How much did Trash help Alice Cooper?

[War_in_D]

Might not be the popular opinion, but I consider RYFT, Trash and Hey Stoopid to be close to perfect albums. I was a new fan during RYFY, and I really enjoyed Alice for those years...up until Last Temptation. That album didn't do anything for me.

I was thrilled to see the success he was having with Trash. He worked hard for it. I bought it right when it came out, and with the big names behind it I was so excited.

My first listen was on cassette for my run that day. Poison just blew me away. I kept playing that song over and over for the entire hour of my jog.

Great, sweaty times!

[dmbrocker]

I’d say it was his official comeback, though “Teenage Frankenstein” and “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)” from Constrictor (and, to a lesser extent, “Freedom” from RYFAY) came close. “Poison” was basically Alice fully joining the hair metal bandwagon in the same way that Kiss did with Lick It Up and Aerosmith did with Permanent Vacation. Trash was definitely his highest heights since the 70’s, anyway.

[Tymaster]

The two MCA albums helped get him back on stage and in the press but didn't sell particularly well and aside from Heavy Metal Mania and Z-Rock didn't really do much at tv and radio. Trash got the mainstream airplay and got Alice his first Platinum since WTMN. "Poison" is still on regular AOR rotation. I'd say Trash sealed the deal that the two MCA albums started. Amazing how Shep dropped the ball with the followup.

[Earl Skakel]

I'm actually surprised Trash didn't sell more. Poison was a massive song.

Alice's manager Shep Gordon deciding it was best to not allow Desmond Child to produce the next album was an absolutely massive mistake.

"Hey Stoopid" has some great material, but it's missing that big hit Desmond Child was usually good for.

I'm not saying he should have used Desmond from that point forward, but you certainly gotta follow that up and see if you can catch lightning in a bottle again.

I read somewhere that Cooper and Desmond Child did not get along very well. Cooper did not like Child's production style, and the Trash album was a slog to complete.

I remember that makeover show Vince Neil did and they brought in Desmond Child to write Promise Me and Child seemed to be very much a taskmaster with Neil so I'll guess that didn't really go over with Cooper as well. With a younger Bon Jovi I could see them not minding but with an older artist even though you can't argue with his formula I could see that not going over well.

[HORRORHOLIC1979]

Don't get the love for Raise Your Fist and Yell. Not one redeemable song on that entire album.

You must be kidding right?

I agree with pieceofme RYFAY isn't very good and not even close to Trash, Stoopid and Temptation.

It's a billion times better than Trash

[Son_of_Sam_I_Am]

You must be kidding right?

I agree with pieceofme RYFAY isn't very good and not even close to Trash, Stoopid and Temptation.

It's a billion times better than Trash

I couldn't agree more. That fucking album rocked hard.

[nuno_cherone]

Before Trash, I knew Alice’s big hits and had a favorable view of him, but I didn’t own any albums. When Trash came out it blended right in with the hair metal I was into, and I thought it was pretty good. I ended up picking up a few of his albums after that and I dug it.
I also got my younger brother interested in him by listening to Trash. He also became a fan. So Trash gained him 2 fans right there.
Much later, I saw Alice open for Motley and he was fantastic.

[windycitycane]

The guitar riff in Poison is actually from a song on John Waite’s Rovers Return called Encircled.

I recall Desmond said he either wrote both songs or ripped
off the riff for Poison.

[NeonKnite]

The guitar riff in Poison is actually from a song on John Waite’s Rovers Return called Encircled.

I recall Desmond said he either wrote both songs or ripped
off the riff for Poison.

https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/gui ... ers-poison

And they reached an agreement so it could be used, so compensation of some sort was given one would think.

[windycitycane]

The guitar riff in Poison is actually from a song on John Waite’s Rovers Return called Encircled.

I recall Desmond said he either wrote both songs or ripped
off the riff for Poison.

https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/gui ... ers-poison

And they reached an agreement so it could be used, so compensation of some sort was given one would think.

Thanks for the clarification.

BTW that Waite album, Rovers Return, is fantastic.

Desmond and Dianne Warren wrote some great tunes - Waite really brought out some heavy hitters.

[alexleehooker]

Like an earlier post says, in the U.K. ‘poison’ is one of the most know songs of the genre/era along with sweet child o mine , final countdown and pour some sugar on me.

Ratt , kixx etc didn’t chart here as MTV wasn’t as widespread until maybe Sky tv took off in the early 90s.

Nothing else from ‘trash’ is very well know although one of the other singles briefly charted. ‘Poison’ was up there for weeks though.

The ‘Hey Stoopid’ single and album were also quite well known , he got a lot of press in all the rock mags and the involvement of Slash, satriani etc helped. and the single was easy to find.

After that his recorded output didn’t do as well as grunge, alternative, nu metal came in. ‘Lost in America’ was a great single but no AirPlay outside of Virgin FM.