Alice Cooper is reuniting with his original bandmates for the first time in 50 years. In celebration, it was only fitting to highlight one of their records for the May edition. The band originally formed in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1968. After members of the band came and went, Vincent Furnier, known as Alice Cooper, has remained constant. But, before original members left and new ones took their places, the original members of Cooper, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith released arguably their most popular record, 1972’s School’s Out.
The entire record is only nine songs and has a shorter-than-normal run time of 37 minutes. But in those 37 minutes, the group rattles nerves and creates a beautiful rock and roll anthem that has been playing over a radio station for the last 50-plus years. While Cooper is the voice of the band, he doesn’t overshadow the other four and their contributions to the music.
The record starts off with the title song. Since its release, every kid has played this song in June when their school lets out for the summer. While the lyrics of “school’s been blown to pieces” come across as comical, the actual music is anything but. The marvelous Bob Ezrin produced this record and was able to capture each member perfectly. Ezrin also captured the perfectly on the entire record. Dunaway and Smith found nice little pockets of rhythm to build upon, so the anthem comes full swing throughout the entire song. What strikes me as unique for this album is the trade-off between Cooper singing and him allowing room for the guitars to solo and wail away. It’s impossible not to listen to this song more than once.
On track two, “Luney Tune,” the unsettling intro of instrumentals greets listeners. This three-and-a-half-minute song is a complete 180 from the feelings of “School’s Out.” Cooper inflicts discomfort, creepiness and uncomfortable calmness throughout this song. It’s obvious now in 2025, but Ezrin is a musical genius. The use of the orchestra on this song and horns to add a deeper depth of sound brings more complexity. It almost feels like there is too much going on that you aren’t able to ever get comfortable while listening to this track. This is very close to what a horror movie would feel like if it were a rock and roll record.
Track three, “Gutter Cat vs. The Jets,” opens with another unsettling bass line from Dunaway. This is before the rest of the band kicks in to bring more of a jump to the song. At first, when fans were listening to this song, I’m sure they were taken aback by the rendition of “Jet Song” from West Side Story. Could it have been a possible foreshadowing of when Cooper participated in the Jesus Christ Superstar album? “Gutter Cat vs. The Jets” is a fun little tune that’s interpreted as being in a gang or friend group in high school, masked as Jets vs. Sharks.
“Street Fight” is a quick bass and drum-led song that helps the record transition to song five, “Blue Turk.” This song is another Cooper “left of field” tune due to the trombone and saxophone. If you’re listening to the song and don’t pay close attention to the lyrics, it might not pop out to you just how bizarre the lyrics are. “It tastes like roses on your breath but graveyards on your soul” brings frightening imagery to listeners. On this song, the band jams and goes down a more jazz alleyway before the ending.
“My Stars” brings the band back to a regular, meat-and-potatoes rock and roll song. This song is one of the longer ones on the record, as it clocks in at just under six minutes. There’s a rawness to the entire production of this song. From Smith being slightly behind the beat to the guitars of Buxton and Bruce fading in and out, there’s a nastiness at the core. Classic Ezrin is heard in the foreground as he incorporates more piano to add texture. Ezrin would continue to use this method on another band with big aspirations, Kiss, on their 1976 record, Destroyer.
Some fans interpret School’s Out as a concept record, while others don’t as much. But, it’s undeniable that there is a loose theme of school and other references to education. It, at the very least, loosely makes the record a concept record. “Public Animal #9” again loosely attaches recess activities to Cooper being a juvenile delinquent and a “lifer in the state penitentiary.” The band covers this song over a catchy clap-along call and response of the title of the song before quickly moving on.
“Alma Mater” would be the Hyde to “School’s Out” Jekyll. “Alma Mater” is a much slower and calmer piece of music compared to the fast anthem of “School’s Out.” Of all the songs on the record, “Alma Mater” would probably be the most underrated song on the entire record. I think what makes this song so underrated is that on most Cooper songs, fans can’t relate to much of his songs. This might be because of their shocking content. But on “Alma Mater,” people relate to finally being released from a place they’ve been dying to get out of, but finally realizing they don’t want to leave as much as they thought.
What I wish more bands would do is fade music into the next song. The transition from the end of “Alma Mater” into the final song, “Grande Finale,” is seamless. If you want to hear a true masterpiece at fading into and out of songs, listen to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, or The Wall. As the title goes, “Grande Finale” is just that. It runs through a quick instrumental of songs on the record before coming to an end.
The Alice Cooper group struck another magnificent record with 1972’s School’s Out. It would take two more records after School’s Out before the end of the original lineup. But, School’s Out was right in the middle of five legendary records from the band. If you put School’s Out up against any of the original band’s work or any other Alice Cooper record, it’ll come out on top. When you mix in the musicianship of the band with Ezrin’s producing, you get one masterful record.
Rating: 8/10
Tracklist:
1. School’s Out
2. Luney Tune
3. Gutter Cat vs. The Jets
4. Street Fight
5. Blue Turk
6. My Stars
7. Public Animal #9
8. Alma Mater
9. Grande Finale
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My love for live music started with my first concert ever, Guns N’ Roses back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been able to capture photos of some amazing artists like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Ace Frehley, and Post Malone. I am based in New York/New Jersey and go to school in Connecticut majoring in Journalism and I am always looking for the next concert to attend.
