Alice Cooper

The fact that "I'm Eighteen" is on here makes it one of the landmark records of the 1970s, but toss in "Hallowed Be Thy Name," the admittedly cartoonish but still awesome "Ballad Of Dwight Fry" and the title rocker and it only gets better. Most importantly, "Caught In A Dream" shows how much smarter Vincent Damon Furnier was than anyone gave him credit for at the time.

[It came on the radio in the late afternoon and from the first note it was right: Alice Cooper
bringing it all back home again. God it's beautiful it is the most reassuring thing that has
happened in this year of the Taylor Family...] Ever since they ceased to be the Nazz, a
fairly normal Yardbirds/Who derivation in the manner of Count V, and became instead
Frank Zappa's vision of American youth's sexual uncertainties gone berserk, Ali... More >

Never would have figured this theatre type to come up with it, but he did--"I'm Eighteen," as archetypal a hard rock single as you're liable to hear in this flaccid year, or maybe ever. Almost as surprising, guitarist Mike Bruce surrounds it with the anthemic "Caught in a Dream" and "Long Way to Go." After which drummer Dennis Dunaway gives forth with "Black Juju," which lasts four seconds longer than all three of the above combined. (Grade - B-)