Love It to Death

Infobox Album | Name = Love It to Death
Type = Album
Artist = Alice Cooper


Released = January, 1971
Recorded = 1970-1971
Genre = Rock, hard rock, heavy metal, garage rock, glam rock, shock rock
Length = 37:21
Label = Straight
Warner Brothers
Producer = Bob Ezrin
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:99b8b5b4tsqj link]
*"Rolling Stone" (favorable) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/alicecooper/albums/album/171721/review/5944108/love_it_to_death link]
*Robert Christgau (B-) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=alice+cooper link]
Last album = "Easy Action"
(1970)
This album = "Love It to Death"
(1971)
Next album = "Killer"
(1971)

"Love It to Death" is a 1971 album by Alice Cooper. Hits include "Ballad of Dwight Fry", "Is it My Body", and one of Cooper's trademark songs, "I'm Eighteen". This was the album that brought the Alice Cooper band to the mainstream. Much credit is generally given to producer Bob Ezrin, cleaning up the band's sound with fresh ideas and making it more accessible, most notably the track, 'I'm Eighteen'. It originally was a much longer song, and in more of a psychedelic vein like the band's first two albums, which contained several longer songs.

The album cover caused much controversy at the time of its release. Early pressings show Cooper's thumb sticking out of his pants, thus giving the illusion that it's his penis. This led Warner Brothers to censor it (four different versions of the front cover exist on LP). Alice Cooper's thumb is clearly airbrushed out on censored versions. The CD release, which hasn't been remastered as of yet, uses the most common LP picture for the booklet cover (see photo). RS500|460 Both "Second Coming" and "Ballad of Dwight Fry" were covered by alternative rock/heavy metal band The Melvins for their album "Lysol".

The first issue of the album was on Straight Records, a company created by Frank Zappa and manager Herb Cohen. By the time the album became a success it had already been re-issued by Warner Bros. Records.

Track listing

# "Caught in a Dream" (Michael Bruce) – 3:10
# "I'm Eighteen" (Alice Cooper, Glen Buxton, Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith) – 3:00
# "Long Way to Go" (Bruce) – 3:04
# "Black Juju" (Dunaway) – 9:11
# "Is It My Body" (Cooper, Buxton, Bruce, Dunaway, Smith) – 2:39
# "Hallowed Be My Name" (Smith) – 2:29
# "Second Coming" (Cooper) – 3:04
# "Ballad of Dwight Fry" (Cooper, Bruce) – 6:33
# "Sun Arise" (Harry Butler, Rolf Harris) – 3:50

Personnel

*Alice Cooper - Vocals
*Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar
*Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards
*Dennis Dunaway - Bass Guitar
*Neal Smith - Drums