Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper - Live 1973 - Billion Dollar Babies Tour
They billed it as "the film that outgrosses them all," but if some of the antics on display inGood To See You Again, Alice Cooper - Live 1973seem fairly mild some thirty years after the fact, that's mainly because people like Marilyn Manson and some of the more lurid punk and metal acts copped many of their moves from Cooper in the first place. This movie, which combines footage from the band'sBillion Dollar Babiesconcert tour with what might charitably be described as a storyline, had a brief theatrical run in the mid-'70s but has been mostly unseen until this DVD release, which features a high definition transfer and a new sound mix. The group (with its namesake singer joined by original members Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton on guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass, and drummer Neal Smith) was in the midst of a nice run of hits at the time; "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "Eighteen," and "School's Out" are all ably performed here, but it's the stage show in all its Grand Guignol glory that's the prime attraction.Clockwork Orange-style violence, necrophilia, decapitation via guillotine, humping mannequins, sticking baby dolls with swords: that and more is on display here, all in the name of what Cooper, whose commentary track is the major bonus feature, describes as "performance art." Well, maybe. Most of it comes off as little more than a hodgepodge of disconnected images--some vile and vulgar, some merely silly--designed to thrill the kids and piss off the parents, which it most certainly did… and ain't that what rock & roll is all about? As for the "story" (something about a crazed film director out for vengeance after Alice ruins his masterpiece) that's intercut with the concert numbers, the best that can be said about it is that viewers have the option of choosing the "play concert only" option.--Sam Graham