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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Billion Dollar Babies

Alice Cooper

1973

Buy At Rough Trade
Billion Dollar Babies
Album Summary

Billion Dollar Babies is the sixth studio album by American rock band Alice Cooper, released on February 25, 1973 by Warner Bros. Records. The album became the best selling Alice Cooper record at the time of its release, hit number one on the album charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom, and went on to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album has been retrospectively praised by such critics as Robert Christgau, Greg Prato of AllMusic, and Jason Thompson of PopMatters, but The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) gave the album only two and a half stars. Songs were recorded in both the state of Connecticut and London, England. Lyrics cover topics and themes such as necrophilia, dental fear, horror, and sexual harassment. At 40 minutes and 51 seconds, it is the longest studio album the band has ever released; this does not count any of Cooper’s solo albums.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.1

Votes

10569
Genres
Hard Rock

Reviews

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Wed Feb 24 2021
5

This owns. I always thought Alice Cooper was just a gothy joke, like Elvira.

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Mon May 10 2021
3

Kind of like a very competent Halloween gag. Also, weirdly, I don't think I knew what Alice Cooper sounded like until this.

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Mon Apr 05 2021
5

Way better than I had expected. Should’ve listened to this a long time ago

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Tue May 24 2022
2

Alice Cooper just seems a bit lame by today's standards. Like if Disney did Cradle of Filth

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Thu Sep 24 2020
5

Love the dark, gritty themes of this album over the loud, anthemic, hard rock guitars. Cooper's got a killer voice. Standout Tracks: Hello Hooray, Elected, Billion Dollar Babies, Mary Ann, I Love the Dead

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Sat Apr 16 2022
5

5 star. Was going to give 4.5 but fuck it - A masterpiece by Alice and the band. One of my favorites when I was in high school, mostly for the shock rock value. But now now I see it has artistic value beyond that

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Mon Oct 24 2022
5

Wait....am I really into Alice Cooper????????? Loved "Elected" (maybe I'm too into GOTV right now) and "Hello Hooray." Generation Landslide stood out too. Mary Ann -- LOVE the pianoooo. Unexpected after some of the more shout-y songs. I loooooove the transition from Sick Things into Mary Ann. The piano at the beginning. Really made me appreciate the art of an album and listening to songs in the intended order and with the intended context an artist wants you to listen to them. Did not like I Love the Dead. Liked this enough that I kept listening to the live versions and the live version of Billionaire dollar Babies SLAPPPPS. The guitar riffs!!! And how the drums intermingles with them. Am I really gonna give him five stars???? Honestly overall the live versions are super worth listening to for the extra passion in the delivery of the lyrics & the musicianship of all the extra riffs. And the original album version of raped & freezin (don't love the title or the lyrics?) didn't do anything for me but the live version made me take notice in a good way. No More Mr. Nice Guy was great live too. Not that shocked now that I like his sound - I love Ace Frehley's "Back in the New York Groove" and Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take it" and his sound reminds me of it. VERYYY different sound (kinda Elvis?) but was into Model-T too. Damn this guy has range. Edit: I listened to this full album 3x through in 24 hours after never hearing any of the songs before. Big fan.

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Thu Aug 19 2021
5

Favs: Billion Dollar Babies, I Love the Dead, Hello Hooray, No More Mr. Nice Guy Mehs: I don't really think this one has "mehs." But Raped and Freezin' is my least favorite. Great stuff. Essential rock. Alice Cooper! \m/(>.<)\m/

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Thu Sep 30 2021
5

-An absolutely fantastic album -"Hello Hooray" is a great anthemic-esque track -"Elected" is a fun take on politics, and a total jam -"Billion Dollar Babies" is an incredible track. Great guitar riffs throughout, some great bass slides, catchy lyrics, and basically anything else you could want -"No More Mr. Nice Guy" sits with "School's Out" as the 2 Alice Cooper tracks I expect literally anyone to have heard -"I Love The Dead" is classic macabre Alice Cooper. Great imagery, easy to sing along chorus, some crazy breathing sound effects, and lots of fancy instrumentation, as well as a nice bit of a jam in the middle

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Fri Feb 11 2022
5

Alice Cooper’s magnus opus. An outstanding compilation of songs that does not disappoint the listener. The histrionic Hello Hurray starts the fantastic trip impeccably, several bangers follow, finally closing with the I Love The Dead (one of my favorite in the record) This is a seminal record that made history, not only in the glam rock, but in the 70s scene

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Fri Jun 03 2022
5

I was very surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this. With the exception of a few of the last tracks I loved it. Gets a five because of how much I was taken back.

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Tue Aug 02 2022
5

Alright, look. I'm a huge Alice Cooper fan, and so I am going to make a strong attempt to be as objective as possible in this review. And it is from the perspective of that objective lens that I am here to tell you that this album 100% deserves to be on this project. Alice Cooper brought shock rock out of its prototypal obscurity and perfected it. That didn’t happen without its fair bit of experimentation. But it was on this sixth studio album that Alice Cooper's efforts reached a point of stars aligning and coming together. Billion Dollar Babies brings together the best of the band's work thus far in the areas of glam, metal, horror, and shock. The album is consistent and cohesive throughout, with interesting lyrics and vocals, dark horror-inspired topics, excellent riffs, and hard hitting rock. The band went through a significant polishing phase during this album, even down to Alice Cooper himself honing in on his signature look, a look that he is still ultimately known for today. The success of this album was a culmination that led to the also incredibly successful Billion Dollar Babies Tour, a true shock rock theatrical spectacle that included drills, guillotines, body parts, blood, whips, and thousands of other pounds of miscellaneous horror paraphernalia. (Seriously, if you care about shock rock, watch the tour recording, "Good To See You Again, Mr. Cooper" and witness history in the making.) This album and its tour undeniably shaped and changed the course of shock rock, and was undoubtedly an inspiration for other shock rock legends such as Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. The impact just can’t be overstated. Honestly, this album just slays.

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Tue Aug 02 2022
5

i must preface this review with saying alice cooper is my favorite artist. i cannot manage to be unbiased in my review and i'm glad to use this as an excuse to listen to a fantastic album. billion dollar babies is AMAZING. it showcases the alice cooper band's shock rock sound. the band definitely hit their stride in this album--i think it's their best (band-wise). a lot of what the band does here they were already doing: they were writing witty lyrics like what's in "elected," creating creepy songs like "unfinished sweet" dating back a few years, and writing amazing guitar, bass, and drum melodies (that drum intro on "billion dollar babies"? WOW). but there's something amazing about this album that makes it different from their previous albums. not every song was released as a single, but every song is so *good* and so unique. the lyrics are top notch. the group balances well between clever and scary. and if the lyrics aren't enough for you, listening to the piano solo in "mary ann" will cause actual chills to go up your spine! "i love the dead" is horror-esque by its title alone, but the guitar takes the listener on such a journey that you viscerally feel it. i couldn't say enough wonderful things about this album. well deserved on this list. i wouldn't dare change a single lyric or note.

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Fri Sep 16 2022
5

An absolute joy from start to finish. Great tunes, fab musicianship and a sense of humour. Brilliant. I played this album constantly when I was 13-14 but had forgotten how good it was. It's better than I remembdr it because now I understand and appreciate the humour as well as the music.

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Tue Aug 29 2023
3

One of the revelations I’ve had doing this list is that Alice Cooper in the 70’s was so much cooler than the campy glam metal stereotype I have of them from the 80’s. “I Love the Dead” is a bit much, though.

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Thu Feb 04 2021
2

Again not a massive fan but not offensive

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Wed Jan 27 2021
5

Obra maestra absoluta. Alice es uno de los grandes y este es su mejor trabajo. De ellos me gustan hasta sus andares, y es que disfruto mucho de sus discos más heavys, pero no hay nada como su rock más clásico cuando eran una banda.

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Wed May 19 2021
5

I'm surprised that there are two Alice Cooper albums on this list. I didn't think he was that influential, and I didn't realize this work was early 70s. I would have thought it was late 70s or early 80s.

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Tue Oct 05 2021
5

One of the high water marks for the classic lineup - excellent songs, great arrangements. Elected is particularly stellar - the rolling buildup of the bass at the start, the horns ....

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Sat Nov 20 2021
5

I love Alice Cooper & this entire album. I would argue that Unfinished Sweet is the best dentist song of all time & they absolutely ARE aching to get me.

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Mon Mar 21 2022
5

ovo san čekala!! top album al moran izdvojit basista, wow wow wow! vrhunski

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Tue Mar 29 2022
5

Another one from my youth, Alice Cooper was an innovator and the start of shock rock

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Thu Apr 28 2022
5

Only knew Elected and had never actually heard the album before. Loved it. How much did i love this album ! Track 1, i think, is my new fav Alice Cooper tune. Really enjoyed...

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Fri Aug 19 2022
5

Oh wow. I remember buying this at a car boot sale and I still absolutely adore it. It's pure over the top silly spectacle, a prototype for shock rock - Marilyn Manson did nothing that Alice Cooper hadn't already set in motion. Still put this on and rock out from time to time. It's interesting when you read about Alice Cooper's sound basically changed later on so that they could be more commercially successful - mind you, that doesn't mean that Trash and Hey Stoopid aren't also awesome.

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Thu Sep 29 2022
5

this album has no more Mr nice guy.

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Mon Nov 21 2022
5

Sometimes a little disjointed but always interesting and jarring. Mostly great music and creepy without being pastiche.

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Thu Dec 15 2022
5

Alice Cooper is one of those artists you might overlook because you don't think there is any substance behind that massive persona. I know I did for years. But, man, is this guy brilliant. What a big, elegantly crafted sound, so much better than it has any right or expectation to be. But it's also incredibly catchy and engaging, music that's really easy to just play endlessly on repeat. Cooper consistently surrounds himself with stellar musicians. His musical sensibilities cover everything from the prog to glam to pure pop and early rock and roll. And he makes it all work so effortlessly. His lyrics are smart, darkly funny, whimsically creepy, even surprisingly heartfelt. And they're probably all written with a big, wry smile. On top of all that, Cooper just rocks. He's so much fun to listen to. Not only is Billion Dollar Babies Alice Cooper's greatest album, it's one of the best albums of the 1970s. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): No More Mr. Nice Guy, Billion Dollar Babies, Mary Ann, I Love the Dead, Hello Hooray, Raped and Freezin', Elected, Generation Landslide, Unfinished Sweet, Sick Things

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Mon Dec 19 2022
5

Own this one! Especially side 1 is great.

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Tue Jan 03 2023
5

'No More Mr. Nice Guy', 'Hello Hooray', 'Elected', 'Generation Landslide', 'I Love the Dead', 'Billion Dollar Babies'... This record is like a 'greatest hits' album of best hard rock in the 70s. All in one record. By just one artist

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Tue Jan 10 2023
5

One of my favourite albums, full stop. Grew up with this being played in the house and know every word. Although Coop himself is (rightfully) seen as a godfather of shock rock, the original Alice Cooper band were so much more. For a start, their songwriting eschewed the usual themes and consequently the albums always had a peculiar, left-field feel to them. This impression is only heightened by the music. How to describe it? A kind of progressive garage rock I suppose. The ACB took rock 'n' roll to some odd places, untroubled as they were with traditional song structures. It's all here on Billion Dollar Babies, either their best or second-best album depending on my mood. Great instrumentalists, too. Dennis Dunaway might be my favourite bassist.

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Thu Jan 12 2023
5

Wow… that was a surprise. I exhaled a little bit when this landed, and shame on me. What a belter of an album, and it’s exactly why I was excited to do this challenge. Ordinarily I would never have looked out for an Alice Cooper album and more fool me. As I was listening I was thinking… this is a three… actually maybe it’s a four. Then I asked myself, “what’s stopping me giving this a five?!” The answer: Nothing. Superb album. I especially love the title track, Unfinished Sweet and Generation Landslide.

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Fri Feb 17 2023
5

Not as macabre as later stuff. All good songs.

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Tue Feb 28 2023
5

This one was a surprised I really had fun with this!

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Mon Mar 27 2023
5

Elected is a banger. The horns. Forgot I wanna be sedated is basically a rip off. No More Mr Nice Guy is a banger. Everything else is good. Not sure what Unfinished Sweet is meant to be.

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Tue Mar 28 2023
5

Lots of cool stuff going on here. Very pioneering and influential for 73. First listen was a 3, second listen a 4 and found the time to bump it up to 5 with a 3rd spin. I bet the visual was pretty intense back then too.

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Mon Apr 03 2023
5

Was really surprised by this one. I really liked it, and will be revisiting it. It reminded me of something like Bowie, but with sillier/darker lyrics. 4.5/5

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Tue May 09 2023
5

This is surprisingly a great album. I always like some of Alice Cooper songs room to go to listen to this album all the way through, though I’m obviously heard several of these songs because they were hit singles all in all a great band… Even though the man Alice Cooper has terrible politics. He knows how to play a rock ‘n’ roll band and put one together.

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Tue May 16 2023
5

Very nice album. Need to check other works.

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Fri Aug 18 2023
5

This is the biggest surprise album I’ve had yet I think. I was not at all interested in this, did not expect to like it at all, and ended up loving it. Multiple times I was listening to a song that felt “generic old rock”, but then just totally changed and got way more interesting (the end of “Raped and Freezin”, the horns in “Elected”, the harmonica on “Generation Landslide”). I could clearly hear The Velvet Underground influence, and at other times I got Queen vibes. It’s gritty, and in more of a horror movie way than a sex and drugs way like most of TVU stuff. Something about it works for me though. The sounds are unique, Cooper’s voice is great (though he oversings in a real ‘70s rock way at times, but it is what it is), and it stays interesting throughout. I could have had infinite guesses about who sings Mary Ann and I don’t think I ever would have guessed Alice Cooper. My biggest downside here is that there’s not that song or two that’s totally iconic. No More Mister Nice Guy is the closest one on here (and it’s probably the most tame and polished song too). Really feels like the whole is better than the sum of the parts overall though. Favorite song: Mary Ann Other: Raped and Freezin, Elected, Unfinished Sweet, No More Mister Nice Guy, I Love the Dead

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Mon Sep 11 2023
5

I’m not sure what I expect from an Alice Cooper album, but for some reason I was surprised at how theatrical it all is. Closer to Meat Loaf than Marilyn Manson… and that’s a good thing to me. This was a lot of fun to listen to… had lots of interesting messages and great performances. Really good stuff!

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Fri Nov 24 2023
5

I had two 👍s on this album. Pretty fun album. Way better than what I thought I’d get from AC.

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Mon Dec 04 2023
5

It rocks. It glams. It’s theatrical. It’s Alice Cooper. Filled with fascinating instrumentation, this is Alice Cooper at his best. Honestly, it’s theatric rock at its best.

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Mon Feb 05 2024
5

Wow, outstanding bum. I had only really ever heard a couple Alice Cooper things in like commercials, and I think Billion Dollar Babies was in Rock Band or something, but this grabbed me immediately with Hello Hooray. This was an incredible album.

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Wed Feb 21 2024
5

Perfect. Non-stop great rock songs. I go with the consensus view on this album. The opening song must be the best cover song ever. Billion Dollar Babies might be my favourite Alice Cooper song etc etc. Clearly, AC's best record and one of the best albums from the 70s. Score: 10/10

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Fri Mar 15 2024
5

The beginning of the king of shock rock. I will always been a fan.

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Wed Feb 10 2021
4

Prolly my fav Alice Cooper album. The drums are just so good, especially on the eponymous track, that opening fill is too catchy. This time around I was impressed by the amount of piano too.

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Mon May 10 2021
4

I don't know what I expected from this album, honestly. Not this, though. Half of the album felt like a Stones ripp-off band. The other half was more metal ... but not by much. I know it was early days for metal but, still. I don't know. It's not bad but it's also not special. Except for "No More Mr. Nice Guy" - one whole star for that track alone.

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Tue May 25 2021
4

How has Alice Cooper impressed me... I would probably put a 3.5 but 4 seems fair. It's a good album

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Sun Jan 24 2021
4

I see why Alice Cooper was popular

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Thu Jul 08 2021
4

I was expecting a little bit heavier than this. I did like it, but would have rather had a bit more power behind it.

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Tue May 25 2021
4

I don't think I knew this, but it sounds good.

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Fri Mar 12 2021
4

Ikke så stor kjennskap til den gigantiske katalogen til Alice Cooper. Veldig allright album - høydare i form av No more Mr Nice Guy, Hello Hooray og Unfinished sweets.

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Fri Feb 19 2021
4

Good album with strong vocals and varied styles and instruments.

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Tue Feb 02 2021
4

Me gustaron las cuerdas, tienen esa vibrita que suena al pasado: a Kiss con menos adornos. Billion Dolar Babies fue mi track favorito (a pesar de las intermisiones de voz aguda tan característica en el glam). aunque disfrute mucho los primeros 5 canciones, me perdió la segunda parte del disco Mood: esta vez no estoy muy seguro, tal vez rompiendo la guitarra al acabar la canción de la hoguera (referencia de Bob Esponja)

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Wed Apr 07 2021
4

So this is definitely like the album that made Alice Cooper an icon. It’s very good. Should revisit for the tracks that are really really good.

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Mon Apr 19 2021
4

offbeat theatrical spookiness catchy

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Tue May 25 2021
4

Classic. Utterly degenerate, but classic

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Fri May 21 2021
4

A perfect encapsulation of Alice Cooper and the "darkness" he threatened, but never really brought. This album offers the catchy riffs and lyrics while offering greater depth throughout the listen.

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Wed May 05 2021
4

Pretty solid classic rock album. Pretty great tracks with my absolute fav track being “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, which I have known before this listen. Was pleasantly surprised by many elements as well, like the piano in “Mary Ann”. Final track “I Love the Dead” was super fun too. Overall, I really enjoyed this!

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Fri May 07 2021
4

it was pretty good, i thought the opener and closer were good especially

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Sun Jun 06 2021
4

Some of Alice's biggest songs are on this classic album. Always fun to revisit old shock rock.

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Thu Aug 05 2021
4

innovator, I wish he was my goth/glam uncle

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Wed Aug 11 2021
4

I love Alice Cooper. He is great, I listened to him on 6Music recently and he's just a really nice guy who loves the performance and campness of glam rock. This album was pretty good, not as good as Trash.

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Thu Aug 19 2021
4

I could go my entire life without hearing Unfinished Sweet again and I would be perfectly fine with that. Other than that...solid album.

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Sun Aug 22 2021
4

Made me feel like I was in a 70s high school movie or a backyard bbq. Except the last song sounds like Halloween. Pretty fun

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Thu Sep 02 2021
4

Love me some Alice Cooper. I prefer some darker stuff, but this is still classic, especially the title track and No More Mr. Nice Guy.

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Sat Sep 18 2021
4

This is a tight band, writing fringe rock, and Alice is singing lyrics for the horror fans of the world. In short, it rocks hard. This really feels like malice fully leaning into the persona he performs with to this day, and the results are spectacular.

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Wed Sep 29 2021
4

I really like this last hurrah of the bluesy-hard-Rock version of Alice Cooper before he goes full spooky Halloween man. There are definite signs of what's coming next throughout, but the majority of the tracks are still more straightforward rock tunes. AC had a pretty solid streak of great records from School's Out through Go to Hell (with plenty of good shit before and after, but that's streak is unimpeachable). Biggest takeaway from this listen was Sick Things. The noisy cacophany is really great and a real teaser of a lit of what would be on Nightmare.

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Sat Oct 02 2021
4

Overduidelijke Glam Rock. Kan het wel smaken maar geen 'wauwgevoel' bij dit album

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Sun Oct 03 2021
4

Great album. I always through Alice Cooper was much harder… I guess this was hard for the time? Excellent album, though.

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Mon Oct 18 2021
4

I think most Alice Cooper is 3-star territory for me. I typically like the lyrics and the music well enough. Cooper's singing is hit or miss for me though. This album happens to have a couple of tunes I really like, such as "No More Mr. Nice Guy." That pushes it into 4 stars for me!

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Thu Oct 21 2021
4

Fun Album. A little theatrical, spooky and catchy. As Alice cooper (7/10) FT: No More Mr. Nice Guy, I Love The Dead

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Fri Nov 26 2021
4

Great album. Lots of classics. Great garage works shop album

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Sun Dec 05 2021
4

Круто. Рад был знакомству, мистер Alice Cooper

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Fri Dec 17 2021
4

The edgy-for-edgy's-sake shtick is something I could take or leave, but there's a moment that makes this album for me. It happens during the refrain of No More Mr. Nice Guy, a flourish on "obscene". That gives the game away, Mr. Cooper, but I appreciate it. I learned after finishing the song that it was used in Ash vs Evil Dead, which is entirely unsurprising. And the rest of the music is technically great, easy to listen to, easy glammy fun.

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Wed Jan 12 2022
4

I’d listened to this album before but something about it clicked this time. Fun stuff

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Wed Jan 12 2022
4

I’ve listened to No More Mr. Nice Guy so many times but the first time I’ve heard the whole album. Solid stuff.

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Wed Jan 12 2022
4

I have only passing familiarity with Alice, I know the hits, thought he was great in Wayne's World, etc. I did see him in concert opening for Mötley Crüe in 2015 or so. He was still 100% rock star and much more fun then poor old Vince Neil. Oof, that was a sad spectacle. Anyway, I'm perfectly happy to listen to this album. The album cover is the same ridiculous mashup of images and ideas as his music evokes. It makes me chuckle. I'm such a sucker for loud strutting rock stars that can really belt out a rock anthem but don't take themselves too seriously. So here we go. Although I'm not familiar with most of these songs, except Billion Dollar Babies and No More Mr Nice Guy, it sure starts out sounding like classic Alice Cooper, which is a good thing. I normally would object to a song called Raped and Freezin' but it is a pretty good rocker. Elected is also solid. The title track is so good, and I just read that Donovan does the falsetto which is hilarious. Oh and I'm enjoying Unfinished Sweet (great title). Obviously No More Mr Nice Guy is a high water mark. Generation Landslide strikes me as an objectively good song and valid social commentary. Sick Things is the weakest track in my opinion and for whatever reason I Love the Dead leaves me cold. (ha!) Overall my rating is: turn it up!

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