Shock rock sure looked different in 1972!
Alice Cooper tore through the early 70s like an anachronism on steroids. While his peers were immersing themselves in peace, love, flowers and flares, the Godfather of Shock Rock was busy bringing visions of the underworld to life, right in front of the eyes of the audience. In time, many others would follow in his footsteps and ultimately form an entire genre in his image; but 50 years ago? To say Cooper was ahead of his time would be a wild understatement.
Nonetheless, this week in 1972, Cooper was at number one on the UK singles chart with the bratty, anthemic heavy rocker, School's Out, also a Top Ten hit in the US. When asked what inspired him to write the song, Cooper he answered with a question, saying, ”What's the greatest three minutes of your life?". Cooper said: "There's two times during the year. One is Christmas morning, the next one is the last three minutes of the last day of school."
Watch him deliver a menacing rendition, backed by a very tough-looking, colourfully satin-clad backing band, live on German TV in 1972, below.
Alice Cooper | ‘School's Out’ [1972]
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