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With 1971's Killer, Alice Cooper released a classic album that encompassed psychedelia, horror movies, musicals, prog and biker rock and compressed it all into timeless nuggets of hard rock gold. It also propelled the band into the rarified upper reaches of the charts and into larger concert halls too. While the next step for most bands would be to stick the the formula and double down on the hooks in ever more commercial ways, on 1972's School's Out these weirdoes did nearly the opposite. Apart from the brilliantly, brutally dumb title track, which indeed does strip their sound down to the thrilling basics and unleashes a perfect marriage of naggingly sharp riffs, hilarious lyrics, and sneering vocals -- the album flies off weird tangents that are barely related to anything the band had done before -- and also the last thing one might expect from them. Case in point the late night jazz ballad "Blue Turk" which comes complete with a finger snapping bass line, multiple horn solos, and a lounge lizard vocal by Cooper. Granted the subject matter is the joys of necrophilia, but the music is a million miles away from what rock fans who were clamoring to hear more Killer-style rockers might expect. "Alma Mater" is another plot twist of a song; a gentle doo wop-inspired ballad that flips the sentiments of the title track on their head as Cooper nostalgically laments his impending matriculation in tones that almost come across as earnest. These pale in the weirdness stakes next to "Gutter Cat vs The Jets," a loping. light-hearted tale of cool cats that morphs into a high-kicking version of "Jet Song" from West Side Story. Alongside these oddball gems, the band sounds locked in on the rockers like the piano-led "My Stars" and the happily vicious "Public Enemy #9"as well as suitably theatrical on "Luny Tunes" a deceptively melodic and orchestrated song about being locked up in the psychiatric ward. All these songs, and the album itself, have a light and almost swinging underpinning, almost nothing rocks as hard as Killer, some of it isn't even rock at all. Half the joy to be derived from listening to School's Out is to marvel at how daringly the band took all the goodwill they had engendered to this point and blew up their just barely established template in fascinating, aolmost reckless ways. The end result is a bewildering, impressively contrary album that's a glorious kiss off to expectations while also showing the band's range and ambition in glorious technicolor.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo
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Michael Bruce, Guitar, Keyboards, Writer - Glen Buxton, Guitar, Writer - Dennis Dunaway, Bass Guitar, Writer, Background Vocals - Neal Smith, Drums, Writer, Background Vocals - Bob Ezrin, Producer - Alice Cooper, Lead Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Dennis Ferrante, AssistantEngineer - Shelly Yakus, Engineer - Roy Cicala, Engineer - Frank Hubach, AssistantEngineer - Danny Turbeville, AssistantEngineer
© 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1972 Warner Records Inc.
Michael Bruce, Guitar, Keyboards - Glen Buxton, Guitar - Dennis Dunaway, Bass Guitar, Writer, Background Vocals - Neal Smith, Drums, Background Vocals - Bob Ezrin, Producer - Alice Cooper, Lead Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Dennis Ferrante, AssistantEngineer - Shelly Yakus, Engineer - Roy Cicala, Engineer - Frank Hubach, AssistantEngineer - Danny Turbeville, AssistantEngineer
© 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1972 Warner Records Inc.
S. Sondheim, Writer - L. Bernstein, Writer - Michael Bruce, Guitar, Keyboards, Writer - Glen Buxton, Guitar, Writer - Dennis Dunaway, Bass Guitar, Writer, Background Vocals - Neal Smith, Drums, Background Vocals - Bob Ezrin, Producer - Alice Cooper, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Dennis Ferrante, AssistantEngineer - Shelly Yakus, Engineer - Roy Cicala, Engineer - Frank Hubach, AssistantEngineer - Danny Turbeville, AssistantEngineer
© 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1972 Warner Records Inc.
Michael Bruce, Guitar, Keyboards, Writer - Glen Buxton, Guitar, Writer - Dennis Dunaway, Bass Guitar, Writer, Background Vocals - Neal Smith, Drums, Writer, Background Vocals - Bob Ezrin, Producer - Alice Cooper, Lead Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Dennis Ferrante, AssistantEngineer - Shelly Yakus, Engineer - Roy Cicala, Engineer - Frank Hubach, AssistantEngineer - Danny Turbeville, AssistantEngineer
© 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1972 Warner Records Inc.
Michael Bruce, Guitar, Keyboards, Writer - Glen Buxton, Guitar - Dennis Dunaway, Bass Guitar, Background Vocals - Neal Smith, Drums, Background Vocals - Wayne Andre, Trombone - Bob Ezrin, Producer - Alice Cooper, Lead Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Dennis Ferrante, AssistantEngineer - Shelly Yakus, Engineer - Roy Cicala, Engineer - Frank Hubach, AssistantEngineer - Danny Turbeville, AssistantEngineer
© 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1972 Warner Records Inc.
Michael Bruce, Guitar, Keyboards - Glen Buxton, Guitar - Dennis Dunaway, Bass Guitar, Background Vocals - Neal Smith, Drums, Background Vocals - DICK WAGNER, Guitar - Bob Ezrin, Producer, Writer - Alice Cooper, Lead Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Dennis Ferrante, AssistantEngineer - Shelly Yakus, Engineer - Roy Cicala, Engineer - Frank Hubach, AssistantEngineer - Danny Turbeville, AssistantEngineer
© 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1972 Warner Records Inc.
Michael Bruce, Guitar, Keyboards, Writer - Glen Buxton, Guitar - Dennis Dunaway, Bass Guitar, Background Vocals - Neal Smith, Drums, Background Vocals - Bob Ezrin, Producer - Alice Cooper, Lead Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Dennis Ferrante, AssistantEngineer - Shelly Yakus, Engineer - Roy Cicala, Engineer - Frank Hubach, AssistantEngineer - Danny Turbeville, AssistantEngineer
© 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1972 Warner Records Inc.
Michael Bruce, Guitar, Keyboards - Glen Buxton, Guitar - Dennis Dunaway, Bass Guitar, Background Vocals - Neal Smith, Drums, Writer, Background Vocals - Bob Ezrin, Producer - Alice Cooper, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Dennis Ferrante, AssistantEngineer - Shelly Yakus, Engineer - Roy Cicala, Engineer - Frank Hubach, AssistantEngineer - Danny Turbeville, AssistantEngineer
© 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1972 Warner Records Inc.
Michael Bruce, Guitar, Keyboards, Writer - Glen Buxton, Guitar, Writer - Dennis Dunaway, Bass Guitar, Writer, Background Vocals - Neal Smith, Drums, Writer, Background Vocals - Bob Ezrin, Producer, Writer - Alice Cooper, Lead Vocals, Writer, MainArtist - Mack David, Writer - Dennis Ferrante, AssistantEngineer - Elmer Bernstein, Writer - Shelly Yakus, Engineer - Roy Cicala, Engineer - Frank Hubach, AssistantEngineer - Danny Turbeville, AssistantEngineer
© 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1972 Warner Records Inc.
Album review
With 1971's Killer, Alice Cooper released a classic album that encompassed psychedelia, horror movies, musicals, prog and biker rock and compressed it all into timeless nuggets of hard rock gold. It also propelled the band into the rarified upper reaches of the charts and into larger concert halls too. While the next step for most bands would be to stick the the formula and double down on the hooks in ever more commercial ways, on 1972's School's Out these weirdoes did nearly the opposite. Apart from the brilliantly, brutally dumb title track, which indeed does strip their sound down to the thrilling basics and unleashes a perfect marriage of naggingly sharp riffs, hilarious lyrics, and sneering vocals -- the album flies off weird tangents that are barely related to anything the band had done before -- and also the last thing one might expect from them. Case in point the late night jazz ballad "Blue Turk" which comes complete with a finger snapping bass line, multiple horn solos, and a lounge lizard vocal by Cooper. Granted the subject matter is the joys of necrophilia, but the music is a million miles away from what rock fans who were clamoring to hear more Killer-style rockers might expect. "Alma Mater" is another plot twist of a song; a gentle doo wop-inspired ballad that flips the sentiments of the title track on their head as Cooper nostalgically laments his impending matriculation in tones that almost come across as earnest. These pale in the weirdness stakes next to "Gutter Cat vs The Jets," a loping. light-hearted tale of cool cats that morphs into a high-kicking version of "Jet Song" from West Side Story. Alongside these oddball gems, the band sounds locked in on the rockers like the piano-led "My Stars" and the happily vicious "Public Enemy #9"as well as suitably theatrical on "Luny Tunes" a deceptively melodic and orchestrated song about being locked up in the psychiatric ward. All these songs, and the album itself, have a light and almost swinging underpinning, almost nothing rocks as hard as Killer, some of it isn't even rock at all. Half the joy to be derived from listening to School's Out is to marvel at how daringly the band took all the goodwill they had engendered to this point and blew up their just barely established template in fascinating, aolmost reckless ways. The end result is a bewildering, impressively contrary album that's a glorious kiss off to expectations while also showing the band's range and ambition in glorious technicolor.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 9 track(s)
- Total length: 00:36:52
- Main artists: Alice Cooper
- Label: Rhino - Warner Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing
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