Alice Cooper – He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask) (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

Since today is Friday The 13th I thought it would be fun to revive this long dead killer classic buried deep in the BTG vault with a brand new 2017 re-rip remaster. This one was originally posted October 29, 2010.

“He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)” is a song by American shock rock musician Alice Cooper. It was released as the lead single from his 1986 album Constrictor, and the theme song of Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, a slasher film and sixth part of the Friday the 13th film series released in the same year. The song is heard various times throughout the film and in the end credits. Two other songs, “Teenage Frankenstein” (also from Constrictor) and “Hard Rock Summer” (which remained commercially unreleased until 1999) are also featured in the film.

The song features the famous “ki-ki-ki ma-ma-ma” (admittedly in its popular misheard version, “ch-ch-ch, ha-ha-ha”) sound effect, a trademark of the Friday the 13th series.

“He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)” was a minor chart success, popular among fans of Cooper’s later work and enthusiasts of slasher films. It has been called “strangely new wave-ish and said to “perfectly enscapulate the Friday the 13th films and the era in which they came to prominence.

The 7” single featured a “live” version of “Billion Dollar Babies” as its B-Side. The 12″ single featured “Billion Dollar Babies (Recorded Live)” as well as a haunting “live” version of “I’m Eighteen”. Both versions were in fact originally recorded in the studio for the Alice Cooper a Paris TV special in 1982 during the Special Forces era, which were remixed in 1986 with crowd noise to resemble “live” recordings.

SIDE A:
He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask) 3:24
Engineer, Mixed By, Producer – Michael Wagener

SIDE B:
Billion Dollar Babies (Recorded Live) 3:20
Producer – Erik Scott
Remix – Garth Richardson

I’m Eighteen (Recorded Live) 4:33
Producer – Erik Scott
Remix – Garth Richardson

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: MCA Records ‎– MCAT-1090
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1986
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave,Classic Rock, Heavy Metal

NOTES:
Theme from the Motion Picture, “Friday the 13th, part VI: Jason lives”
Track B1 recorded live, 1976
Track B2 recorded live, Paris, France, 1982

From the forthcoming Alice Cooper album “Constrictor”

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck 
Phono Pre-amp:
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube:
Sovtek 12AX7LPS Vacuum Tube
Soundcard:
ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

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Jason
Jason
January 8, 2019 2:54 am

Thank you for the upgrade Paul.

Trekkie313
Trekkie313
October 22, 2017 8:50 pm

Didn’t you upload the Dance Mix version of He’s Back some time ago?

Ian
Ian
October 14, 2017 3:37 am

If you are going to mix roman and arabic numbers surely it should be 20 XVII said as twenty seventeen? Your 201 VII would be said as two-oh-one seven. Who says that? Is it because there is a Friday The 13th Part 7 but not a part 17? Or am I missing something in american to english translation?

John
John
October 13, 2017 6:04 pm

Thank You Paul for posting this Alice Cooper track, he is one of my favourite singers, and his videos are always interesting. Loved “Poison” when it came out in 1989, and not forgetting “School’s Out”(1972).

A great theme for Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, even though the fourth Friday the 13th film(1984)starring Corey Feldman, I liked the most in the Jason horror franchise.

Jeff
Jeff
October 13, 2017 12:07 pm

Every year I so look forward to October (my favorite month) and Halloween. And one of the reasons I love this time of year is because you know how to celebrate all month long with “sream-tastic” records that go so well during this time. I’ve even started calling this annual celebration of sonic spookiness, “Paul-O-Ween” because you are the music master that has unearthed a legion of seasonal favorites and rarities that boggle the mind! I love how you brought this one back from the “dead” so to speak. I can’t wait to hear this Paul. Plus, you have a… Read more »

Jeff
Jeff
Reply to  DjPaulT
October 13, 2017 1:19 pm

I can’t help but appreciate everything you post on your site Paul. You’re just such a wonderful person and I’ve benefited so much with all the eclectic music that’s here. And the Halloween stuff is so much fun, whether one celebrates the holiday or not.

Have a great weekend!!

Jeff