School's Out

Better than I expected.

cool album, was a good listen

(Retroactively reviewed on 25/08/23, generated 9/08/23) BL: heard the opener track from this one before, but never listened to the album the whole way through. Will have to see my thoughts on this AL: I just thought this was quite boring to be honest. Maybe I’m missing the point but it just came off as very basic, the orchestration had some moments where it stood out but otherwise mostly faded into the green and blue. Still deserves its place on the list but relatively speaking this was quite weak. FT: “Gutter Cat vs. The Jets” 2/5

Not my favorite songwriting but the album was cohesive and had some interesting ideas.

4.25

Really enjoyable slice of rock opera nonsense that's a fair bit better than i would have expected.

not what i was expecting nor very enjoyable

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

Yllättävän monipuolinen, mutta on tää jotenkin aika yhdentekevää.

Cooperin ongelma on, että sillä on pari hyvää biisiä ja muuten todella meh sisältöä sen ympärillä. 2/5

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

Wow, Alice Cooper is way more innovative than I thought!

Cat: this is the second time I’ve had to listen to Alice Cooper 🙄 I have always liked School’s Out. The cat one is lame af. I guess it’s supposed to be fun and tongue in cheek. More trashy sex rock. Cool horns here and there. Just not for me. Was groovin a little to Public Animal 9 AJ: School’s Out is a cool song, always makes me think of Dazed & Confused. Other than that? Fuck off with this shit.

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.

Much more varied than I expected

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!

p278. 1972. 4.5 stars. Class early 70s glam rock with a sense of humour, and which doesn't outstay its welcome. Suitably weird - big band jazz, opera and outstanding rockers - and it still sounds fresh today.

never listened to alice cooper before except from his big hits like poison, no more mr nice guy and the title track schools out. man this album was so much not what i expected, it was awesome. elements of jazz rock. loved it

Fantastic first and last song; literal filler in between.

holup ok alice

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

Alice cooper has surprised me. I thought this was going to be White Zombie in the 70s but it’s ultimately more blues than anything else.

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

School’s out! Let’s rock, jazz, funk and musical! Yeah!

that's the problem with digital: no flammable panties

After 2 failed albums, The Alice Cooper Band had successful 5 album run. Of that 5 album run, "Killer," "Billion Dollar Babies," & "Love It To Death" are all superior to "School's Out," There's a lot of filler on this one. Thankfully, the majority of the filler is still good and entertaining, but I wouldn't even rank this as THE Alice Cooper album that you need to hear before you die (that would be "Killer"), let alone one of the 1001 albums that you need to hear before you die.

This was an unexpected one for me. I always thought Alice Cooper was a cookie cutter hard rocker from the 70s and didn’t really dive too deep into his works, but this album showed a lot of range and soul. The last two tracks of the album sealed it for me.

3.5

Meh

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

Generally noisy but not in a way I find at all pleasing. Some interesting choices.

Some really good songs but as a whole it's nothing amazing.

That rock n roll, eh?

Just never liked this album

5 stars

Alice Cooper returns to high school! This is an straight ahead rocker that hints at his theatrical style to come Enjoyed reliving this one. Had this one in the original vinyl package

Apart from some hits, this was boring

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 definitely the best track, but I did not expect as much variety as I got from the rest of the album. Show tunes? Jazz? What?

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.

Another helping of Alice Cooper today. Most of what is to be said about Alice, I said in my review of his album Billion Dollar Babies. This album was better than that one. School's Out is a staple of summer vacation for students everywhere!! Every time I hear that song I think of the movie Dazed and Confused. There is a lot going on in this album. The first two songs are good rockin' hits, then Alice throws in a curve balls in the form of a song that has a show tune feel to it (Gutter Cat VS the Jets sounds like it could be in West Side Story), this is immediately followed by a short track that features the bassist canoodling while shit is smashed and broken in the background. Blue Turk is a jazzy blues number, and sounds like something Frank Zappa would put out. After this hiatus from rock, he comes back strong to round out the record. Overall, a great album. Would be a welcome addition to my record collection. It's neat to hear the range of Alice Cooper's musical exploration. They are always stuck in the shock rock genre, but they are so much more than that! Favorite songs: School's Out, Luney Tune, Blue Turk, Public Animal #9, My Stars, Alma Mater Least favorite songs: Street Fight 4/5

This is a surprisingly strong album with 'School's Out' being the weakest track of the 9.

Love this. Hello Detroit.

Wow, on the first lesson the promise of School's Out made the rest of the album fade into insignificance. So I thought of it as an album all school leavers should listen to but still didn't get right into it. Fave track is easily Grande Finale, sounds like a James Bond them played by the High School band at the game.

This was a pleasant surprise! I knew Alice Cooper had a theatrical presentation but didn't expect the music to be so varied! I'd rate this 4.5 if I could! Fave track - "School's Out" is great for karaoke purposes. "Gutter Cat Vs The Jets" was awesome, and I also dug "My Stars". My cats _really_ didn't like the sound effects in "Street Fight" 😾

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 respect the sly weirdness and wit of this one, as well the excellent musicianship. I don't think a lot of people appreciate just how musically GOOD Alice Cooper's music can be, because you have to look past the big persona, the gritty vocals, the twisted approach to lyricism, etc. But Cooper always surrounded himself with outstanding musicians and was willing to go off the beaten path musically. "Blue Turk" and "My Stars" are great examples of this. The songs are carefully crafted and the overall work is structured loosely like a concept album about school, with a broad range of musical styles. Most importantly, this album totally rocks. No one else making rock music sounds like this, and it's pretty damn cool. Fave Songs: School's Out, Blue Turk, My Stars, Luney Tune, Alma Mater

This is an all time classic. It would have been better to have scheduled it a month from now, closer to the time when schools actually get out.

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.

Always like the band, but didn't really enjoy this album.

🤘🤘

"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.

Solid album. If I were a teen in the 70s, I would've gone nuts over his music. What an interesting collection of songs, and I especially like the inclusion of brass instruments - I was just thinking about horns in rock songs & how they often add that extra kick. Metal heads & goths owe a lot to Alice. He's the Godfather of the macabre.

I have been a fan of Alice Cooper since the first time I saw him on The Muppet Show. Weird, right? But I love him and I love his music. This album was kinda weird. He was really working towards some sort of concept album maybe? Either was I was totally along for the ride.

Good rock

My kid has been reading the Warrior Cats books so after track 3 she couldn't stop herself chatting away about that so I missed a few songs I guess. What a strange record. I think I prefer Billion Dollars Babies because I just prefer the style there, but this is equally interesting. Overall been surprised over those two albums that there's much more to Alice Cooper than I knew.

Was once provocative I guess but no longer for me

Not what I expected at all times

1972

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.

Power cords, unique riffs, powerful solos, a medley of instruments, and a resonance od rebellion. All things that I enjoy in a typical record. However, this album doesn’t stick with me. I appreciate it, I just don’t love it or even particularly like it. I suppose it’s fun enough, Ana I can understand others’ enjoyment. Just not for me.

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

Schools out is the best song on here and I wouldn’t say schools out is my favorite song

A fun run of glammy jammies. This is what I was hoping Alice Cooper would give me.

I think I'd say that this is a perfect glam rock with an edge type of album

From the opening "School's Out" this is Alice Cooper at their best.

I did not expect to like this album, but I really enjoyed it!

Pretty solid 70’s rock album, some fun songs. Grand Finale is a pretty cool instrumental. Low likelihood of repeat listen.

It's all right. I appreciate his eclectic-ness.

Better album that I would have thought. Obviously know School's Out, but the other songs were pretty solid.

Enjoyed this a lot more than I expected, everyone knows the title track, but some great songs and was really caught off guard by and enjoyed the west side story cover. This really is a great 70’s heavy rock album so much better than the opening song.

I’m at uni, not school

A decent classic rock album which has influences from hard rock, glam, jazz and blues. The second half of the album has particularly interesting songs.

My first Alice Cooper album I got on here I met with a raised eyebrow - until I realised that it was actually really good, and there was a lot more going on with it than I thought there would be. So I was actually really looking forward to getting stuck into this one. This one is really varied. There's some great songs on here, and it's hard to place it in any one genre. Alma Mater as an example sounds like a Beatles song, and you wouldn't expect quite so much brass either. I'd say a few of the middle songs lag a bit, but it's still very listenable overall. I like a lot in here. I really like the songs with lots going on instrumentally, including brass, piano and violin. Bring on more Alice Cooper!

That was fun! Nothing mind blowing but a good listen all the same.

3.5/5. I liked this. I thought it was pretty good.

This was better than I expected, it has a very wide variety of sounds and a strong concept with the school thing. Obviously the title track is the most famous but it's not a bad record all around

sabe

cool

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

When I was a kid and saw photos of Alice cooper, I always thought his music would be so dark and scary but really it’s symphonic kids bop for a children’s spooptastic Halloween party and I’m sorry but I hate it

Okay, this was unintentionally hilarious. He’s just soooooo SCARY. The makeup, the spooky tunes, the Wayne’s World Cameo… everything adds up to one SCARY guy. 2/5 just because I got a good laugh. Wait, on second thought, he utilized a children’s choir so that brings it back down to 1/5.

Two words. Fuck yeah!

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

I gave the last Alice Cooper album I was given a warm review because, fun. Obviously I'm familiar with the title track of this album but I'm going into it thinking "do we need more than one Alice Cooper album on this list"? Indeed we do! I guess I'd consider this to be a concept album? It is surely a weird wonderful ride. Five stars. Five very fun stars.

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"

Great album, great memories

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.

Really low quality, amateurish rubbish.

Uhh, that's nice. I liked "Street Fight" and bass + guitar tones, but nothing catchy for me

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

Best track(s): School's Out // Blue Turk (at least the first half) Worst track(s): My Stars The songs were all pretty good and I was pleasantly surprised. Quite varied. I expected having to turn the volume down on most songs, but that wasn't the case at all. However, the last song was a bit underwhelming. Fun, but it shouldn't be the last track. I expect I will listen to this again.

Boring as all hell

sounded pretty fun on the first listen but I wanted to give it a second one just to be sure and it was really so much better once I was adjusted to it such a fun, weird, experimental album I get why a lot of people don’t care for it, but I thought it sounded really neat 9/10

The only thing that I noticed about this album was the West Side Story song. Why is it there? I really don’t care for hard rock. All of these albums just go through one ear and out the other.

An interesting mish mash of ideas.

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.

Quite the unexpected journey but I loved every second and genre change.

Se sintio muy theatrical y el jets song!!! 😭😭😭😭 peed my panties right there. y en grand finale

Genre spanning. This is way more than “School’s Out”.

I can see the appeal. Blue Turk was really something, didn't expect that.

An iconic guitar riff opens to a shockingly young growling Alice! wow. Gutter Cat vs. The Jets has a killer bass tone, but the overall tone of the song just sounds so dated. Though props for going at a showtune like that. WHO IS THIS BASS PLAYER?! Damn this album really opens up into these breathy bluesy wide soundscapes in the middle of the album. Grande Finale is not something I would have expected on this album. Big important listen for rock and roll history. for blues rock fans this is an easy 5. I'm not a blues rock fan.

Este disco fue una sorpresa. Esperaba más metal, pero no teatro. Fue una buena sorpresa

7,5/10. muy gueno

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.

Just ok other than the title song.

OOOh yes. took me back a logn way - great times

I had no idea how much I enjoy Alice Coooer! What a nice surprise.

School's out - ★★★☆☆ Luney Toon - ★★★☆☆ Gutter Cat vs. The Jets - ★★★☆☆ Street Fight - ★★☆☆☆ Blue Turk - ★☆☆☆☆ My Stars - ★★★☆☆ Public Animal #9 - ★★★☆☆ Alma Mater - ★☆☆☆☆ Grande Finale - ★★☆☆☆

That's just really fun. Sure, it's got a bit of an "oogie-boogie, I'm so scary" vibe but it was the 70s and shock rock was A) all the rage and B) not all that shocking in retrospect. For all that, Cooper is a great performer and this was a lot of fun.

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.

poopy shit

With only cursory knowledge of Cooper's music and stage persona, I wasn't sure whether I'd enjoy this listen. But this collection of tunes is fun, weird -- and at times, even beautiful.

Okayish

Not a fan

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.

Ok, I must be tripping because outside of the title track, this sound less like what I expected Alice Cooper to sound like and closer to an Amon Düül II record in spots. A proggy, psychedelic surprise.

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.

When we were kids, nothing brought my brother and I more joy than playing this song at the end of the school year. We'd start about a week before the last day but it definitely hit hardest when we'd get home on the first day of summer break and toss this LP on in his room and rock the fuck out! I would leave the room after this song. I had things to do...it was summer. Listening now I don't feel like I missed anything great. Except maybe discovering that Alice Cooper is not as subversive as I thought way back then. I

Not terrible

Not the greatest example of its type. Starts off well but deteriorates into mediocrity

This was actually not horrible. Pretty mellow, actually, which I always find hilarious when these proto-Goth, monster lovin', scary make-up wearin' 80s bands are really just softies at heart (albeit with some serious issues with public education - no need to blow up the school, Alice). Maybe you could teach the kids about the history of Milwaukee and put the fun back in education...

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.

An impressive album for the time, but didn't stand out enough for me in the now.

3, fun album

Aardige rock, gevarieerder dan verwacht

Fun to hear once. I can't imagine I ever listen again.

While this album has a couple of good moments and a few pretty nice guitar parts in particular, I'm not a fan of "pop metal" or "party hard rock". The title song was quite obnoxious and most of the rest of the album also felt pretty superficial and soulless. It wasn't horrible, but I preferred the quiet when it was done.

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.

One of Rock's classic showmen, a hugely enjoyable pantomime of an album

When this one popped up I was a little bummed. Apparently I had a specific image of Alice Cooper. I truly enjoyed this album.

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 surprised by the variety and energy in this album. I felt good listening to it, and appreciate the style and lyrics

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.

that opening guitar riff is seared into my brain. it's one of the most iconic openings in all of music history! it's bangin', it's recognizable, it's lively. the riff was created by glen buxton, and it must be one of the most well known song intros. fun fact: the opening riff music notes are engraved on buxton's grave in clarion, iowa. truth be told, because "school's out" is such a classic and mind-blowing song, it overshadow rest of album. but with alice cooper as my favorite artist, i've listened to this album hundreds of times and i have such a soft spot for the rest of the album. the lyrics! alice cooper is one of my favorite songwriters, and too often i don't think he or the group gets their due. these lyrics are witty and enjoyable. some of it is dark in typical alice fashion. who doesn't enjoy the lyrics from "school's out"? this lyric from "blue turk" is actually one of my favorite lyrics ever: "tastes like roses on your breath/but graveyards on your soul." considering that the alice cooper group met in high school and this album is the group's second to last before their dissolution, this album reads like a tribute to their respective high schools in a musical format. so many of these songs are about school or reference cheating math tests. a song's title is even straight up "alma mater." i'm not sure if anyone could deny this is indeed a concept album. it isn't as tight as cooper's later solo albums but could possibly be the alice cooper group's most concept-y album. bob ezrin, notable producer of pink floyd, was definitely a contributor. "gutter cats vs. the jets" uses west side story (which uses the school theme as well), and of course the melody returns at the end of "grand finale." the final song of the album is even an instrumental!

I'm a huge Alice Cooper fan, so I know this album well enough, but I imagine it might surprise or confuse more casual or new listeners. Alice is most known for his shock rock persona. The title song would become by far the most popular song off of this album, and one of Alice's all time biggest hits. While School's Out (the song) is not entirely shock rock, it's probably the closest example to that on this album. That said, this album came at a time when Alice Cooper and his band were still experimenting with their sound and deciding where exactly they intended to land. (It wouldn't be until Alice's next album, Billion Dollar Babies, that they would really cement that shock rock sound that he's so known for.) This album is an example of the band's exploration prior to breaking fully into shock rock. Alice Cooper would continue experimenting throughout much of his career, but most of that exploration would still be centered around shock rock. What you have here is an intentionally bizarre, not-quite-shock-rock, progressive hard rock album that is most certainly also a concept album (it was never declared to be so, but the songs certainly have an overarching theme) with qualities not unlike a musical. While this album is not yet manifested fully into shock rock, you can hear the hints of it; the album is fairly campy and odd. It has an almost dark cabaret/burlesque quality to it mixed in with glam rock and hard rock, a combination that could maybe even be considered proto-shock rock, thereby making it an important stepping stone in what Alice Cooper would become. While this is not my favorite Alice album, it is no doubt an incredibly important piece in the story of shock rock. This particular album lands at about a 3.5 for me, but I have no problems bumping it to a 4.

Come for the ubiquitous title track (School's Out the song is an all-time 5, no one denies this). Stay for all of the surprises the Alice Cooper Group has up their sleeves. This somehow continues to get even better with age.

Rock it babe

She does what she does best she gave it a character

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

8/10

"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).

it's an album I'm very familiar with so this will be a bit wordy. This was the Last Alice Cooper album that I really liked all the way through. I was 16 when this album came out and the previous album, Killer, was even better. The early albums had some great guitars, bass and drums. Schools Out - classic, big hit Looney Tune - There's a guitar part in this song that sounds very much like "ooh that smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd which was released years later. Gutter Cat- love the bass intro and the overall musicality of the song and doing the west side story stuff was pretty clever. My Stars is a cool song, piano part is cool. Blue Turk is a really different but great song. Alma Mater - I still play the first seven chords to the song when I'm trying to tune my guitar. Overall I think it's a great album With a lot of catchy hooks.

Inte ens låten School's out är särskilt kul.

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

is good.

A classic

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

varied sound rock style favourite song: blue turk guitar sound is very cool short album

Great album, really solid.

1 massive tune, the rest underwhelming, not like his other album on here

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

A classic

Dazed and confused anyone?

The first song on this album was very welcome after this past week of the dregs of this list. And NIN. Three tracks in, we've got Stephen Sondheim. Give this man a Nobel Prize. We end on Sondheim, too? What is this album? It's a delight, that's what it is.

The second in a trifecta of incredible Alice Cooper albums (topped and tailed by 'Killer' and 'Billion Dollar Babies'), 'School's Out' is testament to what a strange, idiosyncratic band they were. Before Coop went off on his own wobbly but varied solo career, he and his compares made some of the most interesting music of the era. It doesn't quite fit into any box - too complex and twisty for straight-up garage rock, too dirty to be prog and far too dark to fit in with glam. It's not heavy metal, either, despite its aggression. So what is it? Alice Cooper music, I guess. All the musical performances are great but the standout for me is bassist Dennis Dunaway, who anchors everything with his looping, rubbery, kinetic playing. The double-stop riffing he does on 'Gutter Cats vs The Jets' is insane, and insanely good. I feel like every time I spin 'School's Out' I find something else to geek out about. Very cool!

Am I an idiot for not being aware of the overt WEST SIDE STORY bent on this album? I wasn't prepared for "Gutter Cats vs. the Jets" on here but enjoyed his take on it. "Blue Turk" was solid. "Public Animal #9." The "Grand Finale." I enjoyed my time with this one. That said... I think "Billion Dollar Babies" is a superior record. I wrote "Elected" into the script for THE CAMPAIGN as a music cue, but I don't think anybody ever bothered to actually listen to it. Lol. Here's hoping that one makes it on the list, as well.

Couple enjoyable moments, but unfortunately this thing is a mess. Love the jazz/rock combinations, but most of the album is just mediocre and a chore to get through. The energy Cooper brings and some great riffs make this project worth a listen but don't think I'll be revisiting most of the songs on this one.

The title track definitely runs away with the album and then you hit a string of WTF. Blue Turk is like an awful Doors song would sound if you had your head under water. I deeply regret that I had to listen to this twice to pen these conclusions.

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.

Listening to "School's Out" while driving to teach high school at 7:15 on a September morning was probably a mistake. I felt taunted by the album generator. But then I was curious as to how Cooper would follow up on that classic track. Weirdly, it turns out. Particularly when "West Side Story" suddenly interjects itself. I don't think I get Alice Cooper. Don't judge a book by it's cover? Who knew that under that cover was a hard rocker with a passion for Sondheim and jazz. "Blue Turk" was interesting, maybe even enjoyable, but most of this album just left me scratching my head.

My conclusion is that this album’s reputation is entirely based on one hook (the title track chorus) and Alice Cooper’s bad makeup. School’s Out Isn’t even a good song. The chorus is vastly overrated from where I sit, but I can see why it gets the youth excited. I’m not trying to shit all over this album, but I don’t know what is must hear. It’s tolerable, not enjoyable.

Title/opening track is obviously iconic. Definitely wasn’t expecting a little West Side Story reference on here. A lot of the synth tones sound like they are straight out of a SNES game ost. I did not expect the weird jazz break in the middle. Other than the title track the best thing about this record is how short it is. This record is out completely.

Interesting production by Bob Ezrin, of *Berlin* and *The Wall* fame. Funny how children were also involved in those Lou Reed and Pink Floyd LPs at some point. I wonder if that's a coincidence or if it is the influence the producer had on the artists as he was producing them... Unfortunately, apart from "My Stars" and "Luney Tunes" (nice main riff on this one), the songs are not striking enough musically speaking. Even the famous title track seems a little overrated now. I understand some rock fans were in awe with Alice Cooper's persona, hence his place in the rock pantheon. Honestly, his voice can be a little grating--even annoying on some tracks--but I imagine its *outré* theatrics are actually the very thing that his fans have found endearing, so I'm ready to suspend my judgment here. Yet one can't help feeling all of this feels a little insubtantial, in spite of a few funny or memorable lyrics in some spots... Besides, there's something very weird about *what* this record is about as a whole. You have whiffs of a rock opera or concept album coming from it, but it's as if it was left unfinished, as if the band couldn't be arsed writing its ending at some point. It's not sprawling enough. And since most of the individual songs are nothing but somewhat derivative drivel, there's not much that can satisfy you there. Best (or worst) example: the "Grand Finale" instrumental closing this LP. Ezrin does a little of his usual magic here, bringing a vast array of synths, orchestral arrangements and nice guitar effects to the table. But take away those baroque trimmings and rococo flourishes, what we have left is just by-the-number rock'n'roll played and written without much invention in mind, ironically. It's a little as if you took out the make-up of a diva or a glam-rocker, and suddenly realize there's no one but a old hag or an old fart under all that paint. And here, in *School's Out*, you can easily see through those thin layers, as theatrical and outrageous as the lead vocalist thought he was. Sometimes theatrics won't fill the hole inside you. And the more you use them, the more that hole becomes visible to others. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 800, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far  Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter (including this one)

Alice Cooper? Oh man, the image does not fit the sound! I've heard Andrew Lloyd Webber go harder than this!!!

I was led to believe (as a child of the 70s) that Alice Cooper was just too scary, and I'm a little upset to find that this album I've never listened to is magnificent and full of humor and musical variety. Even just the packaging with its model desk cover and panties album sleeve is celebration-worthy. Mind you, the title track has been a favorite of mine for years, and I should have suspected that the band was more fun than I thought (the lyric "We can't even think of a word that rhymes" has always made me laugh). Today I learned that "Alice Cooper" was the name of the band at this time as well as the persona of the lead singer. When a song about an alley cat segued into the "Jet Song," then went into the jazzy, meow-filled "Street Fight" my mind was blown. This album is taking me to incredible places. I don't even know how to begin describing "Public Animal #9" but I love it sooo much. "Alma Mater" is a wonderful closing to the school story. And then it's possible that "Grande Finale" is my favorite album closer of all time. Pow!!!

This album is so much more quirky than I imagined. I really liked it!!

I made an "ew" face when this came up and now that I've listened I think my face should apologize. I loved it! These kind of rock-n-roll theatrics are totally my thing. I kind of wish I hadn't been looking at the lyrics because there was a very nice musical theater surprise awaiting me in the song Gutter Cat vs. (no spoilers). In addition to that one, I loved the jazzy Blue Turk, the epic My Stars, and the White-Album-esque Alma Mater. This was great unexpected fun. (But p.s. it's kind of cruel to assign School's Out homework to a college professor one week before the start of the school year.)

I went into this extremely familiar with the title track but never heard any of the rest of this album. “Schools Out” is such a classic that it makes me wonder why I’ve never heard of anything else on this album. Stir together guitar rock of the 70s and a generous helping of Broadway. Add bits of jazz and blues. Fold in marching band music and a trombone solo. Add generous helpings West Side Story. Blend. Bake into a deliciously wild and eclectic album. A genuine and wonderful surprise. I love it!

He is a good singer.

Was minder hard-rock dan ik dacht. Wel leuke nummers, met goeie samenhang onderling

I just joined yesterday after my son invited me to the group. This is my first review and it's an album I'm very familiar with so this will be a bit wordy. This was the Last Alice Cooper album that I really liked all the way through. I was 16 when this album came out and the previous album, Killer, was even better. The early albums had some great guitars, bass and drums. Schools Out - classic, big hit Looney Tune - There's a guitar part in this song that sounds very much like "ooh that smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd which was released years later. Gutter Cat- love the bass intro and the overall musicality of the song and doing the west side story stuff was pretty clever. My Stars is a cool song, piano part is cool. Blue Turk is a really different but great song. Alma Mater - I still play the first seven chords to the song when I'm trying to tune my guitar. Overall I think it's a great album With a lot of catchy hooks.

Great album. Innovative. First time listening to it.

I used to listen to the song Schools Out when I was younger. Rest of the album doesn't match the energy.

boring

Album was pretty average, would only listen to this again if someone else played it

Tylko School's Out, reszta nuda

Based on the only two songs of theirs played on the radio, my impression was that Alice Cooper's music was just light-hearted and a bit silly. Now I see why they are considered one of the greats, and I will no longer be missing out!

And here's the album where the Alice Copper Band goes all show tuney, showing off their jazz chops believe it or not...and believe it or not they damn well pull it off. The album starts off conventionally enough with a couple of straight ahead rockers; with the all-time classic School's Out and then Luney Tune, which is a great tune as well than things get a little sideways as Gutter Cat Vs The Jets is a West Side Story tribute and a pretty good one at that. Then Blue Turk continues the jazzy theme and it sounds freaking awesome; great guitar work, some nice keyboards and some very tasty horns. My Stars sounds like it could have been a The Who outtake from Quadrophenia and Public Animal #9 is a bluesy number that swings like hell with a stonesy feel. And the album closes with a lovely nastalgia laced ballad number in Alma Mater and Grande Finale brings back the West Side Story, big band feel. I had this album as a young teenager but it must not have impessed me then as I remeber little of it apart from Scool's Out and perhaps Luney Tune. Well it impressed me on this listen and I think I'm going slot it into my current playlist. 4 stars

Good.

damn. banger

When it doesn't scream so much it's actually very good

One big song. Others cool to jam to

Not for me at all...

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.

Wow, I love Blue Turk. I was not at all expecting this from Alice Cooper. Wow. There's a lot more to this than I would have guessed. I like.

Not at all what I expected from Alice cooper

Not terrible but meh for me

Great album

Rock/Heavy. Or is it? Songs like Alma Mater would be difficult to classify under rock, they sound very mellow and pop-like. Blue Turk sounds like being in a Jazz club after midnight. And the finale...the Grand Finale indeed! It was pretty sweet. Is it a disco song in an Alice Cooper album? It does sound like it. Favorites: - Grand Finale - Luney Tune - Blue Turk I checked statistics in Spotify and apparently "School's out" has 120 million plays, whereas all other songs have under a million. It's a shame that so many songs just fly under the radar because they don't appear in a movie or get picked up by radio DJs.

Only notable for its title track, 2/5 Highlight-"Schools Out"

I LOVED this album! Most of the songs on it I really enjoyed. I will be listening to it more.

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.

Classic rock? Reminds me of Wayne’s World! I’d listen to it again.

Just realized that the lines “we got no class, we got no principles” is clever. Hah why is it west side story?

Buiten de title song een zeer saai album. Beats zaten soms wel goed, maar tekst is niet veel waard.

Alma mater was good

Not sure it's important from a music point of view, but it's interesting experimental music.

OK

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.

What a weird concept album. Totally at odds with the Alice Cooper concert I saw on Showtime in the 70s, but maybe I wasn't clued in then. An 4 for the effort.

Theatrical and a bit hokey to me. Even the title track felt off once I took off my rose-tinted glasses.

My original exposure to Alice Cooper was his guest starring spot on The Muppet Show. I was creeped out by Cooper then, and not much has changed. It's not a frightened version of creepy, but creepy - I need to wretch a little and go wash up. I don't understand who Cooper is writing for with topics including blood, jail, fighting, getting out of school, and possible sexual assault of underage women. Cooper is playing a character, but I'm not sure that I understand the character. Singing about "no more teacher's dirty looks", and adaptations of music from West Side Story keeps me confused. There was more musicality than I expected from this album. "School's Out" could be a good rock song I could follow if there were different lyrics. The instrumentals ("Street Fight", "Grande Finale") held my attention, and it's possible that I could like "Blue Turk". School's Out was an interesting listen, and had several unexpected surprises, but I don't want to listen to it again. Should I round up to 3 stars when I know that I would skip this album in the future? "Alma Mater" and "Luney Tune" say 2 stars.

What a weird album. There's some really good songs on it but also the most unhinged things lol. Big variety of genre blending too. Very interesting.

Much more variety than I would have expected. Really enjoyed it, would probably never have picked it out to listen to without this.

Glam rock opera

Alice Cooper just school'd me

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

certaines tracks sont assez surprenantes dans le bons sens?

After "School's Out" the album got a little boring to me. Felt like a bit of a time piece in an archaic way. I didn't really care much for Luney Tune or Gutter Cat. They just felt like what you'd expect Alice Cooper type punky rock. They're fine, but not for me. However once Blue Turk hit everything changed. The album picks up this progressive element and I started to recognize the story this album was going for. Fusing Jazz and Blues into this very complex rock structure. The words started to matter a lot more. Telling a story about a guy being this archetypical "bad guy" getting in trouble all the time, and being unapologetic for it until the end where he finally "graduates" and hopes all of his friends stay his friends. I love it. It all links back to the bonified classic "School's Out" in such an intelligent way. I did not expect such a concept from the album that features "School's Out"

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

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected to.

While I enjoyed listening, this album was SUPER all over the place with so many shifts in musical style and genre. While it lent to making it interesting since you never knew what kind of song was coming next, it didn't impress me cohesively.

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!

I enjoyed the variety this album had to offer.

Not my favourite AC album, but probably my favourite from when it was an actual band and not just Alice with hired guns. Everyone knows the title song but it's kind of an outlier - the rest still rocks but has more of a psychedelia influence, kinda similar to early Sabbath. These first days of heavy metal (if you'd call it that at this point) hadn't completely shaken off the 60s influence, so there are a few Beatles-isms around. But they aren't jarring or anything. And at half an hour this is a great album length. 4/5.

Expected a cheesy glam rock stomper, based on the ludicrous opening title track, but was really surprised to get an album of great blues/soul/funk with some really great tunes and a lot of riffs and sounds that wouldn't be out of place in the 60s or 90s. Drifts towards cheese at points but holds together excellently.

Alice Cooper is a highly influential artist, shocking audiences with his punk attitude and controversial shows years before the movement was popularized. This album isn't his best nor does it accurately show his wild displays he does in live shows. The highlight of course is "School's Out" one of his most famous songs and a landmark in glam rock. The other songs are nothing to talk about, although they're decent examples of the genre and show his wild and wacky sides. The lofi sound works against them. There's a few quirks (especially in the keyboard effects), but Cooper could be more energetic, and the instrumental progression is predictable. At least the first side has some interesting ideas ("Blue Turk" has jazz and rockabilly influence), but the second side is just generic glam rock (and a Lennon copycat).

So puzzling why anyone thought this was "edgy", more like musical theater than "rock'n'roll" and not in an entertaining Meat Loaf way. Self-satisfied and boring, but not bad enough for a 1*

Album wasn't bad but nothing really stood out either. 7/10.

can see why school's out is the only one anyone has heard off this album, very different to the rest of the album, enjoyed the last 2 songs but not great overall

I expected a lot of screaming and pounding drums, but there was much more musical variety than that, along with some cool sound effects. Still, none of the songs grabbed me, and some of the lyrics were juvenile: the school's been blown to pieces? Hmm...

I had no idea this was a concept album. Reminds me a bit of the Meat Loaf album. Best track: School's Out

70s classic rock still rings true.

I was not expecting the “West Side Story meets 1970s hard rock” sound at all. I guess now looking at the album art above this text box, it’s not accidental. I enjoyed this album. Kinda fun listening to “School’s Out” in June, too.

A cpl good songs, I wanted to like more though

Ok… It starts off with the album’s title track it’s got an alright guitar riff and singing is eh, I mean the song should really appeal to me but it doesn’t. Luney tune is slightly better Imo it’s more slower and downtempo but not a slow song, it’s just not clicking though. Then we have gutter cat vs the jets it’s probably the best so far great intro, fitting singing and a cool subtle keyboards so yeah cool for this album. Street fight is just an instrumental interesting but nothing special. The first half ends with blue turk I mean it’s got a good bass line and the song is fine just a bit generic you know. My stars has an awesome intro but it’s not as good as the song progresses actually now I think that its his voice that puts me off this music. Public animal #9 is a better song a stomper of a track a little early 60’s sounding I do like it though especially compared to the majority of this thing. Gloomy rain tripes throughout the album’s penultimate track alma matter It’s decent slow but likeable. The album closes on grande finale it’s cool and grand but not a favourite of mine I don’t know it just doesn’t feel right really not the worst but still a 2.

good album

Entertaining strange trip.

Andra Alice Cooper-albumet på kort tid för mig! Och precis som i Billion Dollar Babies fortsätter Alice Cooper krossa mina förutfattade meningar om bandet. Det är lekfullt, humoristiskt och genreöverskridande. Även om grunden ligger i rocken utforskas många olika sounds och stilar. Är det bra då? Nja. Albumet känns tyvärr inte lika genomarbetat som Billion Dollar Babies. Titelspåret har kanske NÅNTING, men för mig är den mest den enklaste och tråkigaste första låten på Guitar Hero III som man alltid tvingades igenom när man startade ny campaign. Också temamässigt är det svårt att engageras. Många låtarna har något sorts high-school-tema. Jag vill be den då 24-årige Vince Furnier att SLÄPPA den tiden och sjunga om vuxensaker i stället. Bäst är Blue Turk, med sin vemodiga refräng och 2-3-minutslånga gitarrbastrumpetdel i mitten. Lagom skruvat. Gillade också Luney Tune. Gutter Cats vs. The Jets är urdålig och fjantig!!! Bästa låt: Blue Turk

School's out is a slapper for sure. The rest of Album is okay.

3-; not bad hard rock album, epic Alice Coopers voice

bleh

Opener is a classic springtime ritual. Rest is average. Grade inflation bumps this to a C+, but I just can’t get it to a B.

strong 3.5 will round up. Other Alice songs off other albums are more fun.

Everyone's favourite cadaverous, golfing evangelical Republican makes his most famous album, the grand celebration of the teenage boy (strictly speaking, this is by the band Alice Cooper, led by Alice Cooper, who would later go solo under the name Alice Cooper). Although not a concept album, School's Out sticks its central theme out like a tongue. This theme is, of course, the unthinking delights of the male adolescent. This extends even to the artwork: the original sleeve came with four legs so the "desk" could stand up, the album opened like a proper desk, revealing depictions of a catapult, a pen knife, marbles and a comic book. Topping all this was a pair of paper knickers covering the vinyl itself, a girl's underwear being the greatest prize a boy's desk could hold. As such the music itself, though firmly hard rocking, actually comes across as oddly ingenuous. It's the music of a 13-year-old playing GTA, still feeling mildly guilty over his fifth wank of the day. The opener and title track, Alice's Cooper's most renowned song, has become the quintessential song about the end of the school year, which is a fantastic turn of events because it is a brilliant song. They pitch the song perfectly, sufficiently childish and mischievous without being obnoxious. However, the album beginning on such an apex may cause the rest of it to appear diminished to the listener. One leitmotif that occurs throughout the album is West Side Story, one of Alice Cooper's (the man, not the band) favourite films. Indeed, Gutter Cats Vs. The Jets lists Bernstein and Sondheim in the credits. The inclusion of these allusions is thematically fitting, what with those finger-snapping street toughs dancing into a rumble. But you may find that this pushes the album over the line from self-awareness to self-parody. Personally, I'm fond of dear Alice, so I'm happy for him to indulge his peccadilloes. The album rocks like a bastard, and has several aces (Public Animal #9 is a particular killer), but I can't quite muster five stars for it. Maybe the issue is structural: you start off with School's Out, you inevitably have to come down after that peak. Still, it's not as if you won't enjoy the descent. Michael Bay's favourite film is also West Side Story.

Yep. That's Alice Cooper...

Классный альбом, необычный, хард-роковый :)

Apart from the title track this is generic stuff. Varied tracks but nothing world-shattering. It had been already done better and was soon superceded in 1972 by other genres. It's pleasant enough but that's all.

It's alright. The first track has been ruined a bit for me by the fact it's in shitty TV adverts. Also I wasn't expecting the west side story cover..