Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Concept album with an outstanding 'School's out'.
This album was fine. I liked some of the songs but I don't think I'd ever listen again.
Alice Cooper continues to confound; I didn't expect this to quote West Side Story. This is every bit as silly and theatrical as yesterday's Sparks album, but it doesn't do it for me in the same way. Low three.
Didn't speak to me besides School's Out
School's Out is the fifth studio album from the band Alice Cooper. The band released seven album, with considerable success, before Vincent Furnier, had a solo career as Alice Cooper, assuming the persona of the band's chosen name. The band was known for it's outrageous stage act, with snakes, lots of fake blood, and simulated hangings. Cooper and the band wore intricate costumes and make-up, pulling any and all stops to be intentionally provocative. This album includes the band's most famous single, "School's Out." It is a good example of the guitar driven, classic rock that the band creates. The music is decent, well-performed hard rock, but not particularly noteworthy.
What strikes me most about this album is that it is so unlike what you think an Alice Cooper album would sound like - and that's a compliment. 1972 is such a strange time for music, what you think would be a horror-gore album is an easy listening alt-prog-rock disc. 3.5/5
appreciated the jazzy hits on this. not really what i expected, but no complaints here
This is surprisingly fun, not at all what I expected. I knew the title track, and expected the rest to follow with less good iterations of that, but there's prog, jazz, blues, a bit of everything really. It's not top tier, but it's certainly a high 3 for me.
Prefer to billion dollar babies, but still doesn’t do much for me
Skools out
The first shock rock super star's most famous album. The titular song is a class. The rest doesn't necessarily hold up well, but I did rather enjoy the "Grande Finale" instrumental.
Yeah a couple of hits, the variety is good here though id never listened to the album the whole way through. Thanks guitar hero. 2.9
I hate his voice but the record is ok...
The title song is great, and outside of that, there are some interesting moments but overall the album is just ok. It's not bad, but I would much prefer to hear the title song over any of the other tracks on the album.
Wasn't bad, I just couldn't vibe with it 3 ⭐️
Would not expect a horn filled jazz rock jam like "Blue Turk" to be the centerpiece of this album based on only knowing the famous title track. There's a lot going on in here!
Grunge, haunting, somber punk rock. There are some really good jams on this record that make me want to thrash. I dig this one.
Annað en ég hélt. Á köflum mjög áhugavert. 3,5.
Great end to the work week with this timeless classic. Had not heard the end tracks in quite some time and enjoyed it.
Americans never did Glam Rock terribly well. Or Punk. (Poodle Metal, though? 👌🏿) I digress. I can’t imagine what t would have been like to listen to this album in 1973. But, judging from the stuff from the era that I know, I guess it would have been a bit like listening to Marilyn Manson in 1999 (Note. Alice Cooper aka Vince Furnier, turned out much better on every front.)
That ending was impressive. Don't forget the Coop everyone! Three overworked teachers out of five
3.5. Some fun sound in here
classic
Schools out is a classic and reminds me of my childhood a lot. An exciting pumped up song. The rest passed me by!
Pretty good, I like Alice Cooper but a lot sounds the same. I much prefer his album Trash, that's the one I think of when it comes to Alice Cooper
Pretty good
The title track is an all-timer. The rest of the album doesn’t live up to it, but a decent listen overall. 3.5/5
This album surprised me. Catchy songs covering a more than expected number of genres.
it starts one way and ends another, it was very diverse which surprised me, but wouldnt come back to it.
Surprisingly varied and enjoyable.
This was a little disappointing. I was excited for an Alice Cooper offering, I've always enjoyed his hit singles and I like him as a person / radio presenter, but I thought this album fell flat. The title track is a certain classic, I'll give it that. As for the rest? It's not awful but it falls smack-bang in the middle: 2.5. I'll round it up to a 3.
Solid 3.5. I honestly was kind of meh about Alice Cooper based on the few songs I'd heard on the radio. This actually impressed me quite a bit. Still not a super fan, but I'm glad it was in the rotation.
Love Alice cooper this album was a nice easy listen with some songs ahead of its time and pretty tight from start to finish
Solid album. I've never really dug into Alice Cooper and mostly assumed they wouldn't be for me. This album is a pretty solid mix of good songs and shitty hard rock 70s songs. The title track is iconic and only really in a good way due to Dazed & Confused. I enjoyed the more restrained songs where Cooper's vocals are quite nice and the guitars/arrangement are somewhat interesting. It's a bit of a concept album that gives it a little more pizazz. I overall enjoyed. ***
Not at all what I was expecting, “School’s Out” was a fun tune but I didn’t care for much of anything else.
This was better than I expected. I used to live billion dollar babies but the rest of his stuff I wasn’t crazy about. His band is always good but his schtick is mostly not for me.
Once you take this as musical theatre then it's wild style and genre swings are much easier to understand. Four stars for the bangers, three for the rest. On the whole a three.
Prima maar niet heel bijzonder
The title track is a classic The rest less so
Not the biggest fan of his singing style or silly lyrics but this at least held my interest & had some very cool bass playing. 2.75. Unfortunately I mis-rated the next album with the above. So "ABC - The Lexicon of Love" gets Alice Cooper's 3 stars & identical comments. Let the record show that I would never intentionally grant an ABC record 3 stars. It is now a shameful blemish on my algorithm.
Not my favorite and will not listen again.
It's fine. The title track is a classic and the rest of the album does have some surprises if you're expecting a lot of the same but overall it didn't "wow" me really. Not a bad listen though.
3.5 solid aside from Schools out and Blue Turk the rest of the album is kinda just ok
I knew Alice Cooper was from the 70s but 1972 is earlier than I expected given his style. Gutter Cat vs. the Jets is an odd one. Like West Side Story with random Sci-Fi mixed in.
Dang, I really wish the scale of the theme matched the variety of sound. Really liked how everything sounded. I'm all for theatrics but the school theme just felt so surfacy and dinky.
first note. i mistakenly gave yesterday's album a 4 instead of a 3 i wish you could edit those so bad.
Some bright spots but mostly mediocre.
I know 1,000 is a big number, but did we really need TWO Alice Cooper albums?
Nah.
She's a lot more harmonious than you think
Kinda fun I guess
This is what happens when a theatre kid spends their summer vacation writing a dorky rock opera about summer vacation. It's not bad, but it does make me roll my eyes a lot. At least it kicks off with one of the best hard rock songs ever, and that makes it a bit more tolerable.
First song is a classic. Doesn't stick the landing the same way for the rest of the album
Eh
Surprised by this one. A bit campy in the vein of the Meatloaf record on the list. Riffs from West Side Story. Title track is still fun.
luney tune blue turk my stars grande finale
Quite enjoyed the jazzier blusier tracks. Solid 3.5 stars.
mixed
This was weird but interesting
Of course I knew the first song. Test of the album felt quite different, I liked it!
The title track is a classic. The bass player does a lot of heavy lifting on this album. The pseudo showtunes are a little weird, did not expect to hear West Side Story tracks here. I never got the hype on Alice Cooper but the album is fine.
I think I get this one. Some tracks are experimental, as if each band member got to take an idea and run with it. What resluts from that approach is an album with a little something for everyone. You may not like all of the tracks, but there might be one that hits the nail on the head and is exactly what you're looking for. It's also very clear how old this album is. It sounds like early rock and roll. I find it much more endearing than million dollar babies.
A superb hit single to lead off followed by an album of its time. Never really gets back into full gear but a decent listen.
strong 3. Cant make 4 but is quite good
Fun album, a few songs I had forgotten. Still not as good as Love It To Death, but pretty decent.
I had never listened to the whole album before, but I do like the title track. Overall, a decent album.
first listen definitely a confusing album, kinda all over?
Not for me
It’s actually better than I expected. The title song is a little cheesy to me, so I expected the entirety of the album to follow suit. Alices’s stage show is super over the top. The album, on the other hand, is not. I rather enjoyed several songs. I’ve liked Alice Cooper since his role in Wayne’s World but I’ve also always heard that’s he’s actually down to earth and a really kind person. It makes me like the album even more.
While I hadn't played this album before, I was familiar with the title track. After listening to the album several times, I reckon that School's Out (the track) is fantastic, but that the rest of the album doesn't quite match it.
All due respect to Alice Cooper, this album was incredible for its time
Good for what it is
Always enjoy a bit of Alice Cooper. Really wide range of styles and influences that you don't get to fully appreciate when only listening to the singles. (3.3)
Proto Manson is not as scary. This was a surprise in the server that it wasn't all dude rock.
School's Out is a great song, but the rest is just meh.
...
Some good and some bad. Blue Tuck and Luney Tune are top 2 songs.
Schools out is good.
Yllätyin todella positiivisesti! Schools out kyl kuraa, mut muuten ihan jees
actually pretty interesting, a cool blend of rock and sometimes jazzy, psychedelic. not bad
School's Out is an iconic track. I don't know a single person who didn't blast that song the day school let out. The rest of this album is solid too, although generally speaking 70s/80s hard rock isn't really my thing.
The musical theatre flair should thrill me more than it does. (I mean he samples West Side Story for goodness sake!!) But outside the title track I don’t find much to be enthusiastic about. Mostly it’s a fine rock record if not a little bland. 3/5
3.653 One of the greatest album sleeves ever. Drank beer at my neighbor's when I was 17 to this one. Diverse sounding album for 1972. Mom played it while I rocked in my cradle.
It wasn't anything special to me.
Pleasantly surprised. Really want sure what was in here besides the title track. Found a few deep tracks I enjoyed. Overall a good background listen.
Schooooooooooools. Out. For. Summer.
petty gewd!!!
bin angenehm überrascht
Strong and absolutely classic opening track but didn’t really vibe with the rest of it.
Don't really get it
Some of these songs, like “My Stars” really impressed me and caught me by surprise. Overall though this album doesn’t have a ton of replay value for me personally.
Rough and unadorned music
The title track reminds me so much of my dad so there is definitely some nostalgia there. The lyrics are so incredibly cheesy though haha. I actually don't think I've ever listened to anything else on this album. Was not expecting Westside Story on this album!!!! Blue Turk actually isn't too bad. I like the more jazzy feel to it and the saxophone. My Stars was actually pretty good too. Okay the first part of the album was what I was expecting but I really did not expect this album to go where it went. I was mostly expecting the glam rock stuff like School's Out. But I didn't expect it to get jazzy/bluesy. I also didn't expect the broadway Westside Story bit.
Cool album! Very eclectic.
Competent and even here and there interesting, yes, but also silly and sloppy and a touch boring, which one is pretty sure not what this band was going for. The finger snaps on "Gutter Cat vs. The Jets" are a brief highlight, as is the piano vamping on "My Stars" and the horns-synth combo play in "Grand Finale." "Blue Turk" might be the best cut overall, but much else is just overdramatic attention-seeking of no more than mediocre merit. The parts are more than the sum, basically, and as a whole this one's not worth one's (or anyone's) time.
Not my favorite from him. I vastly preferred his 80's album, Trash, that he did with Desmond Child. Super 80s hair/pop rock, but I was into that at the time.
Interestingly poppy
While the first half of this album definitely brings memories of a better time that I was never alive for (or maybe I've just seen Dazed and Confused too many times), it sort of runs out of steam by the end to the point where the Grande Finale feels unearned. It's a classic classic rock record, and I really love Alice, but I wanted more juice here.
Krass. Das Album ist so anders wie die Single und generell die bekannten Songs. Starke 3
Alice Cooper ist echt nicht mein Ding. Theoretisch nicht schlecht (ist halt n Klassiker), aber die Vocals und der Kitsch. Meh. Best: Blue Turk (fast schon jazzig) Worst: Gutter Cats vs. The Jets MEEEOW
The beginning of the architect of Shock Rock. Good, but the best is yet to come.
J'avais l'impression d'écouter un show musical, mais plus rock. enjoyable 6.5/10
One should really be in the moode for Alice Cooper. But if you're ever in that mood, he does not disapoint.
Shock rock! Actually a fan of the genre.
You get a couple of classic tracks that the world can sing the words to, but it’s impossible for me to listen to the entire album. Very disjointed.
Okay turns out I had no clue what kind of music Alice Cooper made. Luney Tune and Grande Finale go hard, and I hate to be a basic bitch but School's Out bangs. The childish "badass" lyrics did elicit a couple giggles from me but I don't think they're a detriment to the album bc they were probably written that way on purpose. Light 3 stars bc most of the album was just fine.
Started out w a pretty classic jukebox hit. Then i was surprised to see this album go in so many different directions. And it kind of worked.
Very disappointed School's out is a great anthem but I'm afraid the rest of the album is dull and uninspiring. There's nothing really bad, just nothing good A real shame
Enjoyed it on the whole.
He looks so much like Steve Carrell its crazy. Cooper never really gets there for me but it's definitely not bad.
Not sure what to make of this exactly. Seems like he had an idea for one song and decided to try to make an album of it. Kind of all over the place but nothing terrible. Light 3.
Fine classic rock but nothing special in my opinion
Pretty good and theatrical classic rock. Not quite as corny as Meatloaf but for some reason that makes it worse to me. Like if you are gonna go there then GO THERE. First track is of course absolutely killer. Would do a 3.5 if possible.
Classic album.
Solid album, quite random lyrics and your typical album. The trombone, keys and guitar work extremely well in Blue Turk, and the Instrumental track to end is quite grandiose.
One of those albums I have never got around to listening to, so only knew the title track. Very different to what I expected - more Zappa less AC/DC. Didn't mind it.
Enjoyable rock album mixed in with some jazzy vibes
Love the piano on My Stars. The last 2 songs are a bit odd. Pretty fun album
Ein Klassiker
Couple of good tracks but overall not for me
Decent
The second Alice Cooper albums I've gotten. I'm still so surprised how different they sound than I expected. His look looks so much edgier. The music is very tame, kinda poppy rock. More glam than metal. Favorite track: My Stars.
Blue turk was great gave this album a 3.
Decent enough
More interesting than I expected
This is better than I remember it being the first time I ever heard it, with the mix of this showtune-ness of it all with American glam felt like it was no one but Alice Cooper's. That doesn't mean every song here is memorable, though, which isn't great when an album is already pretty short. However, you'll never not hear me sing the praises of Alma Mater, which is one of the band's best tracks, and brings this album up from okay to good, which is quite the feat for one track. This album is nothing spectacular, in fact I'd say there are multiple Alice Cooper albums that are better before and after this, but this is still a solid release from a group/performer that I feel can go much lower quality-wise.
Expected more songs about monsters. Got a pretty decent classic rock album. Not bad!
This was fun. More diverse than expected, only knowing the album that followed this one. Holds up well.
I have to admire the diversity on this album. Its goes jazzy and proggy ar times. That said, it doesn't do much for me.
OK- loved the vibe and brass band in the grand finale :)
Fun listen, good old rock. Alice cooper just seems like a fun dude
I like this one but "Killer" is better!
This album was definitely not what I thought it was going be. I had only heard schools out before now, and I think very few of the songs had that sound. Particularly Blue Turk caught me by surprise. Otherwise , I really enjoyed it.
I feel like Alice Cooper was most definitely a theater kid.
The song "Blue Turk" is absolutely stunning: organs, trumpets, clear and in-tune singing. Very well produced. Gives me a "Doors" feeling. For the rest, many shouty, badly produced, early punk.
I never paid attention before, but Alice Cooper had a hell of support on the bass. Poor mixing on Schools Out doesn't let them shine, but Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets sees him leading the pack with something reminiscent of Les Claypool (can safely say I was not expecting the Westside Story interpolation). More bass goodness on Blue Turk although this sounds like a blatant The Doors ripoff. My Stars is a cool one with prog influences at work, lead largely by virtuouso guitar work and a piano melody. Found myself jamming along quickly. Alma Mater bites The Beatles real hard. I mean outside of the outro it sounds identical to some of their songs in structure and tone. Not a bad thing, just stands out. Album ends on an instrumental track. Kinda of meh on the grand scheme. This album was way better and more varied than I anticipated coming in. If I could give it a 3.5 I would, but will round down here because I don't think it packed enough punch to push to 4.
What the fuck did I listen to on that Gutter Cat and Street fight song. Love School's Out. Makes me think of the movie Dazed and Confused. The rest of the album was decent, Alice Cooper is certainly a weird guy
It's okay, a little campy for my tastes
Good instrumentals, bad vocals, including the style and the dumb lyrics.
Net als de vorige keer: wel aardige jaren 70-shockrock, maar niks met eeuwigheidswaarde. En deze keer niet eens James Bond-muziek.
School’s Out is not what I expected. It’s much more eclectic than the straight rock I assume Cooper played. This isn’t the sound I imagined from the guy with eye liner on. It almost feels like a musical at times. Blue Turk is fantastic and full blown Jazz Rock. Public Animal #9 is more of what I expected. Overall it’s theatrical, energetic, diverse. 7.8/10
Legal o som, mas não fica à altura do hit
A pretty interesting array of musical styles. Gutter cats vs the jets caught me off guard. 3
I think that my previous listening to the title track threw me off for the rest of the album. It’s almost like it didn’t not fit musically with the other 8 songs. Those other 8 however, fit nicely with each other and formed a solid album.
This was very theatrical. I was only familiar with Track 1 but found myself enjoying the rest. I feel like Alice Cooper may have been that weird drummer in marching band who also did theater and was always the center of attention, but in a band nerd/theater nerd kind of way. For the record those are my people so no offense meant.
Having only listened to one Cooper album before (his latest at this time, released in 2023), I wasn't sure what to expect. Nothing particular jumps out at me as really good or bad, so I guess it gets a solid “I enjoyed it” 3, but will likely not get a re-listen. There's no doubt these are skilled musicians, and it seems like they're having a blast playing. This album seems to capture the “classic rock” sound perfectly for a child of the millennial era. As a side note, I made the mistake of listening to the Expanded and Remastered release, a two hour loop of these tracks from different concerts or studio sessions, and now I never want to hear the song, “School's Out,” again. The live renditions of some tracks are pretty good though.
Certainly much more varied than I was expecting; I was only familiar with a few Alice Cooper songs, but there's some range on this album. Largely decent even if it wasn't the hair metal I was expecting. Also my dog was SUPER interested in some of the weird sound effects he produced, so...props for that?
doing the 'camp' that we didn't like from Bat Out Of Hell and Tommy but in a rockin' way that connects all the dots.
Alice Cooper rules. But the album as a whole was just okay.
Opening track is a classic. The rest of the album is very same-ish 70's rock.
Heavy hitters on this album. I was surprised how youthful it still sounds.
Dammit. "No more teachers. No more dirty looks." "We got no class. We got no principals (principles)" Love the homonyms.
I'm not terribly familiar with Alice Cooper's work, so what I was expecting was a lot of songs of the title track's ilk. Fortunately, much of the album is a good bit more subtle than that, ranging into glammy and proto-punk territory. Not bad.
Some bangers, but overall nothing too mind blowing
Standouts: School's Out Next best: Public Animal #9, Alma Mater I like Alice Cooper, but I think a greatest hits album is more my speed. The rest of the songs don't grab my attention too much. School's Out is CLASSIC but the rest....eh. The songs I do like are enough to give it a 3/5 and I'll bump it up .5 due to the Alice Cooper name. 3.5 / 5
A fun old-school rock romp, really loved the trebly bass presence throughout. Does feel a bit homogeneous at times, but thankfully its short runtime means the fun doesn’t overstay its welcome too long.
I've never heard any Alice Cooper besides the radio hits. School's Out is pretty rad. But this album is all over the place. Stylistically they don't seem to know what they are. I didn't dislike it but I wasn't excited about this. 2.5 rounding up.
I enjoyed this album. I honestly had never spent any time listening to Alice Cooper and really only knew anything about him from popular culture/Wayne's World. The album feels much more theatric and conceptual than the more straightforward metal I expected out of the group considering their image. I don't know if I'll come back to the record as a whole but I didn't really dislike any of the tracks either. I was surprised that there were two instrumental tracks on a 9 track album. Then, there was one song that sounded very Doors-like and another song that incorporates West Side Story themes. It was cool how all over the place it was but still felt like one piece. Standout Tracks: School's Out, My Stars, Public Animal #9, Alma Mater
Theatrical and jazzy classic rock. This album stays just the right side of the novelty caricature line due to the surprising musical variety, maturity and complexity. This combination creates a fun and enjoyable album. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: School's Out Date listened: 05/09/23
I was hoping to like this album more, but I already knew the best songs off of it, in my opinion. It's okay, but nothing special. Alma Mater is definitely a highlight and I was waiting eagerly to listen to it the entire duration of the album. I'd say it leans too much into kinda basic rock for me at points. Glad I listened to it though. My favourite song was Alma Mater.
surprisingly jazzy?
Cooper has said he was inspired to write the song when answering the question, "What's the greatest three minutes of your life?". Cooper said: "There's two times during the year. One is Christmas morning, when you're just getting ready to open the presents. The greed factor is right there. The next one is the last three minutes of the last day of school when you're sitting there and it's like a slow fuse burning. I said, 'If we can catch that three minutes in a song, it's going to be so big."
3. The first two songs weren't really my cup of tea, but I enjoyed what came after.
its ok to good rock, doesn't make me feel a great deal. Maybe it's the performance aspect which has been since been done better by others. 2.6
I don’t like the vocals, it’s pretty cheesy at points, still got some solid tracks like the closer and the opener. Got some great instrumentation as well. Overall decent record, 6/10.
You gotta repsect the performance, the voice. The album has its themes, Cooper projects his awesome persona. But on the overall scale it's "just"good.
This does not completely appeal to me, except some attractive riffs here and there (e.g., in Luney Tune).
I was not expecting the album to go like that.
The first song ruled, but got less interesting after that
Better than I expected.
Not my favorite songwriting but the album was cohesive and had some interesting ideas.
Top 3 Songs: 1 - School's Out (1) 2 - My Stars (6) 3 - Public Animal #9 (7)
Bit of a weird album, random jazz influences half way through, title track is a classic
Hyvää seisaria! Doorsia ja alkuheviä. Klara Bris antaa 3+ 3/5
I feel like this is another Deep Purple situation. Sure everyone knows School's Out the song, but the album has a lot more complexity and appeal though not mainstream. A fun listen and an interesting possible concept album about ending school and having to grow up after graduation
This is cool for sure. I was into the whole cabaret, show tune kind of feel to it. Definitely did not expect West Side Story music to make an appearance.
Enjoyed the listen, School’s Out, Lundy Tune, Gutter Cat vs. the Jets were good tracks.
Wow this is way better than I was expecting. The title track is ofc a classic, but there's a lot of different stuff in here and it's all put together with a lot of thought, care, and skill. In particular, shoutout to Dennis Dunaway on the bass guitar, bringing a lot of fascinating melody to the basslines. The more experimental songs on this record almost sound like lost Who songs. Good show, Cooper!
Fantastic first and last song; literal filler in between.
There are some interesting moments stashed throughout this record, but the whole 'rock musical' vibe just ain't it for me. I've always been a bit allergic to that style and it's really turned up to 11 here. 2.5/5
Fun record. Opener is a classic, The rest then goes in an unexpected direction. Bluesy, jazzy, sometimes sounding like something from Broadway. Short enough to not overstay its welcome. Perfect for a Summers day
that's the problem with digital: no flammable panties
3.5
As someone who thinks the title track is corny I had low expectations, but this is pretty solid early 70s rock. More of a concept album than I would have guessed. Decent mix of tempos and styles. Nothing world-beating but mostly entertaining. Best song: Blue Turk
Some really good songs but as a whole it's nothing amazing.
That rock n roll, eh?
Title track is great, the others are a bit meh
I expected more metally music, but this was quite nice
Was more interesting than imagined. Thougth it would be more hard rock. Actually some quite decent songs.
Not the greatest record ever, but I like it. Favorite song: Grande Finale.
School's Out is a classic. The rest of this album is...questionable. Not sure I loved it honestly. Didn't feel like the rest of the album lived up to the hard rock punch from the first part.
I was kind of disappointed. Didn't rock as hard as I thought it would.
Coopers most well known track is the centerpiece and opener of this very front heavy album. Overall it’s a fine piece of ‘70s rock. That title track is an all-time bangers though.
There were a bunch of different sounds and genres on this album, and I think I would have liked it more if they didn't experiment as much and stuck with a good hard rock sound
I have been wanting to listen to this one. It seemed good but it didn't grab me like I'd hoped.
On of the more animated rock records of the time, a necessary procedure to hide the mostly by-the-numbers tracks. A decent record.
🤘🤘
"School's Out" is a classic track, but I was surprised to find I didn't enjoy the rest of the album as much as I'd have expected. Rounding up from 2.5.
Good rock
Was once provocative I guess but no longer for me
Not what I expected at all times
There is nothing incredible or bad about this. GRand Finale is cool.
Overall a pretty delightfully weird album. Hard rock mixed with lots of elements that are decidedly not hard rock. Jazz, electronic, horns, and more all collide within this album. The vocals and lyrics are fun if a little over the top, but that is kind of the point. Enjoyable but doesn't push that next envelope for me. 3/5 Favorites: School's Out, Blue Turk, Alma Mater, Grande Finale Least Favorites: Luney Tune
Highlights: "Alma Mater," "Grande Finale," "Luney Tune" Glad Copper's music isn't as one-note as his image. Where I was expecting an early predecessor to, say, Warrant or Bon Jovi, this was firmly early glam. Elton John had just come on the scene, and Bowie put out Ziggy Stardust just a few weeks ago. There's a clarity of purpose to its parody that may be lost on the first impression of Cooper; it's a grotesque of arrested development through the decades, from the greasers to the psych rockers. Like New York Dolls, this is ahead of the curve exploding the fifties if "the curve" is to be Rocky Horror. It is more coarse in its camp than Bowie, for sure. It does also show another influence: Zappa! The digressive monologues and whiplash changes of arrangement have his antagonistic attitude, close to breaking some fourth wall as though someone is fiddling with the radio dial. Speaking of radio noise, the presence of decent mixing suggests some of the egregiously terrible mixing is deliberate -- even if the harsh, fizzy high end on the title track is deliberate, it's still unbearable. Luckily the album gets better. Pleasantly surprised overall.
Dunno, like it's good but I'm not American and 13 so it's certainly not great. I've also heard Alice is a stand up guy but he simply feels like a creep and there's no getting past it.
A bit of a surprise, far more interesting, musically varied and enjoyable than I anticipated. And the title track is obviously a banger
A throwback.
Better than I expected
Good classic rock n roll. (70%)
Fun little album, but nothing to write home about. Alice Cooper just sort of exists. They wanted to make hard rock and they sure made hard rock. I spent about 10 minutes trying to figure out what the end of "Alma Mater" reminds me of. It's the iconic Ink Spots intro. I'd also really want to know why "Street Fight", the 50 second interlude that's barely music, is the second most streamed song on this album.
Kinda cool, not mad at this at all. It was a wild ride, for sure. Who knew I'd be enjoying Alice Cooper more than Tom Waits?
Decent
Pretty solid 70’s rock album, some fun songs. Grand Finale is a pretty cool instrumental. Low likelihood of repeat listen.
Better album that I would have thought. Obviously know School's Out, but the other songs were pretty solid.
I’m at uni, not school
3.5/5. I liked this. I thought it was pretty good.
I have read that some people think of this as a concept album. I think some of the songs are linked and reprise specific themes, but that's really it. As for the songs, again we have the problem where the title track (the best known song) is the best thing on the album. Gutter Cat vs The Jets & Street FIght are... ok, but if you are not a West Side Story fan, it's not for you. I think I probably liked "Blue Turk" second best, but there is still a pretty huge gap there between that & "School's Out". It says a lot that these songs were not played live much except for the title track. I even have this album, and it just doesn't get pulled out often, really. It just doesn't hit me like I think it should. But every teacher should have the song "School's Out" in their repertoire.
Tough one. Mad respect for the concept and the lyrics. I didn't realize they were going with a concept on my first listen until I hit Alma Mater and realized what the narrator was all about. Alice's different voices on this album intrigued me and I found I quite liked Alma Mater for that reason. Others like School's Out (the only one I knew) and Gutter Cat vs. The Jets I liked for the musical stylings. Grande Finale was also a cool instrumental. Blue Turk was up and down for me - liked the bass, liked the back half, didn't like some other parts. And I guess that was the whole album, just when I thought I was digging it, something came along and annoyed me. And just when I thought I was done with it, something came along and redeemed the album. So it lands in the middle then.
A fun, romping good ride of a classic rock album. For some reason (the makeup, I assume), I always thought Alice Cooper was, I dunno, scarier and more goth than this? I definitely didn't expect such a weird and lively album. Classic rock or heavy metal are not my thing but this has some good and surprising qualities, including a cool thematic feel, twists on Westside Story, and some good grooves. 3/5
Better than I was expecting. Won’t return to it but appreciate the music in there
I like Alice Cooper, but this album is too much 70s for me. Maybe I was expecting something heavier. 2.5/5
It was cool. Kinda weak in my opinion. "we can't even think of a word that rhymes" ???
Pretty good Glam Rock, but besides the title track, nothing to really write home about. Makes sense why this album is almost forgotten from Cooper's live set list. Standout Songs: "School's Out" "Gutter Cat vs. The Jets" "Blue Turk"
middling at best - zero consistency, but then again I don’t expect anything better from hard rock albums. liked the vocalist’s energy though, and the drums - so that’s that
I like Alice Cooper's music. Though, I did not really pay attention while listening to the whole album. I know I'd like it lol. 3/5
Do like Alice Cooper, especially the Alice Cooper band, but this album is just ok. Much better choices such as Killers or Billion Dollar Babies. Granted there's really no 5 star Cooper albums, but if I could go back in time and see someone live, Alice Cooper on the Billion Dollar Babies tour would be on my list.
Hard rock, Doors and Beatles flavors, jazzy bits, and West Side Story all on one record. Most of this isn’t what Alice Cooper is remember for. A fun and engaging listen.
I didn't mind it. Maybe it would have been different in 72 when Cooper was more of an oddity and less of an old man I see talking about golf.
I really like some of the blues and Detroit Rock sounds, and then out of left field is this West Side Story thing that was weird. Album starts off with the strongest song, and unfortunatly doesn't match that energy from there.
not bad, here are some pretty songs that i liked Alma Mater
School's Out: 2,5/5 Luney Tune: 3/5 Gutter Cat vs The Jets: 2,5/5 Street Fight: NaN/5 Blue Turk: 3,5/5 My Stars: 2/5 Public Enemy #9: 3/5 Alma Mater: 2,5/5 Grande Finale: 3/5 Totaal: 2,8/5
A lot more diversity here than I expected. Felt almost like a jazz record a couple of times. No bad songs on the album but I’d really like a couple more that stand out - felt like I didn’t get that. I do always love a mix that doesn’t bury the bass. Kudos for that. 1 = bad 2 = average 3 = good 4 = great 5 = outstanding
A little ridiculous but I grew to like it. Still has some pretty great moments.
Letter grade: C-
Definitely not as innocent as I first thought. Music isn’t really my type but School’s Out is a timeless classic that I remember from even my elementary school days.
I can see the appeal. Blue Turk was really something, didn't expect that.
Este disco fue una sorpresa. Esperaba más metal, pero no teatro. Fue una buena sorpresa
I enjoyed this more than I expected to. I'm familiar with Alice Cooper's hits and quite like "School's Out", but the rest of the album didn't disappoint! I especially liked the bass and piano playing, it was all much more melodic than I was expecting. I guess I was putting them in the same category as The Stooges or something similar before I listened to this. Having said that, it didn't blow me away or anything. I don't see myself re-listening to it often, but I'm glad to have given it some time.
Jamais aussi bon que la première toune, ni la même énergie.
School's out - ★★★☆☆ Luney Toon - ★★★☆☆ Gutter Cat vs. The Jets - ★★★☆☆ Street Fight - ★★☆☆☆ Blue Turk - ★☆☆☆☆ My Stars - ★★★☆☆ Public Animal #9 - ★★★☆☆ Alma Mater - ★☆☆☆☆ Grande Finale - ★★☆☆☆
The opener is a banger. The rest is a bit thin
A more diverse album than expected? hello jazz songs!? Animal noises descending into growling was much more what I expected Not as many creepy songs as I'd hope.
Okayish
A real mixed bag. The best track is School's Out by some distance. Otherwise there are a variety of sounds, some heavy, some jazzy or proggy, there are some similarities to Meatloaf in there too. Has the feel of a group not sure of its direction. But repeated listens recommended
I quite enjoyed this record, but I didn't find anything remarkable on it. So it's a good album, but not excellent.
This album has an interesting sound. Hard rock brushes up against jazzy theatricality. The banger “School’s Out” is followed a few tracks later by a cover from the West Side Story soundtrack. 😂 And on “Alma Mater,” Alice Cooper sounds like he’s imitating Paul McCartney. I never realized that the school blows up in “School’s Out.” I wonder if the song is meant to be a little more radical than just a first day of summer anthem.
Wow I'm really surprised this album is only 36 minutes long. That seems very short. "School's Out" is such a wild, rebellious, youthful anthem. The topic is such a specific one, and I can't think of any song since that captures that feeling better than this one. Unfortunately the rest of the album isn't even as close to as good as "School's Out" but I think that's more of a testament to how good of a song that is moreso than that the other songs are not good. Nice bass playing on "Gutter Cat vs. The Jets"- it's definitely the focal point of this song and very forward in the mix, which was a nice surprise. Great vocals on "Blue Turk" - it almost sounds like a different singer than Alice cooper but I couldn't find more information on whether it was him or a different band member. I really love the piano walkup lines on "My Stars" around the 4:00 minute mark. Really pretty and surprising. The whole ending is great.
Just straight ahead rock and roll in the teen angst/teen rebellion vein right? I’ve got nothing against it, wouldn’t really ever seek it out either. It seems almost impossibly tame now, lyrically.
I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I expected it to be full of whiny guitars and shouty vocals. The anthem on every child’s lips as they run out of the school gates every summer still has resonance and potency. What I was surprised by was that the rest of the album was full of whimsy and humour and musicality. I actually laughed out loud at Street Fight and marvelled that I could hear skiffle and jazz influences. A much more pleasant and fun experience than I imagined.
From ‘School’s Out’ (the harbinger of freedom throughout my school years) to the jazzy ‘Blue Turk’, this was an enjoyable listen. I didn’t expect the West Side Story interlude. My Stars went on a bit too long. Public Animal #9 is a catchy tune. Hey hey hey. Alma Mater is a bit Led Zeppelinesque. Until the banter. I wonder if school marching bands play The Grande Finale?
Here's one that requires a .5 star option (3.5 in this case). I watched a documentary about Alice Cooper not long ago, worth watching if you like the band at all, and it gave me a new appreciation for the singer and the band. Hard to distinguish, but the band was called Alice Cooper, and later on, the singer took on the name... so, for this album, the band is Alice Cooper. But you probably already knew all that. Anyway, my younger self chalked AC up to something of a novelty act, but as I've listened to more of his/their music, I recognize there's more craft going on than I originally realized, and Bob Ezrin (who produced a few of the albums on this list) deserves some of the credit for that. So, yeah, this was a fun listen, the ending vamp of "Public Animal #9" was pretty funny and I thought of Scott as the "West Side Story" cover played — I appreciate Cooper's sense of humor, which is an integral part of what makes this music enjoyable. All that said, I don't think it's quite a 4, so a 3, but we all know that's really 3.5. [Side note: my favorite AC album, Welcome To My Nightmare, is not on the 1001 list and is a 4.5-5 in my book.]
Apart from the title track, I'd never heard anything by these guys, so I was looking forward to hearing more from what I keep hearing is a seminal band. But boy did I have a hard time wrapping my head around what I was hearing. The first three songs just seemed like novelty songs intended for kids—what was up with that West Side Story bit?—but then Blue Turk hit (and was excellent) and from there on I struggled to figure out who the intended audience was. Good musicianship throughout, though, and interesting vocals. I also liked Alma Mater, especially that end bit. But overall, I'm glad I heard it. Was happy at how diverse and fun it was, but I'm not sure I'm going to be revisiting this one beyond those two songs I mentioned.
Not terrible
I so expected Alice Cooper to sound different, scarier. This was like a less annoying Meatloaf.
It's ok. Run-of-the-mill 70s rock. IDK why, could be better.
3, fun album
Aardige rock, gevarieerder dan verwacht
Fun to hear once. I can't imagine I ever listen again.
Besides the tremendous single "School's Out," this is a pretty classic album from the 70/80s hard rock and metal scene. Alice Cooper is essential in rock history, but I think this album is not among his best works.
I have a feeling this is going to be super cheesy... Okay I wasn't wrong but holy shit, the jazzy Blue Turk really came out of nowhere! Pretty wild track. Also enjoyed Gutter Cat vs. The Jets. All in all, I don't hate this as much as I thought I would. In fact, the only song I don't care for is School's Out. Everything else has some pretty cool riffs and the songs take interesting directions in structure and instrumentation.
I was prepared for Alice Cooper to be theatrical horror, but I wasn’t expecting full on Leonard Bernstein West Side Story and jazz on side one! Delightful, albeit kooky.
Perhaps they're not as one-dimensional as I thought...
This album is great fun. Alice cooper had previously sounded really flat and boringly postury to me, but this album is just camp and jazzy enough that all the showmanship is much more endearing and well intentioned. Shout-out to west side story
Not at all what I expected. Odd, jazzy, psych in places. I liked it more than I expected but wouldn’t listen again, probably. A generous 3 cos Alice seems like a good guy.
Much less "hard" than I expected, some psuedo-paychadelic stuff in there too
"School's Out" is the fifth studio album by Alice Cooper. Some have called this a concept album about youth lost when leaving school. I'll agree with that; most these songs are stories/themes about being in school, leaving school or reminiscing about school. The original album sleeve opened like a wooden desk with a record wrapped in panties...had to be changed due to flammability. I would have bought it at the time. Besides the self-titled song, I thought the album and songs were just OK. Lots of styles here though...jazz, classic 70's rock, some prog and country. It's interesting that the original band line-up and later Vince Furnier (aka Alice Cooper) versions of the band rarely played any songs from this album beside "School's Out" live. This album was a big success..No. 1 in Canada, No. 2 in the US and the "School's Out" reaching #7. The album begins with the iconic classic song "School's Out" and its intro guitar riff. Furnier's (Cooper's) screaming. Nice chorus with the kids. A no doubt rock anthem. "Luney Tune" is more garage-rock sounding, almost early Zappa-esque. There's orchestration. A weird story here (maybe for its shock value)...a person going insane, there's razor blades and blood. "Gutter Cat vs. The Jets" is sort of an interesting dramatic song and a take on The West Side Story with two gangs and a girl. Keyboards. Horns. Bass. The second side opens with "My Stars" and its grand guitar intro (prog-ish maybe). A classic 70's song structure and sound with lead and rhythm guitars. Bells. Piano. He's not living up to his family expectations. This song could have been a hit...maybe. "Alma Mater" tilted it for me on the teenage concept album. He's feeling depressed and reminiscing about leaving school. This is a pop song...some early 60's doo-wop. It ends with a country "happy trails" guitar. Back in 1972, if I was old enough, I would have gone to see Alice Cooper for their theatrics, stage show and the song "School's Out." I'm not sure anything else stands out on this album. Nothing bad just nothing making me want to jump out and buy the vinyl or even dig deeper into the Alice Cooper catalog (which I believe I'll have to do in the future anyway).
Glammy, rambunctious. I liked the summation of turkey finale. Just not my cup of tea. Favorite track: "School's Out"
Fair play, this has a lot more to it than I was expecting; it ain’t just big dumb rockers about school (though there are a couple of those). There’s a definite theatricality to it, which I guess fits in which Alice’s image - even if it’s more pantomime than anything really shocking. Fun though. 3.5
He was too old for schooling also in 1972
Nice and short. Won’t be revisiting doesn’t offend Cover art 4:5
I’ve always hated the first song so I thought the album would suck but it’s actually not so bad
I knew School's Out as does everyone that has ever set foot in a public school (or watch a movie about school from the 80's). It's fun but pandering. However, the rest of the album was more interesting than I would have thought. I can see why he developed more of a following than just becoming a one-off trend.
5/10
I don't like Alice Cooper, I think he's rather bland. But I'll give this album the credit: it's definitely trying!
Sounds like the doors with some extra grunge
AC's music is on par with my album reviews. Kinda like the promises from a roadside attraction that only leaves you empty, alone and directionless. Also similar to my reviews, I found this experience to be weak, uninspired and more akin to tying shoelaces than creating a masterpiece. We can't all be perfect, but we should at least be average.
He is a good singer.
Album was pretty average, would only listen to this again if someone else played it
Tylko School's Out, reszta nuda
Good.
Fun enough album that doesn't overstay its welcome
Once again, not as much hard rock as I expected. Still not a huge fan but I appreciated the opportunity to listen.
I thought I'd be in for a standard 70s rock album - but pleasantly surprised by this. Lots of variety, didn't love it but appreciate the range.
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Gutter cat vs the Jets
alice cooper is a name id heard a lot before but had never listened to the music. was exactly what i expected, some classic rock music my uncle would listen to. some good sounds, but nothing that blew me away.
Liked it more than expected, I guess I thought it'd be more like hair metal and was not. nice.
Alma mater was good
Not sure it's important from a music point of view, but it's interesting experimental music.
Personally not my favourite kinda music but was enjoyable regardless. Sexy licks, solos and song progressions throughout. Best: My stars Worst: mater alma
A classic song, plus a bunch of other bonkers stuff.
Glam rock opera
Heard the title track all throughout my tween and teen years because everyone cranked it on the last day of school, but I honestly don't recall hearing any of the other songs from this album before today's listen. I am pleasantly surprised to hear a little more sophistication in this music than I expected. I'll admit I had a preconceived notion that this album would be very similar to a lot of hard rock albums of the late 60s and 70s, but songs like 'Blue Turk' and the last third of 'My Stars', for example, have more layers and complexity than the typical 70s rock band. The use of horns works on these tracks. Even though some of the songs are a little more generic-sounding to me and therefore less interesting, overall there is some nice stuff there.
Yet another, in my opinion, average rock album. After listening to it yesterday, I can't remember any song. 2,5/5, but being generous it will round up to 3
More enjoyable than expected! I knew the hit and liked it, but I was suprised at how different the rest of album was. Cool and experimental. Solid offering.
C'était cool
No strong opinions here, kind of sounds like a lot of other acts from the late 60s and early 70s but with more edgy vocals. The title track definitely stands out, but it is a bit weird to start with the one ballad and have the rest of the album be much more tame.
this album wasnt for me. It was meh at best one good song and that was blue turk which requires a second listen thanks
It was fine. School's Out is obviously well known but a pretty dull song IMO. Nothing really bad about it but nothing to write home about. 2.5 stars
Alice Cooper is rock n roll nonsense but Blue Turk? So jazzy!
Album wasn't bad but nothing really stood out either. 7/10.