As the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame says, "Before the world heard of KISS,
the New York Dolls, Marilyn Manson, or Ozzy Osbourne, there was Alice
Cooper, the original shock-rock band."
When Alice Cooper became the stuff of legend in the early '70s, their
shows were monuments of fun and invention. Riding on a string of hits
like "I'm 18" and "School's Out," they became America's highest-grossing
act, producing four platinum albums and hitting number one on the US and
UK charts with Billion Dollar Babies in 1973. Their utterly original
performance style and look, known as shock rock, was swiftly copied by
countless bands.
Dennis Dunaway, the bassist and cosongwriter for the band, tells a story
just as over-the-top crazy as their (in)famous shows. As teenagers in
Phoenix, Dennis Dunaway and lead singer Vince Furnier, who would later
change his name to Alice Cooper, formed a hard-knuckles band that played
prisons, cowboy bars, and teen clubs. Their journey took them from
Hollywood to the ferocious Detroit music scene, along the way adding new
dimensions of rock theater. From struggling for recognition to topping
the charts, the Alice Cooper group was entertaining, outrageous, and one
of a kind.
Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! is the riveting account of the
band's creation in the '60s and strange glory in the '70s and the
legendary characters they met along the way.
