Alice Cooper Group (July 28 1973) – “School Days: The Early Recordings” Advert – New Musical Express

Jul 28, 1973

2 min read

This New Musical Express advertisement from July 1973 promotes Alice Cooper’s double album School Days: The Early Recordings. The striking red‑and‑black design highlights the band’s theatrical image and the compilation’s focus on their formative years, marketed as a “smashing double album £2.99.”

Publication: New Musical Express Date: July 28 1973 Country: United Kingdom

THE STORY

The full‑page advert features a vivid red image of Alice Cooper surrounded by band members, with a coiled snake motif extending downward — a visual echo of the group’s shock‑rock iconography.

The chalk‑style typography scrawled across the dark background reads “Alice Cooper,” “School Days,” and “The Early Recordings,” giving the layout a rebellious, graffiti‑like aesthetic.

The Warner Bros. logo appears at the bottom left, alongside the handwritten slogan “Smashing Double Album £2.99p.” The album itself compiled tracks from the band’s early releases, offering fans a retrospective look at their evolution before mainstream success. The advert’s design captures the raw, provocative energy that defined Alice Cooper’s stage persona and visual branding during the early 1970s.

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS Event: Advertisement for School Days: The Early Recordings double album Era: 1973 –Shock Rock / Billion Dollar Babies Period

Tone: Promotional, rebellious, and visually striking

Photography: Stylised red portrait of Alice Cooper and band members with snake illustration

CONTEXT AND NOTES

By mid‑1973, Alice Cooper had become synonymous with theatrical rock, following the success of School’s Out and Billion Dollar Babies.

School Days: The Early Recordings served as a reminder of the band’s origins, appealing to both new fans and collectors.

The chalk‑board motif and snake imagery reinforced Cooper’s association with school‑themed rebellion and dark humour — themes central to his public image. This advert exemplifies the era’s bold graphic style, where typography and symbolism were used to convey attitude as much as information.

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