Alice Cooper – Trash
Release Date: July 25, 1989
The Good: Poison, House of fire, Only My Heart Talkin’, Bed of Nails, Trash
The Bad:
The Indifferent: Spark in the Dark, Why Trust You, This Maniac’s In Love With You, Hell is Living Without You, I’m Your Gun
The late 70’s and early 80’s was not the best of times for Alice Cooper. Alice went from being on top of the world to literally being a drunk who was barely able to even stand up on stage. After 1983’s DaDa album, Alice disappeared from the world. In 1986, Alice resurfaced clean, sober and ready to reclaim his crown and throne with Constrictor. The tours were selling out but when Constrictor and it’s follow up Raise Your Fist and Yell failed to crack the charts, the record company did pretty much what they did with Aerosmith in the same situation. They hired outside writers to come in and give Alice some hits!
1989’s Trash was the album that put Alice Cooper at the top of the charts. The album boasted a slick, polished production of catchy tongue in cheek songs as opposed to the anthem tinged metal of his previous two albums. This album presented Alice to a much broader audience and I remember loving this album. The debut single “Poison” was a top 10 single co-written by Desmond Child and it’s still one of my favorite Alice songs to hear live. I remember listening to this album all the time as a kid but it’s disappointing to hear it 20+ years later.
Trash does not stand the test of time as well as it’s follow up Hey Stoopid but its still got a handful of great songs. The Cooper/Child/Joan Jett penned “House of Fire” is another one of those infectiously catchy but fun songs why “Only My Heart Talkin’” kind of reminds of a classic Alice Cooper ballad such as “You & Me” or “I Never Cry.” The title track is a total kick ass that I wish would see the light of day again but the rest of the album just sounds so fluffy and silly to me. I’m sure my little 16 year old brain though it was funny and even cool to hear songs like “Spark in the Dark” and “I’m Your Gun” with its double entendre but at 38 it just sounds dumb and juvenile. This isn’t a terrible album to own by any shot but it’s by far the most memorable of Alice’s later years material.
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