School's Out (album)
School's Out is the fifth studio album by American rock band Alice Cooper, released in 1972. Following on from the success of Killer, School's Out reached No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 on the Canadian RPM 100 Top Albums chart, holding the top position for four weeks.[2] The single "School's Out" reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 3 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles Chart[3] and went to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart.
| School's Out | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Studio | Record Plant, New York City | |||
| Genre | Hard rock[1] | |||
| Length | 36:56 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Bob Ezrin | |||
| Alice Cooper chronology | ||||
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| Singles from School's Out | ||||
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Packaging
The original album cover (designed by Craig Braun) had the sleeve opening in the manner of a wooden school desk, similar to Thinks: School Stinks, by Hotlegs, released two years earlier. The vinyl record inside was wrapped in a pair of panties, though this was later discontinued as the paper panties were found to be flammable.[4] The actual desk photographed for the album cover is on display in the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B– [5] |
| Rolling Stone | (mixed) [6] |
Ian Chapman has put forward a theory that it was a concept album about youth lost when leaving school.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "School's Out" | Alice Cooper, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith | 3:30 |
| 2. | "Luney Tune" | Cooper, Dunaway | 3:44 |
| 3. | "Gutter Cat vs. the Jets" | Buxton, Dunaway, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim | 4:40 |
| 4. | "Street Fight" (Instrumental) | Cooper, Buxton, Bruce, Dunaway, Smith | 0:55 |
| 5. | "Blue Turk" | Cooper, Bruce | 5:34 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Stars" | Cooper, Bob Ezrin | 5:49 |
| 2. | "Public Animal #9" | Cooper, Bruce | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Alma Mater" | Smith | 4:27 |
| 4. | "Grande Finale" (Instrumental) | Cooper, Buxton, Bruce, Dunaway, Bob Ezrin, Smith, Mack David, Elmer Bernstein | 4:26 |
Personnel
Alice Cooper band
- Alice Cooper – vocals
- Glen Buxton – lead guitar
- Michael Bruce – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
- Dennis Dunaway – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Neal Smith – drums, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Bob Ezrin – keyboards
- Dick Wagner – lead guitar on "My Stars"
- Wayne Andre – trombone on "Blue Turk"
References
- Prato, Greg. "School's Out - Alice Cooper | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- "Canadian RPM Top Albums: Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1972-08-12. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- "Canadian RPM Top Singles Chart - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1972-08-26. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- Alice Cooper and Kent Zimmerman, Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's Life and 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict, Random House, 2008, p. 97
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- "Alice Cooper - School's Out (1972) album review by Ben Gerson (28.9.1972)". Rolling Stone.
- Ian Chapman (12 Mar 2018). Experiencing Alice Cooper: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 30. ISBN 1442257717.
