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Pretties for You

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Pretties for You is the debut album by the Alice Cooper band. At this time, the name "Alice Cooper" referred to the band, not its lead singer, though the lead singer was also known as Alice Cooper. The music has a psychedelic flavor to it; the group had yet to develop the more concise hard rock sound that they would become famous for. Most of the tracks feature unusual time signatures and arrangements, jarring syncopation, expressive dynamics, sound effects, and an eclectic range of music influences. A few songs, such as "Levity Ball," show the influence of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, with whom Alice Cooper hung out during the British group's U.S. tour.[3] Too bizarre and avant-garde for its time, Pretties for You was a critical and commercial failure, only briefly denting the Billboard Top 200, and none of its songs have ever been played live by Cooper since the release of the band's breakthrough album Love It to Death.[4]

The song "Reflected", Alice Cooper's first single, was later rewritten as "Elected" (which featured on their 1973 album Billion Dollar Babies). The band also performed during a party scene in the film Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970).[5] The artwork for this album was hanging on the wall of the living room in Frank Zappa's house.[6] However, his wife Gail Zappa claims that it was later stolen from them.[7] The original painting was done by Edward Beardsley.[8] On November 8, 2015 the entire record was performed live at The Stone in NYC as part of Nick Didkovsky's residency there.[9] Neal Smith, Dennis Dunaway and Cindy Smith Dunaway were in attendance. Dennis Dunaway joined the band for "Nobody Likes Me" as an encore, a song that was originally slated to be on the record.

Track listing

All songs written by Alice Cooper, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, and Neal Smith.

  1. "Titanic Overture" – 1:12
  2. "10 Minutes Before the Worm" – 1:39
  3. "Sing Low, Sweet Cheerio" – 5:42
  4. "Today Mueller" – 1:48
  5. "Living" – 3:12
  6. "Fields of Regret" – 5:44
  7. "No Longer Umpire" – 2:02
  8. "Levity Ball" – 4:39
  9. "B.B. on Mars" – 1:17
  10. "Reflected" – 3:17
  11. "Apple Bush" – 3:08
  12. "Earwigs to Eternity" – 1:19
  13. "Changing Arranging" – 3:03

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[10]
Rolling Stone(unfavorable)[11]

Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated Pretties for You three-and-a-half out of five stars. He stated that the album "was an earnest but flawed stab at psychedelia that occasionally caught fire."[10] Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone delivered an unfavorable review. He explained that there are no "[hints] of life, spontaneity, joy, rage, or any kind of authentic passion or conviction." However, he stated that "within the context of [Alice Cooper's] self-imposed limitations, the album is listenable." He concluded the review by saying that "Alice Cooper's music is, for this reviewer at any rate, totally dispensable."[11]

Personnel

Legend has it that Ian Underwood (a member of Zappa's band The Mothers) actually produced the album (not the band) after Zappa lost interest or simply didn't have the time to produce it, but gave the producer's credit to the band.

Charts

Year Chart Position
1969 Billboard Pop Albums 193

References

  1. ^ Alice Cooper Box Set
  2. ^ Peter Buckley, The Rough Guide to Rock, Rough Guides, 2003, p.224 ISBN 1-84353-105-4
  3. ^ Liner notes to The Life and Death of Alice Cooper box set, p. 62.
  4. ^ Alice Cooper Tour Archive
  5. ^ personal experience (I saw the film during its original theatrical run)
  6. ^ "LIFE: Musician Frank Zappa (R) w. parents (L-R... - Hosted by Google". Images.google.com. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  7. ^ "Re: Questions about Alice Master Tapes".
  8. ^ "Pretties For You". Sickthingsuk.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  9. ^ "Pretties For You LIVE". didkovsky.com. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  10. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Pretties for You - Alice Cooper at AllMusic. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  11. ^ a b Bangs, Lester (12 July 1969). "Records". Rolling Stone (37). San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc.: 36–37. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
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