📰Slick Black Limousine – Cover: Feb. 1973
- Alice Cooper Group
- Feb 17, 1973
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 17
A New Musical Express cover‑mounted flexi‑disc featuring Alice Cooper’s “Slick Black Limousine,” issued exclusively with the February 17, 1973 edition.
A striking NME cover showcasing the exclusive Alice Cooper flexi‑disc “Slick Black Limousine,” offered as a free 4:20 single to readers at the height of the Billion Dollar Babies era.
📰 Key Highlights
• Cover‑mounted flexi‑disc on New Musical Express, February 17, 1973
• Features “Slick Black Limousine” — a non‑album track tied to the Billion Dollar Babies campaign
• Flexi includes additional audio snippets and promotional tags
• Part of NME’s high‑profile cover‑gift series
• Marks a major moment in Alice Cooper’s UK promotional cycle
📰 Overview
This NME issue is instantly recognisable for its bold cover: a full‑colour flexi‑disc titled FREE ALICE, featuring “Slick Black Limousine,” attached directly to the front of the magazine. The release coincided with the explosive anticipation surrounding Billion Dollar Babies, positioning the Alice Cooper Group at the centre of the week’s music‑press conversation.
📰 Source Details
Publication / Venue: New Musical Express
Date: February 17, 1973
Issue / Format: Cover + one‑page flexi‑disc feature
Provenance Notes: Part of NME’s promotional flexi‑disc series.
📰 The Story
The February 17, 1973 NME issue is dominated by a unique promotional gesture: a free flexi‑disc glued to the cover, offering readers an exclusive Alice Cooper track, “Slick Black Limousine.” The disc runs 4 minutes and 20 seconds and includes additional audio fragments referencing the Billion Dollar Babies era — a clever blend of music, marketing, and theatrical flair.
The cover design places the flexi at the centre, framed by major headlines including Jethro Tull’s Wembley announcement, Eric Clapton’s touring return, and speculation about Elvis and Colonel Parker. Yet the Alice Cooper disc steals the spotlight, functioning as both a collectible and a statement of the group’s cultural dominance.
Inside, a one‑page feature contextualises the flexi, highlighting:
• the track’s exclusivity
• its connection to the forthcoming Billion Dollar Babies album
• the group’s rising UK profile
• the theatricality and humour embedded in the Cooper brand
The flexi‑disc itself became a sought‑after artefact among fans, representing a moment when NME embraced bold, tactile promotion and Alice Cooper embraced the full spectacle of early‑70s rock marketing.
📰 Visual Archive
“Slick Black Limousine” flexi‑disc cover, New Musical Express, February 17, 1973.
📰 Related Material
Explore the tags below for connected posts and themes
📰 Closing Notes
This NME cover stands as one of the most memorable Alice Cooper promotional moments of 1973 — a fusion of music, marketing, and spectacle that perfectly captured the group’s theatrical identity.
📰 Sources
• New Musical Express, February 17, 1973
• Alice Cooper 1973 promotional chronology
• Contemporary UK press coverage of Billion Dollar Babies
📝 Copyright Notice
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
FREE ALICE SINGLE 4min 20 sec single
THIS FREE SINGLE "Slick Black Limousine" is a world exclusive and was SPECIALLY RECORDED by Alice for New Musical Express as a tribute to readers who voted the band the World's Top in the recent NME Poll
Running time of the single - previewed last week on "Old Grey Whistle Test" is 4 min. - 20 sec. Further time is made up by extracts from the new Alice album released by WEA, "Billion Dollar Babies".
The record is necessarily in flexi-form to assist nationwide distribution with this week's NME. In common with other records of its kind it has limited life but with good equipment first class reproduction is possible. A small weight - perhaps a coin sometimes assists stability
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