Billion Dollar Babies Battle Axe 2019 REUNION (ex-Alice Cooper Group)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by NightHider, Jul 11, 2019.

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  1. NightHider

    NightHider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oak Creek Canyon
    Looks like Dunaway, Bruce and Smith will be headlining at the Fore 'n' Aft Benefit Concert as their post AC Group incarnation Billion Dollar Babies on Sep 28th 2019 in Conneticut.

    Fore'n'Aft Reunion - Bands

    I was surprised I couldn't find a thread dedicated to this album here, maybe I missed it. This record gets regular spins at my place despite the shrillness of the botched vinyl master cutting(which Michael Bruce himself has discussed details of in a couple of interviews over the years). I believe he said the vinyl was recalled shortly after release but when the tour tanked early on, the recutting was dropped and the band broke up.

    There was a 3-CD set titled Complete Battle Axe released in 2001 featuring the album(mastered from the lousy vinyl), demo recordings, and a live(bootleg-quality) recording of one of the shows released but it was quickly pulled for whatever reason. It was still a worthwhile effort for collectors and fans of the band.

    Billion Dollar Babies - Complete Battle Axe

    The only other CD's for this album that I know of are also bootleg vinyl rips. I really wish the tapes could located/remastered so we could have this album in it's intended quality.

    Anyway, while I can't make it to CT for the show, I hope to see/hear some live recording of the band in action playing these rare tracks. I am glad the guys are still revisiting their legacy after the disappointing 'only 4 new songs /UK encore set only' AC Group reunion activity for Paranormal. I guess Coop thinks we'd rather hear more from Hollywood Vampires instead.

    Feel free to discuss any aspect of the album, vinyl, 3-CD set, tour or band members in this thread!!
     
  2. tages

    tages Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I would love to witness this - what a great band they were.

    [​IMG]
    (Photo taken 6th March, 1971 – Virginia Rock Theater, Alexandria, Virginia).
     
  3. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    It was the worst mastering I ever heard in that year for an album I looked forward to. The mix might not have been great either.

    God, look at that '71 shot of the band. So effortlessly reeking of rock & roll.
     
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  4. NightHider

    NightHider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oak Creek Canyon
    [​IMG]
     
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  5. NightHider

    NightHider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oak Creek Canyon
    Wonder if Mike Marconi will join them? He played with Dennis' Blue Coupe and has always talked enthusiastically about B$B in interviews over the years...

    [​IMG]
     
  6. ericc2000

    ericc2000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tulsa, OK, USA
    I love this album! I’ve noticed that there are two different mixes for this album. The mix that’s on the promotional album and the mix on the regular album sold in stores. The regular version sounds like it was recorded in a well. The promo version is a lot dryer, and quieter. Also, the promo mix was mastered by good ole Robert Ludwig. Check it out if you get a chance!
     
  7. intv7

    intv7 Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    I'm gonna try to make it to CT. I saw Dennis, Neal and Michael play together a couple years ago at Chiller Theatre and it was fantastic.

    I love Battle Axe, though I recognize it's a very flawed effort. I got the three of them to sign a copy about 20 years ago at a Kiss convention, of all places. I was also fortunate enough to find the 3-CD set before it got pulled. I think there was some question over rights, if I recall. I believe Mike Bruce provided the label with the tapes, and I forget if it was ownership of the album proper, the unreleased songs, or both, that were disputed.
     
  8. TheLoveDrags

    TheLoveDrags Forum Resident

  9. Spitfire

    Spitfire Senior Member

    Location:
    Pacific Northwest
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  10. Doggiedogma

    Doggiedogma "Think this is enough?" "Uhh - nah. Go for broke."

    Location:
    Barony of Lochmere
    This pic is funny to me -
    Marconi in football pads inside a boxing/wrestling ring - so wth!? What was the purpose of that stage set/prop? Did he box/wrestle a kangaroo or did the band do a Battle Royal at the end of the show?
     
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  11. tages

    tages Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I've got a UK pressing of BATTLE AXE and I need to give it a good cleaning and listen again, I remember enjoying it but wishing Alice had added his lyrics and vibe to it. That band really was something special.

    Tell me about it!

    [​IMG]
     
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  12. NightHider

    NightHider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oak Creek Canyon
    For those not aware, there was a 'space age gladiator' battle segment that closed the show. The weapons were battle axe shaped guitars as seen in the album cover art. The last couple of tracks on the album were written for and played over the battle. Has long been held up as rebuttal to Cooper's press claims that the band split because the guys wanted to get away from theatrics in the show.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2019
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  13. TheLoveDrags

    TheLoveDrags Forum Resident

    I don't know, sorry...
     
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  14. Rocketdog

    Rocketdog Senior Member

    Location:
    ME, USA
    Marconi wasn't the singer in the band, though. He was only the lead guitarist. Micheal Bruce did all the lead vocals, so wouldn't this be him?
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2019
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  15. Rocketdog

    Rocketdog Senior Member

    Location:
    ME, USA
    I've only ever been able to find white label promo copies of the vinyl, and they sound kind of shrill. I used to have an 8-track back in the day, but it was so long ago, I barely remember if it was any kind of improvement over the vinyl. I have a silver CD in a mini album replica case that may or may not be a bootleg - if so, it's incredibly well done - and it does sound better than my vinyl copies. Was never able to pick a copy of the 3CD set before it disappeared.
     
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  16. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Perhaps I am out of my mind, but I found the dvd-a to be very good.

    [​IMG]
    More Images

    Alice Cooper ‎– Billion Dollar Babies
    Label:
    Warner Bros. Records ‎– 8122-76663-9, Rhino Entertainment Company ‎– R9 76663
    Format:
    DVD, DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, Multichannel, Album, Reissue
    Country:
    Europe
    Released:
    2002
    Genre:
    Rock
    Style:
    Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Glam

    Tracklist
    1 Hello Hooray
    2 Raped And Freezin'
    3 Elected
    4 Billion Dollar Babies
    5 Unfinished Sweet
    6 No More Mr. Nice Guy
    7 Generation Landslide
    8 Sick Things
    9 Mary Ann
    10 I Love The Dead
    Bonus Tracks
    11 Hello Hooray (Live 1973)
    12 Billion Dollar Babies (Live 1973)
    13 Elected (Live 1973)
    14 No More Mr. Nice Guy (Live 1973)
    15 I Love The Dead (Live 1973)
    Bonus Video Selection
    16 Elected
    17 Audio Interview With Alice
    18 Photo Gallery And Lyrics

    Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies

    I think Billion Dollar Babies was a great album. As much as I like all the original Alice Cooper band albums. Babies to me is the pinnacle of that era.
     
  17. vinyl diehard

    vinyl diehard Two-Channel Forever

    I don’t know if AC said that personally, but I know during an interview with BDB they said that AC wanted to continue heavy with the theatrical theme, but they wanted to get back to the basics. I bought the album on release and that interview stuck with me. But who really knows. Seems all he said they said at this point.
     
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  18. NightHider

    NightHider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oak Creek Canyon
    Not to divert this into a breakup thread(as there's already a great, highly detailed thread on that here at SHF) but Coop did cite this as a reason in the 1991 Alice Cooper Prime Cuts video interview when asked about the breakup, seen here starting at the 49 minute mark. Not sure if this was the first occurence of this statement, but it almost surely incited a new round of questioning in the Bruce, Dunaway, and Smith interviews that followed.

    Alice Cooper Prime Cuts – смотреть видео онлайн в Моем Мире | николай жарков

    I've always thought it was probably most likely some Shep spin seeded on the incident of one (or more) of the guys who showed up at the WTMN rehearsals and seeing the dancing spiders and such and commenting that they felt that it was a little much/a little too hokey even by AC band standards. After reading all the books and interviews over the years, I've felt that the breakup was probably more orchestrated than circumstantial, based of course on the then current condition of the band and band relations.

    Is that BDB interview stating 'back to basics' out there anywhere in print or video? I've never to see any press from the time other than what's been written in band members memoirs.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2019
  19. vinyl diehard

    vinyl diehard Two-Channel Forever

    I wish I still had the mag the article was in. I held onto my back issues for a long time before I finally decided to stop dragging them around with me. I was buying Circus and Circus Raves constantly, so it was almost certainly in one of those issues.
     
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  20. NightHider

    NightHider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oak Creek Canyon
    Bummer! Those would be great to flip thru all these years later!!
     
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  21. NightHider

    NightHider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oak Creek Canyon
    Fyi - this thread is about Billion Dollar Babies, the band that was formed after the original Alice Cooper Group broke up. Members of Billion Dollar Babies were Dunaway, Smith, Bruce and Mike Marconi filling in for an 'ailing' Glen Buxton.

    Their debut album called Battle Axe was released in 1977 with a subsequent tour that lasted only 4 shows before it all imploded, citedly due to lack of funds, poor promotion/booking and a botched vinyl LP release.
     
  22. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    my apologies
     
  23. NightHider

    NightHider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oak Creek Canyon
    That's alright, it's an easy mistake to make with this band! Be sure and check out the album Battle Axe if you haven't already, it's said to include songs that were to make up the next Alice Cooper album, had they not disbanded.

    Cooper even included the Billion Dollar Babies credited song titled I Miss You from Battle Axe on his 1999 'The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper' boxset!
     
  24. NightHider

    NightHider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oak Creek Canyon
    My apologies for leaving Bob Dolin (keys) out of the above list of band members!!
    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
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  25. vinyl diehard

    vinyl diehard Two-Channel Forever

    I remember being disappointed that Glen wasn’t in the band.
     
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