Alice Cooper | Billion Dollar Babies | CD

Alice Cooper: Alice Cooper; Dennis Dunaway (bass instrument); Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce , Neal Smith.
Personnel: Alice Cooper (vocals); Dave Libert (vocals); Michael Bruce (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Dick Wagner, Donovan, Glen Buxton, Mick Mashbir, Steve Hunter (guitar); Bob Dolin (keyboards); Neal Smith (drums, background vocals); Dennis Dunaway (background vocals).
Audio Remasterers: Daniel Hersch; Bill Inglot.
Audio Remixers: Bill Inglot; Brian Kehew.
Recording information: Cooper Mansion, Greenwich, CT (08/1972-01/1973); Morgan Studios, North London, England (08/1972-01/1973); The Record Plant, New York, NY (08/1972-01/1973).
Editors: Bill Inglot; Brian Kehew.
Photographers: Lynn Goldsmith; David P. Bailey; Neal Preston; Lynn Godsmith.
While their theatrical stage show (which featured the singer getting his head chopped off by a guillotine) may have made Alice Cooper a household name, the material on BILLION DOLLAR BABIES is so exceptional there is no danger of the music being overshadowed by gimmicks. The album became Cooper's biggest selling release, but it would prove the last effort by the original incarnation of the Alice Cooper band (who would up split a year later). But the group hits the mark completely here, combining the raw garage rock of earlier albums with a glossier production, but with plenty of edge, grit, and sleaze still at the music's core.
While mission statement "No More Mr. Nice Guy" is the best-known song, the rest of the album is just as strong. The title track features a backing vocal by Donovan and a mammoth backbeat from drummer Neal Smith, while sweet melodicism plays an important role in "Generation Landslide" and "Mary Ann." Cooper's rock-and-shock aesthetic can heard in the future concert staples "Sick Things" and "I Love the Dead," giving the sleek sound of the album a wonderfully seamy underbelly. Pound for pound, this is probably Cooper's finest release, and remains one of the true cornerstones of the '70s hard rock canon.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop
• Released: 10/25/1990