I doubt anyone would proclaim the Alice Cooper band’s debut release, Pretties For You, as their favourite album, yet it is strangely compelling. The psychedelic styling mixed with a high level of experimentation means Pretties For You is located somewhere sonically between a garage band jam session and a demo recording. Compared to later Alice Cooper band records, Pretties For You is just bad, but as an album on its own, it showcases the era and origins of a band that would go on to have a successful career until, of course, Alice Cooper went solo. 

While some may argue that most of the early Alice Cooper band albums are a little on the rawer side, raw would be the perfect way to describe Pretties For You and, unfortunately, the vinyl re-issue I own is so badly mastered and pressed that it sounds like a beaten-up second-hand edition from 1969, despite being the 2009 Warner reissue. 

The Apple Music stream, by comparison, sounds much better. Yes, the rawness of the recording is still present, and it certainly won’t be setting anyone’s Hi-Fi on fire, but I find myself compelled to listen to the album more frequently via the lossless Apple Music stream than the vinyl counterpart. This is one time where a vinyl release most certainly does not trump the quality found on streaming services. Given the raw nature of the recording, the last thing I feel is needed is a noisy vinyl pressing, but that is what you’re likely to get should you consider picking up that 2009 vinyl reissue. It’s also pressed off centre and has audible drift in the first song where one channel of audio is heard in a ghostly manner for the first few rotations of the record. There is even a broken groove on Swing Low, Sweet Cheerio, causing the album to play like a broken record, akin to a repetitive run-out groove. A gentle tap on the plinth usually sees it on its way, but it’s annoying nonetheless. 

Warner Bros. did reissue Pretties For You in 2017 as part of the Rocktober collection and while I should probably replace the edition I own, hoping for a better pressing, it is a case of once bitten, twice shy. Plus, when the streaming version sounds adequate, for an album that is essential for any Alice Cooper fan but not necessarily a landmark release, I have to question what the ultimate value of this release is to me. Of course, and I know how strange this will sound but I kind of like the problems this pressing has. I’ve grown attached to the issues and it has a character of its own. In a strange way, it is part of the vinyl ritual and I can’t help but wonder if these issues are unique to me which strangely makes the vinyl release even more personalised. 

Perhaps now is the right moment to acknowledge just how imperfect a format vinyl can be. Every play of a vinyl record will yield a different result, not dissimilar to attending a concert where the performance, for any multitude of reasons, cannot be the same as the night before. 

No doubt some of you, by now, are questioning my sanity. What can I say, Pretties For You grows on you and I have been known to play the album on repeat for hours on end for no other reason than I paradoxically enjoy it. 

SIDE ONE

Titanic Overture is a garbled mess but is an interesting start to the album. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wondered what could have been if the piano track didn’t fade out. We may never know unless there are unheard recordings floating around that I'm unaware of.

10 Minutes Before The Worm is just weird; you’d never play it outside of the album format.

Swing Low, Sweet Cheerio is a great tune with a divine introduction. However, the high pitch vocal, in places, really takes a solid song and turns it into an experience that isn't quite as memorable as I would have hoped for. Nevertheless, it is one of the best songs on the album and one that I would love to see Cooper rerecord. Interestingly, when listening via Apple Music, the high pitch of Cooper's vocal, that I mentioned earlier, is much more reserved and subsequently less ear piercing. It’s interesting because digital music is normally associated with high-pitched and fatiguing sounds. 

Today Mueller is similar to Ten Minutes Before The Worm. Weird, yet strangely compelling. I like it!

Living is a solid rock tune from the era and is a valued addition to the album.

Fields Of Regret is a song I thoroughly enjoy. However, I’d love to see Cooper rerecord Fields Of Regret with Bob Ezrin in the production chair. There’s a solid song hidden here, just waiting to be fully realised.   

SIDE TWO

No Longer Umpire is short but enjoyable.

Levity Ball (Live At The Cheetah) is a great song but is even more sonically compromised, than the rest of the album, as it's a live recording. Yes, dear reader, this is another song I would love to see Cooper rerecord.

B.B. On Mars is pure filler but works well within the album format.

Reflected is brilliant! Yes, the Alice Cooper band would rewrite and rerecord Reflected and release it as Elected on Billion Dollar Babies. However, I must say as much as I enjoy Elected, I prefer Reflected as, in my opinion, this song makes Pretties For You worth owning.

Apple Bush is a quirky, but enjoyable, song.

Earwigs To Eternity is compelling and certainly fits the experimental style of the album perfectly.

Changing Arranging as the final song on the album is good enough to encourage me to listen to the album again and stay within Alice Cooper’s extensive catalogue of both band and solo works.

Overall, Pretties For You is a solid debut by a band that had yet to find their sound and synergy. But, is it worth owning? For Alice Cooper fans I would say definitely, but it isn't a landmark album and therefore will likely only appeal to the most dedicated fans and collectors. For those of us that fall into that latter category, Pretties For You is a unique album that offers a window into the mastery that would ultimately help to define the Alice Cooper band and the hard rock genre.