Flush the Fashion

Flush the Fashion is the fifth solo studio album by American singer Alice Cooper, released on April 28, 1980, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles with producer Roy Thomas Baker, known for his work with Queen and the Cars. Musically, the album was a drastic change of style for Cooper, leaning towards a new wave influence. The lead single "Clones (We're All)" peaked at No. 40 on the U.S. Billboard Top 40. Clocking in at 28 minutes, Flush the Fashion has the shortest running time of any of Cooper's albums.

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 (for example the "Clones" single). 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 subsequent three studio 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 (We're All)", "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 of Cooper's albums from between 1976 and 1983, have rarely been performed live. The only cases have been:
 * "Clones (We're All)", of which there were a few irregular performances between 1996 and 2003 and was a regular part of Cooper's setlist during the 2011–2012 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' tour
 * "Pain", which was regular on Cooper's 2017 'Spend the Night with Alice Cooper' tour, and
 * "Grim Facts", which was part of "A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper" tour in 2018.

According to Alice Cooper on his radio show on October 5, 2020, all the song titles on this album were taken from Headlines (hence Track #10) from the National Enquirer.

Critical reception
The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that Cooper "bottomed out ... [with] a half-hearted new-wave makeover."

Personnel
Credits are adapted from the Flush the Fashion liner notes.

Musicians
 * Alice Cooper – vocals
 * Davey Johnstone – lead guitar
 * Fred Mandel – keyboards; guitar; backing vocals
 * Dennis Conway – drums
 * John Cooker Lopresti – bass guitar
 * Flo & Eddie – backing vocals
 * Joe Pizzulo – backing vocals
 * Keith Allison – backing vocals
 * Ricky "Rat" Tierney – backing vocals

Production and artwork
 * Roy Thomas Baker – producer
 * Ian Taylor – engineer
 * John Weaver – assistant engineer
 * Eddy Herch – design
 * Jonathan Exley – back cover and sleeve photography
 * Fred Valentine – front cover photography
 * Alice Cooper – art direction
 * Peter Whorf – art direction