Hollywood Vampires founder Alice Cooper and his guitarist Johnny Depp recently covered the song “My Generation” that was originally created by band, The Who. The covered single includes a little help from Aerosmith’s Joe Perry. It is an awesome tidbit of shredding guitar and shared vocals that bring the song into the newly adapted stage light. In addition to Cooper and Depp, the track features Bruce Witkin on bass and Ringo Starr’s son Zak Starkey on drums.
The Hollywood Vampires group was originally an idea that Cooper and musicians Keith Moon, Ringo Starr, and Harry Nilsson conceived when the musicians from their successful music groups were starting to become big names in record collections. The group members would occasionally meet up at a bar to drink together and pal around, discussing their good times and bad times with members form their own music groups. Unfortunately, most of the founding members have died along the way from overdoses of alcohol and drugs, Cooper decided to carry on the group’s name in memory of his dead drunk friends with other musicians who co-collaborated in the making of the self-titled album that will come out in September of this year. The band recently scheduled two shows at the Roxy Theatre and will play in the Rock in Rio festival located in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.
The album features collaborations with musicians Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Slash, Joe Walsh, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Perry Farrell, The Doors’ Robby Krieger, Kip Winger, the late actor Christopher Lee. The collaboration will be a tribute to the memories of Cooper’s friends and the proceeds of the album’s sales will go to the MusicCares Foundation, which offers financial and medical help for musicians as well as assisted living for older musicians.
The album will also feature covers of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”, The Doors’ “Break on Through”, and a mashup of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” with Cooper’s “School’s Out” with new songs co-written by Cooper and Depp, titled “Raise the Dead” and “Dead Drunk Friends.” The tickets are still on sale for the Rock in Rio festival, the upcoming album release date will be early in September.