Chart News

Yikes! Alice Cooper's back! The veteran gorester's latest 45, 'Poison', slips neatly to the top slot of our singles chart (it had reached the astounding level of No. 5 in the gallup chart as used by the BBC at the time of writing), climbing from last issues placing of No. 8.

The 'Poison' single represents the first time that Cooper has broken through the UK Top Five barrier since 'Elected' reached No. 4 back in October 1972! Should the single have the good fortune to climb all the way, it would be Alice's first No.1 since the classic 'School's Out' song topped the singles chart in June of the very same year!

In the early '80s his success in this country was considerably less prolific - with both the 'Special Forces' and 'Dada' albums ('81 and '83, respectively) just denting the Top 100. However, his last pair of albums for MCA (Alice was previously signed to Warner Bros.) - 1986's 'Constrictor' and '87's 'Raise Your Fist And Yell' - marked the beginning of an upward spiral.

Single-wise, though, it was the same old story. 'He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)' only managed to make No. 61 in October '86 and 'Freedom' reached yje very brink of the Top 50, failing to progress any higher.

So the new single's success could be a turning point, and the signs certainly look good for the just released 'Trash' album, Alice's first since splitting from MCA and aligning himself with the Epic label. Reviews have been positive ('A dark macabre tragi-comedy given an ostensibly radio-friendly veneer', commented Dave Diickson last issue), and the involvement of various luminaries such as songwriter Desmond Child and Jon Bon Jovi can only work in Alice's favour.

What a load of rubbish.

....or Trash, as the Americans would have it. Which just so happens to be the title of the new Alice Cooper album ('Trash' that is, not 'Ameicans'), hence the devilish decision that the initial shipment of Alice LP's to the major Los Angeles record stores such as Tower Records should be made with the aid of a garbage truck (real Heavy Metal!) and of course Alice's trusty snake - well, don't you normally carry a snake around with you?

All went well it seems until an irate house-wife demanded to know why Alice and 'friend' had driven straight past her house without even looking at her garbage let alone stopping to collect it. Alice tried to explain and the snake tried to eat her.

Guess who won?