Warner Brothers has done a superb job with this deluxe edition reissue of "Billion Dollar Babies", arguably the pinnacle of Alice Cooper's influential career. Every aspect of this product is top-notch, and an incredible value for the price.

First of all, the album itself still rocks with a tight, muscular power that puts all the pretenders and wannabes who have followed in Cooper's tracks firmly in their place. The original Alice Cooper group was captured at its peak here, with assistance from guitar virtuosos Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner (both of whom would later play on Lou Reed's legendary "Rock n Roll Animal" before becoming mainstays in Cooper's revamped band). "Billion Dollar Babies" spawned many of the band's biggest hits ('Hello Hooray', 'Elected', 'No More Mr. Nice Guy', and the title cut), and features 'Generation Landslide' - a wry piece of socio-political commentary from Cooper.

The package contains a generous second CD of well-recorded live material (taken from the tour supporting "Billion Dollar Babies"), as well as studio outtakes. The original album jacket artwork has been recreated, along with lyrics, photos and some illuminating commentary in a 24-page booklet. Remastering was coordinated under the supervision of the album's original producer, Bob Ezrin.

One listen to this beautifully restored classic, and you may well wonder what all the fuss is about characters like Marilyn Manson.

THE BAND: Alice Cooper / Vincent Furnier (vocals), Glen Buxton (guitar), Michael Bruce (guitar), Dennis Dunaway (bass), Neal Smith (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1973) 10 tracks clocking in at approximately 41 minutes. Included with the disc is a 6-page booklet containing song titles/credits/times, song lyrics, black & white band member photos, and thank you's. This is the band's 6th album. Produced by the notable Bob Ezrin (who has also produced band's like Kiss, Pink Floyd, Rod Stewart, Peter Gabriel and Lou Reed). Remastered in 2001 - containing an additional 14 tracks on a 2nd disc (57+ minutes - 11 live renditions of the album's songs, and 2 outtakes, and 1 unreleased song), and an extensive 26-page booklet. Label - Rhino / Warner Bros.

COMMENTS: I have two favorite albums from Alice Cooper - this one, and the earlier "Killer" from 1971. You'll see numerous reviews here raving about each... but they're both deserving of 5-stars and all the attention brought to each. Four Top 100 hits from "Billion Dollar Babies" - including the title track, "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Elected" and "Hello Hooray". Not to mention some great deep album cuts in "Raped And Freezin'", "Generation Landslide", "I Love The Dead", and the strangely out-of-place piano tune "Mary Ann". The album was the band's most commercially successful album - reaching #1 in the US and the UK. Having tasted some fame with "Love It To Death" in '71, more fortunes with "Killer" and "School's Out"... the band was clearly at the height of their career with "Billion Dollar Babies". Polished, slick, and no filler to be found (okay, "Sick Things" is easily the weakest track here). The baby on the album cover - is that where Kiss' Gene Simmons got the idea for his make-up (looks pretty close to me... and we Kiss fans know they credit Alice Cooper for helping found onstage shock rock and theatrics). The four hits mentioned above plus "Generation Landslide" made it to Cooper's best single disc compilation "Monsters & Mascara" (2001)... the most from any one album of theirs. Rhino did it correctly in leaving the original remastered album by itself on disc-1, and the bonus tracks on disc-2. You will not go wrong starting your Alice Cooper collection here. This is classic Alice (5 stars).

1973 was a banner year for the Alice Cooper Group, and the theme for that year was excess:the biggest tour,hype and album that Alice and cronies could dream up.They were transformed into the Billion Dollar Babies,bad dreams of a warped society and they flaunted it for all they were worth.All aspects of modern life were victims of the Coop's satiric jabs:public image(NO MORE MR NICE GUY), the model family(GENERATION LANDSLIDE),male/female stereotypes(RAPED AND FREEZIN') and the political structure(ELECTED).Other topics given the ACG once over included:cross dressing,blow up dolls, showbusiness in the American Dream,various types of taboos,dentistry and of course,horror;all set to catchy rock riffs.The stage show was just as impressive with swords,fake dollar bills,and an Alice beheaded before returning for the encore. BILLION DOLLAR BABIES is the ALICE COOPER GROUP at the peak of their powers,and a must have for any novice Coop fan.

In Phoenix, Arizona, in the late sixties there was a rough little garage band known as `The Earwigs', playing whatever gigs they could get with a certain Vincent Furnier on lead vocals. By 1969 and countless name changes the quintet had settled on the name `The Alice Cooper Band''. As expected, the lead singer started to get called Alice. The band's fame started to spread with the release of their first album 'Pretties For You'. There was certainly no overnight stardom, more a slow, but inevitable rise to the very top of the tree.

By 1972 Vincent Furnier changed his name by deed poll to Alice Cooper and the Alice Cooper Band had their first global number one hit with 'School's Out'; brilliantly timed to be released when all the schools broke up for their long summer holidays. With its lyrics of unbounded joy and anti-teacher rants 'School's Out' captured the imagination of a generation of school kids. Everybody loved the Alice Cooper Band, unless you happened to be a parent.

By the time of the release of this, their sixth album `Billion Dollar Babies', the Alice Cooper Band was one of the biggest bands in the world and had 25 Gold Records, album sales of over 50 Million, plus sold-out stadium tours to prove it.

The band was every teenagers dream. The band members themselves were disastrously young, too brutally good looking, too clever by half, way out of control, preened around the country in their own customized jet (booze and cards in the front, girls in the back), willing to take any chance they were given, and most importantly enough street savvy to fill every young head on our little planet. The songs weren't bad either.

Opening with the frothy-mouthed Broadway burlesque of 'Hello Hooray', the band announces their arrival and greets their audience, a celebration from the musicians to thank their fans for where they now are; together with their fans one mighty gang. Not one to ever dodge issues, the next song 'Raped and Freezin' is a Stonesy rave-up involving a guy who gets picked up and raped by some `old broad down from Sante Fe' and winds up naked in Chihuahua, Mexico. You can imagine how much this would of been appreciated by the older generation. But it's all very tongue in cheek with the singer at his sassy best, and the south-of-the-border Spanish guitar mantra at the song's end is pure class.

The next song was the first single to be released from this collection, 'Elected', which was put out the previous year to tie in with the American Presidential Elections. Not a trick did our boys miss out on. Naturally the song was a huge hit.

The title track remains an all time classic, including its surprising vocal duet with flower power idol Donavan and Alice, although it's Alice who gets to sing the gleeful:

''If I'm too rough, tell me,

I'm so scared your tiny little head is going to come off in my hands".

`Billion Dollar Babies' has wonderful guitar riffs from Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton, although Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, two of rock 'n' roll's top session guitarists, were brought in to give some experience to the studio guitar sound. This was also partly due to the failing health of Glen Buxton, who is tragically no longer with us. The rhythm section of Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith really come into their own on these songs.

On this thirtieth anniversary release of `Billion Dollar Babies' you get two discs, one with the original recording cleaned up by original producer Bob Ezrin from the master tapes, and a second one with selected live tracks from the `Billion Dollar Babies' tour that followed this release, where the band leaves you in no doubt they certainly can cut it live. There are also several studio outtakes on the second disc, showing that at the time the band had plenty of material still left in the bank.

'Generation Landslide', 'No More Mr. Nice Guy', plus the title track were three more hit singles for the band, while 'I Love The Dead' and 'Sick Things' would become stage favorites. 'Unfinished Sweet' gives the band room to breathe, while giving the stage show a vehicle for the band's theatrics during their spectacular act, especially with its snippets of West Side Story themes.

'Mary Ann' is perhaps the album's only not instantly memorable song. It's a pithy ballad that pumps sexual irony to the point of persona self-immolation. On the surface the song is a ballad of pure ear candy for girls, but the last line pitches a curve ball by revealing the protagonist's true love interest. Mary Ann is as much a man, if not more so, than Alice himself. For sheer cheek alone, Mary Ann scores a point.

A great album beautifully repackaged with loads of sleeve notes and photos all tucked away in a snake skin wallet. Unfortunately though you cannot remove the Billion Dollar note tucked inside as you could in the original vinyl release.

Sadly the next year's 'Muscle of Love' album was the band's last as egos got in the way. The newly named Alice crawled away to form yet another band, while the others carried on as "The Billion Dollar Babies'', but none of them ever came close to these heights again.

Executed by Mott the Dog

Guillotined by Ella Crew

I'm so scared that your little head will fall off in my hands. Did you know that we go dancing nightly? Thats right. In the attic, while the moon is rising.. in the sky.

Alice Cooper has acheived metal notoriety over the years as a solo artist. He's been on the scene longer than, probably anybody in metal. Although, you have to understand that, there have been a lot of changes and turns along the road. A.C has got some real good stuff though.

The best however is from his famed Warner Brothers years, when he had his original band, that grew from under the wing of Frank Zappa's label and had numerous radio hits. The one big hit from this amazingly strange and wonderful album is NO MORE MR NICE GUY, but this whole thing is a triumph, really.

Is it metal? I'm not really sure, but it does ROCK, and some of these lyrics will certainly mind screw some of the trendy metalions of todays world. Old school is still the most cool, kids. Know your roots. BILLION DOLLAR BABIES is a horrible, bloody, masterpiece. ROCK!