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jshambley

Alice Cooper - 'Billion Dollar Babies'

Updated: Jul 12, 2021


Album: Billion Dollar Babies

Artist: Alice Cooper

Release Date: February 25, 1973

Genre: Hard Rock

Length: 0:40:51

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Producer: Bob Ezrin

1,001 Album Book: Yes



An Alice Cooper auditory concert...


The highest selling Alice Cooper album up to the point of its release, Billion Dollar Babies was extremely popular among the critics and public. Reaching #1 on the 1973 US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart, this album would eventually go on to certify platinum in the United States.

One of the greatest theatrical performers in music history, Alice Cooper opens the album with an introduction song in "Hello, Hooray" which makes the listener feel as if Alice Cooper is welcoming his special guests to a spectacle they won't soon forget. The song features bellowing bass sounds, a twinkling of bells, an explosive and thunderous sound of drums, and a foreshadowing sound from the guitar, all while Cooper welcomes his guests.

Impressive, yet classic hard rock guitar licks, power chords, and heavy drumming patterns litter the album throughout its entirety. With more of an emphasis on musicianship and "shock" value, Billion Dollar Babies was something people hadn't heard too much of up to the point of its release. A second song, titled "Raped and Freezin'" showcases the talents of the entire group and the performance-like quality they would become famous for.


The following song "Elected" is when Cooper starts to heavily boast his theatrical side. With a song focusing on a more political theme, the song has lyrics where Alice Cooper states how much he wants to be "Elected" instead of the president at the time, Richard Nixon. With background sounds of recorded TV broadcasts and regal sounding horns, this song is easily seen as a joke and just another Alice Cooper performance.


The track with the same name as the album, "Billion Dollar Babies" opens with a contagious drum fill. The song continues to build-up by introducing instruments alongside the drum patterns and encapture the listener with great interest. A more chaotic song than the tracks before it, "Billion Dollar Babies" is as intentional as it is chaotic. The multiple voices during the chorus, the falsetto sounds from Scottish artist, Donovan, all give off a psychotic sound that perfectly complements the lyrics that allude to drug abuse and overindulgence.


A song with vivid imagery, "Unfinished Sweet" has lyrics talking about the dentist and the fear of dental work. A humorous song in itself, the track features sounds based on the dentist office, lyrics and the general fear Alice Cooper has in the dentist chair, but the arrangement of the song is superb. An almost three minute instrumental only section brings the otherwise strange lyrics to a place that is unexpected, but welcomed. A guitar melody revolving around spy movie soundtracks, such as Mission Impossible, and sounds that drop the listener directly into the middle of Cooper's freak-show, "Unfinished Sweet" continues his performance and almost has the feel of the song right before intermission.


Opening the second half of the "show" after the imagined intermission, "No More Mr. Nice Guy" quickly rose to be an Alice Cooper smash hit. Complementing the notable guitar riff, the lyrics acknowledges critic's reviews where they compare him to other hard rock bands but with a more "nice-guy" image like Led Zeppelin.

"Generation Landslide" opens up with a cheery guitar part, sticks hitting the rims of the drum set, and then explodes with "La, da, da, da, da" from Cooper. An overall lighter song than the rest of the album, this song exhibits Alice Cooper's uniquely hard rock vocal style. After the final chorus, the song ends with a nearly two minute instrument outro. A harmonica solo at the forefront, accompanied by head bobbing drum fills, blissful percussion sounds such as the vibraslap, and a talented guitar solo all fade out warmly.


The final song of the performance-like album, "I Love the Dead" is a cheery song discussing necrophilia. Typically the final song during his live performances, this song features a hearty piano part with Cooper's dramatic vocal performance on top, along with the occasional distorted guitar lick. The song is a perfect showy track for an over-the-top album full of exaggerated imagery.


This album is pretty awesome. Alice Cooper may be a spooky man, but the way he utilizes his love for theatrics and music, and his ability to showcase those to perfection on something that is strictly auditory, is quite impressive. The album can be seen as an entire Alice Cooper concert, from the comfort of your own home. Hard rock is an extremely divisive genre, but I couldn't recommend this album more to anyone that is interested in fun songs that bring your mental symbolism to a peak...



Favorite Songs: "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Billion Dollar Babies", "Unfinished Sweet"

Least Favorite Songs: "Sick Things"


Production Quality:

  • Mix = 10/10

  • Innovation = 9/10

Songwriting Quality:

  • Arrangement = 10/10

  • Lyricism = 6/10 (Humorous lyrics for the most part, however, some are a little obscure)

Instrumentation Quality:

  • Vocal Timbre = 7.5/10

  • Instrumental Timbre = 10/10 (Great instrument sounds throughout)

  • Group Chemistry = 9/10

Overall Likability:

  • My Personal Rating = 8/10

Overall Rating: 8.8/10


Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.


Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!

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