🔘 Easy Action – Album US: Mar. 1970

A raw, chaotic pre‑fame snapshot of the Alice Cooper Group before their commercial breakthrough, Easy Action captures the band in transition — shifting from psychedelic experimentation toward the proto‑shock‑rock identity that would soon define them. Recorded during their Los Angeles period, the album reflects a group still searching for its sound, yet already brimming with theatrical ambition.

Released on March 27, 1970 by Straight Records (STS 1061), the album marked the final stage before the band’s transformation into a major rock act. Produced by David Briggs, it showcased a dry, abrasive, and structurally loose sound that Briggs himself disliked. Though commercially unsuccessful, the album later gained cult status for its proto‑punk energy and historical importance.

Label: Straight Records

Catalogue Number: STS 1061

Format: LP (12")

Released: March 27, 1970 (US)

🔘 Track List

US LP — Straight Records – STS 1061 — 1970

Side A

• Mr. & Misdemeanor

• Shoe Salesman

• Still No Air

• Below Your Means

Side B

• Return of the Spiders

• Laughing at Me

• Refrigerator Heaven

• Beautiful Flyaway

• Lay Down and Die, Goodbye

Writing Credits

• Cooper, Buxton, Bruce — Mr. & Misdemeanor

• Bruce — Shoe Salesman; Beautiful Flyaway

• Cooper, Buxton, Bruce, Dunaway, Smith — Still No Air; Below Your Means; Return of the Spiders; Laughing at Me; Refrigerator Heaven; Lay Down and Die, Goodbye

Production Credits

• Produced by: David Briggs

• Arranged by: Alice Cooper Group

• Recorded: 1969–1970 / Los Angeles

🔘 Key Highlights

• Released March 27, 1970

• Lead single(s): none

• Chart performance: did not chart

• Recorded at: Los Angeles studios

• Notable collaborators: David Briggs, Richard Ayres, Brian Ross‑Myring

• Era significance: transitional album before Love It to Death

🔘 The Story

Easy Action was recorded during the Alice Cooper Group’s Los Angeles period, a time marked by creative uncertainty and internal tension. Producer David Briggs — known for his work with Neil Young — openly disliked the band’s sound, calling it “psychedelic shit,” and delivered a dry, brittle mix that emphasized the group’s raw edges.

The album’s title references a line from West Side Story, reflecting the band’s theatrical leanings long before they became mainstream. Musically, the record blends psychedelic chaos with early hints of the tight, aggressive rock that would soon define their breakthrough.

“Lay Down and Die, Goodbye” includes a Tom Smothers sample, while “Return of the Spiders” became the only track from the album performed live after 1970. Though poorly received at the time, Easy Action has since been reassessed as proto‑punk, historically significant, and essential to understanding the band’s evolution.

🔘 Personnel

• Alice Cooper — vocals

• Glen Buxton — lead guitar

• Michael Bruce — rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals

• Dennis Dunaway — bass

• Neal Smith — drums

• David Briggs — production

• Richard Ayres — engineering

• Brian Ross‑Myring — engineering

🔘 Variants

USA — Straight – WS 1845

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Promo, Gatefold

USA — Straight Records – STS 1061 (1970)

Format: LP

Notes:

• First pressing

• Some early copies on blue Bizarre labels

• Gatefold sleeve

USA — Warner Bros. – WS 1845 (1973)

Format: LP

Notes:

• Standard WB “Burbank” label

• Same cover art

USA — Warner Bros. Records – WB M8 1845

Format: 8‑Track Cartridge

Country: US

A1 Mr. And Misdemeanor

A2 Still No Air

A3 Beautiful Flyaway

B1 Return Of The Spiders

B2 Laughing at Me

B3 Refrigerator Heaven

C1 Shoe Salesman

C2 Below Your Means (Beg)

D1 Below Your Means (Concl)

D2 Lay Down And Die, Goodbye

USA — Warner Bros. Records – M 51845

Format: Cassette, Album

• Mr. & Misdemeanor

• Shoe Salesman

• Still No Air

• Below Your Means

Side B

• Return of the Spiders

• Laughing at Me

• Refrigerator Heaven

• Beautiful Flyaway

• Lay Down and Die, Goodbye

🔘 Sleeves

• Primary sleeve description: original Straight Records artwork

• Back cover notes: region‑specific variations

• Record label notes: Straight Records labels; some early US copies on blue Bizarre labels

• Alternate sleeves / regional variants: German unique back cover; Japanese obi edition

🔘 Chart Performance

🔘 Context & Notes

• Album era: transitional period before the classic Alice Cooper sound

• Singles: none

• Production: David Briggs

• Sleeve notes: Straight Records artwork; regional variations

• Historical placement: final pre‑breakthrough album

• Legacy: proto‑punk influence; reassessed as historically important

• “Mr. & Misdemeanor” and “Refrigerator Heaven” included in The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper

• “Refrigerator Heaven” appears on the WB sampler Zapped

• “Lay Down and Die, Goodbye” includes Tom Smothers sample

• Only “Return of the Spiders” performed live after 1970

🔘 Related Material

• Pretties for You (1969)

• Love It to Death (1971)

• Related artists: Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention, Nazz

🔘 Discography

Pretties for You — 1969

Easy Action — 1970

Love It to Death — 1971

Singles from Easy Action

🔘 Singles

"Shoes Salesman"

Released: June 1970

🔘 Mini‑Timeline

✦ 1969 — Band signs to Straight Records

✦ 1969–70 — Recording in Los Angeles

✦ March 27, 1970 — Album released

✦ 1971 — Breakthrough with Love It to Death

✦ 1999 — Tracks included in The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper

🔘 Glam Flashback

A jagged, theatrical misfit of an album — all sharp edges and no polish — capturing the Alice Cooper Group right before they exploded into legend.

#ReleaseChronicle #AliceCooper #EasyAction #1970 #StraightRecords

🔘 Sources

Primary reference sources: Straight Records, Discogs, Official Charts Company, contemporary music‑press documentation, archival references.

🔘 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.