Originally, there was a band called Alice Cooper led by a singer named

Vincent Damon Furnier. Under

his direction, Alice Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical and violent brand of
heavy metal that was designed to shock. Drawing equally from horror movies,
vaudeville, heavy metal, and garage rock, the group created a stage show
that featured electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood, and huge boa constrictors,
all coordinated by the heavily made-up Furnier. By that time,
Furnier had adopted the name for his androgynous on-stage
personality. While the visuals were extremely important to the
group's impact, the band's music was nearly as distinctive. Driven
by raw, simple riffs and melodies that derived from '60s guitar pop
as well as show tunes, it was rock & roll at its most basic and
catchy, even when the band ventured into psychedelia and art rock. After the
original group broke up and Furnier began a solo career as Alice Cooper, his
actual music lost most of its theatrical flourishes, becoming straightforward
heavy metal, yet his stage show retained all of the trademark props that made
him the king of shock rock.

Furnier formed his first group, the Earwigs, as an Arizona teenager in the
early '60s. Changing the band's name to the Spiders in 1965, the group was
eventually called the Nazz (not to be confused with Todd Rundgren's band of
the same name). The Spiders and the Nazz both released local singles that
were moderately popular. In 1968, after discovering there was another band
called with the same name, the group changed its name to Alice Cooper.
According to band legend, the name came to Furnier during a ouija board
session, where he was told he was the reincarnation of a 17th-century witch
of the same name. Comprised of vocalist Furnier -- who would soon begin
calling himself Alice Cooper -- guitarist Mike Bruce, guitarist Glen Buxton,
bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith, the group moved to
California in 1968. In California, the group met Shep Gordon, who became
their manager, and Frank Zappa, who signed Alice Cooper to his Straight
Records imprint.

Alice Cooper released their first album, Pretties for You, in 1969. Easy Action
followed early in 1970, yet it failed to chart. The group's reputation in Los
Angeles was slowly shrinking, so the band moved to Furnier's hometown of
Detroit. For the next year, the group refined their bizarre stage show. Late in
1970, the group's contract was transferred to Straight's distributor Warner
Bros., and they began recording their third album with producer Bob Ezrin.

With Ezrin's assistance, Alice Cooper developed their classic heavy metal
crunch on 1971's Love It to Death, which featured the number 21 hit single
"Eighteen"; the album peaked at number 35 and went gold. The success
enabled the group to develop a more impressive, elaborate live show, which
made them highly popular concert attractions across the U.S. and eventually
the U.K. Killer, released late in 1971, was another gold album. Released in
the summer of 1972, School's Out was Alice Cooper's breakthrough record,
peaking at number two and selling over a million copies. The title song
became a Top Ten hit in the U.S. and a number one single in the U.K. Billion
 Dollar Babies, released the following year, was the group's biggest hit,
reaching number one in both America and Britain; the album's first single, "No
More Mr. Nice Guy," became a Top Ten hit in Britain, peaking at number 25 in
the U.S. Muscle of Love appeared late in 1973, yet it failed to capitalize on the
success of Billion Dollar Babies. After Muscle of Love, Furnier and the rest of
Alice Cooper parted ways to pursue other projects. Having officially changed
his name to Alice Cooper, Furnier embarked on a similarly theatrical solo
career; the rest of the band released one unsuccessful album under the name
Billion Dollar Babies, while Mike Bruce and Neal Smith both recorded solo
albums that were never issued. In the fall of 1974, a compilation of Alice
Cooper's five Warner albums, entitled Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits, became a
Top Ten hit.

For his first solo album, Cooper hired Lou Reed's backing band from Rock 'N'
Roll Animal -- guitarists Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter, bassist Prakash
John, keyboardist Joseph Chrowski, and drummer Penti Glan -- as his
supporting group. Welcome to My Nightmare, Alice Cooper's first solo album,
was released in the spring of 1975. The record wasn't a great departure from
his previous work, and it became a Top Ten hit in America, launching the hit
acoustic ballad "Only Women Bleed"; its success put an end to any idea of
reconvening Alice Cooper the band. Its follow-up, 1976's Alice Cooper Goes
to Hell, was another hit, going gold in the U.S. After Alice Cooper Goes to
Hell, Cooper's career began to slip, partially due to changing trends and
partially due to his alcoholism. Cooper entered rehabilitation in 1978, writing
an album about his treatment called From the Inside (1978) with Bernie
Taupin, Elton John's lyricist. During the early '80s, Cooper continued to
release albums and tour, yet he was no longer as popular as he was during
his early-'70s heyday.

Cooper made a successful comeback in the late '80s, sparked by his

appearances in horror films and a series of pop-metal bands that paid musical
homage to his classic early records and concerts. Constrictor, released in
1986, began his comeback, but it was 1989's Trash that returned Cooper to
the spotlight. Produced by the proven hitmaker Desmond Child, Trash
featured guest appearances by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and most of
Aerosmith; the record became a Top Ten hit in Britain and peaked at number
20 in the U.S., going platinum. "Poison," a mid-tempo rocker featured on the
album, became Cooper's first Top Ten single since 1977. After the release of
Trash, he continued to star in the occasional film, tour, and record, although
he wasn't able to retain the audience recaptured with Trash. Still, 1991's Hey
Stoopid and 1994's The Last Temptation were generally solid, professional
efforts which helped Cooper settle into a comfortable cult status without
damaging the critical goodwill surrounding his '70s output. After a live album,
1997's Fistful of Alice, Cooper returned on the smaller Spitfire label in 2000
with Brutal Planet and Dragontown a year later. The Eyes of Alice Cooper
appeared in 2003 and found Alice and company playing a more stripped-
down brand of near-garage rock. Dirty Diamonds from 2005 was nearly as
raw and hit the streets around the same time Alice premiered his syndicated
radio show, Nights with Alice Cooper. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music
Guide
ALICE COOPER LYRICS

album: "Pretties For You" (1969)

Titanic Overture
10 Minutes Before The Worm
Sing Low, Sweet Cheerio
Today Mueller
Living
Fields Of Regret
No Longer Umpire
Levity Ball
B.B. On Mars
Reflected
Apple Bush
Earwigs To Eternity
Changing Arranging

album: "Freak Out Song" (1969)

Ain't That Just Like A Woman

Painting A Picture
An Instrumental
I've Written Home To Mother
Freak Out Song
Goin' To the River
Nobody Likes Me (Freak Out)
Science Fiction

album: "Easy Action" (1970)

Mr and MisDemeanor
Shoe Salesman
Still No Air
Below Your Means
Return Of The Spiders
Laughing At Me
Refrigerator Heaven
Beautiful Flyaway
Lay Down And Die, Goodbye

album: "Love It To Death" (1971)

Caught In A Dream
I'm Eighteen
Long Way To Go
Black Juju
Is It My Body
Hallowed Be My Name
Second Coming
Ballad Of Dwight Fry
Sun Arise

album: "Killer" (1971)

Under My Wheels
Be My Lover
Halo Of Flies
Desperado
You Drive Me Nervous
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Dead Babies
Killer

album: "School's Out" (1972)

School's Out
Luney Tune
Gutter Cats Vs. The Jets
Street Fight
Blue Turk
My Stars
Public Animal #9
Alma Mater
Grand Finale

album: "Billion Dollar Babies" (1973)

Hello Hooray
Raped And Freezing
Elected
Billion Dollar Babies
Unfinished Sweet
No More Mister Nice Guy
Generation Landslide
Sick Things
Mary-Ann
I Love The Dead

album: "Muscle Of Love" (1973)

Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo)

Never Been Sold Before
Heard Hearted Alice
Crazy Little Child
Teenage Lament '74
Woman Machine

album: "Welcome To My Nightmare" (1975)

Welcome To My Nightmare
Devil's Food
The Black Widow
Some Folks
Only Women Bleed
Department Of Youth
Cold Ethyl
Years Ago
Steven
The Awakening
Escape

album: "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell" (1976)

A Bedtime Story
Go To Hell
You Gotta Dance
I'm The Coolest
Didn't We Meet
I Never Cry
Give The Kid A Break
Guilty
Wake Me Gently
Wish You Were Here
I'ì Always Chasing Rainbows
Going Home

album: "I Never Cry" (1976 SINGLE)

I Never Cry

album: "Lace And Whiskey" (1977)

It's Hot Tonight

Lace And Whiskey
Road Rats
Damned If I Do
You And Me
King Of the Silver Screen
Ubangi Stomp
(No More) Love At Your Convenience
I Never Wrote Those Songs
My God

album: "You And Me" (1977 SINGLE)

You And Me

album: "From The Inside" (1978)

From The Inside

Wish I Were Born In Beverly Hills
The Quiet Room
Nurse Rozetta
Millie And Billie
Serious
How You Gonna See Me Now
For Veronica's Sake
Jackknife Johnny
Inmates (We're All Crazy)

album: "Flush The Fashion" (1980)

Talk Talk
Clones (We're All)
Pain
Leather Boots
Aspirin Damage
Nuclear Infected
Grim Facts
Model Citizen
Dance Yourself To Death
Headlines

album: "Special Forces" (1981)

Who Do You Think We Are

Seven & Seven Is
Prettiest Cop On The Block
Don't Talk Old To Me
Generation Landslide '81 (Live)
Skeletons In The Closet
You Want It, You Got It
You Look Good In Rags
You're A Movie
Vicious Rumours
Look At You Over There, Ripping The Sawdust From My TeddyBear

album: "Zipper Catches Skin" (1982)

Zorro's Ascent
Make That Money (Scrooge's Song)
I Am The Future
No Baloney Homosapiens
Adaptable (Anything For You)
I Like Girls
Remarkably Insincere
Tag, You're It
I Better Be Good
I'm Alive (That Was The Day My Dead Pet Returned To Save My Life)

album: "Da Da" (1983)

Da Da
Enough's Enough
Former Lee Warmer
No Man's Land
Dyslexia
Scarlet And Sheba
I Love America
Fresh Blood
Pass The Gun Around

album: "Constrictor" (1986)

Teenage Frankenstein
Give It Up
Thrill My Gorilla
Life And Death Of The Party
Simple Disobedience
The World Needs Guts
Trick Bag
Crawlin'
Great American Success Story
He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)

album: "Raise Your Fist And Yell" (1987)

Freedom
Lock Me Up
Give The Radio Back
Step On You
Not That Kind Of Love
Prince Of Darkness
Time To Kill
Chop, Chop, Chop
Gali
Roses Of White Lace

album: "Trash" (1989)

Poison
Spark In The Dark
House Of Fire
Why Trust You
Only My Hart Talkin'
Bed Of Nails
This Maniac's In Love With You
Trash
Hell Is Living Without You
I'm Your Gun

album: "Hey Stoopid" (1991)

Hey Stoopid
Love's A Loaded Gun
Snakebite
Burning Our Bed
Dangerous Tonight
Might As Well Be on Mars
Feed My Frankenstein
Hurricane Years
Little by Little
Die for You
Dirty Dreams
Wind-Up Toy

album: "The Last Temptation" (1994)

Sideshow
Nothing's Free
Lost In America
Bad Place Alone
You're My Temptation
Stolen Prayer
Unholy War
Lullaby
It's Me
Cleanced By Fire

album: "Brutal Planet" (2000)

Brutal Planet
Wicked Young Man
Sanctuary
Blow Me A Kiss
Eat Some More (Taste The Pain)
Pick Up The Bones
Pessi-Mystic
Gimme
It's The Little Things
Take It Like A Woman
Cold Machines
Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me

album: "Dragon Town" (2001)

Triggerman
Deeper
Dragontown
Sex, Death And Money
Fantasy Man
Somewhere In The Jungle
Disgraceland
Sister Sara
Every Woman Has A Name
I Just Wanna Be God
It's Much Too Late
Sentinel
album: "The Eyes Of Alice Cooper" (2003)

What Do You Want From Me

Between High School & Old School
Man Of The Year
Novocaine
Bye Bye Baby
Be With You Awhile
Detroit City
Spirits Rebellious
The House Is Haunted
Love Should Never Feel Like This
The Song That Didn't Rhyme
I'm So Angry
Backyard Brawl

album: "Hell Is" (2003)

Poison
House Of Fire
Hell Is Living Without You
Bed Of Nails
Only My Heart Talkin'
Hey Stoopid
Love's A Loaded Gun
Feed My Frankenstein
Hurricane Years
Lost In America
Stolen Prayer
It's Me
Cleansed By Fire
Fire
Go To Hell (Live)
School's Out (Live)

album: "Dirty Diamonds" (2005)

Woman Of Mass Distraction

Perfect
You Make Me Wonna
Dirty Diamonds
The Saga Of Jesse Jane
Sunset Babies (All Got Rabies)
Pretty Ballerina
Run Down The Devil
Steal That Car
Six Hours
Your Own Worst Enemy
Zombie Dance
Stand
The Sharpest Point

Alice Cooper
 Alice Cooper
Born
February 4, 1948
Detroit, Michigan
1. School's Out

Well we got no choice all the girls and boys

Makin' all that noise 'cause they found new toys
Well we can't salute ya can't find a flag if that don't suit ya that's a
drag
School's out for summer school's out forever school's been blown to
pieces
No more pencils no more books no more teacher's dirty looks yeah
Well we got no class and we got no principals and we got no
innocence
We can't even think of a word that rhymes
School's out for summer school's out forever my school's been
blown to pieces
No more pencils no more books no more teacher's dirty looks
Out for summer out till fall we might not come back at all
School's out forever school's out for summer
School's out with fever school's out completely

. Poison

Your cruel device

Your blood like ice
One look could kill
My pain, your thrill
I want to love you, but I better not touch (Don't touch)
I want to hold you but my senses tell me to stop
I want to kiss you but I want it too much (Too much)
I want to taste you but your lips are venomous poison
You're poison runnin'thru my veins
You're poison, I don't want to break these chains
Your mouth, so hot
Your web, I'm caught
Your skin, so wet
Black lace on sweat
I hear you calling and it's needles and pins (And pins)
I want to hurt you just to hear you screaming my name
Don't want to touch you but you're under my skin (Deep in)
I want to kiss you but your lips are venomous poison
You're poison runnin'thru my veins
You're poison, I don't want to break these chains
Poison
One look could kill
My pain, your thrill
I want to love you, but I better not touch (Don't touch)
I want to hold you but my senses tell me to stop
I want to kiss you but I want it too much (Too much)
I want to taste you but your lips are venomous poison
You're poison runnin'thru my veins
You're poison, I don't want to break these chains
Poison
I want to love you, but I better not touch (Don't touch)
I want to hold you but my senses tell me to stop
I want to kiss you but I want it too much (Too much)
I want to taste you but your lips are venomous poison, yeah
I don't want to break these chains Poison, oh no
Runnin'deep inside my veins, Burnin'deep inside my veins
It's poison I don't want to break these chains

3. House Of Fire

House of fire
House of fire, yeah
Let's build a house of fire, baby
Not one of wood or stone
Walk thru my door of desire, baby
Come on in and make it your home
Don't need a window to watch you, baby
Don't need no roof overhead
Don't need no key to unlock ya, baby
I'll use my lovin'instead
I won't tire
Take me higher
Building a house of fire, baby
Buildin'it with our love
We are buildin'a house of fire every time we touch
House of fire
House of fire
We ain't gotta pay rent now, baby
No landlord to throw us out
I want to play in your garden, baby
When you want it give me a shout
I won't tire
Take me higher
Building a house of fire, baby
Buildin'it with our love
We are building a house of fire every time we touch
We are building this house together, baby
Standing on solid ground
We are building a house of fire
That you can't tear down
Brick by brick the flames get higher
Build it strong with our desire
Building a house of fire, baby
Building it with our love
We are building a house of fire every time we touch
We are building this house together, baby
Standing on solid ground
We are building a house of fire
That you can't tear down
Building a house of fire, baby
Building it with our love
We are building a house of fire every time we touch

9. Hell Is Living Without You

I can't find your face in a thousand masqueraders

You're hidden in the colors of a million other lost charades
In life's big parade
I'm the loneliest spectator
Cuz you're gone without a trace in a sea of faceless imitators
I can't take another night
Burning inside this
Hell is living without your love
Ain't nothing without your
Touch me
Heaven would be like hell
Is living without you
Try to walk away
When I see the time I've wasted
Starving at a feast
And all this wine I never tasted
On my lips Your memory has been stained
It is all in vain
Tell me who's to blame
I can't take another night
Burning inside this
Hell is living without your love
Ain't nothing without your
Touch me
Heaven would be like hell
Is living without you
Nights get longer and colder
I'm down begging to hold ya
On my own and I feel like hell
Is living without you
Nights get longer and colder
I'm down begging to hold ya
On my own and I feel like hell
Is living without you

Early Life and Career

Furnier was born in Detroit at a hospital that carried the nickname "The Butcher
Shop", but, after a stream of illnesses, moved to Phoenix, Arizona in his youth. His
grandfather, Thurman Furnier, was an ordained Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ
(Bickertonite). Cooper's father, Ether Furnier, was an ordained Elder. Cooper had
some distant French Huguenot ancestry; the remainder of his ancestry was English.

Cooper, influenced by British Bands such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling
Stones, The Who, The Kinks and in particular The Yardbirds, formed a number of
rock bands in the 1960s, including the Earwigs, The Spiders, and The Nazz. Upon
learning that Todd Rundgren also had a band called The Nazz, Furnier changed the
band's name to Alice Cooper (the name Alice Cooper is said to have been agreed
upon after one of Furnier's Ouija sessions, and learning that he was a reincarnation of
a 17th century "witch" of the same name, according to band legend, although Cooper
in interviews has said the name actually came out of thin air conjuring an image of "a
cute little girl with an axe behind her back".)

The classic Alice Cooper group line up consisted of guitarists Michael Bruce and
Glen Buxton, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith. After moving to
California in 1968, the band enlisted Shep Gordon as their manager. They recorded
their first album Pretties For You on Frank Zappa's "Bizzarre" label.[1] Frank told
them to show up for the recording at 8:00 and the band mistakenly assumed he meant
8:00 AM, they showed up reeling drunk which is quite apparent when listening to this
recording. The second album Easy Action was recorded on Frank Zappa's label,
Straight Records. This album featured the hit "Refridgerator Heaven". The two
competent but outlandish albums, received a frosty public and critical reception.
Warner Brothers then purchased Straight Records from Frank Zappa and Alice
Cooper was more highly promoted with this major label.

Around this time, fed up with Californians' indifference to their act, the band
relocated to Alice Cooper's birthplace, Detroit, where their wild stage act was much
better received. Detroit would remain the act's home base until the mid-1970s. "LA
just didn’t get it. They were all on the wrong drug for us. They were on acid and we
were basically drinking beer. We fit much more in Detroit than we did anywhere
else..." [2]

Although the band incorporated theatrics in their stage act from the outset, a chance
case of press misreporting an unfortunate, unrehearsed stage routine involving Cooper
and a live chicken led to the band changing tack - capitalizing on tabloid
sensationalism and creating a new sub-genre, shock rock. Cooper claims that the
chicken incident was an accident. He says he thought, "Chickens have wings, so they
must be able to fly" so when it was on the stage, he threw it out over the crowd, with
the intention of having the chicken fly away. But chickens cannot fly particularly
well, and the bird was instead ripped to shreds by the rowdy audience. Zappa phoned
him shortly afterward to ask if the rumor that he had ripped the head off a live chicken
and drunk its blood onstage was true. Cooper denied the rumor, whereupon Zappa
told him, "Well, whatever you do, don't tell anyone you didn't do it." [3] Cooper says
he didn't know they couldn't fly because he said that he had never been on a farm in
his life.

Cooper claims "We drove the stake through the heart of the "Peace and Love
Generation". Other quotes from the DVD biography include "Alice Cooper is
unkillable" and "Welcome To My Nightmare is just a record that you never get tired
of and can put on when all else fails".

[edit]

1970s
In 1970, after the band had recorded two records on Straight Records, the band, under
the Warner Brothers label, teamed up with fledgling producer Bob Ezrin on their
album entitled Love It to Death. This was the first of more than 10 Alice Cooper
group and solo albums done with Ezrin who is credited with having helped to create
their definitive sound. A hit single soon followed in 1971's 'I'm Eighteen'. The band's
trailblazing mix of shock and glam theatrics stood out amongst bearded, denim-clad
hippy bands by sporting sequined costumes by the prominent rock fashion designer
Cindy Dunaway (Pink Floyd, The Who), and stage shows that involved Gothic torture
modes imposed on the lead singer. His outspoken views on the Vietnam War stood
out no less, as Cooper was always staunchly pro-war — in stark contrast to the vast
majority of musicians at the time, who were rebelliously anti-war.

The follow up Killer included further singles in 'Under My Wheels' and 'Be My
Lover' and also one of the most critically acclaimed Cooper songs in the epic 'Halo Of
Flies', which was a Top 10 hit in Holland. In the summer of 1972, Alice Cooper
released the appropriately-titled School's Out. The album reached number two on the
charts and sold over a million copies. The title song went Top 10 in the US, was a
number one single in the UK, and remains a staple on classic rock radio.

Album cover for Billion Dollar Babies

Billion Dollar Babies, released in 1973, was the band's most commercially successful
album, reaching no. 1 in both the US and Britain. 'Elected' a 1972 top 10 UK hit
included on the album (featuring one of the first creative promo films 3 years before
Queen's promo video to 'Bohemian Rhapsody'), was followed by 2 more UK top 10
singles in 'Hello Hooray' and 'No More Mister Nice Guy' which was the last UK
single from the album and also reached number 25 in the U.S. The title track,
featuring guest vocals by Donovan, was also a US hit single. With a string of
successful concept albums in the bag and several hit singles, the band toured the
world - attempts to ban their shocking act by politicians and pressure groups only
serving to fuel the myth of Alice Cooper and generate more audience interest. The
1973 US Tour broke box office records set by The Rolling Stones.

The 1974 tour raised rock theatrics to a new level. The stage show, which had a gothic
horror theme, featured numerous special effects. The highlight of the show was
Cooper's "death" onstage, either by beheading or by hanging. The guillotine, trick
noose and other stage effects were designed for the band by stage magician James
Randi. During some of the shows, Randi appeared onstage as the executioner.
Cooper's stage antics influenced later bands like Kiss and Blue Oyster Cult.

A film 'Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper' (recently re-released on DVD) was
released and saw the band as the biggest act in the world at that time. Muscle of Love
the last album from the classic line up marked Alice Cooper's last UK top 20 single in
the 1970s, with 'Teenage Lament 74'. Even a James Bond theme song was recorded
for 'The Man with the Golden Gun', but a different song of the same name by LuLu,
was chosen instead.

In 1974, the band split - Cooper himself wanting to retain the theatrics that had
brought them so much attention, the rest of the group wanting to concentrate on the
music which had given them credibility.

His first solo album was Welcome to My Nightmare. He was backed by Lou Reed's
band, guitarist Dick Wagner, guitarist Steve Hunter, bassist Prakash John, keyboardist
Joseph Chrowski, and drummer Penti Glan. The album was another top 10 hit for
Cooper and is regarded along with the stage show as ground breaking moments in
rock history. In addition, the 1975 US TV special 'The Nightmare' was the first video
album, and as with the album, featured horror movie film star Vincent Price, several
years before he guested on Michael Jackson's Thriller (song). A concert film,
Welcome to My Nightmare (film) was released in late 1975. Though it failed at the
box office, it later became a midnight movie favorite and has become a cult classic.

It is during this time he founded The Hollywood Vampires.

In 1978 he appeared on The Muppet Show where he played himself.

Following two less acclaimed studio albums, Alice Cooper Goes to Hell and Lace and
Whiskey, along with the 1977 live album The Alice Cooper Show (recorded in Las
Vegas), it was clear that the musician was in need of specialized help with his
alcoholism, and in 1977 Cooper was hospitalized in a New York sanitarium for
alcoholism. At his alcoholic peak some fans rumored that he was up to two cases of
Budweiser and a bottle of whiskey a day.

This may be responsible for a surprise return to form on the hard-rocking, semi-
autobiographical album From The Inside, which Cooper co-wrote with Bernie Taupin.
Around this time, Cooper led celebrities in raising money to remodel the famous
Hollywood Sign in California. Cooper himself chipped in over $27,000 for the
project, doing it in memory of friend and comedian Groucho Marx.

[edit]

1980s
His albums from the beginning of 1980s, Flush the Fashion, Special Forces, Zipper
Catches Skin, and DaDa, were not commercially successful, especially in comparison
to previous sales. They were regarded as very strange and bizarre at that time, and are
now considered cult classics. Flush the Fashion has a spare, edgy musical sound that
was so unexpected as to have been truly baffling to long-time fans. The songs are
typically clever, however, and hold up very well. Special Forces was a bit darker and
more cynical, but continued with the experimental sound. However, even DaDa, the
best of the alternative albums, had only mildly positive commercial and critical
response. DaDa was again produced by Bob Ezrin, who used one of the first samplers
(the famous Fairlight) instead of real drums. Cooper then released Constrictor (1986),
a heavier album, which had more, but still very limited, success, followed by Raise
Your Fist and Yell (1987) which had a rougher sound than its predecessor. Both
Constrictor and Raise Your Fist and Yell were recorded with guitarist Kane Roberts &
bassist Kip Winger, both of whom would leave the band by the end of 1988 (although
Kane Roberts played guitar on 'Bed Of Nails' on the 1989 Trash, album). Kane
Roberts would go on as a solo artist, while Kip formed Winger. Roberts' stage attire
was unusual since he was basically a Rambo-clone - muscular body, scanty clothing
and a guitar that resembled a machine gun. Keep in mind that Heavy Metal music was
very popular during this time of the late 1980's and some in the music industry said
that Alice was being successfully "resurrected" for the Metal era of music.

In 1986 he sang the theme song "The Man Behind the Mask" for the movie Friday
the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

Also in 1986, Megadeth was asked to open for Alice Cooper during current US Tours.
After noticing the hardcore drug and alcohol abuse in the band, Cooper personally
approached them to try and help them control their "demons", and stayed close to
front man Dave Mustaine ever since. Mustaine considers him his God Father(VH1
Behind the Music 2001).

In 1987, he made a brief appearance as a vagrant in the horror movie Prince of

Darkness directed by John Carpenter. His role had no lines, and consisted of
menacing the protagonists, and impaling one of them with a bicycle frame.

He also appeared at WrestleMania III escorting wrestler Jake "The Snake" Roberts to
the ring. After the match was over, Cooper got involved and threw Jake's snake
Damien at The Honky Tonk Man's manager Jimmy Hart. Jake considered the
involvement of Cooper to be an honor, as he idolized Cooper in his youth and has
remained a fan of his.

In 1989, his career experienced a real revival with the Desmond Child produced
album Trash, which spawned the hit single 'Poison', reaching # 2 in the UK and #7 in
the US, and a worldwide arena tour.

It was during this time in the 1980s he became a born-again Christian and became
sober. [4]

[edit]

1990s
In 1991, the album Hey Stoopid was released; it sold very well, and spawned several
hit singles . He also appeared on the Guns N' Roses album Use Your Illusion I,
singing backup on the track The Garden. He also made a brief appearance as the
abusive stepfather of Freddy Krueger in the 1991 Nightmare On Elm Street film
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare.

In 1992, he made a famous cameo in the movie Wayne's World, in which he discusses
the history of Milwaukee in some depth.
In 1994, he released The Last Temptation, a concept album dealing with issues of
faith, temptation, alienation, and the frustrations of modern life. Concurrent with the
release of The Last Temptation was a three part comic book series written by Neil
Gaiman, fleshing out the album's story.

In 1996 Cooper sang the role of Herod on the London Cast soundtrack of Jesus Christ
Superstar. In 1997, Cooper recorded the intro narration for the Insane Clown Posse
album The Great Milenko.

[edit]

2000s
A pause, lasting for six years, ended in 2000 with Brutal Planet. Brutal Planet is
musically strong, dark and loud, with subject matter thematically inspired by the
brutality of the modern world, although set in a post-apocalyptic future. It was
succeeded by Dragontown in 2001, which has been described by Cooper as being "the
worst town on Brutal Planet". These two albums are the first parts of a trilogy that
was apparently put on hold with the release of The Eyes of Alice Cooper (2003)
People frequently mistake "The Last Temptation" for the first installment. Alice's
latest album, Dirty Diamonds, seems to be in a similar vein as "The Eyes of...". Also
in 2001, Cooper made a brief appearance in the movie 'Attic Expeditions' as the
unstable Samuel Leventhal.

In 2001, Cooper was famously interviewed by Dom Joly on the British comedy sketch
show Trigger Happy TV. Joly is interrupted by his cell phone mid-interview by,
supposedly, his mother. At first Joly attempts to get rid of his pesky mother whilst
continuing to prompt Cooper by shaking the microphone at him, at one point
explaining that 'no no mum .... I'm interviewing Alice Cooper.....Alice Cooper... no no
he's a bloke'. The interview is abruptly terminated when we learn that a relative of
Joly's has suffered a car accident involving a tumble 'down a ravine'. At this point
Cooper turns to camera and repeats 'down a ravine' whilst suppressing a giggle. Dom
then wanders off in a dazed fashion, leaving Cooper alone on the sidewalk.

In 2003, Cooper again adopted a leaner, cleaner sound for The Eyes Of Alice Cooper.
Recognizing that many current bands were having great success with his former
sounds and styles, Cooper worked with a somewhat younger group of road and studio
musicians who were very familiar with his oeuvre. However, instead of rehashing the
old sounds, they updated them, often with surprisingly effective results. The resulting
Bare Bones tour adopted a less-orchestrated performance style that had fewer
theatrical flourishes and a greater emphasis on musicality. The success of this tour
help support the growing recognition that the classic Cooper songs were exceptionally
clever, tuneful, and unique.

Cooper received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003. It is located at the
corner of Orange Drive and Hollywood Boulevard.

On January 26, 2004 Cooper's radio show, Nights with Alice Cooper, began airing in
several U.S. cities. The program showcases Classic Rock, Alice's personal stories
about his life as a Rock icon, obscure rock history facts, as well as interviews and
special segments like the "OffBEAT News" with his counterpart, Mistress Kitty.

In 2005, Cooper released his 24th studio album Dirty Diamonds; his first release on
New West Records (for America.) Dirty Diamonds was released on August 2, 2005 in
the U.S. and July 4, 2005 in Europe. It is a continuation of the songwriting approach
the band used on The Eyes of Alice Cooper. Dirty Diamonds is Cooper's highest
charting album since 1994's, The Last Temptation coming in at #169 on The Billboard
200. [5] The Dirty Diamonds tour launched in America in August 2005.

On May 14, 2006, Cooper was given the "key to the city" of Alice, North Dakota.
Alice (population 56) is located approx. 50 miles from Fargo, where Cooper had a
concert scheduled on May 15. He also made an interview with a personality of KKBX
"The Box 101.9", the radio station that broadcasts his radio show in Fargo, along with
"One Red Paperclip".

Cooper owns a rock and roll club and restaurant called Alice Cooper'stown in Phoenix
and Cleveland. He is an avid golfer (handicap 5) and a member of Phoenix Country
Club.

[edit]

Discography
 Pretties for You (1969)  Trash (1989)
 Easy Action (1970)  Hey Stoopid (1991)
 Love It to Death (1971)  Beast of Alice Cooper (1993)
 Killer (1971)  The Last Temptation (1994)
 School's Out (1972)  Classicks (1995)
 Billion Dollar Babies  Fistful of Alice (Live) (1997)
(1973)  A Nice Nightmare (1997)
 Muscle of Love (1973)  He's Back (1997)
 Greatest Hits (1974)  Freedom For Frankenstein: Hits & Pieces
 Welcome to My Nightmare 1984-1991 (1998)
(1975)  The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper (4
 Alice Cooper Goes to Hell CD Box) (1999)
(1976)  Super Hits (1999)
 Lace and Whiskey (1977)  Brutal Planet (2000)
 The Alice Cooper Show  The Best of Alice Cooper (2001)
(Live) (1977)  The Definitive Alice Cooper (2001)
 From the Inside (1978)  Dragontown (2001)
 Flush the Fashion (1980)  Hell Is (2003)
 Special Forces (1981)  Poison (2003)
 Collection (1982)  The Eyes of Alice Cooper (2003)
 Zipper Catches Skin (1982)  School's Out and Other Hits (2004)
 DaDa (1983)  Dirty Diamonds (2005)
 Constrictor (1986)
 Raise Your Fist and Yell  Live At Cabo Wabo '96 (2005)
(1987)
  Prince Of Darkness (1989)
[edit]

Singles
 "Caught In A Dream" (1971) #94 US
 "Be My Lover" (1972) #49 US
 "School's Out" (1972) #9 US
 "Elected" (1972) #26 US
 "Under My Wheels" (1973) #59 US
 "No More Mr. Nice Guy" (1973) #25 US
 "Hello Hurray" (1973) #35 US
 "Billion Dollar Babies" (1973) #57 US
 "Teenage Lament '74" (1974) #48 US
 "Only Women Bleed" (1975) #12 US
 "Welcome To My Nightmare" (1975) #45 US
 "Department Of Youth" (1975) #67 US
 "I Never Cry" (1977) #12 US
 "You And Me" (1977) #9 US
 "How You Gonna See Me Now" (1978) #12 US
 "Clones (We're All)" (1980) #40 US
 "Poison" (1989) #9 US
 "House Of Fire" (1990) #56 US
 "Only My Heart Talkin'" (1990) #89 US
 "Hey Stoopid" (1991) #78 US

1. I Never Cry

If there's a tear on my face

It makes me shiver to the bones it shakes me babe
It's just a heartache that got cought in my eye
and you know I never cry I never cry

Sometimes I drink more than I need

Until the T.V.'s dead and gone
I may be lonely but I'm never alone
and the night may pass me by
but I'll never cry

Take away take away my eyes

Sometimes I'd rather be blind
Break a heart break a heart of stone
Open it up but don't you leave it alone

'Cause that's all I've got give to you

believe me babe it ain't been used
My heart's a virgin it ain't never been tried
and you know I'll never cry
and you know I'll never cry
and you know you know you know you know
I'll never cry, I'll never cry

Break a heart break a heart of stone

Open it up but don't you leave it alone

'Cause that's all I've got give to you

believe me babe it ain't been used
My heart's a virgin it ain't never been tried
and you know I'll never cry
and you know I'll never cry
and you know you know you know you know
I'll never cry, I'll never cry

1. You And Me

When I got home from work

I wanna wrap myself around you
I wanna take you and squeeze you
'till the passion starts to rise.

I wanna take you to heaven

that would make my day complete
but you and me ain't movie stars
what we are is what we are
we share a bed some lovin' and t.v. yeah.

That's enough for a workin' man

what I am is what I am
and I tell you babe
well that's enough for me.

Sometimes when you're asleep and

I'm just starin' at the ceiling
I wanna reach out and touch you
but you just go on dreamin'.

If I could take you to heaven

that would make my day complete
but you and me ain't movie stars
what we are is what we are
and I tell you babe
well that's enough for me.
 You and me ain't no superstars
what we are is what we are
we share a bed some popcorn and t.v. yeah.

And that's enough for a workin' man

what I am is what I am
and I tell you babe
well that's enough for me.

When I got home from work

I wanna wrap myself around you
I like to hold you and squeeze you
'till the passion starts to rise.

I wanna take you to heaven

that would make my day complete ...

Vincent Furnier s-a nascut pe 4 februarie 1948 intr-un spital cu reputatie

proasta din Detroit, supranumit “Butcher’s Palace”, nou-nascutul suferind de
eczeme faciale si astm infantil. In 1965, intr-o repetitie rock acrobata, Furnier
cade si isi rupe nasul, care va ramane coroiat, ramanand un semn distinctiv al
imagisticii Alice Cooper.
 
In 1968, Frank Zappa isi fondeaza propria casa de discuri – Bizarre Records – si
semneaza trei anomalii ale scenei americane: Captain Beefheart, Alice Cooper
si Girls Together Outrageously (singura trupa de “groupies”). GTO va
sucomba in urma unor excese narcotice si sexuale, Beefheart va deveni cel mai
atipic grup rock al undergroundului, iar Alice Cooper se va impune in cultura-
pop prin showurile teatrale grotesti.
 
Cam asa comenta dl. Vincent Furnier momentul zero al trupei care l-a facut
celebru: “Zappa was regarded unofficially as a drug freak, a nut, but that wasn't
the case at all. He never touched drugs and he was the straightest, strictest
businessman I ever dealt with. He told me that he was starting his own record
company and looking for acts to sign, especially comedy and psychedelic acts
that nobody else would take a chance on... As the party went on and he got
drunker, I got more insistent. Finally he said: Allright! Miss Christine, from GTO,
let us into his house at the break of dawn, and we set up our equipment and
lights in his basement and started playing. Zappa came rushing downstairs,
naked, holding his ears. "All right, all right" he shouted, his cock swinging back
and forth as he shook his head... I'll sign you! I'll sign you! Just stop playing!”
 
La debut, formatia Alice Cooper este specializata in cacofonii si evacuarea
spectatorilor din cluburi. De altfel, Zappa a folosit grupul in deschidere, pentru
trierea audientei. Albumul Pretties for you este prima tentativa discografica a
formulei “de aur” Alice Cooper: Vincent Furnier - voce, muzicuta, Neal Smith
– baterie, Dennis Dunaway – bas, Glen Buxton – chitara solo, Michael Bruce
– chitara ritm, pian, orga. Zappa a realizat selectia si mixajul celor 13 piese,
pornind de la o sesiune de jam si inregistrari din care a colectat diverse deraieri
Alice Cooper. O paleta restransa de riffuri garage-rock, efecte psihedelice a la
Syd Barret si disonante in exces. Este poate cel mai atipic album al grupului, cel
putin pentru faptul ca se intrevede greu incotro ajung piesele (daca pleaca sau
daca ajung undeva). Sing low, sweet cherio (3) si Fields of regret (6) sunt cele
mai elocvente mostre de amatorism si libertinaj rock.
 

(C) Ezra Music/Early Frost/BMI