Triple Plus (A+++) Shootout Winning sound on side one — it doesn’t get any better than this, folks! Huge, open and clear, yet rich and full-bodied, this is the sound you want for this Alice Cooper classic. At Double Plus (A++) side two is nearly as good – Alice’s vocals are especially clear and lively. The choruses are big and rich, just the way we like ’em – we guarantee you’ve never heard the album sound this good by a long shot.
I bought this album when it came out in 1976 and played it quite a bit as I recall, one of the few Alice Cooper records I actually used to listen to back in the day. It’s got that Big Production Rock sound that can be rich, powerful and energetic on the better copies.
The pressing we have here simply could not be beat on side one, with a side two that’s not far behind.
Both Sides
Spacious and clear, very 3-D, with solid, punchy deep bass, this side was doing everything right. On top of that it’s got the weight it needs to really ROCK.
Track three had the best sound on side one; check it out.
Mega Mass Production — Not so Good for Sound
Let’s face it, this is one of those mega-mass-produced records that sits in every record bin in town for five bucks or less. It’s only when you get the average copy home that you realize you just flushed five bucks down the toilet. Veiled and smeary, stuck in the speakers, congested and compressed in the choruses — most copies make you wonder what you liked about the album in the first place. It’s the audiophile curse we all suffer from: bad sound has a tendency to ruin perfectly good music.
Of course, we here at Better Records are firmly of the opinion that this is a much more enjoyable album when you can hear it right. As the writer for AMG says, there’s really not a bad song in the bunch, and the best ones come alive when you’re that fortunate soul with a good pressing to play.
TRACK LISTING
Side One
Go to Hell
You Gotta Dance
I’m the Coolest
Didn’t We Meet
I Never Cry
Side Two
Give the Kid a Break
Guilty
Wake Me Gently
Wish You Were Here
I’m Always Chasing Rainbows
Going Home
AMG Review
… the title track is worthy of any headbanger’s time (and remains one of Cooper’s most overlooked rock tunes), while “I Never Cry” was another Alice ballad that found a place near the top of the charts. Other highlights include such tracks as the disco-rock-boogie of “You Gotta Dance” and the laid-back yet sinister funk groove of “I’m the Coolest.”