Top 5 Alice Cooper Covers

If you’re a musician, there are a few different ways to cover a song – the first is to replicate it note for note, the second is to keep the rhythmic structure of the original but to add your own sonic elements to it, and the third is to completely change the rhythm and tone of the song while keeping the same lyrics. Of course, there are some details amongst these three methods that are interchangeable, but those are the basic three. Covering songs is no easy feat either, even though it is a popular practice amongst musicians – it’s a great way for artists to gain new fans and show appreciation to those who influenced them, but it’s incredibly hard for there to be a sense of ownership, where the artist acknowledges the original but truly puts their own spin on it.

Alice Cooper is no stranger to doing covers – his musical career started in a Beatles tribute band, after all. Whether it’s a simple tip of the hat or a complete subversion of sonic expectations, Cooper has always worn his influences on his sleeve and acknowledged them on several occasions over the course of his extensive career. Before his performance in Wilmington, NC on October 5, let’s take a look at some of his most impressive covers.

5. Fire (Originally by The Jimi Hendrix Experience)

The revolutionary rocker Jimi Hendrix was a very important figure in Alice Cooper’s life and career – when Cooper moved to California, Hendrix was one of the first musicians he met there, and the two musicians crossed paths several times until Hendrix’s untimely death in 1970. Over 30 years after the release of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1967 debut album Are You Experienced?, Cooper gave his take on the popular single, “Fire.”

First released as a B-side to the “Love’s A Loaded Gun” single in 1991, Alice Cooper’s version has time on its side – the level of production and technology available at this time allows it to have a much bigger sound than the original, and the tones of the guitars match the glam rock sound that Cooper was in the midst of mastering with his monster of an album, Hey Stoopid. The guitar solo towards the end is also a fitting tribute to Hendrix and his abilities while still having a fresh sound and energy to it.

4. East Side Story (Originally by Bob Seger)

While his musical career began in Phoenix, Arizona, Alice Cooper has always had pride in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan and its rich musical history. The Midwestern stomping grounds had a reciprocal affinity for Cooper's music as well, with Detroit being where the original band had their big break in the early 70s.

In 2019, Alice Cooper began the preparations for his album Detroit Stories (2021), which was his love-letter to the music mecca of Detroit. The first taste of this album came in the form of the Breadcrumbs EP, released September 13, 2023, which featured covers from notable Detroit artists, a remake of “Detroit City” from the Eyes of Alice Cooper album, and a new original song co-written with MC5’s Wayne Kramer. Of the covers, the most notable one may be Cooper’s rendition of Bob Seger’s “East Side Story” – much like with “Fire,” Alice Cooper doesn’t experiment too much with the song’s rhythmic structure, but simply adds his personal flair to it. Again, the modern production capabilities allow this version to feel bigger and better than the original, with more resonant backing vocals, heavier drums, and louder guitars.

3. Talk Talk (Originally by The Music Machine)

Alice Cooper’s cover of “Talk Talk” is an interesting statement in a couple different ways, and it all stems from the rising popularity of punk music. Known for his shocking stage theatrics, Cooper was the posterboy for parental advisory and juvenile rebellion since the beginning of his career, and the concept of being upstaged or passed by wasn’t an option for him. To show that he could still keep up with new trends, his way of competing with the punk scene was to cover one of the pioneers of the subgenre, the 60s Los Angeles-based proto-punk garage rock band The Music Machine. Kicking off his 1980 album Flush the Fashion with such a cover was a bit of a bold move, but it worked remarkably well – there’s a bit of a garage rock production level and some sign-of-the-times sensibilities to Cooper’s version (the synthesizers at the first instrumental break is a big sonic outlier, for example), but it still sounds enough like him to not raise too many eyebrows.

On a slightly darker note, this album cycle more or less marked the beginning of Cooper’s “blackout” period, the stretch of time that is wiped from Cooper’s memory due to his experimentation and addiction with cocaine at the time. According to the 2013 Super Duper Alice Cooper documentary, Cooper claims that the coke use started after he got sober from alcohol, saw the rise of punk music, and used drugs to metaphorically outrun them. This makes the lyrics of this cover feel even more relevant to where Cooper was at the time, in the sense of feeling the need to prove the media wrong about being a has-been that’s been surpassed by a new trend, along with eventually isolating himself towards the end of his addiction phase.

2. Hello Hooray (Originally by Judy Collins)

This is a fantastic example of having the confident tone of complete ownership over a song, whether it’s an original or a cover – Alice Cooper’s version of “Hello Hooray” is such an iconic one that many people don’t even know it’s actually a cover. Musically, Cooper’s version sounds NOTHING like the original, with his band’s style and sound plastered all over it. Another big change is the lyrics, with Cooper altering a majority of them.

The song was put in a big spot as the opening track of the blockbuster 1973 Billion Dollar Babies album, and it passed the test with flying colors – it’s one of the best opening tracks in Cooper’s entire discography, with a grandiose kickoff energy that’s hard to replicate. As someone who also lives on the stage, Cooper’s lyrics also make his version of “Hello Hooray” a perfect concert opener.

1. We Gotta Get Outta This Place (Originally by The Animals)

Released as a bonus track to his 2011 album Welcome 2 My Nightmare, Alice Cooper’s cover of “We Gotta Get Outta This Place” turns one of the most influential 60s blues rock songs into a straightforward hard rock banger. The Animals was a very important band to Cooper when he was growing up, and it’s great to hear him pay tribute to them with this track. While the production does help with giving this song a bigger feel than the original, the instrumentation is also to credit.

The guitars and drums are the true driving force in Cooper’s version, whereas the bass is the main source of energy in the original – while the opening bassline can still be heard in Cooper’s update, there’s more emphasis on the guitars in the background because they do so much in setting the tone and building anticipation towards the explosive chorus. It’s hard to compare versions in the sense of better or worse, but Cooper’s rendition is without a doubt louder, faster, and undeniably has much more energy than the original, which makes for an unforgettable track.

Alice Cooper’s currently on the road with Rob Zombie, Ministry, and Filter on the second annual Freaks on Parade Tour, with more solo tour dates to follow until the end of the year. For dates and to buy tickets, click here.

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