Dennis Dunaway Shares the “Unexpected Twists and Turns” of “The Revenge of Alice Cooper”
More than 50 years after their last album together, the original members of Alice Cooper have reunited for a new release: The Revenge of Alice Cooper. The lineup includes Alice Cooper on vocals, guitarist Michael Bruce, drummer Neal Smith, and bassist Dennis Dunaway. Guitarist Glen Buxton, who passed away in 1997, also appears on the album thanks to previously unreleased recordings.
The album was produced by longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, who helmed classic albums like School’s Out. Despite years of separate careers—Cooper continuing to tour and record, and Dunaway playing with projects like Blue Coupe—the original band came together once more. But it wasn’t without its hurdles.
Dunaway shared the backstory on his official website, explaining how Ezrin and Cooper reached out in 2021.
“We talked about various song demos that had been kicking around. I asked if there was a theme and Alice said, ‘Just whatever songs we like,’” Dunaway recalls. “Then came months of polishing and submitting demos… With this being the third time I thought the original Alice Cooper were actually doing a new album, well, let’s just say my ‘cringe of skepticism’ had to be drowned out with positivity.”
The final album features a mix of older material and brand-new songs. Some of Dunaway’s bass parts were re-recorded later, but Ezrin ultimately favored the raw feel of the original takes.
“I re-recorded some of my bass parts in a more polished style, since during that studio time together, I’d spontaneously recorded the bass parts for songs I had just learned,” Dunaway explains. “Bob used a few of them, but overall convinced me that the energy of the original tracks with the whole band playing had more of a live energy.”
That live energy is on full display in “Wild Ones,” a track that Dunaway originally wrote on acoustic guitar.
“I intended to write another anthem for bikers besides Steppenwolf’s iconic ‘Born to Be Wild.’ But I also imagined the Cooper Gang riding down the highway like Brando’s gang in the opening scene of Wild One.”
Watch the official video for “Wild Ones,” which features Dunaway in the studio with his signature mirror-covered bass:
The Revenge of Alice Cooper is available now on CD, vinyl and as a digital download (Apple Music, and Amazon Music).
The Revenge of Alice Cooper Track List:
- Black Mamba
- Wild Ones
- Up All Night
- Kill the Flies
- One Night Stand
- Blood on the Sun
- Crap That Gets in the Way of Your Dreams
- Famous Face
- Money Screams
- What a Syd
- Intergalactic Vagabond Blues
- What Happened to You (feat. Glen Buxton)
- I Ain’t Done Wrong
- See You on the Other Side
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
