School Days - Alice Cooper The Early Recordings
Made In Germany this 1973 Double Album which later I have seem on CD is the release of the first two lps by Alice Cooper "Pretties For You" and "Easy Action".

Artwork: A nice Illustration of the whole band on the cover. The Illustrations resemble the photos that you see in the "Billion Dollar Babies" album. The back list tracks from both lps along with band list.
The inside gate fold opens up with a picture from the infamous Toronto Rock n Roll Revival concert with Alice on stage holding a watermelon and other side of gate fold has Alice holding a chicken. Below the pictures are a list of 19 Q & A's with Alice Cooper.

Toronto Rock N' Roll Revival 1969, Volume IV
This album has so many lives ever since 1982 when it first came out as “The Toronto Rock n’ Roll Revival 1969, Volume IV.”

Some other titles you may see this under such as “Freak Out,” “Science Fiction,” “Snorting Anthrax,” “Slack Alice Live in Toronto 1969,” “Painting A Picture,” and many more. I’m sure we’ll see new titles with each passing year. This is due to it not being an official Alice Cooper release.

Recorded at an outdoor festival in Toronto, Canada, this show included such acts as Lennon and Yoko Ono, The Doors, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley and Gene Vincent (which the Alice Cooper Band backed) to name a few.

Depending on which CD you buy the tracks may switch around and the songs have the incorrect titles. On the "Group Instrumental" track which is listed different on these albums is actually part of “Lie Down & Die, Goodbye” that appears on their Easy Action album.
Same goes for “I’ve Written Home To Mother” which is also part of “Lie Down & Die, Goodbye.”
“Painting A Picture” is “No Longer Umpire” from Pretties For You album.
“Freak Out Song” is “Don’t Blow Your Mind” from their Spiders years.
“Science Fiction” is “Fields of Regret” from Pretties For You album.
“Nobody Likes Me” is the only correct title which is the first of this release track until another live recording later appears on Whiskey A Go Go 1969 album released in 1992. A demo of this song appears on "The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper" Boxed set released in 1999.

The 2 non-Alice Cooper tracks that come in debate among Alice fans are “Ain’t That Just Like A Woman” and ‘Going To The River” appear on these recordings. It all depends on who you listen too or what story you heard first. Some say it was The Alice Cooper Group being the backing band for Gene Vincent, which is true they back Gene Vincent but not sure these are Gene Vincent songs. Another is the 2 tracks are by Ronnie Hawkins that just happen to fill up the space of the album. Members from Ronnie Hawkin’s fan club believe it to be Hawkins himself. As it was stated in Dale Sherman’s book “The Illustrated Collector’s Guide To Alice Cooper”.

So as for the actual live Alice recordings they are very interesting to hear. It’s listening to the original band perform which I never had the pleasure to see live. I like the version of “Science Fiction” aka “Fields of Regret” which comes across very Pink Floyd.

“Nobody Likes Me” was supposedly written after being booed off the stage in Chandler, Az.

Nobody likes me it’s all my fault
nobody likes me, nobody likes me

It’s worth getting this album since you can find it for just a few bucks. Just to hear them live.

Artwork: varies depending on which CD you purchase.
If you have a choice I suggest to find “Slack Alice, Live in Toronto 1969” which has some cool pics of the band. Also it includes some liner notes by a Michael Heatley (whoever he is) gives some insight to the Toronto Revival concert. This is put together very well compared to the others that are just a picture of Alice from later dates like in 1980 or 1990’s
with no other info on the recording.

A Man Called Alice
Manufactured by Pair Records by Warner Special Productions (Warner Brothers Records) in 1987. This is another Double Lp which consist of 1974, "Muscle Of Love" album (the last record with the original band). The other is "Lace & Whiskey" of 1977 which is two albums after the band split that I find quite odd.

Artwork: The cover is a photo of Alice from "The Mad House Rock Tour" in 1979 in promotion of "From The Inside" album. Not even from either of those two years '74 or '77. Both vinyl's are held in it's single sleeve.

Prince Of Darkness
In 1989, MCA releases cuts from Alice's "Constrictor" and "Raise Your Fist & Yell" albums.
Plus one live song "Billion Dollar Babies" from a 1976 concert.
Not much to say but another label sponging off Alice.

Artwork: Illustration is copied from a photo from "Raise Your Fist & Yell" promos. Only they illustrate it as a lizard face Alice in the center of a playing card. Inside sleeve is a clear sleeve and back of cover is all white with track lists.

Live At The Whiskey A-Go-Go
Was released in 1992 but recorded in 1969, 6 months before the Toronto Revival Concert at one of the hottest clubs in it’s days The Whiskey A-Go-Go in Los Angeles, CA. As told in the liner notes written by Miss Pamela Des Barres formerly of the G.T.O’s. She states this was Alice’s “Coming Out” party after being signed by Frank Zappa. Some of the celebs Miss Pamela noted in the club were poet Rod McKuen and actor Richard Chamberlain.

This again is a very interesting time to listen to the original band perform. As they do selective tracks from their debut album “Pretties For You” with the unreleased “Nobody Likes Me”. Being a fan of "Pretties For You" album I have to say it’s a very good performance and you have to understand this was in ’69 so there is a lot of psychedelic sounds. The songs are pretty close to the final recording of “Pretties For You” and you hear Alice banter with the crowd.
By the response it sounds like it was only the G.T.O’s in the audience.

Vinyl Artwork: Shows a pic of the original Alice Cooper band in the right era superimposed in front of The Whiskey A-Go-Go. On the vinyl record there is nothing inside only a white sleeve holding the record. The back Lp shows a pic of the club with song tracks on top left.

CD Artwork: The CD is better designed as it shows the same cover as the LP. The inside booklet has liner notes by Miss Pamela who is Pamela Des Barres of former G.T.O’s who later wrote the book “I’m In The Band” a groupie novel. Pamela gives you information of the party given for the Alice Cooper Group in 1969. It also includes a picture that was from the concert which shows Alice in a lace top singing through a window frame. The back cover of the booklet shows Alice solo superimposed in front of the club. The back of the CD case shows just the club with track list and credit as it appears on the LP.

Freedom For Frankenstein - Hits & Pieces 1984 - 91
Made in Australia on Raven label this is brief hits from 5 albums, Constrictor, Raise Your Fist & Yell, Trash, Hey Stoopid and The Last Temptation. Also includes 4 classic Alice songs that are recorded live and 3 tracks that are on a soundtrack, import or B-side.

Live songs “Go To Hell” and “Ballad of Dwight Fry” are from Cincinnati Gardens, 1989. “Sick Things” and “Only Women Bleed/Wind Up Toy” are live from Electric Lady Studios in New York, 1991. I love the live material especially “Ballad of Dwight Fry” and “Wind Up Toy” since the latter I never heard performed live.So it’s a treat.
Also to have on CD Hendrix cover of “Fire” (B-side from “Love’s A Loaded Gun” ) and “It Rained All Night” (B-side from “Hey Stoopid” cassette single),“I Got A Line On You” (from the Iron Eagle II soundtrack) since I only had them on vinyl.

Artwork: Is very cool. The cover booklet is a live shot of Alice wearing the straitjacket singing into the microphone. The inside booklet is liner notes 15 pages by “Australia’s Biggest Alice Cooper Fan” Andrew Carpenter who does a fine job and are filled with Alice pics and memorabilia.

Mascara & Monsters - The Best of Alice Cooper
From the Rhino label this is sort of excerpts from the Boxed set “The Life & Crimes of Alice Cooper” as it list 22 songs from "I’m Eighteen" to "Poison". This is good to take along with you if you don’t want to carry your boxed set.

Artwork: Profile of Alice staring nose to nose with his decapitated head that he used on stage. The booklet has a brief intro written by Alice and liner notes written by Jeffery Morgan that are edited version from "The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper” Boxed set. There are brief remarks from Alice Cooper that are also from the boxed set for each song and some pictures. What someone pointed out to me is that there is all Alice pictures and none of the members from the original band. You figure since 13 out of 22 tracks are with the original group.

The Essentials
Released in 2002, Warner Brothers decide to release a best of since the last official 1974 record. "Essentials" is just a typical let’s make money deal from the label company since Alice isn’t with them for sometime now.
Out of the 12 tracks they pick 7 from the original band days then 5 from Alice’s solo career. What I found interesting is they included the 4 big ballads ‘Only Women Bleed”, “I Never Cry”, “You And Me”, and “How You Gonna See Me Now.”

Artwork: Has a rare picture on the cover of the original band from 1973 during the Billion Dollar Babies tour. Inside booklet is 4 panel as it includes a 3 panel liner note by Dan Epstein who is noted as the West Coast Editor of Revolver magazine who does a great job talking about the band. The booklet includes some vintage pictures of Alice in concert.
One panel from the same tour as on the cover shows Alice sitting on stage with his leopard skin boots and a smaller pic of the whole band on stage performing. The back of the booklet as it folds up shows the pic of the band that was under the lid of the cardboard desk from “School’s Out” album.
The back of the CD case shows a pic of Alice which is a movie still shot from Alice's cameo on “The Snoop Sisters” back in 1973.
I have to say the reason I got this CD was just for the cool pictures.