Rick Springfield - Human Touch

Our second All Hallows Even clip is Rick Springfield's "Human Touch."  This is Springfield's second appearance on ERV; his cover of Sammy Hagar's "I've Done Everything for You" was featured on our little blog way back in 2012.

"Human Touch" came in the midst of Rick Springfield's heyday - between 1981 and 1988 he had 16 top 40 hits and five top 40 albums.  Over time, we've come around on his work - there is a fair amount of solid pop rock songs in his catalog, including this one.  Helped by the slightly odd video, the song hit #18 on the charts, while the Living in Oz album reached #12 and would become the third of four consecutive Springfield albums to go platinum.

The apocalyptic sci-fi video starts with some small skeleton people wondering into a lab that contains Rick and ... a bunch of dancers, it seems.  The year: 2016. The world seems to be a total wasteland (sadly, Springfield might not have been that far off about 2016).  There is then a bunch of dancing, some computers, and a four eyed saxophonist (no, not with glasses ... but with four actual eyes).  The result is an odd but fun video, which is easily recognizable as an 80s clip (the special effects ... oh my).

The sci-fi elements, set, and costumes make this an excellent Halloween video, and we hope that our reader(s) enjoy it as much as we did.

Missing Persons - Destination Unknown

Well, it is the time of year where ERV rolls out some rare, spooky, and/or atmospheric videos - welcome to our 11th annual All Hallows Even celebration!

First up is Missing Persons' strong 1982 cut, "Destination Unknown."  Long time readers may recall that we featured Missing Persons' cool, artsy video for "Surrender Your Heart" back in 2012.  That entry also does a good job of providing some background on the band, so we'll politely suggest following the link.

"Destination Unknown" is one of Missing Persons older songs and was originally released on the band's 1980 EP (along with "I Like Boys," "Mental Hopscotch" and a cover of the Doors' "Hello, I Love You.")  It was also the second single released from the group's breakout 1982 LP, Spring Session M (unsurprisingly, "Words" was the first single).

From an All Hallows Even point of view, we dig the atmospheric video which feels somewhat dream-like.  Bonus points for the broken mirror, which is prominently featured in the clip. The video did manage to go into rotation on MTV for a time, though we don't think that it was featured quite as much as "Words" was.

While we suspected that Missing Persons could be a one hit wonder, they actually never had a top 40 hit.  "Words" and "Destination Unknown" both peaked at #42, thought the Spring Session M album (an anagram of the band's name) did better, reaching #17 on the charts.

Billy Ocean - Loverboy

Rounding out our All Hallows Even celebration is "Loverboy" by Billy Ocean.  This is definitely one of the oddest 1980s videos, with a plot that seemingly has nothing at all to do with the song.  We suspect that there may have been some controlled substances involved, along with at least one Star Wars fan.

Long time viewers may recall that this is Billy Ocean's second appearance on ERV, as "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" was posted last March.  As we mentioned then, Billy Ocean (given name: Leslie Charles) was a modestly successful singer until 1984, when his Suddenly LP broke out, reaching the top 10 in both the U.S. and the UK.

While "Loverboy" was a big hit (#2 in the U.S. and #6 in the UK), it was not as big a hit as "Caribbean Queen" in either market. Not not worry, though, Billy Ocean remained massively successful through the rest of the decade.

As to the video ... it is a perfect Halloween video, from the sci-fi perspective.  We are of two minds here - on the one hand, it is trying to be an ambitious mini-movie.  On the other hand, there seems to be little plot, and the visuals are cheesy, though perhaps less so by the standards at the time.  The plot seems to revolve around a lizard creature, who goes to a cantina to ... kidnap a female alien (?), after killing her date in an unprovoked burst of laser fire. Yeah. 

It's probably best to not analyze it too much, but it is a weirdly engaging and odd Halloweeny clip.

Cool trivia fact: superstar music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange co-wrote the song, along with Keith Diamond and Billy Ocean.  

Real Life - Send Me An Angel

For our second All Hallows Even treat, we're posting Real Life's "Send Me An Angel" (the original version; more on that in a moment).

Real Life were an Australian band that formed in Melbourne in 1980.  Originally called The Wires, the group changed their name to avoid being confused with Wire (the UK punk rock act).  They settled on A Private Life, which turned out to be a terrible choice, as they were then threatened with a lawsuit from Private Lives (a Sydney band) and so changed their name again to Real Life.

"Send Me An Angel" was the lead single from the group's first LP, 1983's Heartland. The song did reasonably well, reaching #29 on the U.S. charts, and going to #6 in their native Australia.  The video, with a spooky forest and a wolfman (prince?) looking for his Celtic (?) princess (?) seems ... odd, but definitely Halloweeny.

As mentioned above, Real Life re-released the song (and video) in 1989, as part of their Send Me An Angel/Best of Real Life compilation.  Incredibly, "Send Me An Angel" re-charted even higher in the U.S., reaching #26.  The video is less interesting (and less spooky) than the original, but we've included it here anyway (cause that's what we do).

Special shout out to M, who asked for our help after seeing a portion of the video on Loop ... and then found it herself.  Obviously, we liked it enough to put it up on the blog.

Kiss - I Love It Loud

Welcome to ERV's 10th annual All Hallows Even party.  A reminder to our newer readers: our  prior ghostly (ghastly) clips can be found using the All Hallows Even tag on the right.

Leading off this year's festivities is "I Love It Loud" by Kiss.  As most readers know, Kiss has a long and somewhat controversial history.  The group started in New York City in 1973, and was led by Paul Stanley (guitar and vocals) and Gene Simmons (bass and vocals).  Ace Frehley (guitars) and Peter Criss (drums) rounded out the original lineup.  Right from the start, Kiss was known for their makeup, costumes, and theatrical stage shows as much as for their music.

The group really broke out following their 1975 Alive! double album and had a period of superstardom, which was on the wane by the early 1980s.  Changes to their sound likely didn't help - 1979's Dynasty was dance-influenced, while the 1981 "Music from 'The Elder'" concept album included orchestral parts.

With this backdrop, "I Love It Loud" from the 1982 Creatures of the Night LP was a return to form.  Although the album didn't become a huge commercial success, the anthemic hard rock and focus on music videos laid the groundwork for Kiss' success in the 1980s.  Stanley and Simmons capitalized on this by having the band remove their makeup (on MTV no less) and effectively repositioned Kiss as a pop metal act, which paid huge dividends for the rest of the decade.

From a Halloween perspective, "I Love It Loud" is spot on.  The makeup, costumes, and tank/drum kit are nicely complimented by the sonic assault (and glowing eyes).  The result works, in our opinion, and makes for a fun Halloweeny video. 

The Cure - Lullaby

For the final selection of our 2020 All Hallows Even celebration, we are going with The Cure's "Lullaby."  Skeptics might point at that just about any Cure song could be considered for a Halloween celebration, but this isn't totally true.  Yes, The Cure were known for their goth pop songs - they might even be the masters of this genre.  However, few of their songs were genuinely spooky - although "Lullaby" certainly fits the bill.

While the lyrics of "Lullaby" are literally about being eaten by "The Spiderman," the song is likely a metaphor. Lead singer Robert Smith wrote the lyrics, and in typical form, has provided several conflicting answers as to the meaning of "Lullaby."  Many fans believe that the song is a metaphor for drug addiction, a view shared by Tim Pope, who directed the video.  Other possibilities include depression, sexual assault, sleep issues, and even nightmares.

The video takes a somewhat literal approach to the song, creating a spider infested nightmare - though it is worth noting that Robert Smith plays both the victim and the spider. Amazingly (considering how dark it is), the clip won the video of the year at the 1990 Brit Awards.  The song would go on to reach #5 on the UK charts and become the highest charting single of The Cure's career there.  In the U.S., it was less successful, reaching only #74. ("Lovesong" also off the Disintegration LP, would hit #2 and become the band's highest charting single in the U.S.)

As many readers will know, The Cure remains active as of this writing, and have become one of the most successful alternative bands of the past few decades.  For other ERV videos of the group, "In Between Days" was posted in April, 2013 and "Pictures of You" was posted in September, 2014.

Cool trivia fact:  Rolling Stone ranked the Disintegration LP at #116 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Iron Maiden - 2 Minutes To Midnight

We love highlighting the diversity of eighties music at ERV, and we particularly enjoy abrupt transitions from one video to the next. This made it hard to pass up the opportunity to go from Sheena Easton to Iron Maiden as part of our 2020 All Hallows Even Celebration.

Iron Maiden made this even easier by starting "2 Minutes to Midnight" with one of the filthiest guitar riffs of the decade.  Combined with a somewhat creepy video about ... well, we're not exactly sure, but it definitely passes the atmospheric Hallowweny test for us. (Although we're not quite sure why there's a yo-yo starting at 0:26).

The song would go on to become a hard rock classic, and it actually hit #11 on the U.K. charts, while the Powerslave LP reached #2 in the U.K. and #21 in the U.S.  As most readers will know, Iron Maiden remains active as of this writing, and is one of the few 1980s acts that has remained successful during the intervening years. 

For folks who want more Iron Maiden, "The Number of the Beast" was featured on ERV's first All Hallows Even celebration in 2011, while "Flight Of Icarus" appeared on our blog in 2015. Both are highly recommended from your friends at ERV.     

Cool trivia fact #1: "2 Minutes to Midnight" is one of the few Iron Maiden songs not written or co-written by bassist Steve Harris. It was co-written by guitarist Adrian Smith and singer Bruce Dickinson. This helps explain why it sounds different (to my ear, at least) from most other Maiden songs.

Cool trivia fact #2: The video for "2 Minutes to Midnight" about spies, cults, and a stolen nuclear weapon (we think) was the group's first concept video.  The theme plays off the fears on a nuclear war, which drove the title and lyrics for the song.

Sheena Easton - Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)

Nine years ago (!), we started an ERV tradition - the posting of the All Hallows Even videos.  We are justifiably proud of the 22 (and counting) clips that we have presented since then, which can be found using the All Hallows Even label to the right and down a bit.

Kicking off 2020 - on October 13th, no less, we'll start with Sheena Easton. Easton grew up in Scotland, and got her big break on the BBC reality show The Big Time, were amateurs showed off their skills (dressmakers, cooks, comedians, etc.) Easton appeared in 1980, as a singer, which eventually led to a recording contract - even though the talent manager on the show (Marion Massey) was quite lukewarm on her.

Easton would go on to become a genuine pop star, with 15 top 40 hits in the U.S. - all but 1 of which were in the 1980s. "Telefone" came out during Eason's early period of success, and went on to hit #9 on the charts, while the Best Kept Secret album reached #33 and went gold.

The video is a campy black and white classic.  While the single was released in August, the LP came out in October, so perhaps that's why they went with a movie monster theme.  Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, Quasimodo, King Kong, and a disembodied hand all make an appearance - making this a great way to kick off our All Hallows Even celebration.

Sheena Easton had continued success throughout the decade, and famously worked with Prince for a time.  She remains active in the industry to the present day.

As an added bonus, we found some behind the scenes footage shot when the video was being made.

Fun Boy Three (With Bananarama) - It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)

Way back when, in 2013, we featured the excellent "Ghost Town" by The Specials as part of ERV's All Hallows Even celebration.  This year, we come full circle with Fun Boy Three's "It Ain't What You Do" cover.

As savvy readers will know, Fun Boy Three arose from the ashes of The Specials, when singers Terry Hall, Neville Staple, and Lynval Golding left to form their new act.  This also led to a change in musical style; while The Specials were a 2 Tone ska band (admittedly with strong pop sensibilities), Fun Boy Three was more of a straight up pop band.

"It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" was the second single that Fun Boy Three released, and it became a huge hit in the UK - reaching #4 on the singles chart.  (I don't think that it charted in the U.S.)  The song also introduced Bananarama to audiences and led to a second collaboration, "Really Sayin' Something," which was featured on ERV in 2015.

 The creepy video has a dream-like atmosphere that fits both the song, and ERV's All Hallows Even theme.

In addition, "It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" is a cover of a 1939 song originally called "'Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)."  We believe that one of the first recordings was by Jimmy Lunceford, which we have included below:

Walter Egan - Fool Moon Fire

Our long time reader(s) will know that we love this time of year - to the point that we have an All Hallows Even celebration every year (since 2011!)  This year, we start off with a pitch perfect video - Walter Egan's "Fool Moon Fire."

Egan kicked around the music industry for years, and never quite broke through - with one exception.  His 1978 song "Magnet and Steel" (written about Stevie Nicks), hit #8 on the charts, making him an official one hit wonder.

Of course, this is an eighties blog, and we are taking Halloween, so we went with 1983's "Fool Moon Fire" instead.  The song did chart (#46). although the Wild Exhibitions LP did not.  The video hearkens back to the days when artists spent five grand to make a video - though we find the homemade elements charming.

And we would be remiss if we didn't point out the candy apple red vintage Mustang ... and one of the best wolf man playing guitar scenes ever (around 3:23).

Kool & the Gang - Misled

This is  Kool & the Gang's second appearance on ERV, as "Get Down On It" was posted back in 2013 (and has a solid if brief summary of the band).

Unlike the funk and R&B that characterized most of Kool & the Gang's work, "Misled" is a catchy pop gem with an excellent guitar hook.  Additionally, the video is the perfect stealthy Halloween type that we love at ERV.  From the creepy guys in robes to the Indiana Jones-inspired later scenes, the whole thing is steeped in pure 1984 awesomeness.  The ghostly white dancer and that amazing blue jacket round out the major characters in the video.

The song ended up being a big hit, and reached #10 on the charts, which surprised us.  To be fair, the 1984 Emergency LP also spawned "Fresh" and "Cherish," so it isn't as if there wasn't a lot of Kool on the radio back in the day.  However, we don't remember seeing the video on MTV, which is kind of a shame.

While Kool & the Gang did have a few hits after "Misled," they had mostly faded from view by the late 1980s.  However, they remain active in the industry as of this writing.

Huey Lewis And The News - Doing It All For My Baby

Although ERV has been mostly on hiatus of late, we could not miss the opportunity to celebrate All Hallows Even.  We've been posted rare-ish, Halloweeny (is that even a word) vids since soon after we opened up shop, 7 years ago, and it's become a tradition.  So, on to this years' festivities.

By 1986, Huey Lewis and the News had become big stars.  Fore! (the 1986 LP) was their second consecutive #1 album, and between Sports, Back to the Future, and Fore!, they scored 11 top 40 hits (and 3 #1s - "The Power of Love," "Stuck With You," and "Jacob's Ladder.")

"Doing It All For My Baby" was the last single off the Fore! album, and was released in June 1987.  The video has a prefect Halloween vibe, and is actually a tiny bit darker than we remember.  After the long intro, we're treated to a campy, monstery rendition of the song, with Huey and the band playing most of the major roles.

The song would go on to reach #6 on the charts, though we think this represented the end of the band's superstar period.  However, they have remained active in the industry (with some lineup changes through the years) until the present day.   

Cool trivia fact:  The model in the video is Tara Shannon, and there is an interview with her here.

We've previously posted videos for "Some of My Lies are True," "Workin' For A Livin'," and "Heart and Soul" (which was part of ERV's first All Hallows Even celebration in 2011.

Dio - Last in Line

After years of playing in bands, Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona) came into his own in the early 1980s, helped by his MTV-friendly videos.  Dio's band (cleverly named Dio) scored two platinum records and added a gold one to boot before their popularity declined in the later part of the decade.

Although Dio's career traces back to the early 1960s (!) he is best known for being the frontman of Elf (1967-75), Rainbow (1975-78) and Black Sabbath (1979-82).  After leaving Black Sabbath, Dio opted to form his own band with drummer Vinny Appice, guitarist Vivian Campbell, and bassist Jimmy Bain.

"Last in Line," from the 1984 album of the same name, suits our All Hallows Even theme perfectly, and has been on our list for some time.  From the elevator ride from (to?) hell, to the weird goings on in the basement, this is one odd and creepy video.  We particularly like that the band plays only supporting roles in the clip, though Dio is pretty visible towards the end.

Though Dio's popularity faded, Ronnie James remained active in the music industry until his death in 2010.

Golden Earring - Twilight Zone

Welcome to ERV's 6th annual All Hallows Even celebration.  Yes, we've been doing our version of a Halloween party since we started -- way back in 2011.  Older videos can be found using the All Hallows Even tag to the right.

While "Twilight Zone" isn't the rarest of the rare, it is an excellent video and song that suits the seasonal theme to a T.  And it has become somewhat of a forgotten gem in the 35 years (can it really be that long) since it hit our favorite video music channel.

The song is by the Dutch group Golden Earring, who are not a one hit wonder by virtue of their 1973 hit "Radar Love."  That song hit #13 on the U.S. charts only to be topped by "Twilight Zone" 9 years laters, which peaked at #10 in the U.S.

"Twilight Zone" was written by George Kooymans (Golden Earring's guitarist), and was inspired by Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity (before it became a hit movie).  The band translated that inspiration to the excellent video, directed by Dick Maas, and it caught the eye of the folks at MTV for pretty obvious reasons.  The result was a video in heavy rotation for months, and a hit song.

While Golden Earring would not become huge stars in the U.S., they remained successful in Europe (especially their native Holland), and remain active in the industry to the present day.

Oh, and one word of caution -- this is the uncensored version of the song, which includes brief nudity and a drug injection.  (These scenes were removed from the U.S. version back in the day).

Peter Gabriel - I Don't Remember

For this years' slightly abbreviated All Hallows Even celebration, we are going with Peter Gabriel's excellent, creepy, and underrated video for "I Don't Remember."

As many readers will know, Peter Gabriel left Genesis in 1975, and released his first solo album in early 1977.  [As a side note, the first four Peter Gabriel solo albums are all untitled, and are often referred to by the cover art.]  While Gabriel's first two solo albums sold well, it was his third LP, 1980's 'Melt' that broke him as a solo artist.  The album was a sonic breakthrough with a modern, driving sound.  As one example, the album did not use any cymbals at all, which led to the innovation of the gated reverb drum sound.

'Melt' would go on to hit "1 in the U.K. and #22 in the U.S., led by "Games Without Frontiers," which reached #4 in the U.K. and #48 in the U.S.  The album also drew no small amount of critical acclaim; Rolling Stone ranked it as the 45th greatest album of the 1980s.  The LP is remarkably strong from cover to cover with lyrics that are creative and political, and a sound that was unlike anything on radio at the time.

In the All Hallows Even spirit, we opted for "I Don't Remember," which has a genuinely unnerving video.  The song only reached #107 in the U.S. and did not chart in the U.K., and we doubt that the video would have been played by most mainstream outlets back in the day.  However, it fits seamlessly into our theme of the season here.

Also note that previous All Hallows Even videos can be selected by choosing the Label to the right.

Cool trivia fact: Rolling Stone rates the Melt LP as the 46th greatest album of the 1980s.

Jefferson Starship - No Way Out

Rounding out this year's All Hallows Even celebration is "No Way Out" from Jefferson Starship.  The song is off the Nuclear Furniture LP, which became the last Jefferson Starship album when guitarist Paul Kantner quit the band, taking the name with him.  (Kantner was unhappy with the group's musical direction).  The act soldiered on as Starship, and found success with a slick, commercial pop sound, though it seems unlikely that any of those videos will appear on ERV.

While "No Way Out" starts off on a creepy note, the video quickly drifts from cool and campy into plain weird.  Perhaps this was intentional, as the clip did garner some airtime on MTV, which likely helped the song. (The single reached #23 on the charts, while the LP hit #28).  In addition to being downright strange, the video is noteworthy for the appearances of one Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello).

In the aftermath of Kantner quitting, the renamed Starship would go on to have 6 top 40 and 3 #1 singles in the later half of the 1980s, before breaking up in 1990 (although singer Mickey Thomas reformed the band in 1992).  Thomas and Kantner remain somewhat active in the industry as of this writing.

Long time readers will recall that Jefferson Starship's "Find Your Way Back" was featured on ERV in April 2013.  In addition, Marty Balin's "Hearts" has also made an appearance on ERV (Balin was the lead singer of an earlier verson of Jefferson Starship).

Cool trivia fact: Kantner's appearance in this video was was his last appearance in Jefferson Starship until he reformed the band (with different members) in 1992.

David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes

What better way to continue the Halloween celebration than with a song from the Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) album.  Many critics view Scary Monsters as the last great David Bowie record, and while that is somewhat debatable, it was a classic Bowie album; odd, artistic and interesting.  In addition, it had more than a bit of funk added to the mix.

A discussion of David Bowie could fill a blog, making it hard to do justice to him in a few sentences.  The lazy narrative is that he is a musical chameleon, shifting his style to capitalize on emerging trends in popular music.  While there is some truth to this, we have always thought of Bowie (especially in the 1970s through Scary Monsters period) as more of a restless artist, indulging in whichever tickles his fancy.  Although the results were inconsistent, there were more highs than lows.

"Ashes to Ashes" was the lead single off Scary Monsters, and plays like a requiem for the 1970s.  The video was rumored to be the most expensive music video made to that point (at £250,000; this was still a year before MTV).  Bowie wanders about in a Pierrot costume with strange color effects and odd characters (including many Blitz Kids).  The video is iconic in Britain, and some critics believe that it accelerated the New Romantic movement that would dominate the British charts for most of the early 1980s.

The song would go on to become a #1 hit in the U.K., but it barely dented the U.S. charts at #101.  Scary Monsters also did better in the U.K. (#1) though it did reach #12 on the U.S. album charts.

Bowie would of course go on to significant commercial success in the 1980s and would remain active in the industry until his untimely passing in January of 2016.

Cool trivia fact: Rolling Stone ranks Scary Monsters at 443 on its list of the 500 greatest albums ever.

Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me

Welcome to ERV's 5th annual All Hallows Even celebration, and feel free to click on the (appropriately named) All Hallows Even label to the right if you'd like to catch up on our earlier videos.  In short, we try to come up with rare and interesting Halloween videos to celebrate the spooky time of year.

Leading off this year is an artist who had some definite career advantages.  For instance, although being Barry Gordy's son may not ensure that you make in the music business, it sure can't hurt.  Ditto for having Michael Jackson (yes, that Michael Jackson) sing backup on your first single.

To be fair, Rockwell (born as Kennedy William Gordy) used a stage name, and may have even signed to his father's Motown label without the old man knowing.  Rockwell's first single was released in 1984 and is a perfect Halloween video (it has been in the bullpen from our first All Hallows Even post).  One viewing and you'll see (or remember) why.

"Somebody's Watching Me" turned out to be a big hit for Rockwell, reaching #2 on the charts, while his debut LP of the same name hit #15.  However, that was the peak of his success, and after his next two albums failed to break the top 100, Rockwell left the industry.

Cool trivia fact:  Rockwell is not a one hit wonder, as "Obscene Phone Caller" off Somebody's Watching Me reached #35 on the chats.

Oingo Boingo - Weird Science

Oingo Boingo was one of the more interesting 1980s bands, with a theatrical flair that was often compared to Devo.  The band formed in LA in the 1970s and began as an avant-garde musical theater act called The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo.  Shortening their name to just Oingo Boingo, the group (led by Danny Elfman) transitioned to a ska/dance/new wave sound, and was signed by I.R.S. Records in 1980.

As a southern California band with dramatic tendencies, Oingo Boingo was tailor-made for the movies, and eventually made a series of appearances on movie soundtracks.  This continued into the 1990s as frontman Elfman became friends with director Tim Burton, and the band contributed a song to virtually every Burton film of the era.  (In addition, Elfman wrote the musical score for virtually all of Burton's movies).

"Weird Science" was on the soundtrack of the John Hughes movie of the same name, and the song was also included on the group's 1985 LP, Dead Man's Party.  The single became the most successful release of Oingo Boingo's career, reaching #45 on the charts, while the album hit #98, and eventually went gold.

Although Oingo Boingo never enjoyed mainstream success, they remained a well-known cult act until they disbanded -- after a Halloween show (!) in 1995.  Danny Elfman remains active in the industry, and has become a huge success as a movie and TV soundtrack composer.

Cool trivia fact:  Elfman wrote the theme to the popular TV show, The Simpsons.

Alice Cooper - He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)

What better way to continue our Halloween celebration than with Alice Cooper.  Cooper (born Vincent Furnier) emerged on the scene in the 1970s with the band of the same name (in fact, Cooper took the band's name on as his own).  As a cool aside, the name Alice Cooper supposedly came to the group during a session with a Ouija board.

After the act broke up in 1974, Cooper continued as a solo artist, although his success waned during the late 1970s and early 1980s due to weaker material and alcohol abuse.  By the mid-1980s, Cooper had cleaned up his act, and revitalized his career by providing a song for the Friday the 13th, Part VI movie soundtrack.  "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" also appeared on Cooper's 1986 Constrictor LP.  The single went to #56 on the charts, while the album reached #59.

This success helped to re-establish Cooper as a flamboyant rock star, and he has continued to record and perform to the present day.  He also expanded into movies and radio -- his syndicated radio program, Nights With Alice Cooper has been on the air since 2004 and is well worth a listen (or three).

The video below highlights Alice Coopers showmanship.  This, combined with clips from the movie, make it a superb holiday treat.