"Love it to Death" is just a great rock album. You have the major label debut of a truly unique band, with songs that still sound new and original today. You have heard "Eighteen" hundreds of times by now, but if you haven't heard the entire album, then you are denying yourself a true musical treat. Most of the elements that made the Alice Cooper band such a popular 70's act are in place here. Alice is in top form vocally, Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce layer each song with such distinctive guitar work, every track becomes memorable. Neal Smith's drum work is, as always, the driving force behind these classic songs, and thanks to Dennis Dunaway's fantastic bass work, you have an album that is a must have for your rock collection. Every song on this disk is great. But the two songs that standout to me on this CD are "Black Juju" and "Ballad of Dwight Fry". These are the two longest cuts on the disk, and both are so original that only the Alice Cooper band could perform them. If you only discovered Alice later in his solo career, do yourself a favor, and be sure to go back and check out the original bands releases, and be sure to pick "Love it to Death" up right away, you won't be disappointed. I recommend this album to all Alice Cooper fans, classic rock fans, in fact if you have ears...buy this disk.

I bought this LP in early 1971 soon after it was released, after hearing selections from it played on the radio. The improvement in musicianship and composition was dramatic from the previous releases. EVERY song on this LP is well-written and well-performed, and highly memorable. You hear it and just want to sit and listen to it time and time again, and it still sounds fresh 28 years after it was was released. Of the two albums that followed, "Killer" is OK and "School's Out" is also a pretty good album, both with a lot of good tracks, but "Love It to Death" is the real gem. Now, why hasn't the record company looked in their vaults & upgraded this album by remastering it & including some alternate takes and live versions of the songs thrown in as bonus cuts?

If you are reading this you are probably already aware that Love It To Death, along with Killer, Schools Out and Billion Dollar Babies are all excellent albums which changed the course of rock and by themselves provided Alice Cooper with a 40 plus year career. I remember hearing I'm Eighteen on the local radio station in Chicago shortly after its release and going to the corner record store to purchase the LP ($2.49) the following day. I was in high school and a die hard Beatles, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath fan at the time and this album simply "blew my mind". When it and the other Alice Cooper Band albums were released on CD in the eighties, I purchased them all on the day of release only to be somewhat disappointed at the sub par clarity of the mastering. From that point on I waited patiently for remasters and when Rhino finally released the remastered Billion Dollar Babies, I was sure the rest would follow shortly but nothing ever happened. The box set had four songs and Eighteen and Is It My Body appeared on various compilations but the album itself never appeared. I often wondered why so many one hit wonder bands would have their entire career remastered while an iconic band like Alice Cooper gets virtually nothing. Then I saw the Audio Fidelity issues at Amazon and could not wait to hear them. I could picture Black Ju Ju and Second Coming the way they should sound, the way they could sound. Unfortunately the disc is still somewhat lifeless and the clarity I hoped for is just not there. The disc does sound better than the Warner Bros. release and I am glad I have it but had I never heard the original issue, I would not believe this disc was remastered at all. Is the disc worth buying? Yes! The album should be in every rock fan's collection and if you are going to purchase Love It To Death, this is the version to buy. On the other hand, I will continue to look forward to the day someone takes the time to truly remaster the Alice Coooper Band releases and they sound the way I know they can.

The first two Alice Cooper albums captured the sounds of goofy kids doing their [best] to annoy...anyone listening, but weren't much musically. By the time they were ready to record "Love It To Death," all that time on the road, the dingey clubs and the close chemistry finally had the desired effect. They'd learned how to write.

And write they did. There are three stone dead classics here...starting with the fierce roar of "Caught In A Dream." It served notice that these practical jokers had grown up fast, and by the time you hit the end of "I'm Eighteen" (one of the all-time prime coming of age songs ever) you couldn't help but acknowledge that the Alice Cooper Band had hit their stride.

The other half of the growth spurt the "Love It To Death" album signified was in that the band's legendary stage show had melded into their music, and it was making for actual songs instead of the general chaos of the first two LP's. "Second Coming/The Ballad Of Dwight Frye" took the gothic weirdness of the stage show and captured it to vinyl for the first time. (You can also credit Bob Ezrin, who was skilled enough a producer to organize the anarchy.) What ever their detractors had been saying pre-"Love It To Death," there was no way to deny it. Alice Cooper had the power and "Love It To Death" was the album that opened the portals of genius that would be unleash the next three brilliant albums.

The new Japanese SHM-CD Mini-Lp Sleeve Reissues campaign finally does Alice Cooper's Warner Music Group catalog justice! The Remastering is FANTASTIC, no "brick-walling" or entrance into the "Loudness Wars" (look it up). The music's dynamic range is faithful to the original album's sound, highs where high, lows where low, and mid-range IN the mid-range. If not from the original master reels, at least close, the feedback guitar in "School's Out" felt like the amp was right next to me! The Mini-Lp Sleeves are sight to behold, LOVE IT TO DEATH has the original gatefold jacket, inner sleeve and green WB label. I wish I could afford another copy of SCHOOL'S OUT so I could put the desk together (real fans will understand)! Definitely T-H-E Remasters of 2011-12......

LINKS TO SOME OF THE JAPANESE SHM-CD REMASTERED CD'S:

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, Alice Cooper Show