antiMusic.com: Billion Dollar Babies - First Ever Live Show

Billion Dollar Babies - First Ever Live Show - Flint 1977

by Kevin Wierzbicki

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When the Alice Cooper band broke up in the mid-1970's, band members Michael Bruce, Neal Smith and Dennis Dunaway formed Billion Dollar Babies and managed to put out one album called Battle Axe before the project fizzled. This release from deep in the archives presents their first-ever live performance, recorded in July 1977 in Flint, Michigan. The recording's sound quality is not the greatest but the performance is pretty good as the guys rip through Battle Axe cuts "I Miss You," "Rock 'n' Roll Radio," stand out track "Love is Rather Blind" and ballad "Rock Me Slowly" before launching into what no doubt many fans came to hear: a selection of Alice Cooper songs. "No More Mr. Nice Guy" begins a medley that also includes "Elected," "I'm Eighteen," a hot take on "School's Out" and a brief drum solo from Smith. By the time the set closes the band had played most of the rest of Battle Axe along with non-album cut "Nights in Cracked Leather." Bruce, the rhythm guitar player during his time with Cooper, is exciting and sharp on lead guitar throughout, sounding especially good on "Battle Axe Suite: Ego Mania." The band dips into the Cooper catalog once again for the raucous set closer "Billion Dollar Babies."

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Billion Dollar Babies - First Ever Live Show - Flint 1977
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