Review Summary: With Trash, despite the occasional stumble, Alice very definitely managed to get himself back in the 80's hard rock race.
1988 had not been such a good year for Alice Cooper. He was just coming off an extremely shaky decade, where alcohol abuse mixed with experimentation to disastrous effect. The same public who had dubbed him the ‘Shock King’ in the 70s now lost all interest in his oeuvre, and he was constantly being outgunned by younger, hairspray-laden upstarts. So, clever player that he is, Vincent Damon Fournier did the only possible thing: he revitalized his career.
To do this, Alice teamed up with renowned producer Desmond Child, who had crafted hits for such hard-rock luminaries as Aerosmith, Bon Jovi or Winger. Together, the pair went for an updated, 80s-party-rock sound, which would wield excellent results in both 1989’s
Trash and 1991’s
Hey Stoopid. This review concerns itself with the former, universally regarded as a return to form for Alice. Comprised of only ten songs, at a total of 40 minutes, this album shows every indication of being crafted by an industry-savvy pair, from its pleasant, manageable lenght to the overabundance of infectiously catchy choruses, through the liberal use of keyboards and the big-name draw of its multiple guests.
In fact, Child’s vast network of musical acquaintances led to a plethora of guests being present in this effort. Such big names as Aerosmith (yes, the whole band), Joe Satriani, Jon Bon and Richie Sambora lend Alice a hand throughout the effort, and while some of them are not immediately audible, others make themselves heard: Steven Tyler’s rather distinctive vocals back Alice’s on
Only My Heart Talkin’, and Jon Bon Jovi does likewise on the album’s other ballad,
Hell Is Living Without You.
However, even when left to themselves, Alice and company achieve stellar results. Most of this album’s strenght is in the quality of the songwriting, although the interpretation is equally flawless. The choruses are huge, the riffs crunchy, and even the keyboards are used stylishly, whether they’re more subdued and subtle, as in
House Of Fire, or more blatant and prominent (
This Maniac’s In Love With You, Hell Is Living Without You).
But the real winners here are the songs themselves.
Trash is mostly known for its lead single,
Poison, but the truth is there are songs on this album that vastly surpass
Poison in both chorus and overall quality. One example comes right after the famous lead single:
Spark In The Dark boasts an unabashedly swinging beat and vocal lines that immediately ingratiate themselves with the listener. This is one of those songs that will go down at very first bite, and you shouldn’t be surprised to find yourself shaking your ‘thang’ while listening to it. Follow-up
House Of Fire meets with a little more resistance at first, but once the chorus is allowed to do its damage, you will be singing nothing else for at least the following week. Needless to say, this is another standout, a perfectly-constructed slab of party hard rock sure to get any retro get-together moving. The final example of this album’s hard-rockin’ excellency is
Bed Of Nails, another ginormous chorus sorrounded by good riffing and an appealing vocal performance from Fournier.
But what 80s hard rock album would be complete without its ballads!? As noted, there are two on this album, both quite attractive.
Only My Heart Talkin’ takes a little more getting used to, mostly because it lacks a little in the chorus department.
Hell Is Living Without You is overall superior, this time boasting a nice chorus section and – again – nice instrumentation and cleverly-used keyboards, as well as distinctive backing vocals.
So far, it seems we’re heading for the perfect album, right? Well, unfortunately, not quite. The title track is quite weak, standing out as the only filler track of the album and very nearly dragging it down. It is a plodding, exceedingly crude piece which mingles awkwardly with the polished, huge choruses that precede it. Equally,
I’m Your Gun and
Why Trust You are fun songs, but little else. A final qualm has to do with the excessive use of mid-tempos: while this is undoubtedly the best beat for hard rock songs, here it almost seems overused, with only the ballads and
I’m Your Gun – a faster, rollicking song – deviating from the norm. This leads to an ever-so-slight feeling of repetition, although it is quickly drowned in yet another replay of the humongous choruses.
All in all, then, this album’s fame is deserved. While maybe not as strong as follow-up
Hey Stoopid, this is definitely a perfect gap-bridger between the excessive plasticness of 1986’s
Constrictor and the 1991 album. It is also a very commendable listen for any Alice Cooper fan, as well as any 80s rock fan at large. With
Trash, despite the occasional stumble, Alice had very definitely managed to get himself back in the race.
Recommended Tracks
Poison
Spark In The Dark
House Of Fire
Bed Of Nails
Hell Is Living Without You
