Alice Cooper first brought his theatrical horror show to stages over five decades ago now. In the late 1960s, while The Beatles were enjoying life on a Yellow Submarine, the 'Godfather of Shock Rock' was taking audiences on a very different ride, featuring guillotines, electric chairs, snakes and more.
Cooper certainly wasn't deterred by his out-of-place presence, if anything, he was inspired by it. His dedication to horror-show-hard-rock paid off in 1971 when the band found international mainstream success with I'm Eighteen, igniting a career that is still going strong today.
"We were into fun, sex, death and money when everyone else was into peace and love. We wanted to see what was next, and it turned out we were next."
'I'm Eighteen' (Love It To Death, 1971)
I'm Eighteen, the song that officially cemented the band on the world stage, was led by the fearless and commanding frontman stalking the stage in red PVC pants, using a pool cue to emphasise his celebration of teenage angst - it's really not hard to see why this song would speak straight to the heart of teens from any generation.
'Feed My Frankenstein' (Hey Stoopid, 1991)
Yep - that’s Steve Vai and Joe Satriani on guitars, Nikki Sixx on bass, and the Mistress of Dark herself, Elvira – all in all, the most terrifying stage show of all time.
'No More Mr Nice Guy' (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)
"I've got a bad reputation and I don't know why. I brush my hair, brush my teeth, I got to church and I'm a really nice guy..."
From all accounts, this monologue is based on truth. Born to a long line of Evangelists from The Church of Jesus Christ, Cooper was named the "world's most beloved heavy metal entertainer" by Rolling Stone, because of his sociable and witty offstage persona.
"Welcome to My Nightmare" (Welcome to My Nightmare, 1975)
The title of this track is probably self-explanatory enough. As Alice Cooper the band transformed into Alice Cooper the man, he unleashed what could be described as a guided tour through his nightmarish imagination, backed by Lou Reed’s swinging touring band it plays out like a live Hollywood thriller on stage.
'Poison' (Trash, 1989)
Last, but definitely not least, is Poison, the song that officially reinstated Alice at the top of the hard rock genre in 1989 - when hard rock was at its peak. It stands to show just how far ahead of his time this revolutionary performer truly was - Poison might sound like a typical '80s pop-metal hit, but considering Alice was two decades and 18 albums into the genre, it would appear the rest of the world was just starting to catch up.
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