Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper
Shout! Factory
Cast: Alice Cooper, Dennis Dunaway, Michael Bruce, Neal Smith, Glen Buxton
Extras: Commentary Track, Deleted Scenes, Gallery, Biographies
Rating:
1973 was the year the world awakened to the shocking antics of Alice Cooper. Parents tried to keep the shock rocker's music out of their children's hands and kids across the world were mesmerized by the man who would take the stage filled with ghouls, who would behead himself during his concerts and beat celebrity puppets to pulp or decapitate dolls. Not to mention all the blood, fog and sexual innuendo. Clearly this was civilization coming to an end for many more conservative observers, creating a landslide of attention pouring over the band and their front man with the skull-like make-up and a live Boa Constrictor draped around his neck.
If you haven't experienced it first-handedly, in today's world it is impossible to understand the impact that Alice Cooper has had on society during his heydays. Unlike many of today's shock rockers, Alice Cooper has actually had something to say about coming-of-age and he did it in a witty, funny and intelligent way despite his gruesome theatrics. It is certainly one of the reasons why he is celebrating success to this day, though on a smaller scale.
"Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper" is a concert film from his notorious 1973 Billion Dollar Babies Tour that shocked the nation. Spiced up with skits by the band the film features 12 live renditions of Alice Cooper hits, as well as a studio version of "The Lady Is A Tramp" as part of the opening skit. Highlights of the show are, of course, songs like "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "Elected," "I'm Eighteen," "Billion Dollar Babies," and "School's Out" among many others. Combined with the visuals of Alice's stage show this is a feast for Alice Cooper fans of old.
Shout! Factory is presenting the film in its original 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio in a wonderful anamorphic transfer that is virtually free of blemishes. While the material is grainy at times it is a limitation of the original production, of course, given the difficult lighting conditions of the live show. Black levels are solid and show great definition while highlights are clean and clear.
The DVD contains the original stereo audio track of the movie as well as a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital remix that is well-balanced and expands the sound field quite a bit, adding bass and ambient surround to the mix.
Additionally the release contains a commentary track by Alice Cooper. The track starts out very slow with Alice not saying much but once the opening titles start rolling he falls into a much more conversational pattern and he begins to reveal a lot of information about the music, the show, the band, his career, and of course his alter ego, Alice Cooper. He is making fun of himself as much as other people, making it an entertaining track, after all.
Ass extras the release also contains deleted scenes and outtakes as well as a poster gallery.
"Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper" is a wonderful trip back down memory lane that is wonderfully reproduced on this DVD. As a fan of old, I treasure this DVD very much and the addition of Alice's commentary track adds even more value to the release as he offers such a lot of personal insight in his performance. Thank you, Alice Cooper, it is, in fact, great to see you again!
