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Floating World [Release date 11.6.21]
With Alice Cooper’s new album “Detroit Stories” garnering plenty of media attention, this timely 2CD set collects his three Epic label albums which were originally released between 1989 and 1994.
For “Trash” he teamed up with crack producer Desmond Child, fresh from success with the likes of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and Kiss. Child co-writes all bar one of the tracks here, and they don’t come any better than the opener – the classic smash hit single ‘Poison’, a song that truly resurrected Cooper’s career and reached the lofty heights of #2 in the UK singles chart (#7 in the US).
Featuring a star-studded rota of guest musicians, including Jon Bon Jovi, Steven Tyler and Steve Lukather, the quality control is high. There are fiery rockers (‘Spark In The Dark’, the catchy ‘House Of Fire’, ‘This Maniac’s In Love With You’, ‘Trash’) as well as a couple of slower-paced tracks (‘Only My Heart Talkin’’ and ‘Hell’s Living Without You’). Another standout is ‘Bed Of Nails’, which contains more than a whiff of Bon Jovi’s ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’.
Cooper followed “Trash” with 1991’s “Hey Stoopid”, which was produced by Peter Collins (previous credits Rush, Queensrÿche). Guests this time include Ozzy Osbourne, Joe Satriani, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Slash and Stevie Vai.
The title track is a killer opener and sets the tone for another strong album. ‘Feed My Frankenstein’ (co-written by Zodiac Mindwarp) was later featured in Wayne’s World and remains a perennial Halloween favourite! ‘Love’s A Loaded Gun’ has a classic feel, ‘Might As Well Be On Mars’ is a well-crafted cut, and the riff-tastic “Hurricane Years” blasts the cobwebs away! The reflective ‘Die For You’ was co-written with Sixx and Mars, while ‘Windup Toy’ is a wacky closer.
1994’s “The Last Temptation” was Cooper’s first concept album since 1983’s “DaDa”. The album deals with issues of faith, temptation, alienation and the frustrations of modern life. It centres on a boy named Steven (also the name of the protagonist in Cooper’s 1975 work, “Welcome to My Nightmare”) and a mysterious showman.
The album once again features collaborations with some high-profile guests: Chris Cornell of Soundgarden co-wrote and sings on two songs (‘Stolen Prayer’ is superb), Dan Wexler of Icon co-wrote four songs, and Derek Sherinian of Dream Theater plays keyboards.
Kicking off with the groovy and melodic ‘Sideshow’, it’s immediately obvious that this is very different from the rock/metal sound of the previous two albums. Andy Wallace and Don Fleming are on production duties this time and it’s a diverse mixture of styles. ‘Lost In America’ is Beastie Boys meets The Stooges, ‘You’re My Temptation’ is dark and menacing, while ‘It’s Me’ is a beautiful melodic ballad – a very rewarding listen overall.
“Three Temptations…” is a neat way to pick up these albums in a value for money package. The 12-page booklet contains biographical notes by Alan Robinson, original album artwork and credits. ****
Review by Jim Henderson
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