Warthur I'm not too thrilled about Trash. Sure, I'm glad it was a major comeback album for Cooper which put his fortunes back on track, but it's not fun to see the guy who came up with so many of the hallmarks of the trashier end of glam rock resorting to imitating the younger and more successful glam metal acts who had sprung up in the meantime. Jon Bon Jovi has a guest appearance on this album, but the Bon Jovi sound is a constant presence on all tracks. It's a pleasant enough listen if you like that sort of thing, I suppose, but it's still the sound of an innovator who's turned into a follower.

Stephen I still have a vivid memory of playing this tape in 1993 over and over again when I first discovered Alice Cooper years ago. "Poison" and "Bed of Nails" are my most fave tracks of the album and those two songs are the reason I decided to backtrack Cooper's early catalogue to learn more about him. "Trash", even though was a commercial approach and probably a far departure from his idealistic root, is still highly enjoyable, especially if you're into the late-80s style of Aerosmith, Motley Crue, or Bon Jovi. This album is Cooper's best-selling release and thanks to the several singles that were aired intensively back in the days.

The anthemic "Poison" is a great album opener with its catchy chorus. "Spark In The Dark" is also a great track with some groovy riffs but "House of Fire" stole my attention. The refreshing nuance made this a fun party track. "Bed of Nails" is definitely the album's diamond. A brilliant uptempo tune with a memorable chorus and killer guitar solo. "Only My Heart Talkin'" is a mandatory ballad, a beautiful one, and I love the screaming duel with Steven Tyler at the end of the song. "Hell Is Living Without You" is the second ballad attempt, quite okay but inferior compared to the prior. The title track is a decent filler but "This Maniac" is horribly boring, I always skip this track.

Produced by Desmond Child, the fan could have expected where the commercial sound came from. The production value is acceptable and this album is perhaps not for his long time fans, but for glam/pop-metal lovers, "Trash" is a big gem not to miss.

Time Signature Spark in the dark...

Genre: heavy metal / hard rock / glam metal

"Trash" was a major hit back in the day when it came out, and I can really see why. It's jampacked full of solid hard rock and heavy metal tunes with only a couple of weak points.

The opening track was probably also the biggest hit of that album, starting with an anthemic guitar melody of the sort that just tattoos itself onto one's brain. It's not a coincidence it became so popular. It's just damn catchy! Most of the other tracks on the album are equally catchy, but mostly because of their choruses - and tracks like "Spark in the Dark", "House of Fire", and "Bed of Nails" just beg you to sing along. The weakest tracks on this album are the ballad "Only My Heart Talkin'" and, ironically, the title track "Trash".

I'd recommend this album to most fans of hard rock and glam metal (and, yes, I like how it's glam metal without being glamorous or sleazy).

It should also be of interest to various rock fans as it features the likes of Joey Sambora, Jon Bon Jovi, Desmond Child, Steve Lukather, Joe Perry, Steven Tyler and Kip Winger. However, unlike "Hey Stoopid", this album is not carried by the guest performers, but by the music itself.