Billion Dollar Babies - ALICE COOPER****

Hello Hurray/Raped & Freezin'/Elected/Billion Dollar Babies/Unfinished Sweet/No More Mr Nice Guy/Generation Landslide/Sick Things/Mary Ann/I Love The Dead

Billion Dollar Babies captured the heavy rock group Alice Cooper at their peak. Cooper the singer would soon disband the band to switch the focus towards himself. Features the UK top ten hits Elected, Hello Hurray and No More Mr Nice Guy, plus the US top ten title track. (US:1 UK:1)

“As any Cooper or hard rock fan will tell you, Billion Dollar Babies is a great album. The idea was to be self-mocking as they regarded themselves as just a few kids getting paid millions of dollars to do what they love.”

“At the time Billion Dollar Babies was released Alice Cooper were still a group but, in reality, the other members, whilst contributing to the writing credits, were beginning to be pushed aside. Also determined was the band's primary function which was to entertain by going out of their way to shock their audience to the core.”

“Billion Dollar Babies expands their style a bit further with a more polished sound, greater orchestration and straightforward songwriting. The quirkiness and theatrically is still very strong on this release and is entertaining and enjoyable.”

“Billion Dollar Babies combined the brass/strings/orchestra Alice Cooper had acquired for the previous album and brought back their true shock rock approach. In places this works well, especially with the closing number. However, the arrangements suffer the same flaw as School's Out where the excess and extravagance can be overwhelming and perhaps a little dated at times.”

“In a lyrical sense, the album is almost even-handedly split between songs about the startling success of the group (or success in general) and songs that capitalise on the sick, demented and twisted perversions of who knows what.”

“This album by Alice Cooper was the apex of the band's career before their lead singer took the name and left. There are four outstanding tracks on here starting with Hello Hurray, then Elected, followed by the title track, and ending with No More Mr. Nice Guy. This isn't music that will change your life, but if you're in the mood to rock out, this album will definitely do the trick.”

“The album provides a sleeker and more refined iteration of the glam trash the band had peddled since Love It To Death, and that's all it needs to be.”