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If you're into Alice Cooper like I am (saw him twice) then this DVD is a must have- unfortunately this one came from a S. Korean seller who was peddling bootleg dubbed DVD's on Ebay, and the seller was shut down for it-so try to find one that is bona fide with a copyright date and trademark (this one has none). The seller actually tried to bs his way out of it and say they are all made this way in Korea and legal- (yeh right). Anyway, I didn't return it, but kept it because the price was so cheap- contentwise, it gives you a look at the early Alice Cooper rock show- this show being the Billion Dollar Babies tour, in support of the LP of the same name. You get to see the first band that supported Alice Cooper, which IMHO is/was always the his best supporting musicians. If you look at Alice's catalog of hits, you'll see the majority were written and recorded with the first band that supported him- such as "I'm Eighteen" "Elected" "Billion Dollar Babies" "Muscle of Love" While his later shows and supporting bands had a somewhat more polished appearance, and the "Trash" tour somewhat higher energy- this first group of musicians were by far the most talented and best songwriters- they just clicked.Read full review
Unlike most people, whe I think of Alice Cooper, I think of the music the original band made. The lead guitar of Glen Buxton, the Rhythem guitar and keyboard work of Mike Bruce, the Bass guitar of Dennis Dunaway and the Drums of Neil Smith. That's why I bought it. I haven't see all of the "Movie" part of it (I just drink some brews and wanna see the live concert footage). I love it. For me, it don't get better than seeing the original cooper band together on stage. I'm not saying Alice hasn't had many great musicians in his band after, I just prefer the original line up. Take this review in context and hopefully it will help you in your decision.
I've been an Alice Cooper fan since I bought my first album in 1972. It was School's Out. I saw Alice "live" in 1975 on the Welcome to my Nightmare tour. This DVD (film) as one might guess, features Alice (with some, but never enough footage of the rest of the band) The problem with this is...the band filmed some "really bad" mini-movie which is spliced in between songs, and then completely put over top of the long jam on School's Out...and it's just horrible...BUT...you can skip these, and the concert footage is really cool to see.
Anyone who never saw the Billion Dollar Babies tour or Alice Cooper at their peak of popularity need to see this film. The movie itself is a joke but worth watching for the "Can you believe this ever got made?" factor. The Alice Cooper band could do no wrong at this point in their career and Penthouse magazine funded this film that had no real script, no sense of direction and seemed to have been just "thrown together" Mind you these were different and far less critical times. I'm sure some people who saw the theatrical release loved it. It's great that it finally got released on DVD. Luckily the disc allows you to watch the concert only and not have to suffer through all the bad acting. Alice's best acting is his concert performance. I have probably watched it 2 or 3 times in both the full movie and "Concert only" modes. I must admit I have even warmed up a bit to the movie footage. The concert footage is grainy and the sound is awful. You can choose Dolby or simple stereo (Dolby sounds a bit better) but do not expect CD quality. Despite that, this disc is a gem. The available commertary by Alice is wonderful and gives you lots of insight to the "inside jokes" that went into the film. I felt I was watching the movie with Alice on my couch. It's great. The movie segment has not aged well but the concert footage is timeless... to see the band in their youth (and the late Glen Buxton) is wonderful (They were all in their 20's but I suppose the excesses of the time made them look much older (Alice looked 40 years old at this stage in his career) The interaction with the Texas crowd is worth the price alone. "The Amazing Randi" who plays the demented Dentist and the executioner onstage was about 40 at the time and he looks 65... No healthy diets or gym work-outs back then! I had just come off re-reading the Bob Greene book "Billion Dollar Baby" about his month on the road with the band (read it for the first time in early '75) and seeing the film took me right back to 1974. Fans of Alice need to read the book. (while crazy-expensive to buy, many libraries stock it) Without Alice there would have been no Kiss, no Ziggy Stardust, no Marilyn Manson or Slipknot. After getting this DVD I also picked up the "Welcome to my Nightmare" DVD (with the new band and elaborate stage show) It is also a must-see and then I treated myself to Alice Live in Montreaux on Bluray. Filmed just 2-3 years ago Alice is in his late 50's and sounds better, moves better and looks better than he did in his 20's... Backed by a kick-ass young band and having his daughter Calico as dancer and stage actor is icing on the cake! Back to the BBB disc; I am thrilled to have picked up this DVD and it is a must for any Cooper, Classic Rock, Glam or shock-rock fan! It's a great piece of musical history and is well worth the price it can be had for here on eBay!Read full review
If you are an Alice Cooper fan you MUST have this DVD. The movie is as corny and stupid a thing as I have ever seen, but the concert footage is superb. Alice performs all of his most henious and disgusting bits in this show, and kicks butt doing it. This is why we are Alice Cooper fans. The DVD gives you the option to watch the concert only. This is a major plus because it's really hard to sit through the idiotic story that was imposed between concert footage. It was funny the first time around, only because the novelty of it had not worn off. But it quickly does. Nevertheless, if you are an Alice Cooper fan, or just have a morbid sense of humor, you will love this DVD. I highly recommend this DVD.
Verified purchase: No
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