Cooper, Alice / Prime Cuts
This 1991 documentary explores the ever-likable ghoul-rocker's history  in the music biz, from the early days when Alice Cooper was, in fact, the name  of a pretty good band (whose members are all unfortunately spoken of, even  analyzed, here in past tense, as if they're all dead) to Cooper's elder- statesman status by the time this production was underway. Along the way, we see  too-brief clips from more than 20 videos, all interrupted for reflections by  manager Shep Gordon, producer Bob Ezrin, Slash, Ozzy, and the man-of-the-hour  himself. The most welcome elements here are selections from the original band,  including "I'm Eighteen," "Billion Dollar Babies," and "Black Ju Ju." Solo  material--"Only Women Bleed," "How You Gonna See Me Now"--is an interesting  reminder of Cooper's somewhat altered direction by the late 1970s. Rounding  things out is the real story behind that infamous urban legend about Cooper and  a chicken.--Tom Keogh