Relentless stuff from the Master of the Macabre (Billion Dollar Babies: Expanded Version - Alice Cooper)

Member Name: TheAdder

Product:	Billion Dollar Babies: Expanded Version - Alice Cooper
Date:	04/08/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great variety of songs delivered with Cooper's inimitable charm

Disadvantages: None whatsoever

Alice Cooper (Vincent Damon Furnier) was born on Feb 4th 1948 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. Fundamentally a rock performer, he has regularly experimented with his sound and style and never been afraid to move with the times. Famed for his elaborate, theatrical and often gruesome stage shows he has thrilled audiences since the mid 1960s. He was the original 'Shock Rocker' who many have tried to emulate since.
Billion Dollar Babies was released in 1973, a satirical look at politics and American life in general. Its roots are based in rock with a nice raw cutting sound, which, if you prefer your music honest and not too over produced as I do will please you greatly. As with many Cooper albums, he occasionally branches away into delightful little cameos, in this instance it's the all too short piano ditty MARY-ANN.
Anyway, let the show begin...

HELLO HOORAY is the aptly named curtain raiser, welcoming you in with capricious, open arms. A great show opener, though it has a dirge-like rhythm during the verses that gets you looking over your shoulder from the very start. You don't trust Cooper already, just as he likes it, but his ability to entice you with his magical vocal charm and biting lyrics is second to none. A mystical, swirling intrumental rounds off the perfect starter.

RAPED AND FREEZIN' comes at you thick and fast. Quite a fun song with a happy chorus that you'll always head bob and sing along with. I like the carefree abandon with which he sings this and his voice switches from smooth to raspy with the minimum of fuss. I'll always maintain that Alice Cooper is underrated as a vocalist and this song I feel goes along way to backing that up. Nice little Mexican touch thrown in for good measure at the end too.

3rd song up is the well renowned ELECTED which is probably now far too overplayed for its own good. It has its fanfares, rants, yells and that peculiar 'boingy' sound but I guess its an enjoyable piece of mayhem. Wheeled out when people try and lure you into polling booths and popular at the live shows though not a personal favourite for me. I'd still vote for him though.

The title track BILLION DOLLAR BABIES follows and its an absolute Alice gem. Based around a busy drum pattern this is lively, enchanting and slaps you about from side to side. Every syllable of the lyrics fits snuggly into place making the song nice and tight. A thumbs in braces cockney barrow boy chorus strangely works against the morose line "I'm so scared your little head will come off in my hands." A dynamic Cooper classic. This is what it's all about.

UNFINISHED SWEET is a song you feel was written for the stage rather than the studio. Plenty of space for Alice to yank a few molars out and features a neat James Bond break too. Good harmful fun.

We enter classic territory again with the superb NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY. A song we've probably all felt like relating to at some point in our lives. I loved this in my teens when I felt like a bit of a pariah for basically not caring much for pop music. That's a strength of Cooper, gets you onside and then tries to get you offside but you can't leave because its so much better being with him. It sweeps you along with its flowing rocky sway, gathers you up and yells the chorus in your face. A truly great song, much covered too (check out Megadeth's version, well worth a listen).

GENERATION LANDSLIDE. La da da da daahhh! Great beat to this song, similar to Billion Dollar Babies in so much that it is based around the fluent paddle of the rhythm. The lyrics make good reading too and there's a killer harmonica solo in there to boot.

SICK THINGS. Where can we start with this? Pure theatrical gold. This is warped brilliance. Listen to this in a dark room on your own at your peril. Slow burner this one - but you WILL burn. The power lies in the churning motion and the strong sadistic vocals. I feel like I'm going to get eaten by something when I hear it, think it's the whispering giant over the chorus that does it. Keep this away from the children. Fantastic stuff.

MARY-ANN emanates hauntingly from the entrails of Sick Things, with its Saloon Bar piano and bluesy vocal this is short but oh so sweet. Coming deliberately after the debauchery of the previous song, this is another Alice idiosyncrasy. He paces his albums right, knows when to bite and when to caress. He does both in the final song on the album I LOVE THE DEAD to devasting effect. Charming and devilish, he usually kills himself to this one live. This is a song that stays with you long after it has finished, you get some odd looks walking around the supermarket singing the chorus I tell you. The perfect finale.

Summary: Totally engaging from start to finish