Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
Warner Bros. Records - 1973
9.5/10
Call it fixing the mistakes of past unevenness, because Billion Dollar Babies is the record that I see as Alice Cooper injecting the chaos of School’s Out with the the structural integrity of Killer or Love It To Death. The format even somewhat follows the most recent outing, giving our accessibility early on, and the experimentation later on. Hell, they even open with a cover of “Hello, Hooray” here, which weirdly worked to the same effect as closing with a cover before. The only difference is, this one seemed to make a heavier impact.
Moreover, the record as a whole is littered with hits, all having a different energy without sidestepping the established general idea. “No More Mr. Nice Guy” has the accessible, light-toned nature of any radio rock classic that could appeal even to older pop lovers, while “Billion Dollar Babies” injects more of that classic Cooper horror charm (and a double-vocal contribution by Donovan). “Elected” boasts an entire ensemble-type layout with fun energy, while “Generation Landslide” aligns more with progressive rock opera-type. None of these are the same at their core, but they fit together splendidly.
What’s often overlooked is the power of the non-hit wonders that easily could have been hits. Primarily, I’m looking at the catchiness of “Raped And Freezin’,” a tale on sexual assault that likely skipped popularity from that alone. Even though you can catch signs of the elaborate weirdness in “Unfinished Suite,” I could never deny the hookiness of this one either. It’s a small look into what the record’s gonna close with.
And really, that’s all that’s left. Billion Dollar Babies takes a serious shift in delivery for the final three tracks, all working together neatly as one. “Sick Things” hearkens back to the doom ideas of prior records, projecting a haunting atmosphere with horns, before falling into the ‘20s-style piano ballad “Mary Ann.” Picture a slightly-less-settling backside to “Alma Mater.” And of course, we can’t forget the humorous take on necrophilia in “I Love The Dead.” These tracks collectively leave the listener with an unsettled feeling, and considering that things start off in the opposite way, you can color me impressed.
The sheer contradiction of ideas presented in an organized shell is probably the reason why I hold this record in such high regard. The title track being one of my all-time favorites is certainly a part of it too. Ultimately, I see this as a “hits” album that’s incredible for the hits, but also for all the shit that gets ignored.
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