Furnier/Cooper may be the most prolific artist, of modern times logging some 40 albums to date and still counting. Furnier formed his first group, Earwigs, in the earley 60s, then changed to the Spiders in 1965 and later to Nazz. In 1968, after finding out that another Nazz existed, Furnier once again changed the bands name, to Alice Cooper. Rumour has it, the name came to Furnier during a ouija board session, where he was told he was the reincarnation of a 17th-century witch of the same name. After Alice Cooper signed their first record contract, four releases were made before Killer was released in 1971. Killer was a moderate seller going gold but what really started to make the band popular today was the theatrics and wild stage shows. Under Furnier's direction, Alice Cooper initiated a impressively theatrical and forceful brand of heavy metal that was designed to shock, drawing equally from horror movies and vaudeville. This probably preceded Ozzie Osbourne by at least a few years so audiences became enthralled with Alice Cooper's antics.

Furniers on stage persona was Alice Cooper which became his alter ego. A few years later Furnier officially change his name to Alice Cooper. Furnier only made three more albums as a member of a band. In 1975 he went solo.

Here is an AMG review of this very good album. My FIXATION will be discussed thereafter.

"Alice Cooper wasted little time following up the breakthrough success of 1971's Love It to Death with another album released the same year, Killer. Again, producer Bob Ezrin was on board, and helps the group solidify their heavy rock (yet wide-ranging) style even further. The band's stage show dealt with the macabre, and such disturbing tracks as "Dead Babies" and the title track fit in perfectly. Other songs were even more exceptional, such as the perennial-barnstorming concert standard "Under My Wheels," the melodic yet gritty "Be My Lover," and the tribute to their fallen friend Jim Morrison, "Desperado." The long and winding "Halo of Flies" correctly hinted that the band would be tackling more complex song structures on future albums, while "You Drive Me Nervous" and "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" showed that Alice Cooper hadn't completely abandoned their early garage-rock direction. With Killer, they became one of the world's top rock bands and concert attractions; it rewarded them as being among the most notorious and misunderstood entertainers, thoroughly despised by grown-ups." - Greg Prato

MY FAVORITE SONG, "Halo of Flies"

At eight minutes and twenty-two seconds "Halo of Flies" may be the longest piece Alice Cooper ever did. All my favorite songs tend to be long, the shortest being five + minutes. I guess it's because the longer songs have more variety and instrumentation, which is what I like. I tend to think of vocals as another instrument, augmenting the other instruments, rather than being the center of the music. There are exceptions to this thinking when the vocals are so astounding that they almost take over the music. The emotive ramblings of Tom Eklund on In search of Truth is such an effort.

"Halo of Flies" is both a complex but simple straight Rock and roll piece and actually manages to create the feeling of a bunch of flies buzzing around. Starting out with first one then two twanging guitars and cymbals for thirty seconds, when the music changes slightly with the addition of distorted guitar with a fluttery sound. This sound also backs and almost mimics Furnier when he sings, starting at the 1:50 mark. The underlying beat for the song is what I would call a giddyap beat. Furniers voice is sort of a raspy yell, not smooth but serving the music very well. There is a catchy, Near East type, guitar hook used effectively throughout the number and a nice drum solo at the six minute mark. Overall it's a fast 8:22. The musicianship, while primitive, is solid, the production is average and the song is captivating.

It should be mentioned that, unlike many of my other review picks, this is an outstanding, old rock and roll, album, with numerous great songs. My other favorites are: "Desparado", "Killer", "Dead Babies" and "Under my Wheels"


Hard Rocking Raucous Foot Stomping Romp   June 15, 2002
Psychedelic Cowboy (Burbank, CA United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Many fans believe this to be Alice Cooper's greatest album, and it is hard to argue. This is a hard rocking raucous foot stomping romp from beginning to end. Under My Wheels gets things off to a screaming start with the most slickly produced garage band song ever. Even though Alice Cooper always used tight flawless production their songs seemed somehow to be coming from the garage next door. It was just the irreverent attitude that permeated everything the band did. Be My Lover is a solid groove about hooking up with a chick in a bar. Halo of Flies is a masterpiece of riffs and lyrics and theatrical studio jam. It's like a James Bond movie in your ears after a fifth of Seagrams. You Drive Me Nervous and Yeah Yeah Yeah are two more screaming guitar twanging trips into the garage. It's easy to feel you could pick up a guitar and play this yourself until you try it. Dead Babies is an sick classic with an infectious bass line that will get into your nodding head for weeks to come. Nice dark tongue-in-cheek lyrics complement the heavy musical riff. Killer is a foray into rock theatre that is a real treat. It follows a killer's walk up to the gallows, and subsequent hanging with a staple of operatic rock hooks that would be pirated by everyone from David Bowie to Kiss.

It's all over before you're ready and you'll likely get right up and put it right back on to hear again. Every song is a gem and still sound fresh and innovative while sounding almost spontaneous and very edgy.


... a rock and roll masterpiece ...   August 15, 2005
Robert (USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

"KILLER"

REVIEW:

What can one say about "Killer" other than to say it is a rock and roll masterpiece. Truly. All eight tracks are just flat out excellent. The album achieves tremendous lyrical content, flawless drumming by Neal Smith and great vocals by Alice. For the uninitiated, start here.

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

INTERESTING FACTS:

1. An early working title for the track "Desperado" was "Desert Nights".

2. The click sound at the end of 'Be My Lover' is Neal Smith dropping his drumsticks.

3. 'Halo of Flies' was a mixture of three different songs that Alice would eventually "arrange".

4. The album was released in November of 1971 and would peak at #21 on the Billboard Top 200. The album would be certified a Platinum seller.

5. The singles "Be My Lover" peaked at #49 and "Under My Wheels" peaked at #59.

PACKAGING:

The words "Killer" were written by the right-handed Dennis Dunaway left-handed while Neal Smith's snake, Kachina, is photographed on the simplistic but effective album cover. Booklet features song credits, musician credits and a "NOTES" page.

APPROX. RUNNING TIME:

35 min. and 15 sec.

FINAL ANALYSIS:

Another definitve Alice Cooper album under the production of the great Bob Ezrin. ***** out of 5. A MUST HAVE!!!



Alice Cooper's Klassic!   April 29, 2000
M. Scagnelli (Brandon, Florida)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Killer is the ultimate Alice Cooper album. Alice Cooper was the original shock rock artist. His stage antics were unlike anything before him. Killer perfectly captures this feeling. Each of the eight songs on the album is classic Alice Cooper. Under My Wheels is one of the best songs on the album. It has that grating sound that Cooper is known for. Be My Lover is one of the lightest songs on the album, but is still a great song. Halo Of Flies is my personal favorite song on the album. It is an epic song that completely blew me away the first time I listened to it, and still does today. Desparado is another great song and possibly one of the best representations of what Cooper's style was all about in the early 70s. You Drive Me Nervous and Yeah, Yeah, Yeah are also great songs. Dead Babies is one of the scariest songs on the album, just listen to it. The song Killer ends the album perfectly. Killer is one of the most shocking, loudest, harshest albums of it's time. Any fan of Rock should like this alum. A True Klassic.