Today In Rock: April 21st, 1973 – Alice Cooper Is #1

The sixth studio Alice Cooper album became the band’s best-selling record at the time of its release and was certified platinum in 1986 by the Record Industry Association of America.

Mick Mashbir and session musicians Dick Wagner (who became a long-time Cooper accomplice) and Steve Hunter were retained to cover for Buxton, who suffered from alcohol abuse and pancreatitis throughout the sessions. Buxton died in ’97.

Alice Cooper were surprised by their success. “How could we, this band that two years ago was living in the Chambers Brothers’ basement in Watts, be the Number One band in the world, with people throwing money at us,” asked Alice (the frontman) rhetorically. “The whole idea behind the “Billion Dollar Babies” album was exploiting the idea that people do have sick perversions.”