Alice Cooper School's Out (Deluxe Edition) 180g 3LP Scratch & Dent

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Analog Planet Rated 10/10 Music, 9/10 Sound!

Alice Cooper was unstoppable during the 1970s when the band released four consecutive platinum albums and five Top 40 hits like "I'm Eighteen," "School's Out," "No More Mr. Nice Guy," and "Elected." Rhino reissues two of those platinum albums – Killer (1971) and School's Out (1972) – with newly remastered sound, rare recordings, and previously unreleased live performances.

School's Out (Deluxe Eiditon) begins with a newly remastered version of the 1972 original, which peaked at #2 on the albums chart. Essential tracks like "Luney Tune" and "Alma Mater" are joined by "Gutter Cat vs. The Jets." The latter is an homage to West Side Story, a significant influence on the band. The song incorporates lyrics from "Jet Song" from the 1957 musical, which led to an unlikely songwriting credit for Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim on an Alice Cooper track.

The Deluxe Edition contains rarities like the single versions of "School's Out" and "Gutter Cat vs. The Jets." Two previously unreleased tracks are also included, an alternate version of "Alma Mater" and an early demo for "Elected," a song that would appear in 1973 on the band's first #1 album, Billion Dollar Babies.

Alice Cooper's concert in Miami on May 27, 1972, adds even more unreleased music to the collection. The show was recorded a few weeks before the band entered the studio to record School's Out. The live performance features standout versions of "Halo Of Flies," "School's Out," and "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah," a song that gives Cooper a chance to show off his impressive harmonica skills.

The vinyl versions for both Deluxe Editions recreate the original album sleeves down to the smallest detail. The cover of School's Out looks like a wooden school desk and opens to reveal the LP wrapped in a pair of panties. The band stopped including the underwear following a controversy as to whether or not they were flammable. Thankfully, the lacy unmentionables in the new Deluxe Edition are not a fire hazard.

Both sets come with booklets that include track-by-track commentary by band members and former Creem Magazine editor Jaan Uhelszki, plus liner notes by Bill Holdship, also a former Creem Magazine editor.

School's Out is a piece of pure insurrectionary rock genius.

Clearly, my inner 11-year-old wannabe-rocker is still alive and well, and very much loving these two primo Alice Cooper reissues immensely. Bravo to Warner/Rhino for the collective care they've taken here with both 180g 3LP 50th anniversary editions for Killer and School's Out.

The 2023 reissue of the album adds bright, new remastering plus a full live show recorded in Miami in May 1972. Also included are single versions of 'School's Out and 'Gutter Cat vs. The Jets,' an alternate version of 'Alma Mater,' and as a nice surprise, an early version of 'Elected,' a song which was a highlight of the group's next album. Taken together, it works as a nice upgrade of an equally confusing and enthralling album.