that this album is itself a best of, and should appear alongside any Greatest Hits that might be in your collection.

If you're downloading mp3s, the only track I'd leave behind would be the Grand Finale. It's an instrumental summary of all the songs on the album suited for filling out the last track on the album without breaking the theme of the album.

I'd download the other eight tracks en masse but if you're looking to test the water with a few tracks start with Blue Turk, Luney Tune, and Gutter Cat. Follow up with My Stars and round out with the remaining tracks. Street Fight isn't a song per se, but Gutter Cat just doesn't sound complete without it.

Most people probably want School's Out because of the popular title song, but little do most people realize this is one of Cooper's most consistent albums. The best songs on the album are the best songs he ever made, such as "My Stars", which sounds like some kind of crazy drug trip, "Luney Tune" with its classic glam rock style that Alice was exceptionally good at (and a really good pleasant middle section along with some *fantastic* guitar playing), and "Alma Mater", which sounds like something Paul McCartney was doing around the time Let It Be was made. Just listen to the way Alice's vocals sound!

"Grande Finale" reminds me of James Bond, someone I was never really a fan of (or the movies) but a great instrumental nonetheless. It's probably his best album, but then again, he had a few other really good albums in the early 70's as well.

Alice Cooper's dramatic side really comes to the fore in 1972's School's Out. But, aside from the title track, which might just be Cooper's most famous effort, this album is largely unplayed on classic rock radio.

"Luney Tune" is classic Cooper, for certain. The band combines strong instrumental work and good vocals with interesting melodies to really create a great sound, while "Gutter Cat vs. The Jets" has an eerie, almost Eastern vibe, in that Zeppelin-esque way, and strikes the most obvious comparisons with West Side Story. "Blue Turk," with its jazzy feel, is another album highlight, and it really showcases the varied talents of the band, as they pull off different styles with ease.

And that's just the first half. The second half of the album is knockout track after knockout track, with "My Stars," "Public Animal #9," and "Alma Mater," which really carry the second half of the album and make this a great record. "Grande Finale" is a bit weak, as a closer, but after three standout tracks, it's forgivable.

In truth, the first time I heard this album, front to back, I wasn't too crazy about it. I found it a little too gimmicky, and relatively weak, compared to the Alice Cooper group's other big albums (the masterpiece Love It to Death, the near masterpiece Killer, and the also strong Billion Dollar Babies). I still find it the weakest of these "big four," but it isn't weak, overall. The quality of the musicianship, performance, and songwriting has won me over on this one.

The music industry gimmick in this era of measuring the success of an album due to units shipped - and not sales - makes this 1978 soundtrack appear to be a success, as it did hover for a time in the top ten of the album chart; but it was a staple of cut-out bins for years and a major financial blow to the record label, RSO.

The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton are the featured performers, though there are numerous artists in the 83 minutes of music. Out of the three charted singles on the Billboard Hot 100, Got to Get You Into My Life by Earth, Wind & Fire reached the highest at #9, while Oh! Darling by Robin Gibb peaked at #15 and Get Back by Billy Preston limped in at #86.

The highlights with EW&F are actress Sandy Farina providing an elegant interpretation of Strawberry Field Forever and Aerosmith delivering a sizzling cover of Come Together. But the album sinks due to a greater number of muddling performances like Because by Alice Cooper, Fixing a Hole by George Burns and Maxwell's Silver Hammer by Steve Martin. That Frampton's career as a top recording artist was essentially over may be seen as a bonus by his critics.

On paper, an extravaganza of Beatles music over two albums and featuring some of the monsters of the Billboard charts must have looked like a huge winner. But where EW&F clearly showed the correct musical direction, it was a trail that the project failed to take...and ultimately tanked miserably.

I am a Sgt. Pepper child too. I have the fondest and happiest memories of me going lots of time to the movie theatre to see this flick, conning and tricking every adult that i knew into taking me to see it again. I had the triple casette that was ultimately destroyed by the use and father time. Later I spent month after month monitoring the satellite tv programming hoping that they would have to show the movie again, eventually, which they did more than 10 years later at 4 am. Finally, I got hold of this CD in London in 98. I was soo excited and happy. It sounded great although obviously with a dated 70's sound. The album has some great covers, maybe the best covers of Beatles' songs of all time performed by Aerosmith, EWF, and of course the BeeGees. Peter Frampton vocally was not up to the challenge but his guitar work on almost all the songs he played gave them a unique sound. I am terriblely biased as I loved the movie (which is headed for cult status, just wait and see) and the start of it makes me feel like a kid again, my daughter loves the movie too, and I love the soundtrack, but don't be fooled by all the slamming, it is the work of George Martin and some other great producers, by the same guys that made Saturday Night Fever and Grease to name a few.

I liked this album and the movie. It may not be the best movie ever made, nor was this the best album ever made; however being a fan of the artists who worked on the project I'm a fan. 100%. Yes the movie was cheesy I'll give it that, but who cares.

Personally, I got a kick out of Frampton's face when I asked him to sign my copy of the movie!!! (And YES he's still touring and still KICKS MAJOR @$$ on the guitar!!! The hall of fame honor was long over due!)

But hey, what do I know.... : ) Sure there are people bound to disagree, lets just agree to disagree!

If you love musicals this is a must have! This is one of the best musical movies ever made, and I don't give this kind of praise lightly. The Bee Gees sing Beatles songs better than The Beatles themselves (forgive me, even though The Beatles were musical geniuses, it is true). Even my youngest (at four years old) is fascinated by this movie and regularly requests to watch it. George Burns narrates and takes you on a pleasant nostalgic trip back in time. With the great array of singers (The Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, Earth Wind and Fire and so many more) you will be singing and dancing along with the whole movie. Then you have the opportunity to try to name all the famous people in the closing song. I bet you can't name them all! Amazing and Highly Recommended. Enjoy this one.

Having seen the movie, and being a Beatle's fan, I can see the animosity of people criticizing both the soundtrack and the film. However, this cover of Beatle's music is no worse than the recent covers done in "Across The Universe". Just remember a cover is a cover. There are some songs that didn't work, but for the most part, the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton did very well. I enjoyed Robin Gibb's cover of "Oh Darling" (which plays the full version on the album, but gets cut in the movie for the scene to work) and George Burns' rendition of "Fixing A Hole" (despite the album's editor editting the final 30 second sequence from the song, the full version is in the movie).

The rest of the album is also outstanding with Aerosmith's cover of "Come Together" and Earth, Wind, & Fire's version of "Got To Get You Into My Life". Billy Preston's cover of "Get Back" is also worth it's weight. I recommend this CD set on it's cover value and it's placement in pop culture history.

Thank goodness for all the people who've been saying Alice Cooper's late 70's music is good, because thankfully, they are RIGHT! There's a small chance I would have ignored these late 70's albums had no one mentioned them.

Alice Cooper Goes to Hell is just a great pop album from beginning to end. You have his usual whacky and dark theater elements, and you have really good songwriting that *is* on the same level as the music he was making in the early 70's. This is just really good music that deserves more attention than what it's been getting so far. The same goes for the other Alice Cooper albums released directly after this one (and continuing through the early 80's).

"Guilty" is classic glam/hard rock Alice, the title song has a memorable chant that makes up the chorus, there's elements of disco that appear in SMALL doses (thankfully- I'm not a disco fan), "I'm the Coolest" has a groovy rhythm, and the EXCELLENT ballad called "I Never Cry is probably his very best ballad. Why doesn't it appear on radio stations? WHY!

"Give the Kid a Break" is probably a perfect example of underrated experimental brilliance. I can't explain it, but this song reminds me of John Lennon a little bit- perhaps I'm thinking about that album Lennon made featuring nothing but cover songs from the 50's. I love the lyrics too. I can't tell if that's Alice imitating TWO separate voices, or if there's another person singing (talking actually) over the song. Maybe it's Alice Cooper having a conversation with himself!

"Wake Me Gently" has a really good spooky verse melody, that reminds me of "Steven". "Going Home" is a nice pleasant way to end the album.

Anyway, this is GOOD stuff that is easily on the same level as excellence as all his early albums.

This Album Was A Great Record When It Came Out In The 70's And Still One Of Alice's Best Records. I Continue To Listen To It Over & Over. " Didn't We Meet" And "Wish You Were Here" Are The Best. Give The Coop A Break!

If there is a place where we see that Alice misses his bandmates, and that Bob Ezrin cannot make up for the loss, it is here. Starting off with the showstopping Go To Hell, one of the Cooper classics, the album slides into an disconected mess. In retrospect, you might think that this would be the anthematic Cooper release. Unfortunatley NO!. After the lead off track Alice slides into a very disjointed affair. Few musical highlights.....Guilty, I Never Cry, Wake Me Gently.....and I will give some credos to the campy Give The Kid A Break. Very Indulgent release. Alice went New wave on "Flush the Fashion" maybe his best effort for nearly ten years after this, but this effort and many subsequent albums shows that substance abuse takes it's toll on one of the most creative and influential artists of all time.

Still love the cover!!!! One of the most horrific and fun covers of all time in my opinion. If the cover matched the music we would be talking about one of the best albums of all time.

GOES TO HELL IS ONE GREAT ALBUM WITH MELODIC BALLAD TUNES THAT CAN MAKE A PRINCESS CRY FOR MORE!!!

Alice Cooper Goes To Hell...and delivers a masterpiece. This is some dark material with great lyrical content.

It looked promising - a 22-track Alice Cooper compilation. Boy was I wrong. This has almost none of the killer early stuff, and EDITED versions of songs throughout. Also, where are "You're A Movie", "Skeletons in My Closet", "Raped N Freezin", "I Love the Dead", and "Feed My Frankenstein"??? Just another case of WEA/Rhino putting out "product" to placate the unaware. Do yourself a favor and buy ANYTHING other than this.

I have this cd, bought it recently. Most of the main classics are on this cd. But my problem is, where are the 3 classics "Hey Stoopid", "Feed My Frankenstein", and "Lost in America"? If those 3 songs were on the cd, along with all songs already on there, then it would really be the best of Alice Cooper!

Where are classic tracks such as Raped & Freezin', Halo of Flies, Ballad of Dwight Fry? A greatest hits is just that, the hits. A best of should represent what the artist believes are his best tracks regardless of chart status. I look forward to the apocalypse when maybe, just maybe, a label will get this format right.

It has been suggested by some that this is a good place to start for those who are not completely familiar with Alice Cooper. I've always loved Alice Cooper, their/his music and stage originality, but am almost ashamed to say I've never owned an Alice Cooper album. The very beginning was slightly before my time, but that's no excuse. Alice set the stage for so many that came later, and is truly an original icon. This cd is exactly what my collection needed.

I realize there are some classics lacking in this collection and also that it's light on the early stuff, but all the major hits are here, plus some other lesser known tracks to complete the picture. I know there are those who thought Alice got a little wimpy later on as he tried to sound more "legit," but I don't care. I love the ballads, even though they are far from what the "founding fathers" had in mind, and listening to them is my guilty little pleasure.

I agree that this is a good place to start, or for those more seasoned fans wanting a neat summary of Alice's music. The liner notes are fantastic and contain short blurbs by Alice (and two other band members) detailing what the songs are about and where he was in his life when they were written. A very interesting read.

Summary: Essential for those not wanting to dip into the boxed set.

Alice Cooper the band is 100% better in every respect than Alice Cooper the solo performer. So why so many solo tracks? And the boxset is even worse! Please Rhino/WEA: a two disc best of Alice Cooper the group. Or maybe a four disc box with live tracks and rarities? Is this too much to ask??

I have not listened Alice Cooper very much, but this record I found very interesting, especially "Poison" which theme, I feel, is slightly copied by the Finnish band Lordi in their Eurovison 2006 contest winner song "Hard Rock Hallelujah". As a whole I a agree with Alice Cooper himself, as he writes in his book "Golf Monster", this album to be the one of his bests "yet?". I sincerely recommend this record also to a little bit older enthusiasts.

A Midnight Golfer from Finland:-)

Trash was the album that got me interested in Alice Cooper back in the late 80's. Tracks such as Poison , Bed of Nails and House of fire (one of my fave songs from Alice so far)where big hits back in the MTV rock era.As well as collaborations from Jon Bon Jovi and Steven Tyler any fanatic of late 80's music would get a kick out of Trash.You ask almost any casual Alice fan which song sticks in their mind and Poison would be their answer.My advice to anyone contemplating buying Trash......... Purchase Trash ,it is a fantastic rocker, but it is really not what Alice Cooper the solo artist is all about. Hey Stoopid and The last temptation showcase Alice at his best.

TRASH was a huge break through album for Alice Cooper. Poison alone made this CD worth owning. Thanks to some creative help from his friends Cooper was on top where he belongs.

Old skool heavy rock fans hate this album. They hate the whiff of sellout, the guest appearances like the co-writing with Desmond Child, Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi. They hate the fact that people as varies as Stiv Bator, Steve Lukather and a whole heap of Aerosmith and girlie faves like Kane Roberts and Kip Winger were also features. Particularly in relation to the latter two mentioned, they take umbrage that such third tier types were in posession of bigger profiles than their teenage shock rock idol circa '89.

The simple fact is that this sort of collaboration is exactly what Alice needed to bring him up to date. To bring his legacy to a new generation and the plain truth is that since this album the Coop has never fallen off the radar as badly as he had with dross such as Special Forces and Da.

The worst things that could be said of this album are that it's a cop out with all the extra writers and that it's a shameless sellout. But even a sellout is better than what we'd put up with prior to this release.

But just cos I'm not someone who was 18 when Billion Dollar Babies came out and therefore feel obliged to hate everything that came after doesn't mean I find this album faultess. Far from it. So, IMHO;

- Poison is a great song and a great way to start an album. Other highlights would be Bed of Nails in a cheesy sort of way and Spark in the Dark and House of Fire scoot along quickly enough that you almost don't notice the shaky musical premises their built on. Nicely flowing chorus' on tunes such as This Maniacs in Love With You and the visceral vocal performance of Why Trust You (a little out of place on a disc so smoothly produced by Desmond Child) lift these tunes to at least bog standard level.

- However despite Alice trying to talk it up at the time, Only My Heart Talkin' was never gonna have much impact on the charts. And Hell is Living Without You is filler while I'm Your Gun - well they probably figured that if they tacked it onto the end of the album nobody would notice it. And given the calibre of the songwriters here it's pretty scary they couldn't come upwith at least ten decent tunes.

- Alice Cooper still has something about him on pretty much any release he touches. And his brand of shock rock that at times delved into art rock is here fairly streamlined into mainstream late 80's hard rock. The riffs are clean, the production nice and when it does work it works pretty darn well. For heavens sake even Barry Manilow loving housewives like my mother liked Poison the thing was so darn catchy!

This slice of corporate rock ain't the best Coop product by a fair margin. But it gave him back the commercial impetus to relaunch his career and he subsequently grabbed that chance with both hands so regardless of what the purists may think this is an important album in the mans cataluge, but not always for the music itself.

This was Alice's big comeback album. The single "Poison" got him back on top 40 radio for the first time in years, and the album was a huge success. Cooper was back to playing big arenas in front of sold out crowds. But......I think the album stinks. The music is cliche ridden hair metal and most of the lyrics are just plain stupid. Compared to most of the Coop's other work this dreck just does not hold up.

If you lived back then, you understood Alice Cooper. This was his best. If you nevere heard it, give it a try.

"Billion Dollar Babies" used to be my favorite Alice Cooper album. It's still a good showing for the band thirty some-odd years later but the shock value tracks just don't hold up as one grows up.

The title track in particular is Alice at his best. Who would have dreamed that it's hippy-dippy flower child Donovan singing those backing vocals, "We go dancing nightly in the attic...". If you've got the four tracks that appear on "Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits", download "Raped and Freezin'" and "Generation Landslide" and be done with it. The rest you can live without.

"Unfinished Sweet" made for good television back in the day when Alice was promoting the album, but the song drags on longer than it should and I skip to the next track as soon as the sound of the dentist's drill comes on. "Sick Things" made for an entertaining performance when Alice did a cameo on the 1973 prime time show, "The Snoop Sisters", but as the memory of the performance fades I find that the song again goes on too long and isn't one I care to hear again.

The two last tracks "Mary Ann" and "I Love The Dead" were where Alice decided that if his market niche was shock value, his act was coming up against the principle of diminishing returns. Since he'd already sung about dead babies, perhaps necrophilia and gender confusion would sustain his appeal among his primary audience, teenage boys. Problem is, such an approach was a business decision, an attention-getter for the marketing of Alice's image; the songs themselves are filler.

So when a band looks to its image or antics to cover for the music, it's not surprising that this was the last great Alice Cooper album. But what a run it was; the four albums "Love It To Death", "Killer", "School's Out" and "Billion Dollar Babies" put Alice Cooper on the map and are the core of any Alice Cooper collection.

There are some albums that continue to confound me with regard to the critical or public perception, none being greater than, in my opinion, one of the most influential albums, tours, and groups coming together at their apex in the history of rock and roll.

The Beatles at Shea Stadium coming off their American conquest of the Ed Sullivan Show. How about the Rolling Stones and the dire, but very consequential elements of Altamont. Ah yes, the Sex Pistols very short lived but hammer in face tour of America and the one album that spawned that tour. Elvis back at the forefront after Memphis.

How about the album and tour that totally shocked America with no apologies, and continued to influence countless thousands of rcok bands....maybe even Gene, Paul, Ace, and Peter.

Well this was the climax of a totally transformed band; garage roots mixed with a panoramic vision of the decay of american culture. Alice definitely had the pulse of America under his stethescope. Combined with a producer that was classically trained and knew his partners.

Hello Hooray........lets get the show started
Raped and Freezin......still wanting to rock without all of the macarbe
Elected........We want, and will rule the world
Billion Dollar Babies....Fun and Campy; who would have thunk....Donovan and Alice make a classic
Generation Landslide....Really the thematic anthem of this album
Unfinished Suite.....Campy Alice...Broadway themes....Vaudville to the fullest
No More Mister Nice Guy..Alice wears his heart on his sleeve and the band rocks as hard and as melodically as ever.... a rock and roll classic
The Horror begins
Sick Things....not a rock and roll classic, but an Alics Classic. Listen by yourself in the dead of night. It still gives my chills. You whet my appetite....
Mary Ann....lovely love song..... I think
Let's close at the funeral.....
I Love The Dead....Anyone who can make a sing along of necrophilla deserves a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

One of the 100 greatest rock and roll albums ever!!!!!!!!!

There's not a bad song on the original album though it doesn't quite measure up to Killer. Killer was absolutely killer, in fact I consider it an essential album. Billion Dollar Babies doesn't have the high moments of Killer.

There are three chart singles here: "Billion Dollar Babies", " No More Mr. Nice Guy" & "Hello Hooray". All of these are good songs but the band Alice Cooper was never about hit singles. None reached the Billboard top 20, "No More Mr. Nice Guy" did best peaking at #25. The best song on the original album is "Unfinished Sweet" with its instrumental breaks reminding me of sixties secret agent movies. "Generation Landslide" also stands out among the songs.

The remastering is excellent plus we get a bonus disc that contains live tracks & session outtakes. Most of the live cuts are from the tour that supported this album so many of those album tracks are here. There's also a live versions of "Eighteen", "My Stars" & a short version of "Dead Babies". These live cuts sound very good. There are three unreleased tracks: "Coal Black Model T", "Son of Billion Dollar Babies (Generation Landslide)" & "Slick Black Limousine".

Enjoy Alice Cooper's second best album which features a very tight band that should've received more credit & recognition than they ever got. Furnier's breakup of the band was an injustice to himself & the name.

What more can be said for a man who has spanned decades rocking? Not usually a fan of live albums, I cant get enough of his classics on Billion Dollar Babies, and feel like I am right in the audience cheering his on stage antics.
I'd recommend this album to anyone.
Rock on Alice!!

Probably the BEST album cover of Alice Cooper's career (and he had some good ones) belongs to From the Inside!

As you probably know, this is a concept album about Alice's stay at a sanitarium, and because of that, the lyrics are REALLY good throughout the album, perhaps even the best lyrics he ever wrote.

You get a disco feel immediately once you hear the title song, but the vocals are so good and the lyrics equally as impressive that you really don't care whether it has a disco flavor or not. "Wish I Were Born in Beverly Hills" is AWESOME because of the speed and catchiness at which the verse melody and chorus is played. VERY good song, and it gets even better, because "The Quiet Room" has some of the greatest lyrics I've ever heard combined with a quiet, yet intense, atmosphere. What an underappreciated classic.

"Nurse Rozetta" has more extremely catchy vocals and, you know, I'm beginning to notice a small subtle stab at punk rock on some of these tracks, whether that was intentional or not. Alright, "Millie and Billie" is a silly duet between Alice and female vocals. Some may think it's beautiful, and I guess the chorus is pretty good, but THIS song probably shouldn't have been included here. It's alright though.

After a few more awesome hard rock songs, "Jackknife Johnny" comes up, and totally creeps me out and I can't figure out what it is about it that's so *fascinating* about it. Amazingly enough, I get the same exact feeling hearing the final song called "Inmates (We're All Crazy Now)". I could have sworn I heard this song years ago somewhere when I was a child, but I just can't remember where.

Anyway, I LOVE this album, and I think you should too. It's classic Alice.

Boy does this CD bring back memories. My favorite of all of Coopers stuff. David Foster is the producer as well, thats weird when you see the singers he works for now.

as mixed bag as LACE AND WHISKEY was this one stays true to form.the story
based on alice trip to rehab(im told)and all the wonderful characters that he meets along the way.alice was having sucess with ballads so here is the single HOW YOU GONNA SEE ME NOW.I think this was his best ballad partly because all the songs were co written with elton fames BERNIE TAUPIN.but it rocks as well the title opens the album FROM THE INSIDE is a good upbeat song to start.WISH I WAS BORN IN BEVERLY HILLS another rocker about drinking and having a grand old time.THE QUITE ROOM sort of a ballad but not syrupy at all.and ofcoarse these character songs NURSE ROSETTA,the criminally insane MILLIE AND BILLIE,JACKKNIFE JOHNNY,the abandand dog VERONICA. SERIOUS is a really good opener to side two that rocks.and another personal favorite of mine INMATES which tries to sum up the whole crazy story. great fun ,great album

This is one of my favorite Cooper albums from it's era. Alice never disappoints with his great lyrics.

A concept album about a man in an mentle instution!! Classic Alice!!
Definitly his best solo album sence Nightmare "From the Inside" was inspired from Alices real life experence in a rehab insatution. and acording to him "All the songs are baced on real people.Its just the names that have been changed to protect the criminally insane."
There is a Weird All Style love song titled "Mille and Bille" in witch Alice duets with some uncreteted female.Laugh out loud funny.Probobly the best on the disc. Then there is the tear jerking balled Alice wrote when he aws in the instatution and preparing to go home.He had been a drunk his whole marrage and was afraid that the change was going to be to different for his wife Sherrl.This song is called "How You Gonna See Me Now" probobly the only song he wrote from his heart he once said in an interview.It is also the last good album(cronologicly)that he put out for 8 years.It's A classic!! I deffenitly reccomend it to anyone who likes the COOP!!