Killer is the fourth studio album by American rock band Alice Cooper, released on November 9, 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. The album peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and the two singles "Under My Wheels" and "Be My Lover" reached #49 and #59 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Songs

Cooper said in the liner notes of A Fistful of Alice (1997) and In the Studio with Redbeard, which spotlighted the Killer and Love It to Death (1971) albums, that the song "Desperado" was written about his friend Jim Morrison, who died the year this album was released. According to an NPR radio interview with Alice Cooper, "Desperado" was written about Robert Vaughn's character from the movie The Magnificent Seven (1960). "Halo of Flies" was, according to Cooper's liner notes in the compilation The Definitive Alice Cooper (2001), an attempt by the band to prove that they could perform King Crimson-like progressive rock suites, and was supposedly about a SMERSH-like organisation. "Desperado", along with "Under My Wheels" and "Be My Lover", has appeared on different compilation albums by Cooper. The song "Dead Babies" stirred up some controversy following the album's release, despite the fact that its lyrics conveyed an "anti-child abuse" message.

Reception

Critical reception

Rolling Stones Lester Bangs gave it a favorable review. He explained that "it brings all the elements of the band's approach to sound and texture to a totally integrated pinnacle that fulfills all the promise of their erratic first two albums" and that "each song on [the] album finds him in a different role in the endless movie he is projecting on them." He concluded by calling Alice Cooper "a strong band, a vital band, and they are going to be around for a long, long time." Punk icons Jello Biafra and the Melvins covered the song "Halo of Flies" on their 2005 release Sieg Howdy!. Minneapolis rock band Halo of Flies took their name from this song as well. Rockabilly musicians Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper covered the song "Be My Lover" on their 1986 release Frenzy. Heavy metal band Iced Earth covered the song "Dead Babies" for their 2002 release Tribute to the Gods. Guns N' Roses (featuring Alice Cooper) covered the song "Under My Wheels" on the soundtrack of The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988).

Track listing

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Killer liner notes.

Alice Cooper

  • Alice Cooper – vocals; harmonica
  • Glen Buxton – lead guitar
  • Michael Bruce – rhythm guitar; keyboards; backing vocals
  • Dennis Dunaway – bass guitar; backing vocals
  • Neal Smith – drums; backing vocals

with:

  • Bob Ezrin – keyboards
  • Rick Derringer – additional guitar, "Under My Wheels" and "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"

Charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

! scope="col"| Chart (1971–1972)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)

| align="center"| 22

|-

|-

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

! scope="col"| Chart (2023)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

|-

|-

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

! scope="col"| Chart (2025)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

! scope="row"| Greek Albums (IFPI)

| 59

|}

Certifications

References

  • Alice Cooper Killer Tour Programs