Happy Anniversary: Alice Cooper, Billion Dollar Babies

43 years ago today, Alice Cooper released his sixth album, and it proved to be a doozy: not only did it hit #1 in both the US and the UK, but it became the best-selling album of his career up to that point.

Produced by noted Kanye West detractor Bob Ezrin, Billion Dollar Babies was apparently exactly the sort of album Alice needed to release to maintain the momentum he’d achieved from 1972’s School’s Out, but it also caused a lot of people with more delicate sensibilities to cringe. Then again, that’s the sort of thing that happens when you kiddingly write an ode to necrophilia (“I Love the Dead”) and turn in a catchy little ditty called “Raped and Freezin’.”

The faux snakeskin cover is instantly eye-catching, to be sure, but what most casual Cooper fans remember about Billion Dollar Babies are the singles, which included the title track as well as three bona fide top-40 hits: “Hello Hooray,” “Elected,” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” The more dedicated fans are likely to recall Cooper’s tour behind the album, which broke records previously established by the Rolling Stones and featured some of the more disconcerting stage décor of the decade, including baby dolls being torn apart, mannequins being attacked, and – most famously of all – a guillotine. (Also notable: the executioner for the show was played by legendary magician James Randi.)

Overall, Billion Dollar Babies remains one of Cooper’s most fondly-remembered albums by fans, even if critics are often split on their opinions of the record. But, hey, who cares about critics, right? Just put on the album and listen. There’s no doubt that it rocks.