That explains why the release is such a weird mixture of ’70s throwback rock and Paul Westerberg-esque alternative, as well as why Neil Gaiman of Sandman and American Gods fame was hired to pen a comic miniseries to accompany its release. Of course, that might have been the crack talking – in the 2014 documentary Super Duper Alice Cooper, guitarist Dick Wagner said that Alice was smoking crack-cocaine at the time of recording. The group split in 1975, after creating some incredible recordings that helped its frontman become a solo act and pop culture icon. But while it earns zero points for subtlety or nuance, it makes up for it in big, dumb fun. The album’s influence also echoed throughout rock history – Talking Heads’ David Byrne has said that Billion Dollar Babies inspired him to write the band’s hit track Psycho Killer. Even without the track’s intergenerational smash hit, the record exudes the hilarious vision of insanity that would later become a bone-deep part of Alice’s career and live experience. While heavy as hell, the album has none of its two predecessors’ nu-metal influence. But Brutal Planet proves that the era’s grit mixed with Alice’s Grand Guignol presentation could be incredibly entertaining, and invited a whole new generation of listener to learn about his work. Still, a worthwhile addition for the rock historian, and a necessary inclusion for those who consider them a diehard fan.While it would never crack the Top 10, The Eyes Of Alice Cooper shows the singer finding the middle ground he occupies to this day. and in commercials. Opener Under My Wheels may still have a brass section, but its introductory grind and constant momentum give it burly muscle, while cuts like Be My Lover, Halo Of Flies, and Dead Babies only cemented the band as rock’s entertainment-obsessed outsiders and the scourge of parents worldwide. The track not only gave young listeners a rallying cry for the last day of classes, it introduced adult pearl-clutchers to the idea that maybe Alice and co. were just having childish, mischievous fun. You can’t kill Alice Cooper.Just look at the following list of Alice Cooper Albums Ranked Worst to Best for proof. and in commercials. Bizarre, morbid, heavy, festive, mysterious, and most of all fun – Billion Dollar Babies is the ultimate expression of all things Alice Cooper. Given the lackluster albums that came before it, this record was an absolute game-changer.Love It To Death was truly where Alice Cooper’s disgusting weirdo side began to emerge. As a whole, DaDa is a deeply confused album, more of an experiment in art rock than anything substantial. The end product isn’t terrible, but it’s certainly off-brand for Cooper. Sure, the title-track rules, but the record also sees him experimenting with disco (You Gotta Dance) and going a little hard on the Grease-style theatrics (Give The Kid A Break). As a complete collection of songs, this one is an awe-inspiring celebration of rock’n’roll theater and will have listeners for generations to come loving every second, every moment, every scream.Dirty Diamonds lands in a weird point in Alice’s career, arriving after the industrialized darkness of Brutal Planet, but before the brash confidence of Paranormal. That narrowing of influence and single-minded focus is perhaps what makes it such a mindblowing record and the cornerstone of what Alice Cooper is in the greasepaint-circled eyes of the world. Though a definite product of latter-day Alice, this record features at least two or three tracks that would deserve a spot on any best-of compilation.Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder are amongst dozens of signatories opposing the implication of support that comes with using songs at campaign events.Muscle Of Love saw Alice experimenting with more elaborate musical theater styles and trying to be one of the listenable, long-form rock artists of the time. With an ear for melody and an eye for the macabre, he has survived just about every musical trend over the past five decades.In addition to all that great music, Cooper has appeared in movies, on TV shows (hosting his own specials!) With their overdriven, low-to-the-ground party metal vibe, tracks like Teenage Frankenstein, Thrill My Gorilla, and He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask) established Alice as heavy metal’s overenthusiastic lifer. But while that song is a rager that everyone knows, it’s just the beginning – tracks like Spark In The Dark, House Of Fire, Bed Of Nails, and Hell Is Living Without You are the kind of massive, fist-pumping metal tracks that remind you why the ’80s was worth all the cheesy bullshit. It’s undeniable, however, that Frankenstein is an absolute gem, inviting fans to the Halloween party they wish they could attend every night of the year. All that said, You’re My Temptation is as bombastic a stripper metal anthem as there ever was, reminding the world that Alice will never fit in, even when the mainstream swears it’s looking for something different.There’ll never be a song more synonymous with Alice Cooper than School’s Out.