After the mega hit single “School’s Out” the Coopers needed to follow up in 1973 with a quality album to establish themselves as a powerhouse group. They did this by releasing “Billion Dollar Babies”. The group’s 6th album propelled them to the peak of their popularity - hitting #1 in both the UK and USA and touring world wide to sell out crowds. Billion Dollar Babies is a hit machine - More flat out Cooper classic’s are on “B$B” than any other of the records - group or solo work. Cuts such as Hello Hooray, Elected, the title track, No More Mr. Nice Guy, Generation Landslide….hell the whole damn thing, is just absolute classic Alice Cooper material.
SONG BY SONG RUN DOWN
1. Hello Hooray - Fantastic opener. You’d struggle to find a better opening line than - “Hello ! Hooray ! - Let the show begin, I’ve been ready..”. I think this song has a great feeling of “grandeur” to it. The lyrics all fit so well for a song that is starting an album or of course a stage show. I think it’s one of the classier songs that the group released. A classic cut.
2. Raped and Freezin’ - Reversed sexual harassment. I once asked a friend of mine what she fought this song would be about, going off the title - and she assumed it would be another “Only Women Bleed” kind of female neglect sad tale. This is very quirky stuff here - quite odd. Probably the least known of all the cuts from B$B.
3. Elected - Pure Classic. This is one of my favourite Cooper tracks bar none. Why-O-Why don’t the political parties of today use “Top prime cut of meat I’m your choice! - I wanna be ELECTED!” as their campaign slogan? - hell, at least it’s honest for once, they do want to be elected don’t they?.
The base of this song can also be heard in a less “rockin” form on the excellent “Easy Action” track “Reflected” (yep, the titles rhyme!). Elected also has a very funny clip as well - complete with Chimpanzee campaign manager that lights cigarettes (I SO want one!).
4. Billion Dollar Babies - The brilliant title track with THAT drum intro. Neal Smith’s drum work on this one is fantastic - not to mention the great sneering vocals by Alice. British singer Donovan is also heard on this cut, his voice is the one that, well, isn’t obviously Alice’s. Another favourite for me. Definitely a sing-a-long track. Always conjures up the image of Alice lurching around on stage with those classic leopard skin knee-high platforms for me.
5. Unfinished Sweet - This is another quirky track. Based around a trip to the dentist of all things (may have fit better in “Welcome to My Nightmare” for some fans!). I love the guitar on this track, along with great drumming and those cringe worthy dentist drills. Like “Raped and Freezin’”, not as widely recognised as other tracks on this album - but still definitely worthy company to the big hits.
6. No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice hits back at the media and various organisations in this classic Cooper track. Kind of like what Axl Rose did in Guns N’ Roses’ “Get In The Ring” without naming names and resorting to swearing. Alice apparently was upset with how his parents were treated in the time when the group was at it’s most notorious. I love the fact that the title suggests that he hasn’t even started being bad yet - brilliant stuff - and a brilliant way to “stick it to the man”.
7. Generation Landslide - Possibly my favourite lyrics here of any Cooper song. Very well put together. Yet another classic cut on B$B here. I love the “uprising of the youth” theme - especially the “Molotov milk bottles heaved from pink high chairs” line. I’d highlight more classic lyrics, but I’d just end up writing out the whole song knowing me. Again, brilliant.
8. Sick Things - Is there a Cooper fan that doesn’t like “Sick Things”? - This is a great macabre song. Creepy as hell with the background whispering in the choruses. You guessed it, yet another classic Alice Cooper track here. One to listen to when you’re alone and it’s dark for sure.
9. Mary Anne - When I first heard this song - I was like - “What the hell? - This doesn’t fit”. But then, the sensational punchline. “Mary Anne! …I thought you were…. my man.” I always get a kick out of this twisted little song, and have come to love Michael Bruce’s piano work on this one.
10. I love the Dead - Possibly only bettered by "Welcome To My Nightmare’s" “Cold Ethyl” for it’s bluntness on the topic of necrophilia or, in layman's terms, “Loving the dead” I guess. Very quirky again with great musical work and lyrical work. You have to love the “I LOVE THE DEAD!” chorus, I always feel odd singing along to it - it’s always a bit odd when you realise what you are saying, but I guess that’s exactly what the guys wanted you to do. A great end to a great album.
"Billion Dollar Babies" Prime Cuts - "This album is a “prime cut” by itself - pick any song to check out, they are all great.
Overall - Overall - “Billion Dollar Babies” is one album I always overlook to pop into the CD player. I’ll go to reach for it, but end up putting on “Killer” or “Love It To Death”, because I get a sudden “Dwight Fry” craving. That said, nobody should overlook this album for long that’s for sure. This is the place to start for all casual Cooper listeners that want to hear beyond “Poison”. None of this is too challenging, and although it’s quite quirky in places, there’s nothing here that’s going to make people not bother listening to the rest of the album. The music it self is not massively experimental and is more “mainstream” than any of the group’s releases prior to B$B. This album is the original group at it’s very peak - and it’s hit machine tag can only really be rivaled by Alice’s solo debut “Welcome to My Nightmare”. After such praise for this album, how can I not give it a 5?
