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Arguably THE classic Cooper album 'Killer' is crammed full of great songs from the rock'n'roll of 'Under My Wheels' to the epic horror of 'Killer' itself. Alice Cooper had arrived with 'Love It To Death' but on 'Killer' they were busy making themselves at home at the top of their game. Few bands were able to go from the basic garage rock of 'Be My Lover' to the grandeur of ''Killer' in the space of one album and pull off both with such style and originality. 'Halo Of Flies' is still rated as one of the most popular Alice Cooper songs ever by fans and the title track, when performed live with the gruesome gallows sequence, was jawdropping to behold. Essential. |
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Musicians
- 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
- Rick Derringer - Guitar on 'Under My Wheels' and 'Yeah Yeah Yeah'.
- Reggie Vincent - Backing Vocals
Sleeve Notes
Produced By Bob Ezrin for Nimbus 9 Productions
Executive Producer - Jack Richardson
Recording Engineer - Brian Christian
Recording Technician - Joe Lopes
Mastering - Randy Kling
Recorded at RCA Mid-America Recording Center, Chicago
Photography by Pete Turner
Boa Constrictor - Kachina
String and Horn Arrangements - Bob Ezrin
Album Design - Alice Cooper
Known Releases
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Country |
Format |
Number |
Date |
Chart |
Label |
Notes |
|
USA |
LP |
BS 2567 |
11/71 |
21 |
Warner Bros (Green Label) |
Red Tinted Back Cover |
|
USA |
LP |
BS 2567 |
11/71 |
21 |
Warner Bros (Palm Tree Label) |
Red Tinted Back Cover |
|
USA |
LP |
BS 2567 |
11/71 |
21 |
Warner Bros (Promo label) |
Gatefold `72 Calendar |
|
USA |
Cass |
M5 2567 |
11/71 |
21 |
Warner Bros |
Purple Tinted Cover |
|
USA |
8track |
11/71 |
21 |
Warner Bros |
||
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USA |
Reel2reel |
WST2567 |
11/71 |
21 |
Warner Bros |
|
|
USA |
CD |
WB 2567-2 |
10/90 |
Warner Bros |
||
|
USA |
Cass |
WB 2567-4 |
10/90 |
Warner Bros |
||
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UK |
LP |
K56005 |
2/72 |
27 |
Warner Bros |
`72 Gatefold Calendar |
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UK |
Cass |
2/72 |
27 |
Warner Bros |
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UK |
LP |
K56005 |
Warner Bros |
No Calendar reissue |
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Argentina |
LP |
14030-2 |
2/72 |
Warner Bros/Seven Arts(Green Label) |
No Calendar, Black Writing, Red Back titles in Spanish and English |
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Argentina |
LP |
MH 14030-1 |
? |
Warner Bros/Seven Arts(Green Label) |
`73 Calendar in Spanish, Black Writing, Red Back, titles in Spanish and English |
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Australia |
LP |
BS-2567 |
2/72 |
Warner Bros (Green Label) |
Black Writing, Red Back |
|
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Australia |
LP |
? |
? |
Warner Bros (Palm Tree Label) |
Black Writing, Red Back |
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Australia |
CD |
WAR 9272552 |
90 |
Warner Bros |
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Brazil |
LP |
WB 85006 |
1974 |
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Warner Bros |
|
Brazil (?) |
LP |
5/029 |
'72(?) |
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Warner (Green label) |
No Calandar or gatefold) |
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Brazil |
LP |
5.029 |
2/72 |
Warner Bros (Palm Tree Label) |
Calendar |
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Brazil |
LP |
5.029 |
2/72 |
Warner Bros (White Label) |
Different Cover/Title - Rock Story Vol. 3 |
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France |
LP |
56005 |
2/72 |
Warner Bros |
Mono version |
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France |
LP |
56005 |
2/72 |
Warner Bros (Green Label) |
Stereo version |
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Germany |
LP |
WB 46121 |
2/72 |
Warner Bros (Light Green Label) |
`72 Calendar |
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Germany |
LP |
? |
? |
Warner Bros (White Label) |
Writing on front is white, not black. Green Back Cover |
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Germany |
CD |
927225-2 |
5/89 |
Warner Bros |
Also sold in France |
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Germany |
Cass |
927225-4 |
5/89 |
Warner Bros |
Also sold in France |
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Japan |
LP |
P-88189W |
2/72 |
Warner Bros |
`72 Calendar, Inner Sheet, Black Writing, Red Back, Obi |
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Japan |
CD |
WPCP-3489 |
97 |
Warner Bros |
Forever Young Series reissue |
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Mexico |
LP |
GX-01-510 |
72 |
Warner Bros (Gold label) |
Front cover is the hanging photo |
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Mexico |
LP |
LWB 5090 |
72&81 |
Warner Bros (Palm Tree label) |
Front cover is the hanging photo |
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Mexico |
LP |
? |
81 |
Warner Bros (White label) |
Front cover is the hanging photo |
|
|
Canada |
LP |
BS 2567 |
? |
Warner Bros (Palm Tree Label) |
Black writing, Red Back cover |
|
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Canada |
CD |
CD 02567 |
10/97 |
Warner Bros |
||
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Columbia |
LP |
? |
? |
Warner Bros (Green Label) |
Black writing, Red Back cover |
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Greece |
LP |
? |
? |
Warner Bros (Green Label) |
Black writing, Red Back cover |
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Israel |
LP |
? |
? |
Warner Bros (Green Label) |
||
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Korea |
LP |
? |
? |
White Academy Label |
Cover is Sepia coloured, Slightly different back cover |
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Malaysia |
LP |
? |
? |
Pink Label |
White writing, Green Back cover |
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New Zealand |
LP |
? |
? |
Warner Bros (Dark Green Label) |
`72 Calendar, Gatefold, Black Writing, Red Back cover |
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Russia |
CD |
? |
? |
08 |
? |
Cool CD repruduction of the original album sleeve. |
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South Africa |
LP |
? |
? |
Warner Bros (Green Label) |
Black Writing, Red Back cover, WB logo on bottom left corner |
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South Africa |
LP |
? |
? |
Two Originals Of.. (Grey WB label) |
Double reissue with Love It To Death |
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Taiwan |
LP |
? |
? |
Black Tailee Label |
Black & White front cover, Green Back Cover |
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Uruguay |
LP |
Warner/ |
73 |
Warner Bros (Palm Tree Label) |
Black Writing, Red Back Cover, Spanish And English writing |
The Cover
The snake on the cover is Neal's snake Kachina.
Dennis told me that the lettering for Killer was done by him, using his left hand (he's right handed) because he felt that gave it a more eerie look.
(George E. Orlay, December 1998)
In Mexico the album had the gallows photo as the cover. Apparently they weren't allowed to show the snake on a cover down there for religious reasons.
There are several variation on the 'Killer' sleeve and calendars exist for 1972, 1973, and 1974.
The Album
An Early working title for Desperado was 'Desert Nights' with lyrics by Dennis.
In 'Dead Babies:
Agros being the Latin for field. As in agriculture. So, an agrophile would be someone involved in that field (pardon the pun). I believe it was a word that AC fabricated from that.
(Renfield, February 1996)
- "Great trivia: 'Yeah, Yeah, Yeah', anybody know what movie/musical "suffer" is in. Hint-the musical played an integral part of Alice's high school days. Hint 2-it aint West Side Story
The answer to the "Suffer" question is "Bye, Bye Birdie." The singer in the film, Conrad Birdie comes to town and is making all the girls faint and sings for them to "suffer." When the Cooper boys were in high school, there was a traveling theatre production of the musical in which the producers would hire a local band to play the part of "Birdie" (as opposed to just a singer which the original script calls for)-Vince and the guys [The Spiders] got the gig. The funny part of the story is when Vince started to get suspended from school for having hair past his shirt collar. His mom would go in and argue with the principal explaining that he was a "professional performer" and had to have his hair as such to do the show he was in.
(Renfield, July 1995)
The click sound at the end of 'Be My Lover' is Neal dropping his sticks. Michael's met many musicians (drummers) who cover the song and try to imitate the sound not knowing it was an accident.
"I used to drive Bob Ezrin crazy by twirling my sticks, as I do after every song. This made Bob crazy because if I dropped them, we would have to do the song over again". They decided to leave the "click" in.
(Neal Smith, 1998)
"Mike Bruce describes how 'Halo of Flies' was basically a mixture of three different songs that the band had been working on, then Alice kind of strung them all together using a central "spy theme".
(Jeff Jatras, 1998)That's a cool thing for Mike to bring up. Alice had often mentioned to me that Halo was the first song that he had "arranged" (or "strung") and was always rather proud of the effort.
(Renfield, August 1998)
Cindy Laing came up with the title 'Halo Of Flies'.
The Tour
According to Circus magazine (February '72), the 'Killer' show premiered at the New York Academy of music. The final show was at the Empire Pool, Wembley, England.
The show featured the gallows and the giant balloons amongst other things. It was also the first time Alice used the famous 'clown' make-up which would be his trademark from then on as instead of the 'extended eyelashes/spider' make up as featured on 'Love It To Death'
When the Killer tour started [the make-up] was changed to reflect the less feminine image to the darker, evil one.
(Renfield, November 1997)
The 'Killer' tour program featured a 'cutout' record on the back featuring a unique studio recording of 'Nobody Likes Me'.
The Gallows was built by Warner bros. Prop department..
At the end of the 'Killer' tour, the band were presented with gold discs by Warner Bros executive vice president Joe Smith in Burbank California.. Unfortunately, the 'Killer' discs hadn't arrived from the manufacturing plant so if you look carefully at pictures of the presentation, you can see that the discs are for Hendrix's 'Rainbow Bridge' album.
The live show changed as it went along. 'School's Out' was recorded during the show and the title track was added to the encore, first as a jammed idea during 'Long Way To Go' but later as a song in it`s own right.
Killer (original show) 1971
- Instrumental Intro
- Be My Lover
- You Drive Me Nervous (Opener December 1st)
- Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
- I'm Eighteen
- Halo of Flies
- Is It My Body-My Very Own
- Dead Babies
- Killer
- Long Way To Go-School's Out instrumental/
- Under My Wheels
Killer (after School's Out was recorded) 1972
- Instrumental Intro
- Be My Lover
- You Drive Me Nervous
- Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
- I'm Eighteen
- Halo of Flies
- Dead Babies
- Killer
- Long Way To Go
- School's Out (normal version with vocals)
- Is It My Body-My Very Own
- Under My Wheels
pic: (c) Lars Reynolds