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#131
22nd May 2015, 10:45 PM
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The third song on 'Billion Dollar Babies' shouldn't need much of an introduction 'Elected', which was a re-written version of 'Reflected' on the 'Pretties For You' album, was a huge hit single, reaching #4 on the UK charts and #26 on the US chart, the same week that Richard Nixon was elected for his second term in office FACT - Alice did actually run for President in 1972 against Nixon! The song inspired one of the first MTV-style story-line promo videos ever made Walter Winchell (an American newspaper and radio gossip commentator provided the political commentary during the song. However, he died soon before the recording of the song, so his voice is taken from actual political debates It's one of the few Alice Cooper Group songs where the whole band is credited as writers A cover version of the sing was released in 1992 by Mr. Bean! Alice Cooper - Vocals and Harmonica Neal Smith - Drums and Vocals Dennis Dunaway - Bass and Vocals Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Piano and Organ Bob Ezrin - Keyboards 03/10 - Elected (Elected (Cooper, Smith, Dunaway, Bruce, Buxton) "I'm your top prime cut of meat, I'm your choice I wanna be elected I'm your yankee doodle dandy in a gold Rolls Royce I wanna be elected Kids want a savior, don't need a fake I wanna be elected We're all gonna rock to the rules that I make I wanna be elected, Elected Elected Respected Elected (Good evening Mr & Mrs America and all ships at sea, The candidate is taking the country by storm.) I never lied to you, I've always been cool I wanna be elected I helped you get the vote, and I told you 'bout school I wanna be elected Elected Elected Hallelujah I wanna be selected By the people of the United States of America (.. Kennedy the President is worth billions of dollars...) We're gonna win this one, take the country by storm We're gonna be elected You and me together, young and strong We're gonna be elected Elected Elected Respected, selected, call collected I wanna be elected "And if I am elected I promise the formation of a new party A third party, the Wild Party! I know we have problems We got problems right here in Central City We have problems on the North, South, East and West New York City, Saint Louis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago Everybody has problems And personally, I don't care"" A drum rhythm introduces the title track of the album, and 'Billion Dollar Babies ' is about the dangers of overindulgence This is still very much a part of the live show, and any pictures you see of Alice holding a sword, filled with dollar bills is almost certainly taken from this song The higher pitched vocals on the chorus belongs to Donovan, who is best known for the song 'Mellow Yellow' in 1966. Apparently, he was recording in a studio that was next to the one Alice was using, and one day Alice walked into his room and said: "Hey - do you want to sing on a real record?" When performed live, Michael Bruce provided the vocal parts After the Alice Cooper Group split, and Alice went solo, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, and Neal Smith, along with additions Bob Dolin and Mike Marconi, formed a band called 'Billion Dollar Babies' who recorded one album, 1977's 'Battle Axe', before disbanding Alice Cooper - Vocals and Harmonica Neal Smith - Drums and Vocals Dennis Dunaway - Bass and Vocals Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Piano and Organ Bob Ezrin - Keyboards, Mini-Moog Donovan Leitch - Vocals Reggie Vincent - Guitar 04/10 - Billion Dollar Babies (Cooper, Bruce, Reggie) "Billion dollar baby Rubber little lady, slicker than a weasel Grimy as an alley Loves me like no other lover Billion dollar baby Rotten little monster, baby, I adore you. Man or woman living couldn't love me like you, baby. We go dancing nightly in the attic While the moon is rising in the sky If I'm too rough, tell me I'm so scared your little head will come off in my hands Yeah, Billion Dollar Baby I got you in the dimestore No other little girl could ever hold you Any tighter, any tighter than me, baby Billion dollar baby Reckless like a gambler, million dollar maybe Fightin' like dog that's been infected by the rabies We go dancing nightly in the attic While the moon is rising in the sky If I'm too rough, tell me I'm so scared your little head will come off in my hands Million dollar baby Billion dollar baby Trillion dollar baby Zillion dollar baby"
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty  |
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#132
23rd May 2015, 09:01 AM
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Going back to 'Schools Out' for a moment... "Schools Out" Forever: The Secret History Of Alice Coopers Classic
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
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#133
25th May 2015, 07:04 PM
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To finish the first side of the 'Billion Dollar Babies' album is a song entitled 'Unfinished Sweet', which is about the horrors of visiting the dentist It's an experimental track, lasting six minutes and containing many different, seemingly unrelated ideas. Sound effects of a dentist drill --- nods to the famous James Bond musical sequence --- and then space age waves of noise for no apparent reason On the 'Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper' DVD, this song is acted out as Alice having a cavity and having to get it drilled out. The dentist is played by the illusionist The Great Randi. It then cuts out of the concert and shows him chasing the tooth through the street. It wasn't originally going to be shown that way but to keep it rated PG they had to shoot the street thing and edit out the part where he gets "frisky" with the giant tooth brush The line up for this live version is: Alice Cooper - Vocalist Michael Bruce - Guitarist Glen Buxton - Guitarist Dennis Dunaway - Bassist Neal Smith - Drummer Mick Mashbir - Guitarist Bob Dolin - Keyboardist 05/10 - Unfinished Sweet (Cooper, Bruce, Smith) "Oh Candy everywhere, got chocolate in my hair Aching to get me Sticky sweet suckers in the Halloween air Aching to get me Saint Vitus dance on my molars tonight Aching to get me Aching to get me, get me. oh ... I take it to the doc, guess he ought to know La, da, da, da, da Which ones can stay an` which ones gotta go La, da, da, da, da He looks in my mouth and then he starts to gloat He says my teeth are O.K. But my gums got to go Oh... Oh ... Oh... Oh... I come off the gas but I'm still seeing spies Aching to get me And I can see them all through a glassy pair of eyes Aching to get me De Sade's gonna live in my mouth tonight La, da, da, da, da If the rotten tooth fairy is satisfied, La, da, da, da, da, Aching to get me, get me oh ... "" To open side two is another bona fida classic - No More Mr. Nice Guy. Alice apparently wrote this song about the reaction of friends and family toward his over-the-top stage persona. The maniac he plays on stage went over well with his audiences, but the folks in his mother's church groups were unsure how to handle it and were uncomfortable talking about it. This song was the shock rocker's declaration that the "gloves are off," and he's no longer going to apologize for his wild-man stage antics, as there are many worse things that he could be doing with his life. Artistes as diverse as Magadeth and Pat Boone have covered the song It was written around the time of 'Killer' but wasn't considered in line with the theme for either that album or 'School`s Out' Apparently Alice wanted to sound like Roger Daltry and the band to sound like The Who It's still very much a part of the Alice Cooper live show Alice Cooper - Vocals and Harmonica Neal Smith - Drums and Vocals Dennis Dunaway - Bass and Vocals Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Piano and Organ Bob Ezrin - Keyboards, Mini-Moog Reggie Vincent - Guitar 06/10 - No More Mr. Nice Guy (Bruce, Cooper) "I used to be such a sweet, sweet thing 'Til they got a hold of me I opened doors for little old ladies I helped the blind to see I got no friends 'cause they read the papers They can't be seen with me Aand I'm gettin' real shot down And I'm feeling mean No more Mister Nice Guy No more Mister Clean No more Mister Nice Guy They say he's sick, he's obscene I got no friends 'cause they read the papers They can't be seen with me And I'm gettin' real shot down And I'm, I'm getling mean No more Mister Nice Guy No more Mister Clean No more Mister Nice Guy They say he's sick, he's obscene My dog bit me on the leg today My cat clawed my eyes Ma's been thrown out of the social circle And dad has to hide I went to church incognito When everybody rose, The Reverend Smith He recognized me And punched me in the nose No more Mister Nice Guy No more Mister Clean No more Mister Nice Guy He said Your sick, You`re obscene No more Mister Nice Guy No more Mister Clean No more Mister Nice Guy He said Your sick, You`re obscene"
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty Last edited by Susan Foreman; 25th May 2015 at 08:36 PM. |
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#134
27th May 2015, 07:11 PM
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The seventh song on the album is called 'Generation Landslide', which is also known as 'Son Of Billion Dollar Babies' This satirical song attacks the corruption and hypocrisy of the older generation and predicts that youth culture will rise up, conquer the world and change the status quo This is one of the rare recordings by Alice Cooper that features acoustic guitar and harmonica. Cooper plays the harmonica part on this track Self-referencing is abound in this song. Not only the reprisal from 'Billion Dollar Babies', but also the "Colgate invisible shield" mention, which is a reference to a 1958 television commercial for toothpaste - 'Unfinished Sweet' Alice Cooper - Vocals and Harmonica Neal Smith - Drums and Vocals Dennis Dunaway - Bass and Vocals Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Piano and Organ Bob Ezrin - Keyboards 07/10 - Generation Landslide (Cooper, Bruce, Dunaway, Smith, Buxton) "Please clean the plate, dear The Lord above can see ya Don't you know people are starving in Korea? Alcohol and razor blades and poison and needles Kindergarten people - they used 'em, the need 'em Over-indulging machines were their children There wasn't a way down on Earth here to cool 'em 'Cause they look just like humans at Kresges and Woolworths But decadent brains were at work to destroy Brats in battalions were ruling the streets Sayin' generation landslide closed the gap between 'em And I laugh to myself at the men and the ladies Who never conceived of us billion dollar babies La da da dada Militant mothers hidin' in the basement Using pots and pans as their shields and their helmets Molotov milk bottles heaved from pink high chairs While Mothers' Lib burned birth certificate papers Dad gets his allowance from his sonny, the dealer Who's pubic to the world but involved in high finance Sister's out 'til five doing banker's son's hours But she owns a Maserati that's a gift from his father Stopped at full speed at one hundred miles per hour The Colgate invisible shield finally got 'em And I laugh to myself at the men and the ladies Who never conceived of us billion dollar babies La da da dada" Track #8 is Sick Things, which is quite interesting song. It repeats the concept of one person singing the lyrics and a completely different voice whisper them, which has the effect of creating a monumentally creepy atmosphere, and that's only amplified by the sort of death march going on with the drums If you are not a fan of Alice, but you think you recognise the song that could be because it's very similar to a piece of music used in the film 'IF..', starring Malcolm McDowell. The Choral piece from the film is entitled "Sanctus", and it is taken from from "Missa Luba, An African Mass" with the backing and vocal line at one point almost identical to this song Alice Cooper - Vocals and Harmonica Neal Smith - Drums and Vocals Dennis Dunaway - Bass and Vocals Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Piano and Organ Bob Ezrin - Keyboards Mick Mashbir - Guitar Steve Hunter - Guitar at the end of the song 08/10 - Sick Things (Ezrin, Cooper, Bruce) "Sick things in cars rotate 'round my stars Sick things, my things, my pets, my things I love you things I see As much as you love me You things are heavenly When you come worship me You things are chilled with fright For I am out tonight You fill me with delight You whet my appetite I eat my things What love it brings Come here, my things Don't fear my little things I love you things I see As much as you love me You things are heavenly When you come worship me. You things are thrilled with fright For I am out tonight You things are paradise You whet my appetite Sick things in cartridge tapes, my stars Sick things, pretty things, play things, my things I love the things I see As much as they love me You things are heavenly When you come worship me You things are chilled with fright For I am out tonight You things are paradise You whet my appetite"
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
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#135
28th May 2015, 06:22 PM
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Now we come to the end of the original release of the 'Billion Dollar Babies' album Track #9 is 'Mary Ann' which is a regular piano-led jazz-era showtune. It's so normal that it's almost creepy. ... In fact you're lead to feel a little strange about it just because you're still a little weirded out by the previous track It was originally written as a Vietnam protest song! The lyrics went something like this: "Uncle Sam, I'm really sad about you indeed I am I just can't be around you Uncle Sam I thought you were...a man." Alice Cooper - Vocals Neal Smith - Drums and Vocals Dennis Dunaway - Bass and Vocals Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Piano and Organ 09/10 - Mary Ann (Bruce, Cooper) "Mary-Ann, I'm really crazy 'bout you Do what I can I just can't live without you Mary-Ann, Mary-Ann. Mary-Ann, my life was built around you. Stars and sand, your eyes were pools of laughter Mary-Ann, I thought you were my man. " The final song on the album is 'I Love The Dead', which is a song about necrophilia! The song is still part of the live set, and tends to get played immediately after the execution 10/10- I Love The Dead (Ezrin, Cooper) "I love the dead before they're cold Their blueing flesh for me to hold Cadaver eyes upon me see... nothing I love the dead before they rise No farewells, no goodbyes I never even knew your now rotting face While friends and lovers mourn your silly grave I have other uses for you Darling La la la la la la la la la la la la la Da da da da da da da da da da da da dead I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead so I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead I love the dead (Da ga dang, dang ga dang ding dong) I, I love the dead I, I love the dead I, I love the dead I love the dead before they're cold Their blueing flesh for me to hold Cadaver eyes upon me see... Nothing" The 'Billion Dollar Babies' tour started out as a project called 'Alice At The Palace'. It was going to be a Broadway type production, choreographed by 'Follies' star Michael Bennet, at the Palace Theatre but the Palace pulled out. They changed the venue a 1700 seater Broadway Theatre for five day in mid-February 1972 but that was canceled too. According to the bands manager Joe Greenberg, this because too many ticket requests were received to make it feasible. He said that without any advertising, they had received 33,000 requests for tickets and couldn't guarantee security if irate fans descended on the Theatre. In the end the 'Billion Dollar Babies' US tour began instead. The 'Alice At The Palace' idea continued to be talked about for a few years to come but never happened This was the first tour to feature the guillotine as the method of execution There was a new snake for this tour: Eva Marie Snake! A DVD of this tour, entitled 'Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper' is available In addition to the usual band members, the tour featured: Mick Mashbir - guitar Bob Dolin - keyboards Cindy Smith - Giant Tooth The Amazing Randi - Dentist, Executioner 'Richard M. Dixon' - Richard Nixon (At some shows a Richard Nixon lookalike walked on stage only to be beaten up by the band and carried off while still smiling and flashing peace signs) A sample setlist for the 'Billion Dollar Babies' tour consisted of:
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
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#136
28th May 2015, 06:40 PM
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Chloe and I are due to be moving next week. The idea (not mine, I hasten to add) is that we will be travelling around the country in a converted Royal Mail van for a few months, and I don't know if I will be able to access the forum or not, so rather than continue with the next album (which I will do eventually), here is an extra treat for you When the 'Billion Dollar Babies' album was reissued as a special edition in 2001, it contained a second album. Most of this consisted of live versions of the songs on the first album. However, it also contained an outtake version of 'Son Of Billion Dollar Babies' (AKA 'Generation Landslide') and a song that wasn't included on the album - 'Slick Black Limousine', where Alice does his best Rockabilly/Elvis/The Cramps impersonation! Alice Cooper - Vocals Neal Smith - Drums and Vocals Dennis Dunaway - Bass and Vocals Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Piano and Organ Slick Black Limousine (Cooper, Dunaway) "Well I hope I die in a slick black limousine Oh come along momma gonna take a look at me Gonna fly though the city Gonna fly to the sea Gonna fly my my my my my I hit sixth gear ...?..how it is Well I get first prize I remember it quite clear Gonna fly though the city Gonna fly to the sea Gonna fly yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yow I hope I die in a slick black limousine Yeah come along momma gonna take a take a look at me yeah yeah yeah We're gonna fly to the ocean Gonna fly to the sea We're gonna fly yay yay yeah Ninety miles an hour Swervin' all over the road Hundred miles an hour My hand's on the radio Baby's in the back seat Bompin' all over the road The law the law they took-a m' limousine Yeah the law the law they took-a m' limousine Yeah the law the law they took-a m' limousine Yeah the law the law they took-a m' limousine Yeah The law the law they took-a m' limousine And they gave-a, gave-a me a Model T Yeah The law the law they took-a m' limousine Now stuck up-a livin' with a Model T Model T Model"
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
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#137
24th June 2015, 05:00 PM
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Mutley Crow, with Alice supporting, have announced the English dates on their 'All Bad Things Must Come To An End' tour They are: Nov 02: Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, UK Nov 03: Manchester Arena, UK Nov 04: Birmingham Genting Arena, UK Nov 06: London SSE Arena Wembley, UK Some sites are listing two Alice Cooper solo headline shows in England They are: Oct 29th - Plymouth Pavillion Oct 30th - Swindon Oasis Lesure Center Bad news for those in Ireland, Wales and Scotland!
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
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#138
25th June 2015, 08:46 AM
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| Quote:
troggi likes this.
__________________  Triumphant sight on a northern sky |
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#139
25th June 2015, 08:50 AM
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Susan Foreman and troggi like this.
__________________ Triumphant sight on a northern sky |
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#140
6th July 2015, 05:31 PM
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On our road trip, it seems that I am getting more time than I anticipated to get online, so I'm going to try and continue with my discography 'Muscle Of Love' was released in 1973, and after three years of constant touring and recording, life in The Alice Cooper Group was starting to show a few signs of strain. With little time to spend writing new material the band had to return to the studio earlier then was probably wise to follow up the massive success of 'Billion Dollar Babies' This is the bands "sex album", with almost all of the songs having some kind of sex connection! This was to be the last time the original band would work together in the studio. Alice Cooper - Vocals Neal Smith - Drums and Vocals Dennis Dunaway - Bass and Vocals Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Piano and Organ Bob Dolin - Keyboards Mick Mashbir - Guitar Dick Wagner - Guitar Producer - Jack Richardson and Jack Douglas The album came under scrutiny in South Africa where the inner sleeve [below] depicting Alice and group outside the "Institute of Nude Wrestling" was considered obscene by the Customs and Vice Squads The working title for the album was 'A Kiss And A Fist' The first song is 'Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo)'. The working title of the song was "Hippopotamus", which was named after the club of the same name in New York City that the band used to frequent It's an OK song, but probably the weakest opening cut on an ACG album since the 'Pretties for you' LP. It's functional is probably the best I can say! 01/10 - Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) (Cooper, Bruce, Buxton, Dunaway, Smith) "We're so young and pretty, we're so young and clean So many things that we have never seen Let's move from Ohio, sell this dam' old store Big Apple dreamin' on a wooden floor Skyscrapers and subways and stations Staring up at the United Nations New York is waiting for you and me, baby Waiting to swallow us down New York, we're coming to see what you're made of Are you as great as you sound Heard about them massages, and all those dirty shows I read somewhere some places never close While we waste time on yokels, comin' through the door Big Apple dreamin' on a wooden floor Skyscrapers and subways and stations Staring up at the United Nations New York is waiting for you and me, baby Waiting to swallow us down New York, we're coming to see what you're made of Are you as great as you sound New York is waiting for you and me, baby Waiting to swallow us down New York, we're coming to see what you're made of Are you as tough as you sound Oh, New York is waiting for you and me, baby Waiting to swallow us down, whoo-oo New York, we're coming, to see what you're made of Are you as tough as you sound Yeah, New York is waiting, baby Waiting to swallow us down, New York, we're coming, see what you're made of You can't be as tough as you sound Oh, New York, you and me, baby Waiting to swallow us down, New York, we're coming see what you're made of Are you as great as you sound Oh, New York, Oh, New York we're coming Oh, we're coming to see what you're made of Oh, you can't be as tough as you sound Me and my baby, we're coming Oh, we're coming They're waiting for you and me, baby Oh... (dialog fades out)" The second song, Never Been Sold Before, is much better 02/10 - Never Been Sold Before (Cooper, Bruce, Dunaway, Smith, Buxton) "You ask me, babe, "Can you work tonight?" I've been up, babe, since broad daylight I just can't believe that you're selling me, you never sold me before I just can't become your lousy whore Yeah, I'm stacked nice, they really like my style Fifty bucks, babe, ha, can't even buy my smile I just can't believe that you're selling me, you never sold me before I just can't become your lousy whore I-I-I-I find I come around just to lay this money on you, babe I'm sick of streets, chicks and dicks, and I'm, I'm really sick of you Oh-oh, I've never been sold before And I'll never be had again Oh-oh, I've never been sold before And I'll never be had again I just can't believe that you're selling me, you never sold me before I just can't become your little whore No, no, no, no Oh, I've never been sold before And I'll never be had again Oh-oh, I've never been sold before And I'll never be had again Oh, I've never been sold before And I'll never be had again Oh-oh, I've never been sold before And I'll never be had again (repeat to fade) For some reason, musically this reminds me of the song 'Going Mobile', by The Who, recorded in 1971 and included on the 'Who's Next' album. But then again, Alice and Keith Moon were drinking buddies! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToxymSLzJeM
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
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