Considering that Alice Cooper’s music was more a soundtrack to his extravagant persona and the sideshow rock and roll theatrics that fans came to love, his early albums still retain a consistent quality as simple stand alone musical experiences. High praise, even if you’re not consumed by the deliberate dark showmanship, the attention grabbing histrionics or the wilful intention to melodramatically shock for the sake of entertainment. Not only did Alice Cooper write strong songs, but they delivered their mix of bombastic heavyweight, glam tinged rock with a knowing pop sensibility and a sense of melody few could compete with. Along with producer Bob Ezrin, and with the powerful dual guitar attack of Glenn Buxton and Michael Bruce, if the band didn’t insult every mother’s heart, they most definitely laid a convincing assault on most kid’s minds.
“Billion Dollar Babies” in many ways is Alice Cooper’s most accessible early work. There’s a more expansive backdrop by the use of a greater range of instrumentation and orchestration. The outstanding opener and worthy cover of the Rolf Kempf original, “Hello Hooray” casts Cooper as the Master Of Ceremonies for every rebellious adolescent searching for thrills with “I’ve been ready, ready as this audience that’s coming here to dream, Loving every second, every moment, every scream”. It lays the foundation for one of the band’s greatest songs, “Elected”, a re-work of a song originally titled “Reflected” from the 1969 “Pretties For You” album. The surging riff that guides the chorus is a revelation in comparison to the original, as Cooper announces himself as the leader of a generation in the simplest terms “Kids want a saviour and don’t need a fake, I wanna be elected”. Much of the remainder of the album perfectly matches Cooper’s ethics to self effacing comedy, manic bravado, and high octane entertainment. There are over egged moments, as in the funereal drawl of “Sick Things”, and the ill fitting polished pop overtones of “No More Mr Nice Guy”, but these slips are overcome by the excellent title track, “Raped And Freezin’”, “Generation Landslide” and the gentle piano ballad “Mary Ann”.
In terms of musical legacy and quality there’s little to choose between 1971s “Love It To Death”, “Killer”, 1972s “School’s Out” and this recording. For a new recruit to Alice Cooper’s wild and wicked world, starting with “Billion Dollar Babies” is the key to enter his dungeon of darkness. —Ben
