School's Out Era
Background
School’s Out is the 5th Alice Cooper Group studio album and was released in 1972. The title track went on to become an international hit and will forever be the first song that comes to most people’s minds when they think of 'Alice Cooper'. However, behind this track lies material like Luney Tune, My Stars and Public Animal #9, which whilst not as well known (School's Out was the only single taken from the album) are of outstanding quality. The result is a near-perfect LP which, helped by brilliant marketing, easily ranks amongst the best rock albums of the 1970's.
You’ve heard the title track before, right? If not, then I’ve no idea why you're here! School’s Out captures the last few moments of school before the summer holidays. It’s three-and-a-half minutes of pop perfection and, almost impossibly, brings together one of the best guitar riffs ever featured in a song with probably the finest lyrics ever featured in a song (“Well we got no class and we got no principles” is sheer genius). So good that it literally transcends cultures, languages, religions and time!
If anyone thought that the opening track was going to pave the way for an album full of soft, radio-friendly, material then Luney Tune shows that the Alice Cooper Group weren’t willing to entirely deviate from their principals of throwing the occasional curveball. A classy song with outstanding instrumental arrangements and Alice on top vocal form.
Having already provided a nod to West Side Story on the Easy Action album, the Group again reference The Jet Song on the double-header Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets and Street Fight. The song documents the territorial battle of two rival gangs and the ensuing battle that develops.
After the chaos of Street Fight, the laid-back Blue Turk is a jazz-inspired number that showcases Dennis Dunaway's bass playing skills. My Stars, which marked the first appearance of guitarist Dick Wagner (as the first signs of Glen Buxton's health problems begin to manifest), is another really interesting song. As with Blue Turk, the diversity is really unique with continual changes to the instrumental arrangements and tempo.
Public Animal #9 is garage rock at its very best here, with a real Slade feel to it. Alice was on top form throughout this album but this performance is right up there with the delivery on the opening track (maybe even better).
Alma Mater captures the sentimental side of leaving school and the realisation that some things will actually be missed. Alice has a great drunken sound to his voice as he reminisces on good times and ends with the now famous “remember the coop” phrase.
The instrumental Grande Finale ends the album in extravagant fashion. Featuring a brief extract from Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets, I wonder if this eventually inspired The Underture on the Welcome 2 My Nightmare album.
School's Out 12" Promotional Vinyl Album
1972, Warner Brothers, BS 2623
The first of the super deluxe Alice Cooper Group vinyl albums, School's Out embraced the concept perfectly, replicating a school desk complete with faux etchings by each member. The desk even opens in the way you would expect to reveal the vinyl. Underneath, an image is provided of the other contents of the 'desk' including gum, marbles, crayons and, of course, the track listings and credits. The finishing touch to the ingenious design by Ernie Cefalu was the legs on the base which could be opened enabling the desk to stand up.
Initial copies of the record came with novelty paper panties wrapped around the vinyl and a report card stuffed inside that included track listings / lengths. The panties were the subject of significant media attention as they were, allegedly, deemed to be a "fire hazard". However, this was an ingenious PR stunt by Manager Shep Gordon, which brought the album lots of attention and no doubt helped sales significantly. The report cards were easily lost and are now very hard to find.
This promotional copy includes white Warner Brothers vinyl labels and features both pink panties and the ultra-rare report card.
Could this have possibly been executed better? No! Well, at least not until the release (some 40 years later) of the hyper deluxe Old School Boxset!
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 12" Vinyl Album
1972, Warner Brothers, BS 2623
This USA 1st pressing of School's Out is the same as the promotional copy (above) except that it features green Warner Brothers labels, comes white paper panties and does not include the report card.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 12" Vinyl Album
1972, Warner Brothers, P-8227W
This Japanese 1st pressing of School's Out is similar to the USA copy (above) except that it features alternative green Warner Brothers labels and blue paper panties. Additionally, and in keeping with Japanese releases of the time, it also includes an 'Obi Strip' wrapped around the sleeve and double-sided black-and-white insert featuring track listings, lyrics and credits in both Japanese and English.
Finally, and unlike the USA and UK 1st pressings, this version includes the track listings on the rear of the sleeve. Quite why they were omitted in other countries is a bit of a mystery, as it's always good to know what you're listening to. Bizarrely though, the tracks are listed in the wrong order with School's Out first (as it should be) but the remainder being presented in alphabetical rather than chronological order! The exception to this is Street Fight, which is missing entirely.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out Paper Panties Variants
To summarise the information above, here are the three different variants of the School's Out paper panties (i.e. white, pink and blue):
School's Out 12" Vinyl Album
1972, Warner Brothers, K 56007
This UK 1st pressing of School's Out is almost identical to the USA copy (above) except that it features alternative green Warner Brothers labels and does not include the infamous paper panties.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 12" Vinyl Album
1972, Warner Brothers, GX 01-562
This Mexican 1st pressing of Se Acabo La Escuela (i.e. School's Out) comes in a simple card sleeve, which is a far cry from the super deluxe packaging found in many other territories around the world (see above).
Notably though, the vinyl features distinctive gold bilingual (i.e. Spanish and English) Warner Brothers vinyl labels. This style of label is believed to have only been seen again on initial Canadian pressings of Easy Action plus Mexican releases of Easy Action, Killer and Billion Dollar Babies. I don't know why these were used instead of the iconic olive green labels, but they certainly make these releases unique.
The front of the sleeve includes two hype stickers, the first being a gold 'All Sound Of Rock Musica Contemporanea' (i.e. 'Contemporary Music') whereas the other states 'Incluye Poster' (i.e. 'Poster Included'). Sadly, the aforementioned poster is missing from this copy and I've been unable to find details on what it may have looked like. On the back of the sleeve are track listings (in the correct order, unlike other countries), credits and promotional material for albums by other artists. Also provided is the text 'ES UNA GRABACION EN ALTA FIDELIDAD' (i.e. 'IT IS A HIGH FIDELITY RECORDING').
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 12" Vinyl Album
2009, Friday Music, FRM 9113
This USA 180g 12" re-issue by Friday Music lacks most of the original packaging features (like the paper panties and expandable table legs) but does open from bottom to top to give you the impression of opening a desk (the vinyl doesn't tuck into the sleeve like the original though). The track listings are also included on the back of the sleeve but are again not provided in the correct running order.
A neat touch on this product is that the classic 'WB' Warner Brothers shield icon is replicated by Friday Music on the vinyl labels, only this time it states 'FM'. This is something that Good Records would also do on their Live From The Astroturf releases several years later.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 12" Vinyl Album
2021, Friday Music, FRM-2623
Friday Music re-issued School's Out again on 180 gram vinyl in 2021. Titled the 'Limited Anniversary Edition' (presumably as it was nearly 50 years since the release of the original album), this version was much better than their 2009 effort as it was a near-perfect replica of the original super deluxe release. This meant that you got paper panties (in white or pink, but not blue) and expandable table legs as well.
This was great, but Good Records in Dallas (the masterminds behind the iconic Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper releases) went one step further by releasing their own exclusive version. Limited to 600 individually numbered copies (mine being #00146), it was exactly the same as the standard version but with the following goodies included:
> Report card*;
> Hall pass*;
> Panties Sticker*;
> 1, or both, of 2 deluxe exclusive trading cards;
> Temporary tattoo*; and
> Classic Warner Brothers style pink 'Promo' sticker with replica 'GR' shield.
* Near identical versions of these items originally featured in the press pack for the original School's Out album (see image below).
As with their exclusive version of Detroit Stories earlier in 2021, the additional goodies of the Good Records version made it vastly superior to the standard release and it subsequently sold out fairly quickly.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 12" Vinyl Album
2021, Friday Music, FRM-2623
This further Good Records copy of the Friday Music School's Out 12" 'Limited Anniversary Edition' vinyl album (#00039) is exactly the same as the above version only that it features the alternative pink panties.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 50th Anniversary Edition 12" Vinyl Album
2023, Warner Brothers, R1 681029
This USA ‘50th Anniversary Edition’ vinyl version of School's Out was released by Warner Brothers in 2023 (so technically a year late). Featuring a whopping three discs, and a whopping price tag to match (about $100), this offered fans the following exciting content:
> Super deluxe packaging, including a book style sleeve, opening desk lid (not revealing the inside contents, like the original release), slightly dodgy replica paper panties, a comprehensive ‘Fan’s Note’ by music journalist Bill Holdship and detailed track-by-track comments (including the bonus content) by Alice, Dennis, Mike, Neal and Bob Ezrin;
> The original album remastered by D2 Mastering;
> A previously unreleased live performance at Miami, Florida on 27th May 1972;
> Single versions of School's Out and Gutter Cat; and
> Alternative / early versions of Alma Mater and Elected (the latter of which, of course, is from the Billion Dollar Babies album, but I assume was recorded during the School's Out sessions).
If this wasn’t great enough already, Good Records in Dallas (the masterminds behind the iconic Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper releases) repeated their feat with the 2021 Friday Music re-issue of School's Out (above) by releasing their own exclusive version. Limited to just 150 individually numbered copies (mine being #00083), it was exactly the same as the standard version but also came with a limited edition numbered 12" x 12" chipboard silkscreened art print of the Alice Cooper Group, a 12” x 12” slick with unique additional artwork and track listings, plus some bonus button badges.
As mentioned above, the paper panties are not a great replica of those from the original release, as they feature an odd floral design. Also, it's worth noting that the sleeve (as exquisite as it is) does not feature the fold-out desk legs. Finally, there is no report card present.
I’m no audiophile, but School's Out has never sounded better, with Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets, My Stars and Alma Mater sounding especially brilliant (not they weren’t before, of course).
The Florida performance is good to have, although it's worth noting that the setlist is almost identical to the Killer tour (i.e. only School's Out was added), meaning that it doesn't offer much over the previous Mar Y Sol Pop Festival, released as both an unofficial vinyl and as part of the corresponding Killer 50th Anniversary Edition and 'Killer In St. Louis' vinyl and CD, which was included in the Old School Boxset.
The alternative / early tracks are an interesting listen and of excellent, near album-ready, quality.
This, or the CD version (see below), or both, are definitely worth picking up and must surely be seen as the quintessential versions of School's Out.
Equally good 50th anniversary releases were also made by Warner Brothers for the Killer, Billion Dollar Babies and Muscle Of Love albums.
Promotional text:
SCHOOL’S OUT (DELUXE EDITION) begins with a newly remastered version of the 1972 original, which peaked at #2 on the albums chart. Essential tracks like “Luney Tune” and “Alma Mater” are joined by “Gutter Cat vs. The Jets.” The latter is an homage to West Side Story, a significant influence on the band. The song incorporates lyrics from “Jet Song” from the 1957 musical, which led to an unlikely songwriting credit for Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim on an Alice Cooper track.
The Deluxe Edition contains rarities like the single versions of “School’s Out” and “Gutter Cat vs. The Jets.” Two previously unreleased tracks are also included, an alternate version of “Alma Mater”
and an early demo for “Elected,” a song that would appear in 1973 on the band’s first #1 album, BILLION DOLLAR BABIES.
Alice Cooper’s concert in Miami on May 27, 1972, adds even more unreleased music to the collection. The show was recorded a few weeks before the band entered the studio to record School’s Out. The
live performance features standout versions of “Halo Of Flies,” “School’s Out,” and “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah,” a song that gives Cooper a chance to show off his impressive harmonica skills.
The vinyl versions for both Deluxe Editions recreate the original album sleeves down to the smallest detail. For KILLER, that means a gatefold sleeve that opens to reveal a detachable 1972
calendar with a photo of Cooper in the gallows. The cover of SCHOOL’S OUT looks like a wooden school desk and opens to reveal the LP wrapped in a pair of panties. The band stopped including the
underwear following a controversy as to whether or not they were flammable. Thankfully, the lacy unmentionables in the new Deluxe Edition are not a fire hazard.
Both sets come with booklets that include track-by-track commentary by band members and former Creem Magazine editor Jaan Uhelszki, plus liner notes by Bill Holdship, also a former Creem Magazine
editor. In KILLER (DELUXE EDITION), Holdship writes: “Listening to Killer again after all these years to write these notes was rewarding because, like The Beatles and Elvis, it’s gratifying to
realize I ended up ‘wasting’ my life on something that, even in retrospect, really was that great. Fifty years later, Killer remains a perfect – perfect! – rock ’n’ roll record.
Shortly after release, a limited USA Target exclusive version was also offered to fans. These were effectively the standard release, but included the additional 12” x 12” slick that was provided with the Good Records version and was signed by Michael Bruce, Alice Cooper, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith (see image below). Similar versions were also produced for the Killer and Billion Dollar Babies releases.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out Reel-To-Reel Album
1972, Warner Brothers, WST 2623 B
This USA Reel-To-Reel album features a black reel with green Warner Brothers label, which is contained inside a box that includes the original album cover artwork on the front. On the back is a black-and-white version of the school desk 'contents' from the vinyl version (above).
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 8-Track Album
1972, Warner Brothers, M8 2623
This USA 8-Track album features a black cartridge and includes abridged artwork on the front. The wrap-around sticker also provides the product code on the side and track listings on the rear.
One notable aspect of this release is that the track order is slightly different to the usual arrangement, with Blue Turk promoted from Track 5 to Track 2. This is presumably to enable the album to fit over the four 'programs' on the cartridge, rather than having some split between them (meaning no interrupted playback as the reading head changed position).
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 8-Track Album
1972, Warner Brothers, Y8K8 56007
This UK 8-Track album features a green cartridge and includes abridged artwork and track listings on the front. A further sticker on the back provides further track listings, credits and an image of the Alice Cooper Group. This copy also includes a matching green card sleeve.
As with the USA 8-Track version (above) the track order is different to the usual arrangement, although this features a further variation. Oddly, Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets is retitled 'Jet Song (from "West Side Story")'.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out Cassette Album
1972, Warner Brothers, M5 2623
This USA 1st edition cassette version of School's Out comes in a plastic 'Slipcase' containing abridged artwork on the front and track listings on the back. Inside is a black tape which provides additional track listings and the total running time of each side.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out Cassette Album
1972, Warner Brothers, M52623 C 113458
This USA cassette 'Club Edition' of School's Out features a single-sided J-card containing abridged artwork and track listings. Inside is a white tape with white stickers providing additional track listings.
As the name suggests, Club Editions were distributed through mail-order subscription clubs. In this case the club in question was the RCA Music Service with the packaging being unique to this particular edition.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out Cassette Album
1972, Warner Brothers, ZCK4 56007
This UK 1st edition cassette version of School's Out features a simple J-card containing abridged artwork, track listings and credits. Inside is a green tape with stickers providing additional track listings.
As with the UK 8-Track version, Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets is retitled 'Jet Song (from "West Side Story")'.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out Cassette Album
1972, Warner Brothers, K 456007
This Italian 1st edition cassette version of School's Out features a simple J-card containing abridged artwork, track listings, credits and details of releases by other artists of the time. Inside is an orange tape providing additional track listings.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out Cassette Album
Unknown Year, Warner Brothers, K456 007
This German cassette version of School's Out features a simple J-card containing abridged artwork, track listings and credits. Inside is a black tape which provides additional track listings.
Discogs Link: Click Here
NOTE: A further cassette copy of this album is featured in the Compilations section of this website.
School's Out CD Album
1988, Warner Brothers, 2623-2
This USA CD version of School's Out comes in a 'Longbox' card case that features abridged artwork on the front and a short biography about the Alice Cooper Group on the back up to and including the School's Out era (which, incorrectly, states that they took their name from a Ouija Board reading).
Longboxes were commonly found in the early years of CDs (i.e. the mid to late 1980s). Introduced as a means for retailers to easily store / display them in traditional vinyl bins, they were eventually phased out due to their negative environmental impact and inefficient use of space. Many consumers disposed of these boxes after purchase (usually due to storage constraints) so they are now both rare and collectible.
Inside is a jewel case featuring a basic fold-out booklet containing track listings, credits and the same biography as provided on the back of the Longbox packaging.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out CD Album
1988, Warner Brothers, 7599-27260-2
This European CD version of School's Out is almost identical to the USA release (above) only that it does not feature the Longbox case and has a different product code.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out '24KT + Gold' CD Album
2009, Audio Fidelity, AFZ 035
This USA version of School's Out comes on a '24KT+ Gold' CD, which is stated as having a superior quality to standard aluminium discs. Additionally, the original recording has been subject to digital remastering to provide a "warmer" sound.
Quite what improvement the above has had on an already classic album is, in my opinion, questionable. I'm no expert when it comes to the technical merits of remastering music, however, what is presented here merely sounds slightly different rather than better to me.
The inlay is nothing to write home about with just a fold out sheet featuring stock images plus some of the disc labels of the original vinyl release. The gold CD is beautiful though.
This release is quite rare / expensive as it was limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies (of which this is #0,369). Bearing in mind the minimal improvements on offer these releases are for ardent fans only.
Further 24KT+ Gold releases were also made by Audio Fidelity for both the Love It To Death and Killer albums.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 'Mini LP' SHM CD Album
2011, Warner Brothers, WPCR-14303
In 2011, all the Alice Cooper albums from Pretties For You through to From The Inside were re-issued in Japan on 'Super High Material' (SHM) CD format. SHM CD's are, apparently, made of improved material, that provides a clearer medium for the reading of the data and so reduces read errors and thus can improve sound quality.
A notable feature of all the SHM releases is that they closely replicate the original packaging of the vinyl releases. In the case of School's Out, this includes the super deluxe desk sleeve complete with folding legs, white paper panties and report card. An additional black-and-white bilingual lyric booklet and external 'Obi Strip' are also provided (both of which are common features of Japanese music releases).
What would have been really cool though is if they had made the CDs look more like miniature vinyl discs. What is offered is still more than satisfactory though and the SHM releases are definitely the quintessential Alice Cooper CD editions of all the available variants out there.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out Extracurricular Edition CD Album
2023, Warner Brothers, R2 681029
This USA 'Extracurricular Edition' CD re-issue of School's Out contains all the same material as the '50th Anniversary Edition' vinyl release (see above). Other than the different format, the only major difference is that most of the written material has been moved to a separate 20-page booklet.
This is an essential purchase for all fans, especially if you can't afford / find the vinyl version.
As with the vinyl version, equally good CD releases were also made by Warner Brothers for the Killer, Billion Dollar Babies and Muscle Of Love albums to celebrate their 50th anniversaries.
NOTE: Further CD copies of this album are featured in the Compilations and The Studio Albums 1969-1983 sections of this website.
School's Out Promotional 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, WS 7596
This USA 7" promotional vinyl single features white Warner Brothers labels and includes Mono and Stereo versions of School's Out (from the School's Out album) on Sides A and B respectively. This was a common feature of promotional singles at the time, as it enabled radio stations to play songs on both AM (Mono) and FM (Stereo) stations.
Each label also includes an 'Intro' time, which helped DJs to understand how long they had to introduce a song prior to the lyrics beginning.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, WB 7596
This USA 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat (Vs. The Jets) on Side B (both from the School's Out album).
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, K 16188
This UK 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat (Vs. The Jets) on Side B (both from the School's Out album).
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, K 16188
This further UK 7" vinyl single is exactly the same as the above version only that it includes a sleeve that has the same black-and-white image of the Alice Cooper Group, with Dennis Dunaway hidden inside a trash can, as featured on the School's Out album artwork, on both the front and back. It is understood that the majority of the UK pressings did not feature a sleeve, making this version much rarer. Additionally, the disc features a pushout centre, which enabled easy compatibility with Jukebox players).
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, WB 16188
This German 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat (Vs. The Jets) on Side B (both from the School's Out album).
The sleeve has the same image of Alice performing live on both the front and back.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, WB 16188
This alternative German 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat (Vs. The Jets) on Side B (both from the School's Out album).
The sleeve has the same image of Alice being hung at the gallows (as featured on the Killer album calendar) on both the front and back.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, 16188
This French 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat (Vs. The Jets) on Side B (both from the School's Out album).
The sleeve has the same black-and-white image of the Alice Cooper Group, with Dennis Dunaway hidden inside a trash can, as featured on the School's Out album artwork, on both the front and back.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, P-1143W
This Japanese 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels, comes in a Warner Brothers paper sleeve complete with colour insert, and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat (Vs. The Jets) on Side B (both from the School's Out album).
The insert has a green-tone image of the Alice Cooper Group, with Dennis Dunaway hidden inside a trash can, as featured on the School's Out album artwork, on the front and track listings, lyrics and credits on the back.
A promotional copy of this release also exists, which is identical except that it features blue vinyl labels instead.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, K16188
This Italian 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets on Side B (both from the School's Out album). This is one of only a few releases of the School's Out single where Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets is named in full, as most other variants simply refer to it as 'Gutter Cat'.
The front of the sleeve features a black-and-white image of a naked Alice flanked by a snake (which famously featured on the truck that "broke down" in London in 1972) and on the back is a printed image of some 'School's Out! Alice Cooper' panties.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Promotional Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, CP-154
This Spanish 7" promotional vinyl single features white Warner Brothers labels with unique red song titles, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes Se Acabo La Escuela (i.e. School's Out) on Side A (from the School's Out album) and Debajo De Mis Ruedas (i.e. Under My Wheels) on Side B (from the Killer album).
The front of the sleeve features large red Spanish text stating "El grupo que ha revolucionado la música rock" (i.e. the group that has revolutionized rock music) and "Alice Cooper su gran numero uno se acabo la escuela" (i.e. Alice Cooper her big number one School's Out". A graphic is also provided which shows School's Out at the top of the British singles chart on the 15th August 1972. On the back are track listings, credits and further Spanish text stating 'DISCO DE PROMOCION PROHIBIDA SU VENTA' (i.e. 'Promotion disc forbidden for sale').
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, HS-853
This Spanish 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels, comes in a card sleeve, and includes Se Acabo La Escuela (i.e. School's Out) on Side A (from the School's Out album) and Debajo De Mis Ruedas (i.e. Under My Wheels) on Side B (from the Killer album).
The front of the sleeve has the same image of the Alice Cooper Group as featured on the inside of the Killer album plus the text "Numero Uno En' Inglaterra" (i.e. "Number 1 in England). On the back are track listings, credits and promotional material for the Killer album plus an extract from a 'Top 50' chart, with School's Out shown as being at the top. It is also highlighted in what looks like pen, but this is actually printed and appears on all copies of this release.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, WB 16188
This Dutch 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat (Vs. The Jets) on Side B (both from the School's Out album).
The front of the sleeve features a remarked image of a naked Alice flanked by a snake (which famously featured on the truck that "broke down" in London in 1972) and on the back is promotional material for other artists of the time.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, K16188
This Yugoslavian 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets on Side B (both from the School's Out album). This is one of only a few releases of the School's Out single where Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets is named in full, as most other variants simply refer to it as 'Gutter Cat'.
The front of the sleeve features a yellow-tone image of Alice and on the back is a further picture of him with a snake, plus Yugoslavian text "To Je Alice Cooper! Uskoro nove hit ploce Elected Hello Hurray" (i.e. This is Alice Cooper! Soon the new hit record Elected Hello Hurray).
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, WBS 97
This extremely rare Angolan 7" vinyl single (the only known Alice Cooper single from this country) features green Warner Brothers labels and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat (Vs. The Jets) on Side B (both from the School's Out album).
Copies originally came in a unique sleeve, which includes a rather bizarre image of people sat down at a festival! Sadly, mine did not include this and the one pictured below was produced by me to closely recreate how the original package looked.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, K 16188
This Israeli 7" vinyl single features green Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat (Vs. The Jets) on Side B (both from the School's Out album).
The sleeve has the same black-and-white image of the Alice Cooper Group, with Dennis Dunaway hidden inside a trash can, as featured on the School's Out album artwork, on both the front and back together with some hype text in Hebrew.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1972, Warner Brothers, N-S-63-18
This Portuguese 7" vinyl single features 'Palm Tree' Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A and Gutter Cat (Vs. The Jets) on Side B (both from the School's Out album).
The sleeve has the same black-and-white image of the Alice Cooper Group, with Dennis Dunaway hidden inside a trash can, as featured on the School's Out album artwork on the front and track listings and credits on the back.
The presence of the Palm Tree labels on my copy is a bit of a mystery. This is because they were not generally introduced around the world until the No More Mr Nice Guy single was released in 1973. I can only surmise that this single was released slightly later in Portugal and, like No More Mr Nice Guy, was subject to versions with both designs (as the transition took effect). Either that or it may have been re-issued at a later date as the Alice Cooper Group hit the peak of their commercial success.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1973, Warner Brothers, 16287
This retrospectively released French 7" vinyl single features 'Palm Tree' Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A (from the School's Out album) and Elected on Side B (from the Billion Dollar Babies album).
The front of the sleeve features a pink-tone image of Alice only from the School Days compilation album and on the back are details of some of the other singles available in the same 'La Serie Chouchous' range (which I think translates as 'The Darling Series'). This release is #17 in said 30-part range but should definitely have been #18 instead!
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1976, Warner Brothers, K 16287
This retrospectively released UK 7" vinyl single features white Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A (from the School's Out album) and Elected on Side B (from the Billion Dollar Babies album).
The front of the sleeve has artwork that closely resembles the School's Out album cover and on the back are track listings.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" EP
1977, Warner Brother, EPW 177
This retrospectively released Australian 7" vinyl EP features 'Palm Tree' Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes Caught In A Dream and Be My Lover on Side A (from the Love It To Death and Killer albums respectively) and School's Out and Elected on Side B (from the School's Out and Billion Dollar Babies albums respectively).
The front of the sleeve features an image of the Alice Cooper Group from the rear of the Love It To Death album and on the back are details of other non-Alice Cooper releases in the same series.
This great item was a very generous gift from hardcore UK-based Alice Cooper Group fan Chris Daniels. Thanks Chris!
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1985, WEA Records, OG 9519-B
This retrospectively released 'Old Gold' UK 7" vinyl single features gold WEA Records labels, comes in a generic paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A (from the School's Out album) and Elected on Side B (from the Billion Dollar Babies album).
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out 7" Vinyl Single
1989, WEA Music, 927 627-7
This retrospectively released 'Oldie Thek' German 7" vinyl single features cream Warner Brothers labels, comes in a paper sleeve, and includes School's Out on Side A (from the School's Out album) and Elected on Side B (from the Billion Dollar Babies album).
The front of the sleeve features an image of Alice in leather jacket and snake-eye makeup and on the back are details of other non-Alice Cooper releases in the same series.
Discogs Link: Click Here
School's Out Sheet Music
1972 (Approx), Carlon Music Corp, CA 2106
This six-page product by UK-based Carlon Music features the printed notes and lyrics to the hit School's Out single. The front cover features the same black-and-white image of the Alice Cooper Group, with Dennis Dunaway hidden inside a trash can, as featured on the School's Out album artwork.
For the Billion Dollar Babies era Click Here.