Alice Cooper in the 1970s: Decades

by Chris Sutton

The 1970s was the decade that saw the arrival of Alice Cooper as a major force across the media. Chris Sutton, explores the story of Alice Cooper the band and Alice the solo performer from their early years through to the end of the decade. A roller-coaster ride of classic albums and singles, the songs recorded in the 1970s still dominate his live sets to this day. The book features all new interview material from key figures including Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith from the original band, Prakash John from the solo years, and Ernie Cefalu, whose company Pacific Eye and Ear designed the sleeve packaging. Several other musicians, concert promoters and even the band's first roadie have also contributed their thoughts. All of the albums and singles from Don't Blow Your Mind, until From The Inside are examined in detail, along with related archive releases and songs that didn't make the cut. In the course of putting the book together much new information came to light that will be of huge interest to hardened collectors and new fans alike. The book is an essential guide to Alice Cooper in the decade the band helped to define.

160 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2021

Reviews

[Michael John Paul McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book Alice Cooper in the 1970's is. Chris Sutton has done a great job with this book and being a long time fan, I read stuff in this book that I'd not heard of before. Starting off with their first album, Pretties For You and ending with From the Inside, it is a compelling book. It is right up to date with mentions of the old band getting back together for tracks on Alice's latest albums and the live shows in 2017. A must read book for all fans of the Alice Cooper band as well as Alice the solo performer.

[Amy Wohlitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a hardcore Alice Cooper fan from the age of seven, I have done my fair share of reading about both the band and the man and I learned more brand new to me information in this book than in anything I’ve read in a very long time. I found the author’s opinions to be interesting, even when I didn’t always agree with them. It could have used slightly better editing and a little additional information in parts, but overall it is a worthwhile and informative read for both casual music fans and diehard Sick Things like myself. The way the information is formatted makes it simple to read and refer back to upon, with touring and recording details broken down by year followed by a track-by-track breakdown of each album and its related releases - as detailed as mentioning various guitar solos down to the exact time on the track! I would love it if the author continued with this theme and broke down the albums of the decades that followed!

[Dave Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly detailed history of the entire Alice Cooper Group discography, and Alice’s first few solo albums. Interviews with many of the musicians make this particularly interesting. A must read for fans of the Coop.