In the perfect world, Michael Monroe would have been one of the leading frontmen of the ‘80s glam metal movement -- leaving most of his unbearable contemporaries in the dust. Born Matti Fagerholm on June 17, 1960, in Helsinki, Finland, Monroe played saxophone with a variety of Finnish bands throughout the late ‘70s, before eventually switching to vocals, and helping co-form Hanoi Rocks in 1980. Preceding Motley Crue by several years, Hanoi Rocks was one of the first groups in several years to adopt the ‘glam' look (something that would become commonplace on L.A.'s Sunset Strip in only a few years) -- heavy on the make-up and hair spray, flashy outfits, etc. -- but unlike their future offspring, Hanoi Rocks' roots wasn't in heavy metal, but rather punk and garage rock (The Stooges, early Alice Cooper, New York Dolls, Dead Boys).

After some line up tweaking, the ‘classic' Hanoi Rocks line up was put in place, consisting of Monroe, guitarists Andy McCoy and Nasty Suicide, bassist Sam Yaffa, and drummer Nicholas ‘Razzle' Dingley. On the strength of several Euro-only, indie releases (1981's Bangkok Shocks, 1982's Self Destruction Blues and Oriental Beat, plus 1983's Back to Mystery City), and European tours (as well as visits to such exotic locales as Israel and Japan), a buzz began to build. Hanoi Rocks was signed to Columbia Records soon after, as U.S. success appeared to be just around the corner - especially after the release of 1984's Two Steps from the Move. Then came a much-publicized car accident that killed Dingley (behind the wheel was an inebriated Vince Neil) in December of 1984. Despite Monroe and company attempting to carry on with replacements, the promising Hanoi was laid to rest later the next year.

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Relocating to New York City, Monroe began to pick up the pieces and embarked on a solo career. Monroe's first solo release was 1987's Nights Are So Long (a Scandinavia/Japan only release), which was quite Dead Boys-influenced (Monroe had befriended Stiv Bators and covered one of his solo songs, while guitarist Jimmy Zero contributed a pair of songs). An appearance in the star-studded Sun City video followed, as did a worldwide solo deal with Polygram Records. An initial plan of reissuing Nights failed to pan out, resulting in 1989's Not Fakin' It being the first domestically issued solo Monroe release. The album would go on to become Monroe's most successful stateside release (the only one to appear on the Billboard charts), while all of Hanoi Rocks' albums were reissued on Guns N' Roses' short-lived Uzi Suicide label (Monroe also appeared on G n' R's Use Your Illusion releases and The Spaghetti Incident).

Many assumed that Monroe would obtain ever-elusive breakthrough success this second time around, but once more, it was not to be. A planned collaboration with ex-Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens failed to pan out, as it appeared that Monroe completely disappeared. This proved not to be the case, as he continued to issue lower-profile solo releases (1992's Jerusalem Slim, 1996's Peace of Mind, 1999's Life Gets You Dirty, 2002's Take Them and Break Them, and 2003's Whatcha Want. Monroe has also sporadically reunited with his ex-Hanoi bandmates, including Yaffa under the name Demolition 23 (1995's Demolition 23), and with McCoy as Hanoi Rocks, resulting in the 2002 release, Twelve Shots on the Rocks.

artistdirect.con

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Alice Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier on 4th February 1948, is an American rock singer and composer. With a career that has spanned more than 40 years, Alice Cooper’s shock rock has brought both infamy and success, with 50 million records sold worldwide and a reputation for Vaudeville-like horror stage shows.

"We brought theatrics to rock 'n' roll. We did it before Bowie, we did it before Kiss and before anybody,” Cooper has said in an interview. This shock factor even seems to extend to Alice Cooper’s personal life.  As one of the progenitors of heavy metal, and the first to introduce horror imagery to rock music, it’s something of a surprise to learn that Rolling Stone’s “World’s Most Beloved Entertainer” is a Christian golfer, actor, restaurateur and DJ.

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Alice Cooper was originally the name of Furnier’s band, with Furnier singing and playing the harmonica, supported by guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neal Smith. The band was signed to Frank Zappa’s Straight Records in 1969, but commercial success took some time. Their first release, ‘Pretties For You’, floundered low in the charts, and ‘Easy Action’ didn’t do much better the year after. Having been signed to Straight for three albums, the next chance for Alice Cooper to make a successful record may well have been their last. Fortunately, success came.  Teaming up with producer Bob Ezrin, ‘Love It To Death’, as the album was called, was released in 1971 and reached #35 in the US charts after their earlier single, ‘I’m Eighteen’ had reached #21 in the Billboard Hot 100. In the summer of 1972, the single ‘School’s Out’ reached new heights, reaching top spot in the UK and a place in the top 10 of the US charts. ‘Billion Dollar Babies’, the band’s most commercially successful album, was released a year later, reaching the top spot in both the UK and US charts.

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In 1975, Furnier broke away from the rest of the band and used the pseudonym Alice Cooper to start his solo career. The concept album ‘Welcome to My Nightmare’ was his first solo release, reaching the top 10 in the US charts, and it was accompanied by a TV special, ‘The Nightmare’, which represents the first music video album ever made. However, Furnier’s alcoholism began to take its toll, and he booked himself into a sanitarium in 1977. In 1983, Furnier was hospitalized for his alcohol abuse, and he took a year-long career break. Between then and Furnier’s most recent release, 2008’s ‘Along Came A Spider’, Alice Cooper has enjoyed consistently good commercial successes and high acclaim for his musical innovation and often groundbreaking cross-media work, not to mention being commonly credited with the inspiration for more than one generation’s musical talents. 

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Born Vincent Damián Fumier, December 25, 1945 (one source says February 4, 1948), in Detroit, MI; son of a protestant minister; married, two children.

Began career during high school as member of the Earwigs; group relocated to Los Angeles, 1968, and changed name to the Spiders, then the Nazz, then Alice Cooper; released first two records on Frank Zappa's Straight Records label; signed to Warner Bros., 1971; launched solo career and released first solo album, Welcome to My Nightmare, 1975; moved to MCA records; moved to Epic Records, and released Trash, 1989. Appeared in films Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1978, Sextette, 1979, Roadie, 1980, Monster Dog, 1982, Decline of Western Civilization Part II, 1988, Wayne's World, 1992, and Nightmare on Elm Street Part VI, 1992.

Addresses: Home—Scottsdale, AZ. Record company—Epic Records, 51 West 52nd St., New York, NY 10019.

The release of Cooper's first solo album, 1975's Welcome To My Nightmare, was accompanied by a successful prime-time television special. The album contained an unlikely hit, the ballad "Only Women Bleed." Other cuts demonstrated Cooper's still-sharp penchant for theatrics, including the sinister "Black Widow"—which in concert featured human-sized spiders crawling across a giant web suspended across the stage—and the surreal "Escape," where in live performance Cooper was chased by a ten-foot-tall one-eyed monster.

In keeping with the punk/new-wave era of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cooper in 1980 released Flush the Fashion. Flush is best remembered for the single "Clones (We Are All)"; its liberal use of the Moog synthesizer and monotone vocal style were both indicative of the popular "cold wave" style of the day. David Fricke of Rolling Stone reported that Flush the Fashion "wisely scrapped the flatulent vaudeville trappings and tragicomic pretensions of [Cooper's] late seventies work and reassumed the punk mantle he wore when the original Alice band was cutting a [Civil War Union] General Sherman-like swath."

Trash, Cooper's first release for Epic Records, started a tradition of extensive collaboration with other prominent artists. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith accompanied Cooper on "Hell Is Living Without You," a ballad co-written by Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora, and "Poison," the smash single from the album, the video of which was broadcast regularly on MTV, featured the backing vocals of Bon Jovi. 1991 's Hey Stoopid! boasted a stellar studio lineup that included metal elder statesman Ozzy Osbourne, who sang, and Slash from Guns and Roses, who played guitar on the title track. Guitar aces Joe Satriani and Steve Vai lent dueling guitars to "Feed My Frankenstein," and Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars contributed licks to "Die For You." Hard Force magazine called Hey Stoopid! "the best since Welcome to My Nightmare, a vicious guitar record."

Promotion for Hey Stoopid! was characteristically spectacular. Cooper took to the streets, turning up in various public places to perform songs from the album and generally wreak havoc. Dubbing the September, 1991, tour the "Nightmare on Your Street," he performed at 8:45 in the morning in the parking lot of Los Angeles radio station KLOS, causing a standstill in rush-hour traffic. In New York City, Cooper tempted fate by playing in Times Square on Friday the 13th. Confused onlookers in Detroit were treated to a concert on the roof of the local Sound Warehouse record store, and in Towson, Maryland, Cooper held forth on the steps of the country courthouse.

Further promotion for Hey Stoopid! came in the form of a cameo role in director Penelope Spheeris's block-buster Wayne's World. In the film, Cooper performed the song "Feed My Frankenstein" and offered the star-struck protagonists an impromptu backstage lesson on the history of Milwaukee worthy of the best high school geography teacher. Commenting in Rolling Stone on the head-banging community-access television hosts portrayed in the film, Cooper said, "I like Wayne and Garth, I meet people like them all the time, they are my audience."

And because—or in spite—of his over-the-top image, Cooper's fans seem to be able to relate to Alice as well. Cooper has endured because he consistently plays the type of villain or monster that audiences can't help but cheer. By innovating a diabolic, yet charismatic, character back in the seventies, he has become a legendary figure in rock music. Melody Maker commented aptly on the universal appeal of Cooper's persona, allowing, "There has to be an Alice Cooper just like there has to be a Father Christmas.

Sources: Artistdirect.com; Barry C. Henssler

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Scottish heavy metal is a rarity, yet Glaswegian hard-rockers The Almighty transformed all this in 1988. The four members; vocalist Ricky Warwick, guitarist Tantrum, bassist Floyd London and drummer Stump Monroe, all came from a punk-rock background, taking their main influences from bands such as The Ramones and The Cult.

They were signed by Polydor in 1989, through which they released their first album, Blood Fire and Love. A live version of the album was released a year later, after the group embarked on a European club tour, following their failed attempt to break the USA. This was soon followed by a live mini-album, which included a cover version of the Bachman-Turner Overdrive's standard, 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet'. Shortly after, tensions between band members, left to, funnily enough, the departure of Tantrum. He was replaced by Peter Friessen, former guitarist for Alice Cooper’s backing band.

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In 1992, The Almighty performed at Donnington’s Download Festival, and their aggressive performance lead to comparisons between the band and rock greats such as Metallica and Soundgarden. It was from this festival appearance where The Almighty really began to live up to their name. They were asked to support Iron Maiden across Europe, and played multiple stadium dates with Metallica.

In 1993, the band split from their Polydor manager Tommy Tee, and signed to Crysalis in 1994, a record label which the band claimed were ‘less demanding’. This attitude still lead to the band releasing two top 30 UK singles, Despite this, singer Warwick left the band in 1996, and the band split shortly after. They may not be together anymore, but the bands music still lives on as some of the best British metal ever made.

Albums:

Blood, Fire and Love, Polydor, 1989.

Blood, Fire and Live, Polydor, 1990.

Soul Destruction, Polydor, 1991.

Powertrippin', Polydor, 1993.

Crank, Chrysalis, 1994.

Crank and Deceit: Live in Japan [Japan only release], 1995.

Just Add Life, Chrysalis, 1996.

The Almighty, Sanctuary Records Group, 2000.

Psycho-Narco, Sanctuary Records Group, 2001.

Wild and Wonderful – compilation, 2002.

Anth'f**ing'ology – compilation, 2007.

All Proud, All Live, All Mighty – live, 2008.

Source: Carly Page

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This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

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Alice Cooper

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