This week's album of the week

Hello, Hooray
Raped and Freezin'
Elected
Billion Dollar Babies
Unfinished Sweet
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Generation Landslide
Sick Things
Mary Ann
I Love the Dead

This was the very first album I bought in 1973. I didn't buy it just for the fact that it had Elected and Hello Hooray on it. It was more because of the gatefold cover and the billion dollar bill inside. At the time my house was full of Cilla Black, Bing Crosby and Perry Como records, sorry dad I know you liked them, and this was the first chance I had to listen to something I had bought for myself on the old style grampahone record player.

But my mistake wasn't in buying the record, that was the easy bit. My mistake was playing it when my old dear and old man were in the room. A couple of beats into Raped and Freezin' and it was fair to say they'd heard enough. From now on that 'thing' whatever it was could only be played in my bedroom. Just as well they didn't get the chance to listen to my favourite track on the album, I Love the Dead - they'd have made sure it was my first and last record purchase.

My next three choices were a bit more sedate by comparison - George Harrison's Living in the Material World, Sladest by Slade and Kimmono My House by Sparks.

However, I've returned to Billion Dollar Babies this week and sad man that I am, I still think it sounds great and my favourite track is still my favourite. Unfortunately I didn't get to see Alice Cooper live though he did appear at the Apollo in Glasgow a few times around about this time. Maybe someone out there has a different favourite from one of the characters of 70's music.