Flush the Fashion is the fifth solo studio album by American singer Alice Cooper, released on April 28, 1980, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles with producer Roy Thomas Baker, known for his work with Queen and the Cars. Musically, the album was a drastic change of style for Cooper, leaning towards a new wave influence. The lead single "Clones (We're All)" peaked at No. 40 on the U.S. Billboard Top 40. Clocking in at 28 minutes, Flush the Fashion has the shortest running time of any of Cooper's albums.
| Flush the Fashion | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 28, 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979–1980 | |||
| Studio | Cherokee (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 28:34 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Roy Thomas Baker | |||
| Alice Cooper chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Flush the Fashion | ||||
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Background
editThe album's ten tracks touch on themes such as the loss of identity, taking on other roles, and the usual Alice Cooper-esque dementia. This is evident even in the lyrics of Flush the Fashion's cover songs (for example the "Clones" single). Cooper also performs several "story" songs, presenting a series of intriguing vignettes in lieu of more traditional subject matter. By the time of Flush the Fashion, after a much-publicized stint in a sanitarium in 1977 for alcoholism and subsequent sobriety, Cooper had secretly developed a heavy addiction to cocaine, although, unlike his subsequent three studio albums, Cooper has some recollection – if not perfect – of making Flush the Fashion.[3]
Cooper did tour the album through the United States and Mexico City during 1980, playing "Clones (We're All)", "Pain", "Model Citizen", "Grim Facts", "Talk Talk", "Dance Yourself to Death" and "Nuclear Infected" on a regular basis. The first four songs remained part of the setlist for the Special Forces tour a year later. Since 1982, songs from Flush the Fashion, as with all of Cooper's albums from between 1976 and 1983, have rarely been performed live. The only cases have been:
- "Clones (We're All)",[4] of which there were a few irregular performances between 1996 and 2003 and was a regular part of Cooper's setlist during the 2011–2012 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' tour
- "Pain", which was regular on Cooper's 2017 'Spend the Night with Alice Cooper' tour, and
- "Grim Facts", which was part of "A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper" tour in 2018.
According to Alice Cooper on his radio show on October 5, 2020, all the song titles on this album were taken from Headlines (hence Track #10) from the National Enquirer.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that Cooper "bottomed out ... [with] a half-hearted new-wave makeover."[6]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Alice Cooper, Davey Johnstone and Fred Mandel except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Talk Talk" | Sean Bonniwell | 2:09 |
| 2. | "Clones (We're All)" | David Carron | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Pain" | 4:06 | |
| 4. | "Leather Boots" | Geoff Westen | 1:36 |
| 5. | "Aspirin Damage" | 2:57 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nuclear Infected" | 2:14 | |
| 2. | "Grim Facts" | 3:24 | |
| 3. | "Model Citizen" | 2:39 | |
| 4. | "Dance Yourself to Death" |
| 3:08 |
| 5. | "Headlines" | 3:18 | |
| Total length: | 28:34 | ||
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from the Flush the Fashion liner notes.[7]
Musicians
- Alice Cooper – vocals
- Davey Johnstone – lead guitar
- Fred Mandel – keyboards; rhythm guitar; backing vocals
- Dennis Conway – drums
- John Cooker Lopresti – bass guitar
- Flo & Eddie – backing vocals
- Joe Pizzulo – backing vocals
- Keith Allison – backing vocals
- Ricky "Rat" Tierney – backing vocals
Production and artwork
- Roy Thomas Baker – producer
- Ian Taylor – engineer
- John Weaver – assistant engineer
- Eddy Herch – design
- Jonathan Exley – back cover and sleeve photography
- Fred Valentine – front cover photography
- Alice Cooper – art direction
- Peter Whorf – art direction
Charts
edit| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[8] | 32 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] | 19 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] | 40 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11] | 32 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] | 34 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 56 |
| US Billboard 200[14] | 44 |
References
edit- ^ "11 Classic Rockers Who Went New Wave For One Album". VH1.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Alice cooper singles".
- ^ 'Hanging with Mr. Cooper' Archived 2014-10-27 at the Wayback Machine; Phoenix New Times, June 20, 1996
- ^ 'Clones (We're All)' performance data
- ^ Prato, Greg. "Flush the Fashion – Alice Cooper". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 10.
- ^ Flush the Fashion (CD booklet). Alice Cooper. Warner Bros. Records. 1980.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0208b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Alice Cooper – Flush the Fashion". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Alice Cooper – Flush the Fashion". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Alice Cooper – Flush the Fashion". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Alice Cooper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
External links
edit- Flush the Fashion at Discogs (list of releases)