Alice Cooper Salutes Hometown With ‘Detroit Stories’ Album

You may leave, but your hometown will always be a part of you. For his latest album, Alice Cooper is stirring up some inspiration from his childhood years for the new album, Detroit Stories.

The Detroit native says the upcoming album will explore how the city of his youth helped to popularize "angry hard rock" in the U.S. Helping him on his journey will be fellow Detroit icon and MC5 leader Wayne Kramer, Detroit Wheels drummer Johnny "Bee" Badanjek and bassist Paul Randolph.

Cooper says, "Los Angeles had its sound with The Doors, Love and Buffalo Springfield. San Francisco had the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. New York had The Rascals and the Velvet Underground, but Detroit was the epicenter for angry hard rock. After not fitting in anywhere in the U.S. (musically or image-wise), Detroit was the only place that recognized the Alice Cooper guitar driven, hard rock sound. Detroit seemed to be a haven for outcasts. When they found out I was born in East Detroit … we were home."

Cooper will issue a cover of The Velvet Underground's "Rock 'n' Roll" as the lead single this Friday (Nov. 13). While the iconic rockers have the New York ties Cooper just mentioned, he points out that the song was written in Detroit by Lou Reed and also recorded in the Motor City.

For this new set, Cooper welcomed legendary producer Bob Ezrin into the fold. Ezrin says, “We recorded with Wayne Kramer, Johnny ‘Bee’ Badanjek, Paul Randolph, as well as the Motor City Horns and other local musicians. We had musical ideas and encouragement from John Varvatos, the support of the folks at Shinola, and we recorded at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak. This was Made in Detroit for Detroit by Detroit denizens!”

Cooper's Detroit Stories will arrive Feb. 26 via earMusic. Pre-orders are available here and you can pre-save the "Rock 'n' Roll" cover at this location.

1. Rock ‘n’ Roll
2. Go Man Go (Album Version)
3. Our Love Will Change The World
4. Social Debris
5. $1000 High Heel Shoes
6. Hail Mary
7. Detroit City 2021 (Album Version)
8. Drunk and in Love
9. Independence Dave
10. I Hate You
11. Wonderful World
12. Sister Anne (Album Version)
13. Hanging on by a Thread (Don’t Give Up)
14. Shut Up and Rock
15. East Side Story (Album Version)