IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, ALICE COOPER
or How I Relived My Sordid Elementary Years
All Over Again Thanks To The Miracle of DVD
Growing up in the small town of Stevens Point, WI didn't offer much in the way of rock and roll glamour. Subsequently, these out of the way places often breed the real die-hard FANS, kids whose identity is so wrapped up in living vicariously through their musical heros that it borders on the maniacal. Vince Furnier, the son of a preacher and eventually known to the world as Alice Cooper, also grew up removed from the focal points of rock, in the suburban deserts of Arizona. I think he might agree with my assessment of small town rock fandom, after all, he built a phenomenal career on these loyal fans in backwater burgs.

Before the internet, before MTV, before AM completely lost out to FM and when playlists weren't yet created by Clear Channel, the Alice Cooper Band was making it the old fashioned way: by pissing off parents all across America. Having started as a sort of Frank Zappa-endorsed, avant-garde-Stooges-emulation (but with good tunes), they rapidly ascended from their experimental early stages to perfecting the sort of Horror Rock that had small town deacons locking up their daughters. This was when it was still Alice Cooper-the BAND, who just happened to be fronted by Vince's alter ego, Alice Cooper. Alice was allowed to run wild, go as far as he felt was necessary to ensure a good show for the kids. This meant that they would create the first real rock arena SHOW, a huge spectacle for the time that involved showcasing illusions and a real guillotine, as well as characters and Vegas-style lighting. This was even pre-Kiss, and Alice Cooper was at the forefront of making spectacle shock rock not only plausible, but profitable.

It is the early 70s American landscape that the film "Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper" sprung into drive-ins and weekend screening all across this great nation. Not for long, though, despite the group having the #1 tour and LP not long before. The film itself has been a long-known-but-little-seen artifact, not even making it onto VHS officially(now that's obscure, given how many lousy concert films made their way onto home video in the early 80s). And it's not hard to see why on the one hand....practically everything in the film that is NOT concert footage is embarrassing and useless. The loose 'plot' involves the group pissing off a film director, and then the ensuing 'chase'. Lame cannot begin to cover this stupid device. That said, the reason to check this IS the concert footage of prime Alice Cooper Band. And not one minute of that dissapoints.Billion Dollar Babies was the LP that was making it all possible, and of course most of this DVD's performance footage concerns itself with the songs from that classic LP. Of course hits like "Eighteen" and "School's Out" are also present. but it's the tracks from BDB that really are standout performances. Songs like "Elected", "Billion Dollar Babies" and "Raped and Freezin'" are given spirited treatments and the band in particular sound like the well-oiled rawk juggernaut they had no doubt become by this stage. Alice himself is in full character, antagonizing the teens in the audience at the same time as he demands their undying adoration.

In listening to Alice's commentary (another fantastic feature of this DVD as is the 'concert only' feature), he remarks how he was obviously more concerned with overall performance rather than any concentration on his vocals. While this is true in part, the rawness of the vocals lends the proceedings a dangerous air, as though it could all go off the rails at any second. And truth be told, Alice even in live,undoctored footage still qualifies as one of the top ROCK vocalists of all time. His unfettered performance of "Under My Wheels" has to be seen to be believed...it is the kind of schtick that was putting parents into a frenzy and had teenagers at the time throwing all their allowance money at Alice and the boys.

Don't bother watching the whole film unless you enjoy terrible improvised comedy bits involving "funny" German accents and stoner humor(and I use the term 'humor' very lightly). The opening bit with Alice and the band doing a straight version of "The Lady is a Tramp" IS worth it, but after that, set the 'concert only' feature and then watch it again with the commentary on.
Oh and while you are at it, track down the Deluxe Edtion Billion Dollar Babies that Warner Archives put out a few years back. 2 discs, one the original LP remastered, and the bonus disc is the live tracks from the film and some outtakes from the LP sessions.

And so....if you are a fan, or someone who grew up in this era and is curious about the cultural phenomena that was Alice Cooper, check out "Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper". It may not make you wanna get a big snake and sing about necrophillia, but it will have you wondering whatever happened to this kind of wonderful rock and roll show.


Quote of the Day
"The hippies wanted peace and love. We wanted Ferraris, blondes and switchblades."
-Alice Cooper