Muscle of Love

Though credited as lead guitarist on Muscle of Love, Glen Buxton was "not invited" to play on the album according to drummer Neal Smith, Cooper, and others. His inclusion in the liner notes was mainly due to management's concerns about the band's image with fans. Smith stated the absence was due to "problems that Glen was having with the demons of rock and roll at that particular time ... really, Billion Dollar Babies and Muscle of Love, Glen didn't really play on the (latter) album. By hook or by crook, the albums had to be put out."^[8] The band sought out other guitar players to fill in, including Dick Wagner and fellow Cortez High School alum Mick Mashbir.

There is an additional suggestion that a session drummer was used on part of the album. Band member Michael Bruce refers, in his autobiography, to producer Jack Douglas bringing in a drummer specifically to play on "Crazy Little Child".^[9] This report is given some added support by the claims of session drummer Allan Schwartzberg, who says he played on several tracks.^[10]

Packaging

In place of the usual record jacket, the original LP was packaged in a shallow corrugated cardboard carton, with a "stain" intentionally printed along the bottom. On the inner sleeve, the band members appear dressed as sailors. In the "before" daytime shot, they are about to enter a nude wrestling emporium; in the "after" nighttime shot on the other side of the sleeve, they appear beaten and sprawled out on the street, having been thrown out of the club, the joke being that the live nude female wrestler was a gorilla with a blonde wig.^[4] The front of the album cover design agency Pacific Eye & Ear was temporarily redecorated to serve as the setting for the photo session.^[5]

The original release also included a paper "book cover" sheet that could be folded and used as a book jacket. A photo on the sheet depicts the band members in their sailor uniforms looking dejected while peeling potatoes.

Reception and chart performance

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Christgau's Record Guide	C[11]
Rolling Stone	(mixed) [1]

Muscle of Love received an uneven reception from critics. Writing in Rolling Stone, Lenny Kaye gave the album a mixed review, describing its content as "hit-or-miss" and believing that the group had lost focus with regard to its musical direction.^[12] Phonographic Record published a negative review and suggested that the group had been unable to overcome the loss of Ezrin.^[13] Creem, however, gave the album a positive review, calling it "a magnificent effort".^[14]

Although Muscle of Love went to No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and earned a gold certification, it was considered something of a commercial disappointment in light of its predecessor Billion Dollar Babies having reached No. 1 and attaining platinum.^[15]

Muscle of Love's songs have been rarities at Alice Cooper's subsequent concerts: apart from the title track (performed erratically in 1989, 1997 and since 2004) plus four performances of "Teenage Lament '74" in 1996 and 2004, nothing from Muscle of Love has been performed since 1974. "Never Been Sold Before", "Crazy Little Child", "Man with the Golden Gun" and "Woman Machine" have never been performed live.

Covers

The song "Muscle of Love" was covered by

• Alice Cooper – vocals
• Glen Buxton – lead guitar
• Michael Bruce
  – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Dennis Dunaway – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Neal Smith – drums, backing vocals

with:

• Mick Mashbir – guitar
• Dick Wagner – guitar
• Bob Dolin – keyboards, background vocals

Additional musicians from the LP liner notes:

• Paul Prestopino - banjo
• Dave Libert with Dolly, Stu Daye, Dennis Ferrante, Joe Gannon, The Big Cheese, Liza Minnelli, Labelle, Ronnie Spector, The Pointer Sisters Janice Buxton - background vocals
• unnamed strings and horns

Charts

Certifications

References