Now we come to the end of the original release of the '
Billion Dollar Babies' album
Track #9 is '
Mary Ann' which is a regular piano-led jazz-era showtune. It's so normal that it's almost creepy. ... In fact you're lead to feel a little strange about it just because you're still a little weirded out by the previous track
It was originally written as a Vietnam protest song! The lyrics went something like this:
"Uncle Sam, I'm really sad about you
indeed I am
I just can't be around you
Uncle Sam I thought you were...a man."
Alice Cooper - Vocals
Neal Smith - Drums and Vocals
Dennis Dunaway - Bass and Vocals
Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar
Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Piano and Organ
09/10 - Mary Ann (Bruce, Cooper)
"Mary-Ann, I'm really crazy 'bout you
Do what I can
I just can't live without you
Mary-Ann, Mary-Ann.
Mary-Ann, my life was built around you.
Stars and sand, your eyes were pools of laughter
Mary-Ann, I thought you were my man. "
The final song on the album is '
I Love The Dead', which is a song about necrophilia!
The song is still part of the live set, and tends to get played immediately after the execution
10/10- I Love The Dead (Ezrin, Cooper)
"I love the dead before they're cold
Their blueing flesh for me to hold
Cadaver eyes upon me see... nothing
I love the dead before they rise
No farewells, no goodbyes
I never even knew your now rotting face
While friends and lovers mourn your silly grave
I have other uses for you Darling
La la la la la la la la la la la la la
Da da da da da da da da da da da da dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead so
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
I love the dead
(Da ga dang, dang ga dang ding dong)
I, I love the dead
I, I love the dead
I, I love the dead
I love the dead before they're cold
Their blueing flesh for me to hold
Cadaver eyes upon me see...
Nothing"
The 'Billion Dollar Babies' tour started out as a project called 'Alice At The Palace'. It was going to be a Broadway type production, choreographed by 'Follies' star Michael Bennet, at the Palace Theatre but the Palace pulled out. They changed the venue a 1700 seater Broadway Theatre for five day in mid-February 1972 but that was canceled too. According to the bands manager Joe Greenberg, this because too many ticket requests were received to make it feasible. He said that without any advertising, they had received 33,000 requests for tickets and couldn't guarantee security if irate fans descended on the Theatre. In the end the 'Billion Dollar Babies' US tour began instead. The 'Alice At The Palace' idea continued to be talked about for a few years to come but never happened
This was the first tour to feature the guillotine as the method of execution
There was a new snake for this tour: Eva Marie Snake!
A DVD of this tour, entitled 'Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper' is available
In addition to the usual band members, the tour featured:
Mick Mashbir - guitar
Bob Dolin - keyboards
Cindy Smith - Giant Tooth
The Amazing Randi - Dentist, Executioner
'Richard M. Dixon' - Richard Nixon (At some shows a Richard Nixon lookalike walked on stage only to be beaten up by the band and carried off while still smiling and flashing peace signs)
A sample setlist for the 'Billion Dollar Babies' tour consisted of:
- Hello Hooray
- Billion Dollar Babies
- Elected
- I'm Eighteen
- Raped and Freezin'
- No More Mr. Nice Guy
- My Stars
- Unfinished Sweet
- (Night on bald mountain-tape)
- Sick Things
- Dead Babies
- I Love The Dead
- (Night on bald mountain-tape)
- School's Out
- Under My Wheels