Trash (Alice Cooper album)
1989 studio album by Alice Cooper
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Trash is the eleventh solo and overall eighteenth studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. It was released on July 25, 1989, by Epic Records. The album features the single "Poison", Cooper's first top ten hit since his single "You and Me" in 1977 and marked a great success in Cooper's musical career, reaching the Top 20 of various album charts and selling more than 4.5 million copies.[4] Trash features John McCurry (who has previously worked with Julian Lennon) on guitar, Hugh McDonald of Bon Jovi on bass as well as Bobby Chouinard and Alan St. Jon, both from Billy Squier's solo band on drums and keyboards, respectively. The album was the "biggest hit among his hair metal albums",[5] peaking at number two in the UK and number 20 in the US.
- Bearsville, Woodstock
- Power Station, New York City
- Right Track, New York City
- Sigma Sound, Philadelphia
- Mediasound, New York City
- Grog Kill
- Village Recorder, Los Angeles
- The Complex
- Record Plant, New York City
- Blue Jay
- Sanctuary Sound
| Trash | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 25, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | May–June 1989 | |||
| Studios |
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| Genre | Glam metal | |||
| Length | 40:11 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Desmond Child | |||
| Alice Cooper chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Trash | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Overview
After his return to the music industry with the successful "The Nightmare Returns" tour, Cooper had sought assistance from Desmond Child to create a comeback album. Trash became one of Cooper's biggest albums, accompanied by music videos for "Poison", "Bed of Nails", "House of Fire", and "Only My Heart Talkin'". A successful year-long worldwide concert tour in support of the album was documented in the home video release Alice Cooper Trashes The World.
The album features many guest performances including Jon Bon Jovi; Stiv Bators; singer/guitarist Kane Roberts (who left Cooper's band in 1988); as well as four of the five members of Aerosmith, Cooper's 1970s contemporaries who were also making a successful comeback at the time (only Brad Whitford did not participate). Songwriting contributions were also made by Joan Jett, Diane Warren, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and John McCurry.
Critical reception
The album has received mostly positive reviews. AllMusic reviewer Alex Henderson gave the album four stars out of five describing it as a "highly slick and commercial yet edgy pop-metal effort that temporarily restored him to the charts in a big way".[2] Rolling Stone placed the album at 36 on their list of the "50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time".[6] Kerrang! put the album in sixth place in on their ranking of every Alice Cooper album.[7] MetalSucks included the album at No. 7 on their list of "The Ten Best Must-Have Glam Metal Albums".[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Poison" | Alice Cooper · Desmond Child · John McCurry | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Spark in the Dark" | Cooper · Child | 3:52 |
| 3. | "House of Fire" | Cooper · Child · Joan Jett | 3:47 |
| 4. | "Why Trust You" | Cooper · Child | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Only My Heart Talkin'" | Cooper · Bruce Roberts · Andy Goldmark | 4:47 |
| 6. | "Bed of Nails" | Cooper · Child · Kane Roberts · Diane Warren | 4:20 |
| 7. | "This Maniac's in Love with You" | Cooper · Child · Bob Held · Tom Teeley | 3:48 |
| 8. | "Trash" | Cooper · Child · Mark Frazier · Jamie Sever | 4:01 |
| 9. | "Hell Is Living Without You" | Cooper · Child · Jon Bon Jovi · Richie Sambora | 4:11 |
| 10. | "I'm Your Gun" | Cooper · Child · McCurry | 3:47 |
| Total length: | 40:11 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Only My Heart Talkin'" (Radio Edit) | Cooper · Roberts · Goldmark | 3:57 |
| 12. | "I Got a Line on You" | Randy California | 3:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Cold Ethyl" (live) | Cooper · Bob Ezrin | |
| 12. | "Ballad of Dwight Fry" (live) | Michael Bruce · Cooper |
Personnel
- Main musicians
- Alice Cooper – lead vocals
- John McCurry – guitar
- Hugh McDonald – bass, backing vocals
- Bobby Chouinard – drums
- Alan St. John – keyboards, backing vocals
- Additional personnel
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Production
- Produced by Desmond Child
- Recorded by Sir Arthur Payson, Obie O'Brien and Nick DiDia (both at Sanctuary Studios), George Cowan (at Bearsville), Mark Tanzer (at Blue Jay), Lolly Grodner (at Mediasound), Ben Fowler (at Power Station), John Herman (at Right Track), Brian Peterofsky (at Sigma Sound).
- Assistant Engineers: Duane Seykora (at The Complex) and Robert Hart (Village Recorders).
- Mixed by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero.
- Mastered by George Marino.
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[29] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[30] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[31] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[32] | Gold | 50,912[32] |
| Germany (BVMI)[33] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[34] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[35] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[36] | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[37] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||