Alice Cooper (July 21 1973) Nasty Alice Is Just Dandy – Review

Publication: Disc Magazine Date: July 21 1973

Country: United Kingdom Section / Page: Reviewed by Disc Panel 

Format: Album Review / Feature Column

Overview

A sharply written Disc review of Alice Cooper’s compilation album School Days (Warner K66021, £2.99). The piece, titled “Nasty Alice Is Just Dandy,” captures the magazine’s irreverent tone and its fascination with Cooper’s chaotic early recordings. It situates the release as a retrospective of the band’s formative years — raw, theatrical, and defiantly unpolished.

Alice Cooper – “School Days” album review titled “Nasty Alice Is Just Dandy,” Disc Magazine, July 21 1973.

“This is the stuff that empties halls quicker than the opening bars of the National Anthem.”

What the Clipping Shows

• Headline: “Nasty Alice Is Just Dandy” in bold block type, dominating the upper half of the page. • Sub‑heading: “Reviewed by Disc Panel.”   • Left column: Full review of School Days, detailing Cooper’s early recordings and their reissue context. • Right column: Black‑and‑white photograph of Alice Cooper performing live, captioned “Alice Cooper … More Free Form.”   • Below: Smaller reviews of other releases — Detroit Emeralds, The Big 3, and Rolf Harris — typical of Disc’s multi‑artist layout. • Typography and layout reflect Disc’s mid‑’70s design: dense text, bold headlines, and candid editorial voice.

The Story Behind It

By mid‑1973, Alice Cooper had become synonymous with shock rock, yet School Days offered a glimpse into his pre‑fame origins. The Disc review describes the record as a “living document” of cheap, nasty rock ’n’ roll beginnings — full of clumsy riffs, chaotic drumming, and absurd lyrics. Originally issued on Frank Zappa’s Straight label, the material was repackaged by Warner Brothers to capitalise on Cooper’s growing fame.

The critic acknowledges the music’s rough edges but praises its authenticity, noting that the band’s early madness evolved into tighter, more sophisticated work on later albums like Easy Action and Love It to Death. The review’s tone oscillates between mockery and admiration, ultimately concluding that the record’s crude charm makes it “just dandy.” This snapshot of British press humour reflects how Cooper’s outrageous persona was both ridiculed and celebrated in equal measure.

Related Material

Alice Cooper (June 7 1973) Horror? – Two‑Page Report

Alice Cooper (June 30 1973) Hype Hype 

Hooray – Feature

Alice Cooper (May 1973) Alice Tours With

 Monster Tooth – Feature  • Additional entries listed in the scrapbook tag index

Source Details

Publication: Disc Magazine Date: July 21 1973 Format: Album Review / Feature Column Provenance Notes: Original British press coverage reviewing Alice Cooper’s School Days compilation, reflecting the UK music press’s blend of sarcasm and admiration for his early work.

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© Copyright Notice — Alice Cooper (Disc Magazine, July 21 1973)

All original magazine photographs, artwork, and text remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This scrapbook entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference.

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