Favorite Alice Cooper Album Art
I miss album art, the large size allowed for some pretty work, and some cool designs. AC was one of those bands/solo acts who had fun with it, A new Alice Cooper album wasn’t just great for the music, but for seeing the cover concepts. Here are a few highlights in order of release.
Schools Out (1972)
The one with the panties (Bobo probably loves this record). This is my second favorite AC LP (behind Love it to Death) - Packaging? From wiki… The original album cover (designed by Craig Braun) had the sleeve opening in the manner of a wooden school desk, similar to Thinks: School Stinks , by Hotlegs, released two years earlier. The vinyl record inside was wrapped in a pair of panties, though this was later discontinued as the paper panties were found to be flammable. The desk photographed for the album cover is on display in the Hard Rock Cafe.
Billion Dollar Babies (1973)
Alice Cooper followed up Schools Out with their first #1 hit record (it was bumped off that position by Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, which held that spot for quite a spell), and their busiest year, one that included a massive tour (which introduced the guillotine), and a movie.
The packaging was in the form of a snakeskin wallet, which opened to reveal photos and a giant billion-dollar bill.
Muscle of Love (1973)
The bands final LP was a mixed bag, I didn’t like on its release, but have come to appreciate more. The record was packaged in a shallow corrugated carboard box, with a stain intentionally printed along the bottom. On the inner sleeve, there a before and after photo of the band members dressed as sailors.
The original release also included a paper “book cover” sheet that could be folded and used as a book jacket.
The back of the box originally included a warning “Do not bend, avoid excessive heat”
Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits (1974)
Simply gorgeous, my parents gifted me this for Christmas that year and they poured over that cover, told me the names of all the actors (the ones I didn’t know) - from wiki…
The album’s cover art was designed by Ernie Cefalu and features a sepia-toned Drew Struzan illustration of the band members in front of a 1930s garage, accompanied by such period movie stars as Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Robert Taylor, Edward G. Robinson, Jean Harlow, Peter Lorre, and Groucho Marx. The inner sleeve features a similar illustration of the band surrounded by these and other stars of Hollywood’s golden age such as Marilyn Monroe, Gary Cooper, Judy Garland, Errol Flynn, Clara Bow, Boris Karloff, Zasu Pitts, Tyrone Power, Bela Lugosi, Marlene Dietrich, Tallulah Bankhead, Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd. A depiction of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is in the upper middle.
Welcome to My Nightmare (1975)
Alice’s first solo album is my 3rd favorite overall and his best as a solo artist. It was a hot seller, and produced a hit song, a ballad (Only Women Bleed - I remember when it came on the car radio, my dad refused to believe it was Cooper, “that’s actually a good song” he said, lol). Vincent Price provided a memorable monologue on the track Devil’s Food!
The tour was huge as well, a big horror filled production.
The cover wasn’t anything fancy this time out, but that Drew Struzen art was one for the ages.
From the Inside (1978)
A concept album about Cooper’s time in an institution. Though critics complained about it being over produced, it’s one of my favorite LPs. The cover features many doors - you open the first one to reveal the inmates inside who are the subjects of each song. Within that is another door to the quiet room, open it to find Alice sitting inside - on the back, another door, it reveals the patients released. This article shows the cover in detail… Alice Cooper – From the Inside: Revisiting the Asylum – Green and Black Music
Marvel comics produced a one-shot comic based on the album