Alice Cooper
Trash

THE REVIEW

TRASH (1989, S0NY)

TRACK LIST:

01) POISON
02) SPARK IN THE DARK
03) HOUSE OF FIRE
04) WHY TRUST YOU
05) ONLY MY HEART TALKIN’
06) BED OF NAILS
07) THIS MANIAC’S IN LOVE WITH YOU
08) TRASH
09) HELL IS LIVING WITHOUT YOU
10) I’M YOUR GUN

“Trash” is the album with which Alice Cooper definitively relaunches himself commercially, regaining the (deserved) public success he had already enjoyed in the early '70s thanks to albums like “Killer,” “School’s Out,” and “Billion Dollar Babies” (culminating at position #1 in America in 1974).

Delivering memorable tracks created specifically to flood the airwaves, this work perfectly embodies the second youth of the great enchanter, synthesizing his rediscovered compositional vein in the striking single “Poison,” a hit song present in the Top 10 worldwide. After two solid albums like “Constrictor” (1985) and “Raise your fist and yell” (1986), which we could call general rehearsals for a masterpiece, the rocker from Detroit decides to do things grandly: supported by exceptional artists such as Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Steve Lukather, Richie Sambora, Jon Bon Jovi, and Joan Jett, the legendary singer gives birth to a high-grade rock album, equally divided between bursts of irrepressible energy and a truly exquisite propensity for melody. The cocktail works wonderfully, and what gives the album an extra edge can be found in the stylistic choices dictated by the grandiose production of the demigod Desmond Child, undoubtedly the premier author and producer on the scene between the '80s and '90s.

Almost two decades after its market release, we can identify in “Trash” a work capable of competing without reverential fears with the production of the '70s branded Alice Cooper: it is precisely thanks to some compositional thrusts present in this platter that Vincent Fournier’s figure obtained a significant relaunch for his career, involving a generation in his music that seriously risked not benefiting from his talent. Music critics labeled the album's songwriting as oriented towards a “less gore more whore” approach, noting how Alice's stylistic choice shifted towards themes closer to those addressed by '80s glam bands like Motley Crue, Ratt, and Bon Jovi, rather than his previous discography, full of horror movie references. The observation is debatable since the singer had already walked similar paths in memorable albums like the aforementioned “Billion Dollar Babies” and “Muscle of love,” but overall it appears fairly fitting: although not an entirely new field for him, it is undeniable that the Detroit rocker has decidedly focused on topics related to sex, composing real themed songs (see “Spark in the Dark” or “Bed of Nails”).
Besides the already mentioned “Poison,” “Trash” is remembered for hits that became rightfully among the great rock songs: a glaring example is “House of fire” (it's impossible not to recall its chorus), the scratchy “Spark in the dark” and “Bed of Nails,” the sweet and elegant ballad “Only my heart talkin'’,” “Why trust you,” and “This maniac’ s in love with you.”

A curiosity: from the sensational and spectacular tour supporting the platter (with Great White as opener), two memorable dates are recalled: one at London's Wembley Arena and the other at Zurich's Hallenstadion, packed to beyond imagination. The years have passed mercilessly for many productions of the '80s, but “Trash” remains an album to possess at all costs, which even today strikes at the heart of the listener, cradling them in a warm and sensual embrace.

(Enrico Rosticci)