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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Killer is a KILLER!!!, July 17, 2003
In case you just returned from Mars and don't know who Alice Cooper is here's a little background. Alice Cooper was originally the name of the band from Phoenix, Arizona whose leader was Vincent Damon Furnier, who later became Alice Cooper. Furnier/Cooper may be the most prolific artist, of modern times logging some 40 albums to date and still counting. Furnier formed his first group, Earwigs, in the earley 60s, then changed to the Spiders in 1965 and later to Nazz. In 1968, after finding out that another Nazz existed, Furnier once again changed the bands name, to Alice Cooper. Rumour has it, the name came to Furnier during a ouija board session, where he was told he was the reincarnation of a 17th-century witch of the same name. After Alice Cooper signed their first record contract, four releases were made before Killer was released in 1971. Killer was a moderate seller going gold but what really started to make the band popular today was the theatrics and wild stage shows. Under Furnier's direction, Alice Cooper initiated a impressively theatrical and forceful brand of heavy metal that was designed to shock, drawing equally from horror movies and vaudeville. This probably preceded Ozzie Osbourne by at least a few years so audiences became enthralled with Alice Cooper's antics. Furniers on stage persona was Alice Cooper which became his alter ego. A few years later Furnier officially change his name to Alice Cooper. Furnier only made three more albums as a member of a band. In 1975 he went solo. Here is an AMG review of this very good album. My FIXATION will be discussed thereafter. "Alice Cooper wasted little time following up the breakthrough success of 1971's Love It to Death with another album released the same year, Killer. Again, producer Bob Ezrin was on board, and helps the group solidify their heavy rock (yet wide-ranging) style even further. The band's stage show dealt with the macabre, and such disturbing tracks as "Dead Babies" and the title track fit in perfectly. Other songs were even more exceptional, such as the perennial-barnstorming concert standard "Under My Wheels," the melodic yet gritty "Be My Lover," and the tribute to their fallen friend Jim Morrison, "Desperado." The long and winding "Halo of Flies" correctly hinted that the band would be tackling more complex song structures on future albums, while "You Drive Me Nervous" and "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" showed that Alice Cooper hadn't completely abandoned their early garage-rock direction. With Killer, they became one of the world's top rock bands and concert attractions; it rewarded them as being among the most notorious and misunderstood entertainers, thoroughly despised by grown-ups." - Greg Prato MY FAVORITE SONG, "Halo of Flies" At eight minutes and twenty-two seconds "Halo of Flies" may be the longest piece Alice Cooper ever did. All my favorite songs tend to be long, the shortest being five + minutes. I guess it's because the longer songs have more variety and instrumentation, which is what I like. I tend to think of vocals as another instrument, augmenting the other instruments, rather than being the center of the music. There are exceptions to this thinking when the vocals are so astounding that they almost take over the music. The emotive ramblings of Tom Eklund on In search of Truth is such an effort. "Halo of Flies" is both a complex but simple straight Rock and roll piece and actually manages to create the feeling of a bunch of flies buzzing around. Starting out with first one then two twanging guitars and cymbals for thirty seconds, when the music changes slightly with the addition of distorted guitar with a fluttery sound. This sound also backs and almost mimics Furnier when he sings, starting at the 1:50 mark. The underlying beat for the song is what I would call a giddyap beat. Furniers voice is sort of a raspy yell, not smooth but serving the music very well. There is a catchy, Near East type, guitar hook used effectively throughout the number and a nice drum solo at the six minute mark. Overall it's a fast 8:22. The musicianship, while primitive, is solid, the production is average and the song is captivating. It should be mentioned that, unlike many of my other review picks, this is an outstanding, old rock and roll, album, with numerous great songs. My other favorites are: "Desparado", "Killer", "Dead Babies" and "Under my Wheels"
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by Alice Cooper 
