🔘 Muscle of Love – Album : 1973

Warner Bros. Records, UK & Worldwide (K 56018)

A cardboard‑carton hard‑rock swan song, Alice Cooper Group’s Muscle of Love was released in the UK and worldwide on Nov 20, 1973 by Warner Bros. Records (catalogue K 56018). As the seventh and final studio album by the original band, it marked the end of the classic Alice Cooper Group era — a raw, unvarnished return to straight‑ahead rock after the grand theatrics of School’s Out and Billion Dollar Babies.

The album leaned into:

Tougher, stripped‑back rock arrangements, ditching the elaborate stage‑show concepts

Gritty, cinematic themes, from pulp adventure to urban sleaze

A looser, garage‑leaning production style, emphasizing the band’s core chemistry

A final burst of group identity, before the transition into Alice’s solo career

Packaged in its now‑iconic cardboard shipping‑carton sleeve, Muscle of Love stands as the group’s last unified statement — muscular, playful, and defiantly unpolished.A Cardboard Carton Hard Rock Swan Song

Released in the UK and worldwide on November 20, 1973, on Warner Bros. Records (catalogue: K 56018), Alice Cooper Group’s Muscle Of Love — their seventh and final original-band studio album until 2025 — was a raw hard rock triumph. Produced by Jack Richardson & Jack Douglas, this 9-track concept featured the iconic cardboard carton packaging with fold-out “Institute of Nude Wrestling” instructions. Peaked at No. 10 US Billboard 200.

MUSCLE OF LOVE by ALICE COOPER

In an interview during the album's recording, Cooper mentioned that the album signified a return to a straightforward rock sound. "It's simple in every way, with minimal theatrical elements. It's pure rock and roll from start to finish." He elaborated, "Billion Dollar Babies was entirely a studio project, as was School's Out. They were so polished that they lost their intrigue after a few listens. I wanted this album to have more substance and edge."

Muscle of Love is the first Alice Cooper album without Bob Ezrin as producer since Easy Action.

Album Overview

Release Details

Label: Warner Bros. Records.

Formats: Vinyl LP (die-cut carton gatefold worldwide).

℗ & ©: 1973 Warner Bros. Records Inc.

Full Track Listing (all formats)

Vinyl LP Album Stereo Warner Bros. Records – K 56018

Side A

1. Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) (5:10)

2. Never Been Sold Before (4:20)

3. Hard Hearted Alice (4:50)

4. Crazy Little Child (4:58)

Side B

1. Working Up A Sweat (3:31)

2. Muscle Of Love (3:42)

3. Man With The Golden Gun (4:12)

4. Teenage Lament ’74 (3:51)

5. Woman Machine (4:29)

Vinyl LP Album Test Pressing Warner Bros. Records – K56018

October 25, 1973

Side A

1. Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) (5:10)

2. Never Been Sold Before (4:20)

3. Hard Hearted Alice (4:50)

4. Crazy Little Child (4:58)

Side B

1. Working Up A Sweat (3:31)

2. Muscle Of Love (3:42)

3. Man With The Golden Gun (4:12)

4. Teenage Lament ’74 (3:51)

5. Woman Machine (4:29)

Cassette Album Issued Later

Warner Bros. Records – K 456018

Side A

1. Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) (5:10)

2. Never Been Sold Before (4:20)

3. Hard Hearted Alice (4:50)

4. Crazy Little Child (4:58)

Side B

1. Working Up A Sweat (3:31)

2. Muscle Of Love (3:42)

3. Man With The Golden Gun (4:12)

4. Teenage Lament ’74 (3:51)

5. Woman Machine (4:29)

Vinyl LP Global Variants (all supplied)

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. BS 2748 – Australia – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. WB 56 018 – Austria – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. BS 2748 – Canada – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. 23(1031)00109 – Colombia – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. K 56018 / WB 56 018 / BS 2748 – Europe – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. 56577 – France – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. WB 56 018 – Germany – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. WB 0399 – Greece – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. WB 56018 – Italy – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. P-8404W – Japan – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. WB 56018 – Netherlands – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. BSK 3263 – New Zealand – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. S 90.092 – Spain – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. K 56018 / BSK 3263 – UK – 1973

- LP, Album – Warner Bros. BSK 3263 (various pressings) – US – 1973

- LP, Album, Test Pressing – Warner Bros. K56018 – UK – 25 Oct 1973

Production and Context

Recorded at Sunset Sound, Hollywood; Record Plant, New York and The Cooper Mansion, Greenwich, Connecticut Produced by Jack Richardson & Jack Douglas. Last original Alice Cooper Group album before breakup.

Singles from Muscle of Love

"Teenage Lament '74"

Released: November 28, 1973

"Muscle of Love"

Released: January 25, 1974

Album Chart Performance

- USA (Billboard 200): 10

- UK: 35

Legacy and Collectibility

Muscle Of Love is the original Alice Cooper Group’s raw hard rock finale. Original die-cut triptych vinyls, Verify catalogue K 56018 (UK) / BS 2748 (US).

This LP is a must-have for theatrical rock and ‘70s Cooper collectors.

Do you have Muscle Of Love in your vinyl stack? Is the muscle still pumping? Share in the comments!

Sources

Information is drawn from personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts Company, Billboard Chart History and YouTube