Artist Spotlight: Alice Cooper
July 10th 2008 08:19
History:
Alice Cooper started his life as
Vincent Furnier, a son of a preacher man. Forming The Earwigs in Phoenix, Arizona in 1965 with Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith, he relocated to Los Angeles and renamed the band The Spiders. The band had minimal success before they again changed their name, this time briefly to Nazz. Their last name change was to Alice Cooper, before they signed on to Frank Zappa's record label.
It was a moniker that Furnier would make his own, as he created a ghoulish, androgynous ego that was famous for embellishing the band's live shows with sick trickery, simulated hangings, mutilated dolls, and a live snake.
Eventually signing onto Warners, and partnering up with Bob Ezrin, it was here that Alice Cooper found their success. They started writing songs that fitted the band's image, and the live shows that went with it. The albums produced weren't the hardcore Metal albums that are released these days, but they were rock n roll at it's best, and done with tongue-in-cheek humor.
Killer is probably considered the peak of this period for Alice Cooper, with 'Under My Wheels' and be my lover really hitting the charts hard. But it was the 1972 track 'School's Out' from the same-titled album that really put Cooper on track. A #1 hit in the UK, with the album doing the same in both the UK and the USA.
Elected was another hit for Alice Cooper, sending the band to #1, and million dollar babies album followed, however cracks began to form within the band and in 1974 Cooper sacked the whole band, and brought in new musicians. What resulted was, one of Cooper's finest vintage moments, in the form of Welcome To My Nightmare, a macabre album that spawned the #1 hit 'Only Women Bleed'.
In the limelight, Cooper fast became a celebrity, and alcohol and drugs resulted in his downfall. By the end of the 70's Cooper had put himself in rehab, and the 80's brought forth new fans, and a number of albums that were unable to resurrect the spirit of old. It wasn't until he teamed up with Desmond Child to produce the critically aclaimed Trash that Alice Cooper really hit back. The hit single 'Poison' saw Cooper return to the top ten charts for the first time since the 70's.
Cooper followed it up with Hey Stoopid and The Last Temptation, both albums that showed that Alice Cooper was back on top again.
Discography:
Pretties for you
Easy action
Love it to death
Killer
school's out
Billion Dollar babies
muscle of love
Greatest hits
welcome to my nightmare
goes to hell
Lace and whiskey
The Alice Cooper show
from the inside
Flush the fashion
special forces
Zipper catches skin
dada
constrictor
raise your fist and yell
trash
Hey stoopid
The last temptation
A fistful of Alice
The life and crimes of Alice Cooper
Brutal Planet
Dragontown
The eyes of Alice Cooper
Dirty Diamonds
Along Came A Spider
Official Site
Alice Cooper started his life as
It was a moniker that Furnier would make his own, as he created a ghoulish, androgynous ego that was famous for embellishing the band's live shows with sick trickery, simulated hangings, mutilated dolls, and a live snake.
Eventually signing onto Warners, and partnering up with Bob Ezrin, it was here that Alice Cooper found their success. They started writing songs that fitted the band's image, and the live shows that went with it. The albums produced weren't the hardcore Metal albums that are released these days, but they were rock n roll at it's best, and done with tongue-in-cheek humor.
Killer is probably considered the peak of this period for Alice Cooper, with 'Under My Wheels' and be my lover really hitting the charts hard. But it was the 1972 track 'School's Out' from the same-titled album that really put Cooper on track. A #1 hit in the UK, with the album doing the same in both the UK and the USA.
Elected was another hit for Alice Cooper, sending the band to #1, and million dollar babies album followed, however cracks began to form within the band and in 1974 Cooper sacked the whole band, and brought in new musicians. What resulted was, one of Cooper's finest vintage moments, in the form of Welcome To My Nightmare, a macabre album that spawned the #1 hit 'Only Women Bleed'.
In the limelight, Cooper fast became a celebrity, and alcohol and drugs resulted in his downfall. By the end of the 70's Cooper had put himself in rehab, and the 80's brought forth new fans, and a number of albums that were unable to resurrect the spirit of old. It wasn't until he teamed up with Desmond Child to produce the critically aclaimed Trash that Alice Cooper really hit back. The hit single 'Poison' saw Cooper return to the top ten charts for the first time since the 70's.
Cooper followed it up with Hey Stoopid and The Last Temptation, both albums that showed that Alice Cooper was back on top again.
Discography:
Pretties for you
Easy action
Love it to death
Killer
school's out
Billion Dollar babies
muscle of love
Greatest hits
welcome to my nightmare
goes to hell
Lace and whiskey
The Alice Cooper show
from the inside
Flush the fashion
special forces
Zipper catches skin
dada
constrictor
raise your fist and yell
trash
Hey stoopid
The last temptation
A fistful of Alice
The life and crimes of Alice Cooper
Brutal Planet
Dragontown
The eyes of Alice Cooper
Dirty Diamonds
Along Came A Spider
Official Site
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