Flush the Fashion


Flush the Fashion is the fifth solo album by singer Alice Cooper, released in April 28, 1980, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. Musically, the album was a drastic change of style for Cooper, leaning towards a new wave influence. The lead single "Clones " reached #40 on the Billboard Top 40.

Background

The album’s ten tracks touch on themes such as the loss of identity, taking on other roles, and the usual Alice Cooper-esque dementia. This is evident even in the lyrics of Flush the Fashion’s cover songs. Cooper also performs several “story” songs, presenting a series of intriguing vignettes in lieu of more traditional subject matter. By the time of Flush the Fashion, after a much-publicized stint in a sanitarium in 1977 for alcoholism and subsequent sobriety, Cooper had secretly developed a heavy addiction to cocaine, although, unlike his following three albums Cooper has some recollection – if not perfect – of making Flush the Fashion.
Cooper did tour the album through the United States and Mexico City during 1980, playing “Clones”, “Pain”, “Model Citizen”, “Grim Facts”, “Talk Talk”, “Dance Yourself to Death” and “Nuclear Infected” on a regular basis. The first four songs remained part of the setlist for the Special Forces tour a year later. Since 1982, songs from Flush the Fashion, as with all Cooper’s albums from between 1976 and 1983, have rarely been performed live. The only cases have been:

Personnel

Singles - Billboard
YearSingleChartPosition
1980"Clones "Club Play Singles69
1980"Clones "Pop Singles40
1980"Talk Talk"Pop Singles-