It’s a big day for Alice Cooper, as the legendary shock rocker has announced deluxe expanded reissues of classic albums Killer (1971) and School’s Out (1972) after revealing the tentative title for his upcoming studio LP.
The reissues are set to arrive June 9th via Rhino on 2-CD and 3-LP formats and will feature remastered audio of the original album tracks, rare recordings, and previously unreleased era-specific concerts. As a teaser, an unearthed live take of “Be My Lover” recorded at a Miami concert in ’72 can be streamed below now.
The Killer deluxe edition adds three alternate studio versions of “You Drive Me Nervous,” “Under My Wheels,” and “Dead Babies.” The collection also houses a previously unreleased live recording of the band’s performance at the Mar Y Sol Pop Festival in Puerto Rico on April 2, 1972 — a few months before Alice Cooper hit the studio to make School’s Out. The set is centric to songs from Killer, though a run through of “Public Animal #9” previewed its follow-up.
“Listening to Killer again after all these years to write these notes was rewarding because, like The Beatles and Elvis, it’s gratifying to realize I ended up ‘wasting’ my life on something that, even in retrospect, really was that great,” writes former Creem editor Bill Holdship in the liner notes. “Fifty years later, Killer remains a perfect — perfect! — rock ’n’ roll record.”
As for the deluxe School’s Out, the original tracklist is bolstered by the single versions of “School’s Out” and “Gutter Cat vs. The Jets” and two previously unreleased tracks: an alternate version of “Alma Mater” and an early demo for “Elected,” which would later appear on Billion Dollar Babies in 1973. An unreleased live set is also included, this one recorded at the aforementioned concert in Miami on May 27, 1972 — just a few weeks before the School’s Out sessions.
Cooper fans and record collectors will be happy to know that the vinyl editions of each reissue will replicate the packaging of the original LPs. For Killer, that means the gatefold sleeve opens to reveal a detachable 1972 calendar with a photo of Cooper in the gallows. Meanwhile, the cover of School’s Out looks like a wooden school desk, which opens to reveal the record wrapped in a pair of panties. The band stopped including the infamous underwear following a controversy as to whether or not they were flammable (the pair in the reissue are thankfully not a fire hazard).
In other news, Cooper has teased the tentative title of his forthcoming Bob Ezrin-produced studio album, the follow-up to 2021’s Detroit Stories. Right now, he’s settled on the one-word title “Road.”
“I think it’s gonna be called Road, because this is the band that’s on the road,” Cooper recently explained to SiriusXM host Tommy London (via Blabbermouth), referencing the fact that the LP is being recorded with his touring band, “and most of the songs are about the road.”
It’s certainly relevant subject matter, as Cooper and his band have a slew of North American tour dates in 2023. A spring leg kicks off Saturday (April 29th) in Youngstown, Ohio, followed by a run with Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe this summer and a co-headlining trek with Rob Zombie in August and September. Tickets to Alice Cooper’s upcoming shows are available here.
Pre-order the Killer and School’s Out deluxe edition reissues via Rhino. Below you can stream the 1972 live take of “Be My Lover” and see the tracklist for each edition.
Killer Deluxe Edition Contents:
Killer Deluxe Edition 3-LP Tracklist:
LP1: Original Album Remastered
Side One
01. “Under My Wheels”
02. “Be My Lover”
03. “Halo Of Flies”
04. “Desperado”
Side Two
01. “You Drive Me Nervous”
02. “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”
03. “Dead Babies”
04. “Killer”
LP2: Live at Mar Y Sol Pop Festival, Puerto Rico (April 2, 1972)
Side One
01. “Be My Lover” *
02. “You Drive Me Nervous” *
03. “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” *
04. “I’m Eighteen” *
Side Two
01. “Halo Of Flies” *
02. “Is It My Body?” *
LP3: Live at Mar Y Sol Pop Festival, Puerto Rico (April 2, 1972)
Side One
01. “Dead Babies” *
02. “Killer” *
03. “Long Way To Go” *
Side Two
01. “Under My Wheels” *
02. “You Drive Me Nervous” (Alternate Version)
03. “Under My Wheels” (Alternate Version)
04. “Dead Babies” (Alternate Version)
School’s Out Deluxe Edition Contents:
School’s Out Deluxe Edition 3-LP Tracklist:
LP1: Original Album Remastered
Side One
01. “School’s Out”
02. “Luney Tune”
03. “Gutter Cat vs. The Jets”
04. “Street Fight” (Instrumental)
05. “Blue Turk”
Side Two
01. “My Stars”
02. “Public Animal #9”
03. “Alma Mater”
04. “Grande Finale” (Instrumental)
LP2: Live in Miami, FL (May 27, 1972)
Side One
01. “Be My Lover” *
02. “You Drive Me Nervous” *
03. “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” *
04. “I’m Eighteen” *
Side Two
01. “Halo Of Flies” *
02. “Dead Babies” *
03. “Killer” *
LP3: Live in Miami, FL (May 27, 1972)
Side One
01. “Long Way To Go”*
02. “School’s Out” *
03. “Is It My Body?” *
Side Two: Studio Extras
01. “School’s Out” (Single Version)
02. “Gutter Cat” (Single Version)
03. “Alma Mater” (Alternate Version) *
04. “Elected” (Early Take) *
* = Previously Unreleased