For those of you who didn't get a chance to see the short theatrical run of Super Duper Alice Cooper recently, Banger Films has teamed up with Eagle Rock Entertainment to quickly bring this documentary to fans via the Blu-ray & DVD formats. Super Duper Alice Cooper is the story of one Vincent Furnier, and his alter-ego Alice Cooper. Starting from his childhood in Detroit as a preacher's son, all the way through grade & high school, where the Beatles helped turned his attention to rock 'n' roll, to forming his first band Earwigs after moving to Phoenix, soon becoming The Spiders and then Nazz before eventually morphing into Alice Cooper by the late 1960s. After getting the attention of Frank Zappa, the band was signed to his label Straight Records, and the rest, as they say, is history. With the release of 1971s Love It To Death on Warner Bros., the band, Alice on lead vocals, guitarists Glenn Buxton & Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith, were well on their way to becoming superstars, and the Alice Cooper persona began to take on a life of its own. This film focuses deeply on this period, as the once shy and humble Vince slowly was overtaken by Alice, clearly living the life of the monster/rock star each and every day, dwarfing the rest of the band, becoming larger than life, and developing a serious alcohol addiction in the process. Classic live tour footage is interspersed with vintage interviews as well as current commentary from Alice, as they take you through life on the road and off, in the studio and out, through albums such as Killer, School's Out, Billion Dollar Babies, and the beginning of Alice's solo career with Welcome to My Nightmare.
Things take a darker turn when Alice's alcohol problems get completely out of hand and he is entered into a sanitarium to fight his addiction, which then leads up to the singer telling the story of his recovery through the album From the Inside. The 1980s brings more problems, as Cooper then turns to cocaine and eventually alcohol again, recording numerous album in succession that the singer barely has any recollection of making. After a lengthy hiatus and one last successful stab at sobriety, a clean (to this day) Alice Cooper emerged in 1986 once again on top of the world, the brand of hard rock/glam/metal/shock rock he helped create was all the rage, and Alice returns to lead the charge all over again.
The documentary leaves us there, and as most Alice Cooper fans are well aware, it's been basically smooth sailing for the singer ever since, still going strong today at the age of 66. Well put together by Banger Films (who also gave us Iron Maiden: Flight 666 & Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage), Super Duper Alice Cooper is an insightful, engaging watch for any fan. Much of the live footage has been seen before, but there are some clips pulled from the vaults that will be a great discovery for many. Commentary & interview segments from Alice himself, other members of the original band, Iggy Pop, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Dee Snider, Bob Ezrin, and John Lydon add plenty of insight to the story, and the special features include deleted scenes, rare footage, and more interviews. The Blu-ray quality is great, but your best bet is to get a hold of the deluxe set, which not only includes both Blu-ray & DVD, but also a DVD of the previously unreleased live set from Montreal University in 1972, and a CD of Alice's performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2009. Now that's a box set!
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
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