In 2015, American super-group Hollywood Vampires played probably their biggest and one of their most legendary concerts in front of over 100,000 fans. The swagger of the original version is front and centre here, with the back and forth between Depp and Perry culminating in a wicked solo from the latter that is as mesmerizing as it is humbling. I love Brian Johnson but the version of "Whole Lotta Love" he did on the first Vampires album was terrible; the Alice/Lzzy version works much better. The concert DVD is the main reason why I got this, but I was educated on a few songs, as well as wanting to watch this fun event again right after watching it, along with the solid quality sound of the show on CD is to be appreciated.

However, the fact that this collaboration turned out to be commercially interesting is more a logical side effect than the ambition itself. Jeepster from T-Rex takes centre stage, with Cooper rising to the occasion once more as he changes his vocal pitch to emulate the style employed by Marc Bolan while still retaining his own vocal richness. At times he almost has a Joey Ramone type thing going on on this version and I think it really works. Joining them on stage are Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses), Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver) and Bruce Witkin (Grammy nominated producer). We carry a broad range of CDs and vinyl (7”/12” singles and LPs) and specialise in indie, alternative, rock, punk, metal plus a few other genres.Their tradition is to play a riotous tribute to the great lost heroes of music and their own original material, released on their recent studio album “Rise”. I too have always loved T Rex and was fortunate to see them (well him, mostly) in Newcastle in 1973. With Perry, Depp and Henriksen on guitar, the outfit has enormous musical firepower, which perfectly matches the unique voice of Alice Cooper. The sets first cover – My Generation by The Who – is up next, and how could you not like a song like this done by Cooper on vocals and Perry on guitar?

I was never a huge Aerosmith fan, but always respected Perry‘s playing, and it’s probably safe to say that being the rock guitar hero he is, he wouldn’t be doing this with an actor if Depp couldn’t hold his own. It doesn’t hurt that Halestorm vocalist Lzzy Hale also features on this song, but her contribution is also in keeping with the feel of the original and is more of a supporting role rather than a lead act, which is perfect for this particular song. With ‘School’s Out’ and ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ two Alice Cooper songs have also sneaked onto the setlist and they fit perfectly into the context.

Cooper is an experienced enough vocalist to know just how much of his own DNA he can sprinkle through a song without negating its authenticity, and he once again finds that balance with perfection here.

However, I was interested when I saw the Hollywood Vampires release Live In Rio from their 2015 show.HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES' sophomore album "Rise", produced by Tommy Henriksen and the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, was hailed as one of the purest, most unapologetic and enjoyable rock and roll albums of 2019, made by masters of the craft and true fans of the form. Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Azerbaijan Republic, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Reunion, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Swaziland, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands (U. Just the fact a band playing mostly covers was invited to play Rock In Rio is an impressive feat, but the way in which they clearly nailed it was beyond impressive. You've got three alpha males who are used to running the show, and all of a sudden, three guys are sitting there with zero arguments.