This summer, the legendary Alice Cooper Group is set to unveil their highly anticipated new album, The Revenge of Alice Cooper, marking their first musical release in over fifty years. While eager fans await its July debut, there’s an exciting opportunity to explore a remarkable collection of tracks crafted by the four surviving members over the past fourteen years. This compilation not only showcases their enduring creativity but also highlights their collaborative spirit.

Established in 1968, the Alice Cooper Group consists of iconic musicians: frontman Alice Cooper, lead guitarist Glen Buxton, guitarist and keyboardist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neil Smith. This ensemble is renowned for their theatrical performances and innovative sound, which has left an indelible mark on the world of rock music.

After releasing iconic albums such as 1972’s School’s Out and 1973’s Billion Dollar Babies, the group amicably parted ways in 1974. Following this split, Alice Cooper continued his musical journey as a solo artist, beginning with the groundbreaking 1975 album Welcome to My Nightmare, which established his individual identity in the music industry.

However, this separation was not your typical contentious breakup. As Alice Cooper explained in a 2021 interview, “When bands break up, they generally hate each other, and they don’t want to talk to each other. We didn’t hate each other at all; we actually loved each other.” This sentiment underscores the strong bond that remains among the band members, even decades after their initial separation.

In a heartfelt tribute two years after Buxton‘s passing in 1997, the surviving members reunited for a special performance in his honor. Since then, they have made several joint appearances, including a notable 2015 in-store event that was later released as Live From the Astroturf, Alice Cooper, showcasing their enduring chemistry and love for performing together.

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Starting with 2011’s Welcome 2 My Nightmare, Dunaway, Bruce, and Smith began to actively collaborate on songs for Alice Cooper‘s solo projects. “Those guys have got an open invitation at all times, and they know it, to write songs and submit songs,” Alice Cooper expressed to UCR contributor Gary Graff in the book Alice Cooper @ 75. He further emphasized, “When they do submit songs, I kind of insist on it being the entire band playing it live in the studio. If we’re gonna do an original Alice song, I want it to sound like the original band… it has a darker sound, and a heavier sound. It’s a very different personality, and I even sing differently when I sing with those guys.” This dedication to preserving their unique sound speaks volumes about their collective artistry.

Here are eleven powerful songs that the original Alice Cooper Group has co-written and/or recorded together since 2011:

From Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011): “A Runaway Train,” “I’ll Bite Your Face Off,” and “When Hell Comes Home.”

Shortly after their emotional reunion for the 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, the remaining members of the Alice Cooper Group collaborated on three standout tracks for Welcome 2 My Nightmare. This album is a sequel to Alice Cooper‘s groundbreaking 1975 solo debut. Each member contributed to the songwriting process, with “I’ll Bite Your Face Off” serving as the album’s lead single. Notably, “A Runaway Train” features impressive lead guitar work from country star Vince Gill, who later became a member of the Eagles.

Hear the Alice Cooper Group Perform ‘A Runaway Train’

Hear the Alice Cooper Group Perform ‘I’ll Bite Your Face Off’

Hear the Alice Cooper Group Perform ‘When Hell Comes Home’

From Paranormal (2017): “Fireball,” “Rats,” “The Sound of A,” “Genuine American Girl,” and “You and All of Your Friends.”

Released six years after Welcome 2 My Nightmare, the album Paranormal marked a significant moment for Alice Cooper, as he had been collaborating with Joe Perry of Aerosmith in the supergroup Hollywood Vampires. This album featured even greater involvement from the original Alice Cooper Group members. Alice Cooper credited Dunaway for one of the album’s standout tracks, saying, “‘Fireball’ is a Dennis song, pure Dennis song… It’s a total driving song that never stops, just got this freight train of a sound going through it.” He also acknowledged the twist ending as his contribution. “That’s Dennis on bass, Neil on drums; it’s great to have the original band play on those songs,” he added, highlighting their collaborative synergy.

The album also includes “The Sound of A,” a track that Alice Cooper originally wrote in the late ’60s but had forgotten. Dunaway noted that it was the first complete song Alice Cooper ever wrote independently, showcasing the band’s rich history and evolution.

Hear the Alice Cooper Group Perform ‘Fireball’

Hear ‘Rats’

Hear ‘The Sound of A’

Hear the Alice Cooper Group Perform ‘Genuine American Girl’

Hear the Alice Cooper Group Perform ‘You and All of Your Friends’

From Detroit Stories (2021): “Social Debris,” “I Hate You,” and “Drunk and in Love.”

In 2021, Alice Cooper paid homage to his roots with the album Detroit Stories, making the inclusion of the original group members a natural choice. “When we started doing this, I was like, ‘I can definitely include the original band – we broke out of Detroit, and as far as we were concerned, we were a Detroit band,’” he told Graff. “When I got together with the guys, it was effortless. I went, ‘Let’s just write an Alice Cooper song,’ and the first thing that came up was ‘Social Debris,’ which could have been on Love it to Death or Killer.” This illustrates the seamless creative process that continues to thrive among these legendary musicians.

Hear the Alice Cooper Group Perform ‘Social Debris’

Hear the Alice Cooper Group Perform ‘I Hate You’

Hear the Alice Cooper Group Perform ‘Drunk and in Love’