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The Alice Cooper Group |
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When I was a teenager, the Alice Cooper Group were virtually gods to me. I just loved Alice, Neal, Dennis, Mike and Glen. They offered something different to the usual stuff that was around, I could relate to them and they gave me something that I felt I could turn to when other things in my life weren't going so easily. Why the Alice Cooper group has not yet been inducted into the Rock Music Hall of Fame is a mystery and shows a great lack of hindsight on the powers that be. They were innovative, influential and wrote and played great music that has withstood the test of time. So here is my tribute to what is, in my humble opinion, the greatest rock band ever, because 30 years on... I guess I don't still think they're gods, but they come pretty damned close! This page concentrates mainly on the Alice Cooper Group when they were together as a band, rather than on their later enterprises and solo careers.
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The Alice Cooper Group's Early Years |
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The Group Members
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Alice Cooper - Lead Vocals |
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| . Alice made me laugh, I liked his music and the theatrical show; I saw the stage act for what it really was, an innovative and original concept that brought together rock music and the theatre and blended it together to produce an exciting and professional show. Despite warning from 'them in the know' that the group and their music would corrupt the youth of the day, I don't think it did much to corrupt me - well not much anyway! One recollection I have of Alice is his co-presenting an award show with Diana Ross while I was in Toronto in September 1976, he was great, so funny, and so thoroughly likeable, not to mention totally stealing the show from Ms Ross! I bought all the Alice Cooper group's albums, some twice just in case I'd wear out the first copy! Alice is a great showman, songwriter and is pretty nifty with a golf club too! . |
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After years of alcohol abuse he has long since
cleaned up his act through his determination and with the help and support of his wife
Sherryl and his family.
Alice is still
looking good and performing in the 2000s, and has made a great success
of his solo career.
On 23rd November 2002, as an early Christmas present, my son took me to see Alice in concert at the Monsters of Rock gig in the NEC in Birmingham. It was the first time I'd seen Mr C., though I'd tried for 32 years and failed for one reason or another! Like the real pro that he is, The Master gave us all a great show, despite his suffering from laryngitis at the time and obviously feeling pretty ill. Thanks Alice - 'twas brilliant. My son and I also managed to get to see him once again on his Dirty Diamonds tour on 9th November 2005, at the NEC in Birmingham, where he was supported admirably by Twisted Sister. That was quite a day as I'd had a minor operation in a local hospital that morning! Dedication eh! Over the years many groups have tried to imitate or jump on the Alice Cooper bandwagon, but no one has succeeded in coming close to the real thing. . |
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Neal Smith - Drums, Percussion & Vocals |
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| Neal Smith made an impressive sight
behind that drum kit. Okay, Neal made an impressive sight when he was
nowhere near his drum kit too! With his tall and slender frame and his
long blond hair and good looks, to me he was the personification of the
ideal rock star. He looked great.
Imagine my surprise when I saw what he looks like now. Still tall and slender and extremely attractive, but now looking very debonair, sophisticated and the personification of the successful businessman that he is.
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| Neal still plays
drums and has worked with several bands since the ACG split up, often
working with Dennis Dunaway. He has
finally released his long awaited solo album entitled "Platinum God", which is
currently available - see link below.
Neal also owns and runs a very successful Real Estate company specializing in Westport, Weston and Wilton. Obviously not just a pretty face, and a man of many talents and resources.
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| .You can find out more about
what Neal is up to these days, and order his solo album, "Platinum
God" at his
website www.NealSmith.com
- Also available is the album "Back From Hell" which he
collaborated on with Dennis Dunaway.
Also on Neal's site you can find out about some very impressive properties you can purchase from his company should you be high class house-hunting in his area. . |
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Dennis Dunaway - Bass & Vocals |
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Dennis seemed to be the quieter member of the band and provided the back bone to the music through his bass playing. The bass line he wrote for Gutter Cat was one of the best I've heard, and his style of playing comes through in the band's songs, contributing to their unique quality. Dennis has been underrated as a bass player and he deserves a lot more recognition than he's had up to now. While the band were still together, Dennis married Cindy Smith, Neal's sister, who played the part of the Dancing Tooth on the Billion Dollar Babies tour.
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Dennis also keeps up with his musical career and has joined his brother in law Neal and Michael Bruce on various projects over the years. He also played with the other three remaining Alice Cooper band members at the second annual Glen Buxton Memorial Weekend at Cooperstown . Dennis is still happily married to Cindy, and they own a successful chain of video stores and have two daughters.
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Dennis, Michael and
Neal, together with Mike Marconi on lead guitar and Bob Dolin on
keyboards, formed Billion Dollar Babies after the Alice Cooper Group
split up. Their first album was Battle Axe.
I'm not sure if it's still available - but you ain't getting your hands on MY copy! |
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Michael Bruce - Guitar and Keyboards & Vocals |
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Michael Bruce wrote many of the Alice Cooper Group's hit songs and co-wrote even more with other members of the band, namely Alice and, or Dennis. Michael's melodies were not only musically appealing, they are still as relevant today because his music is still played and listened to in the 2000s and they don't sound dated. They were commercial, but not in a run of the mill way, this was not bubblegum rock that you heard one day and forgot the next. Hits like School's Out, Elected, No More Mr Nice Guy, Hello Hooray etc. are all a part of Michael's resumé.
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Michael Bruce is still heavily involved in his musical career and writing songs. A very talented guitarist and songwriter, he has succeeded in gaining a great deal of respect in the music industry and the love and respect of fans worldwide. Michael has written a book about the Alice Cooper Group and what happened to them after their split. It is entitled "No More Mr Nice Guy" and is available from Amazon.com and other good book outlets. The first edition sold out, but a second edition is available now.
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Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar |
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Though Glen Buxton never wrote a song per se, he did come up with some guitar parts and was credited as songwriter because of this. In the early days Glen was a great asset to the band, but as the years went by and his ability to function coherently and professionally diminished, then his presence in the group sadly became more of a hindrance than a help. On the early albums his guitar playing was superb, and maybe that is the best way to remember Glen.
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Sadly Glen passed away on October 19, 1997, following a flu virus which eventually turned to pneumonia. He had been living quietly in Clarion, Iowa. Obviously after years of heavy smoking and alcohol abuse etc, his body couldn't fight any more; he died a few days later. Shortly before his death he had joined up with some of the other group members for a reunion. But naturally, a full Alice Cooper Group reunion is now impossible. Rest in Peace Glen; you are missed.
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The Albums |
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Pretties For You |
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Released 1969: Produced by the Alice Cooper Group Tracks include: Titanic Overture - 10 Minutes before the Worm - Sing Low, Sweet Cheerio - Today Mueller - Living - Fields of Regret - No Longer Umpire - Levity Ball - B.B. on Mars - Reflected - Apple Bush - Earwigs to Eternity - Changing, Arranging. |
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. Easy Action |
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Released June 1970: Produced by David Briggs Tracks include: Mr. and Misdemeanor - Shoe Salesman - Still No Air - Below Your Means - Return of the Spiders - Laughing at Me - Refrigerator Heaven - Beautiful Flyaway - Lay Down and Die, Goodbye |
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. Love It To Death |
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Released June 1971: Produced by Jack Richardson and Bob Ezrin Tracks include: Caught in a Dream - I'm Eighteen - Long Way to Go - Black Ju Ju - Is It My Body - Hallowed Be My Name - Second Coming - Ballad of Dwight Frye - Sun Arise |
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. Killer |
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Released November 1971: Produced by Bob Ezrin. - The initial copies included a calendar (which I still have!) Tracks include: Under My Wheels - Be My Lover - Halo of Flies - Desperado - You Drive Me Nervous - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah - Dead Babies - Killer |
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. School's Out |
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Released June 1972: Produced by Bob Ezrin Tracks include: School's Out - Luney Tune - Gutter Cat vs. the Jets - Street Fight - Blue Turk - My Stars - Public Animal No. 9 - Alma Mater - Grande Finale |
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. Billion Dollar Babies |
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Released March 1973: Produced by Bob Ezrin Tracks include: Hello Hooray - Raped and Freezin' - Elected - Billion Dollar Babies - Unfinished Sweet - No More Mr. Nice Guy - Generation Landslide - Sick Things - Mary Ann - I Love the Dead |
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. Muscle of Love |
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Released December 1973: Produced by Jack Richardson Tracks include: Muscle of Love - Woman Machine - Hard Hearted Alice - Man With The Golden Gun - Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) - Never Been Sold Before - Working Up A Sweat - Crazy Little Child - Teenage Lament '74. |
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. Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits |
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Released August 1974: Tracks include: I'm Eighteen - Is It My Body - Desperado - Under My Wheels - Be My Lover - School's Out - Hello Hooray - Elected - No More Mr. Nice Guy - Billion Dollar Babies - Teenage Lament '74 - Muscle of Love. |
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Alice Cooper Group members in the 2000s |
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.The Reunion at Cooperstown |
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| Dennis Dunaway, Michael Bruce, Alice Cooper, Rockin' Reggie and Neal Smith at their reunion at the opening of Alice's restaurant Cooperstown in Phoenix, Arizona on December 19, 1998. Hopefully the first of many more reunion gigs. | |
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Background by Lyn - (border scanned and adapted from one of my Billion Dollar Babies Albums) I have not put a midi file as a background to this page - not one of the midis I came across of Alice Cooper's music came close to doing the band justice. So I figured that silence is far better than assaulting your ears with some inferior renditions! You can listen to the real thing instead - so go out and buy some Alice Cooper Group albums today, if you don't have any already!
Copyright of the pictures used on this web page belong to the companies who own the publishing rights etc, and no infringement of this copyright is intended and no monetary gain has been made by me. I have used these pictures simply as a tribute to the Alice Cooper Group. Most of the pictures I have used are from magazines I own (some over 30 years old by now!) Also one or two pics have been used from the Neal Smith website (see link above) and also from the Official Michael Bruce Website (see link above) and from Michael Bruce's book "No More Mr Nice Guy", a copy of which I own.
Bars from
The link to this site no longer works - shame it was a really good site! |
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Other Favourites Best of the Rest - The Actors Best of the Rest - The Musicians The Donkey Sanctuary Adoption Donkeys & EST Centres Artwork by Ebe Kastein Artwork by Kate, Lady G. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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