(Credits: Far Out / Alice Cooper)
Fri 23 January 2026 19:12, UK
Vincent Furnier, better known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is the master of shock rock.
He is the heroic rock musician who has stood the test of time with his unique raspy vocals and wild live shows, including crazy pyrotechnics, theatrical fake blood, electric chairs and guillotines, leading to the affectionate nickname ‘The Godfather of Shock Rock’.
However, he’s always known that shock without substance is a mere sideshow. After all, it was falling in love with the depth that The Beatles seemed to bring to youth culture that made him want to be a rock star in the first place. And that’s a theme that runs throughout all the music that he dearly adores.
A few years ago, Cooper talked through some of his favourite albums of all time in a feature with Rolling Stone. His list is comprised of several classic rock, blues and folk numbers, which hints at the inspirations behind his music, although the master of shock certainly departed from the records’ sonic textures.
Discussing arguably the least known choice on his list, East-West by the Butterfield Blues Band, Cooper said: “It’s one of those albums that nobody knows about. Musicians know about it”. The record was released in 1966 and featured performances from Elvin Bishop and Bob Dylan’s player Michael Bloomfield.
Cooper went on to explain how he discussed the album with Elvin Bishop: “The thing that really topped it off, I think, after I had worn the album out maybe five or six times – and I still have it in my 1968 Mustang – is I talked to Elvin Bishop, and he mentioned that most of those tracks were done live in the studio.”
This inspired him to always endeavour for that punky freshness on his own output. Detailing further, he added: “One or two takes, maybe, which made it even more astounding. Because there’s not a mistake, there’s nothing. The feel is magnificent on every song”. The band was led by the legendary Paul Butterfield, who played with the likes of Muddy Waters in his native Chicago hometown.
Evidently, Cooper also holds massive respect for the biggest band of all time, The Beatles. Of his favourite Fab Four album, he said: “I picked Meet the Beatles! only because it was the first one that totally knocked me out, because I’d never heard anything like that before.”
Looking back on those halcyon days, he continued, “We were listening to the Beach Boys and the Four Seasons, and all of a sudden, here’s this band coming along with all this hair and Beatle boots and these suits, and they were singing these songs that you could hear them one time, and you knew them.”
Meet the Beatles! is the second album of the band to be released in the United States, the first issued by Capitol Records. Cooper particularly admires the simplicity of songwriting found on the album. “I’ve always said this, and people might disagree with me, but it’s easier to write something like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ than it is to write something like ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand,’” he said. “I’m still pretty sure they’re aliens. I don’t think they’re from this planet.”
Elsewhere, we see mentions of classic records by the likes of The Beach Boys, The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Love and Laura Nyro. It’s an eclectic mix, but again, Cooper is an eclectic man. After all, he once wrote a book titled Golf Monster: A rock ‘n’ rollers 12 steps to becoming a golf addict. And it wasn’t even a joke.
Check out the complete list of Alice Cooper’s favourite albums below. And they’re all wrapped in a cracking playlist for the freeway, too.
Alice Cooper’s 10 favourite albums:Pet Sounds – The Beach BoysMeet the Beatles! – The BeatlesEast-West – Butterfield Blues BandEli and the Thirteenth Confession – Laura NyroHaving a Rave Up – The YardbirdsDa Capo – LoveThe Doors – The DoorsEngland’s Newest Hit Makers – The Rolling StonesChuck Berry’s Greatest Hits – Chuck BerryMy Generation – The Who
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