July 25, 1989 - Alice Cooper's "Trash"

Twenty years ago: Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Phoenix teenager Vincent Furnier shocked the world with his unique brand of rock and roll. He called his band Alice Cooper, and although not his original intent, he became "Alice Cooper," the snake-charming, cane-toting, clown-baiting frontman, bringing a new genre -- "shock rock" -- to the music world.

In July 1989, he released an album that would propel him back up the charts, this time as a solo artist, "Trash." Powered by the Desmond Child-aided single "Poison," which reached #7 in the US, matching 1972's "School's Out" as his highest-charting single. The song is broadly indicative of its time; slick production, a huge, anthemic chorus, and a video (linked above) that found its way into heavy rotation on MTV that summer. The album, his second platinum record, didn't just blast Cooper back into the spotlight; he became a media superstar, recording two more hit records in the early 90's and appearing, notably, in the first Wayne's World movie:



Side note: The last song, "Only My Heart Talkin'", includes a killer backup vocal line from Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Two of the most distinctive voices in rock history!

Today: Alice has continued to rock, and despite that fact that he's become better known for his golfing than for his current musical output, he's still releasing albums and putting on an incredible guillotine-and-snakes-filled stage show, selling out arenas around the world:



His latest, Along Came A Spider, shows him still in fine form, hearkening back to his 1970s material, even referencing the Steven character from Welcome To My Nightmare, Alice's last platinum album. I highly recommend it, along with 2003's The Eyes of Alice Cooper, which was raw, dirty, and among Alice's best work.