Formed in 1968, the original ALICE COOPER band forged a theatrical brand of hard rock that was destined to shock and had never been seen before. Within five years, they would release no fewer than seven studio albums, amongst them their international breakthrough "School's Out" (including the Top 10 hit of the same name) and the U.S. No. 1 "Billion Dollar Babies" (1973).
By 1974, the band had risen to the upper echelon of rock stardom... and then it dissolved.
In October 2015, over 40 years later, record store owner and superfan Chris Penn convinced the original lineup to reunite for a very special performance at Good Records, his record store in Dallas, Texas. Alice Cooper (vocals),Michael Bruce (guitar),Dennis Dunaway (bass) and Neal Smith (drums) were joined on stage by Alice's current guitarist Ryan Roxie (standing in for the late Glen Buxton). A packed audience was expecting to attend Dennis Dunaway's "Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!" book signing. But they ended up witnessing a full-blown happening.
The legendary reunion show, including all-time classics such as "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out", is now becoming available for the very first time worldwide on September 30.
Luckily, the event was also filmed. The documentary movie "Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper" (edited and directed by Steven Gaddis) was very warmly welcomed at film festivals all over the world by music fans as well as rock journalists. The documentary won multiple awards for its coverage of the historic event. The movie is included in the live album's first print CD and vinyl LP editions.
Track listing:
CD:
01. Caught In A Dream (Vinyl Side A)
02. Be My Lover
03. I'm Eighteen
04. Is It My Body
05. No More Mr. Nice Guy
06. Under My Wheels (Vinyl Side B)
07. School's Out
08. Elected
09. Desperado (Intro Bonus Track)
DVD/Blu-ray (running time: over 100 minutes):
Documentary With All Live Performances + Extras:
* Music Video for "I'm Eighteen"
* "(Live From The Astroturf)"
* Music Video for "Under My Wheels (Live From The Astroturf)"
* Extensive Interview with Dennis, Michael and Neal
Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical brand of hard rock that was designed to shock. Drawing equally from horror movies, vaudeville, and garage rock, the group created a stage show that featured electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood and boa constrictors. He continues to tour regularly, performing shows worldwide with the dark and horror-themed theatrics that he's best known for. With a schedule that includes six months each year on the road, Cooper brings his own brand of rock psycho-drama to fans both old and new, enjoying it as much as the audience does. Known as the architect of shock rock, Cooper (in both the original ALICE COOPER band and as a solo artist) has rattled the cages and undermined the authority of generations of guardians of the status quo, continuing to surprise fans and exude danger at every turn, like a great horror movie, even in an era where CNN can present real-life shocking images. His latest album, "Detroit Stories", is out via earMUSIC.
Cooper's summer/fall 2022 "Detroit Muscle" tour kicks off September 7.