Alice Cooper - Muscle Of Love - 1973 Studio Version

This video, for the purpose of music history and education, is a tribute to the Alice Cooper band's career in the '60s and '70s. In 2011 they were deservedly inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. "Muscle Of Love" was released on their same-titled album in 1973. It was written by Alice and Michael Bruce.

The Alice Cooper band emerged through several incarnations before becoming the very successful line-up in the early '70s. In 1964 Vince Furnier (aka Alice), with several fellow high school students from Cortez High School in Phoenix, AZ started a group called The Earwigs; they were Vince, Dennis Dunaway (bass), Glen Buxton (guitar), John Tatum (rhythm guitar), and John Speer (drums). At first they couldn't play instruments but won a talent contest mimicking Beatles songs. Quickly learning instruments they renamed themselves The Spiders using a spider web as a stage backdrop. In 1965 they released a single "Why Don't You Love Me" (a Blackwells cover) which Vince learning the harmonica for this song.

In 1966 Michael Bruce replaced Tatum on rhythm guitar and the band had a local #1 radio hit "Don't Blow Your Mind." In 1967 they renamed themselves as The Nazz producing a couple more singles until discovering that Todd Rundgren already had a band of that name. At this time Neal Smith replaced Speer on drums and in 1968 they renamed themselves as the Alice Cooper Band. This line-up decided to be a uniquely styled band in contrast to the many psychedelic or "hippie" bands of the late '60s employing creative, spontaneous, glam outfits made by Dunaway's wife Cindy, and at times shocking stage shows. Their Toronto '69 concert which was videotaped shows their wild performance art and how Alice interacted with the band and audience in a way US audiences had not seen before.

Their first album Pretties For You, released in '69, wasn't very successful nor was their second album Easy Action in 1970. But in 1970 with new producer Bob Ezrin they had their first successful hit with "I'm Eighteen" on their 1971 album Love It Death, which eventually went Platinum. More good things were to come. During this time their shows moved in the direction of the familiar macabre, villainous figures with guillotines, dolls, snakes, and Alice's drippy black eye make-up. In '71 they had hits with "Under My Wheels" and "Be My Lover" from their album Killer, which too went Platinum. In the summer of '72 they released their School's Out album with its unique record cover and it went to #2 on the US Billboard chart. The same-titled single was their first biggest hit at #7 on the US charts.

Their success continued with their '73 album Billion Dollar Babies reaching #1 on the US album charts and went Platinum. Their '73 tour broke records previously held by the Rolling Stones. Their theatrics proved to be a wise decision but their catchy riffs, melodic and memorable lyrics on their hit singles proved they were not just a show. The album Muscle Of Love was the last album with this classic line-up produced by Jack Douglas and Jack Richardson which went Gold. The song "Muscle Of Love" also appeared on their Platinum '74 Greatest Hits album.

Their '71-'74 albums, four of them Platinum on the Warner Brothers label, cemented this group as a formidable force and original band of the early '70s. Sadly in 1974 they disbanded. Alice went on to have great success with Welcome To My Nightmare in 1975, also produced by Bob Ezrin. Today the former original band members remain musicians in their own right and have contributed to Alice's forthcoming Welcome2MyNightmare. Glen Buxton, who is on Rolling Stone magazine's All-Time Top 100 Guitarists list, sadly died October 19, 1997 at 50 yrs-old. RIP Glen.

The music in this video is the property of Warner Music Group and its subsidiaries. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

Check out alicecooper.com for much more information.
This is where they began: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RGiCNd1a8U
The Spider's hit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dtu8gNmkZ8&playnext=1&list=PL13656DDA...
Toronto Concert '69: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOl_QcVIpWM

The music in this video is the property of Warner Music Group and its subsidiaries. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

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[ttt1978again]

I have every picture here in my scrap book! No joke. I was 13 at my first concert and it was Alice Cooper Olympia Stadium Detroit Mi. 1975

[Grendelmonster8u]

@ttt1978again Great, wish I could see your scrapbook. I was a fan at 9 in 1975 but my parents weren't letting us go to rock concerts at that point. I've seen them on DVDs. ):

[ttt1978again]

I have every picture here in my scrap book! No joke.

[Fettparaply]

Great collection of photos!

[Grendelmonster8u]

@samsmumable True, I didn't know many girls who were into AC at my age. We had an AC club in elementary school & my sister & I were the only girls. They had them in their audiences, but it was more guys. Saw a few magazine photos then, pictures in albums, but all this stuff online re-opened a whole new appreciation of what I was too young to see then. Back then young kids didn't get to go to rock concerts much...not family-friendly then. Lol. AC fan guys I meet today luv meeting girl AC fans.

[samsmumable]

@Grendelmonster8u uploads of Blue Coupe. I ;d like to have a look at them. I;d say ACband were very male orientated, and macho despite that beautiful hair (Neal and Dennis) :) Glen looked a bit wilder, I think. Anyway, any more news or pictures would be much appreciated xxx I have joined the Blog thing on DDs webpage but not sure how it works, to be honest! I wish there had been this much fan stuff available when I was 12, I wouldn never have left him alone!

[Grendelmonster8u]

@samsmumable Lol. The song? At 8 yrs-old I didn't quite get the "muscle of love" part, but the gist of the song, yes. They wrote all these coming of age songs (no pun intended) mostly re guys. Maybe we we're corrupted. I have 2 uploads of Dennis in recent times with Blue Coupe, then he's got his 5th Ave Vampires band. There was that 4D show at Battersea Station this yr, and Alice joined the Foo Fighters on stage in July at Milton Keynes Bowl. Well, they FINALLY got into the RRHOF. Too long. (:

[samsmumable]

@Grendelmonster8u horny girls :) I love Dennis's face - those high cheekbones and the wide eyes. and the long hair :) 'sigh' . Anyway. thanks for the info about the codes. it worked :)

[Grendelmonster8u]

@samsmumable Codes? Do you mean the link I put for that starts off with 'watch'? If so, just copy and paste that after the slash that follows youtube dot com. Look at the URL address at the top of this page...delete the current 'watch' part and paste in what I put in my comment. Hope that helps.

[samsmumable]

i am having trouble replying to your personal messages. I will try and have a look at the photo - and DD's blog. He was my favourite Alice Cooper member :) The programme I watched was  US show posted here in 5 parts. very good, interviews with Bob Ezrin, etc, and Alice's wife etc. And yes, I have seen clips of the shows when he was really drunk. I had to turn them off! The band was still hot and functioning well, it seemed anway. How do you open stuff that is just codes?