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While putting together the Fist album collection I noticed this cover from Alice Cooper and was surprised by such a progressive cover for an artist like himself. Even more surprised it was released in the 1980s. Where are the crazy colours, geometric shapes and big loud type?


The cover immediately reminded me of the XTC cover. Sans any inside humour. What you get here is just the lyrics from the album presented in block paragraph form on the cover. There is also the very subtle ALICE COOPER across the top of the album via a light red hue shift. I’m not sure it was meant to be an opical illusion like the Soulwax covers I think the modern scanning and bad compression has reduced it’s readability.

I believe Explosions In The Sky copied Alice Cooper in their 2003 album “The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place”. The red Band Name in the lower right just sits too closely.

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You can imagine all the Alice Cooper fans at the time (sorry to generalise) thinking “WTF is this!?”

The back cover features Alice Cooper in a suit shirt and tie. I wonder if this was originally proposed as the cover?

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It’s a dead ringer for Christian Bale in American Psycho.

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This is one of the few Alice Cooper covers that doesn’t feature the man himself. It’s also one of two albums he doesn’t even remember recording! “Zipper Catches Skin and the following album, DaDa, are two albums which Alice reportedly has no recollection of recording, due to excessive alcohol abuse. There was no tour to promote either album and none of the songs have yet been played live.” Source

Like all covers which do not feature the same of the album retailers and labels need to put stickers on them to make it easier to spot in record shops. Here’s a couple from Brazil and Europe for the collectors out there. Source

You can also read about the 2010 reissue and a more in-depth review of the album here.

If I redid the cover for 2010 I would have made it look even closer to the XTC cover like below. I feel this also looks more like an Alice Cooper cover just by going black!

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Alice even shot a TV ad for the album which by 1980′s standards is passable (barely).

I don’t remember seeing that many TV ads for albums. But this might be as I’m too young to remember. Compare the “conceptual” Alice Cooper ad above to the more retail & music focussed ads from Kiss. Kiss sure knew how to sell well. The Zipper ad looks like a bad SNL skit.

And one last piece of Zipper Catches Skin media is this very quick review of the album by this couple of Alice Cooper fans. Rock brings people together.

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Alice Cooper: Zipper Catches Skin

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While putting together the Fist album collection I noticed this cover from Alice Cooper and was surprised by such a progressive cover for an artist like himself. Even more surprised it was released in the 1980s. Where are the crazy colours, geometric shapes and big loud type?


The cover immediately reminded me of the XTC cover. Sans any inside humour. What you get here is just the lyrics from the album presented in block paragraph form on the cover. There is also the very subtle ALICE COOPER across the top of the album via a light red hue shift. I’m not sure it was meant to be an opical illusion like the Soulwax covers I think the modern scanning and bad compression has reduced it’s readability.

I believe Explosions In The Sky copied Alice Cooper in their 2003 album “The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place”. The red Band Name in the lower right just sits too closely.

spacer

You can imagine all the Alice Cooper fans at the time (sorry to generalise) thinking “WTF is this!?”

The back cover features Alice Cooper in a suit shirt and tie. I wonder if this was originally proposed as the cover?

spacer

It’s a dead ringer for Christian Bale in American Psycho.

spacer

This is one of the few Alice Cooper covers that doesn’t feature the man himself. It’s also one of two albums he doesn’t even remember recording! “Zipper Catches Skin and the following album, DaDa, are two albums which Alice reportedly has no recollection of recording, due to excessive alcohol abuse. There was no tour to promote either album and none of the songs have yet been played live.” Source

Like all covers which do not feature the same of the album retailers and labels need to put stickers on them to make it easier to spot in record shops. Here’s a couple from Brazil and Europe for the collectors out there. Source

You can also read about the 2010 reissue and a more in-depth review of the album

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