Welcome to My Nightmare
Release Date: March 11, 1975
Highest US Chart: #5
Tracks: Welcome to my Nightmare * Devil’s Food * The Black Widow * Some Folks * Only Women Bleed * Department of Youth * Cold Ethyl * Years Ago * Steven * The Awakening * Escape
"Welcome to my nightmare, I think you're gonna like it..." - Alice’s first release apart from the old band was an instant classic. Ezrin returns as producer and guitarists Steven Hunter and Dick Wagner (who helps in songwriting duties and played the LPs opening note) are the new anchors for front man Furnier.
It's a concept album that takes listeners on a journey through the nightmares of a boy named Steven, and side 1 is a delight, with the funky Welcome setting a high bar, that is met. I mean, it doesn’t get much better than to hear the eminent Vincent Price, add his unforgettable narration between the one-two punch of Devil's Food and The Black Widow (both are lifted by Wagner's hard hitting guitar work), which takes us to Some Folks, a slice of musical theater, with Hunter making good with the leads this time out, and Prakash John impressing with his speedy 'n' groovy basslines. After that, the lyrically insightful Only Women Bleed - the first (and best) of the power ballads that would give Alice many hits over the next few years. It was quite a shock to casual listeners at the time who’d never heard Cooper write and perform something so moving, pretty and, well, normal. (The first time my father heard it on the car radio, he refused to believe it was him.)
As fantastic as the first side is, the second is even better. Starting with the funny Department of Youth; a self-mocking commercial slant on the “I’m 18” theme that ends with a huge laugh (Donny Osmond), up next, Cold Ethyl, which is so twisted it upset Ann Landers! It's one of AC's most solid rockers, with killer licks and a cowbell... enough cowbell to keep Christopher Walken satisfied.
This brings us to the eerie, creepy and surreal, Steven trilogy. The centerpiece, "Steven", is one of those epic nightmare songs, and a close cousin to the Ballad of Dwight Fry. It starts off with a rather John Carpenterish tinkling of piano, that later explodes into a full orchestra. Alice sings in a childlike way, summoning up all the 'unstable' he can. When he whimpers, "I must be dreaming, please stop screaming" it sounds like he’s doing all he can to keep from losing it, and by the time we get to the line about putting "pennies on your eyes", he's gone completely insane.
The record closes on the high-spirited “Escape”, which takes us backstage and inside the mind of artist himself (and provides more cowbell!). All these numbers boast first class melodies with lyrics that create an oneiric state of mind and place.
Production wise - I like how I can pick out each individual instrument. I remember reading a complaint from XTCs Dave Gregory about the work done on "(The Everyday Story of) Small Town", and how the musical details were buried in the mix, but Nightmare isn't plagued by this. I won't bore with talk about compression, preserving transients, or dynamic range, I'll just note that at the one-minute mark on the title song, as it's starting to cook, I can still make out the acoustic strums and picking, it's not lost. Song after song, I can fully appreciate the work each musician put into these numbers. (This was true of most AC Band releases; School's Out is a noteworthy example of that)
"Welcome to my nightmare, I think you're gonna like it..." - Alice’s first release apart from the old band was an instant classic. Ezrin returns as producer and guitarists Steven Hunter and Dick Wagner (who helps in songwriting duties and played the LPs opening note) are the new anchors for front man Furnier.
It's a concept album that takes listeners on a journey through the nightmares of a boy named Steven, and side 1 is a delight, with the funky Welcome setting a high bar, that is met. I mean, it doesn’t get much better than to hear the eminent Vincent Price, add his unforgettable narration between the one-two punch of Devil's Food and The Black Widow (both are lifted by Wagner's hard hitting guitar work), which takes us to Some Folks, a slice of musical theater, with Hunter making good with the leads this time out, and Prakash John impressing with his speedy 'n' groovy basslines. After that, the lyrically insightful Only Women Bleed - the first (and best) of the power ballads that would give Alice many hits over the next few years. It was quite a shock to casual listeners at the time who’d never heard Cooper write and perform something so moving, pretty and, well, normal. (The first time my father heard it on the car radio, he refused to believe it was him.)
As fantastic as the first side is, the second is even better. Starting with the funny Department of Youth; a self-mocking commercial slant on the “I’m 18” theme that ends with a huge laugh (Donny Osmond), up next, Cold Ethyl, which is so twisted it upset Ann Landers! It's one of AC's most solid rockers, with killer licks and a cowbell... enough cowbell to keep Christopher Walken satisfied.
This brings us to the eerie, creepy and surreal, Steven trilogy. The centerpiece, "Steven", is one of those epic nightmare songs, and a close cousin to the Ballad of Dwight Fry. It starts off with a rather John Carpenterish tinkling of piano, that later explodes into a full orchestra. Alice sings in a childlike way, summoning up all the 'unstable' he can. When he whimpers, "I must be dreaming, please stop screaming" it sounds like he’s doing all he can to keep from losing it, and by the time we get to the line about putting "pennies on your eyes", he's gone completely insane.
The record closes on the high-spirited “Escape”, which takes us backstage and inside the mind of artist himself (and provides more cowbell!). All these numbers boast first class melodies with lyrics that create an oneiric state of mind and place.
Production wise - I like how I can pick out each individual instrument. I remember reading a complaint from XTCs Dave Gregory about the work done on "(The Everyday Story of) Small Town", and how the musical details were buried in the mix, but Nightmare isn't plagued by this. I won't bore with talk about compression, preserving transients, or dynamic range, I'll just note that at the one-minute mark on the title song, as it's starting to cook, I can still make out the acoustic strums and picking, it's not lost. Song after song, I can fully appreciate the work each musician put into these numbers. (This was true of most AC Band releases; School's Out is a noteworthy example of that)
Last but definitely not least, Welcome sports a remarkable album cover (created by future movie poster star, Drew Struzan, who also illustrated the superb "Greatest Hits" LP).
Purchases: Original vinyl pressing, CD (2002 w/bonus tracks)
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Despite some cheesiness, it holds up. The pairing of Vincent and Vincent couldn't be better, the songs offer up a few new arrangements, and a few sanitized lyrics (Only Women Bleed, but not Cold Ethyl?), with some changed to serve the story. The order of the tracks is different from the album in parts, and they added the Ballad of Dwight Fry.
I got to see it again in 1983 when it was released on VHS (click to see box art) and later in 2017 it found its way on DVD, paired with an edited version of the 1976 concert film (FYI: the original Rhino release for the concert is intact), while the picture quality isn't stellar (a remastered BD would be welcome) the music and the production are aces on both. Plus, on the concert film you have the legendary guitar battle between Wagner and Hunter. Cool beans!
Note 2: My Alice year started on January 13th, 1975, when Coop performed Unfinished Sweet on the first episode of the Smothers Brothers Show.
image above courtesy of Sick Things Uk, see link on the sidebar.
Alice Cooper Goes to Hell
Release Date: June 25, 1976
Highest US Chart: #27
Tracks: Go to Hell * You Gotta Dance * I’m the Coolest * Didn’t We Meet * I Never Cry * Give the Kid a Break * Guilty * Wake Me Gently * Wish You Were Here * I’m Always Chasing Rainbows * Going Home
The sequel to Nightmare offers a similar vibe but doesn’t quite reach the same highs, though there's top grade musicianship and lyrical content to enjoy. Wagner and Hunter make their returns, again trading leads (That's Dick doing the honors on "Gently", Steve on "Coolest"). Joining them is John Tropea, the utility player on the LP, who adds some rhythm here, a lead there; the wah-wah on "Wish You Were Here" is his. Tony Levin is the primary bassist this time out. I've always liked his work with Peter Gabriel and he's an asset here, I found myself focusing on his play in several tracks.
Despite the title, this isn’t all that dark; it’s actually very humorous (even Alice’s green face on the cover is more camp than scary). The title track makes me laugh out loud ("For making us doubt our parents' authority" is such a great line, considering how the OG made that a priority, "the grownups had to hate us"), and “Give the Kid a Break” is full of the funny as it tells of a guy trying to convince Satan to cut him some slack.
There are eclectic offerings; "You Gotta Dance", because uh, disco is hell. The jazzy Beatnik, "I'm the Coolest", with Alice singing low and smooth, and the overblown, eye winking cover of the perennial "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (later to be heard in 2023s "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3").
As a fan of the ballads from this period, “Wake Me Gently” (notable for its dreamy, echoing vocals and sweeping, emotional orchestration), and the hit “I Never Cry” (written as an alcoholic’s confession, I admire the instrumentation here), are two of the standouts.
On the other end of that spectrum is "Guilty", a straightforward rocker, that roars on the traditional E, then adds sharps at the chorus and bridge (luv the lyric at the bridge, the way Alice sings, "Golly gee, it's wrong to be", and how that glides us right back into the chorus, "So guilty!"). That's Dick noodling around on pentatonic scales, and it's the best of the faster ones, though the title track and "Wish You Were Here" (with Alan Schwartzberg's vigorous drums and fills, accompanied by harmonizing guitars) aren't far behind.
Despite the title, this isn’t all that dark; it’s actually very humorous (even Alice’s green face on the cover is more camp than scary). The title track makes me laugh out loud ("For making us doubt our parents' authority" is such a great line, considering how the OG made that a priority, "the grownups had to hate us"), and “Give the Kid a Break” is full of the funny as it tells of a guy trying to convince Satan to cut him some slack.
There are eclectic offerings; "You Gotta Dance", because uh, disco is hell. The jazzy Beatnik, "I'm the Coolest", with Alice singing low and smooth, and the overblown, eye winking cover of the perennial "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (later to be heard in 2023s "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3").
As a fan of the ballads from this period, “Wake Me Gently” (notable for its dreamy, echoing vocals and sweeping, emotional orchestration), and the hit “I Never Cry” (written as an alcoholic’s confession, I admire the instrumentation here), are two of the standouts.
On the other end of that spectrum is "Guilty", a straightforward rocker, that roars on the traditional E, then adds sharps at the chorus and bridge (luv the lyric at the bridge, the way Alice sings, "Golly gee, it's wrong to be", and how that glides us right back into the chorus, "So guilty!"). That's Dick noodling around on pentatonic scales, and it's the best of the faster ones, though the title track and "Wish You Were Here" (with Alan Schwartzberg's vigorous drums and fills, accompanied by harmonizing guitars) aren't far behind.
ACGTH can be a divisive, I get it, but if you're in tune with what Alice is doing here, it’s a grand album, grand theater from a master showman.
Note: Alice was too messed up to support the album with a tour, but he did co-host the Rock Music Awards with Diana Ross in Sept. I remember at one point, he loses it, trashes the place, and fights with security, after which an elaborate stage show breaks out and he performed several songs from the release (Go to Hell, Wish You Were Here, and I Never Cry) - so that gave us a taste of what might have been had he gone on the road. (BTW, I thought this was the coolest thing I'd ever seen on an awards broadcast).
Also, part of the so-called "TV Tour" was a Sept 21st appearance on the Tony Orlando and Dawn Rainbow Hour, where he participated in a "To Tell The Truth" sketch, then lip-synched to, I Never Cry and Give the Kid A Break. This one I missed.
Funny memory: This was 1976 (a more innocent time?) I just turned 15 but the guy at the record store wasn't sure about selling it to me "Is your mother going to be okay with you buying this?" (Ha-ha, my mother fell in love with Alice after seeing him on one of her shows, "The Snoop Sisters" (ep title, "The Devil Made Me Do It!", aired Mar 5, 1974)- Ma was a fan of scary movies, Vincent Price, Karloff, etc, and Alice fit right in with those two in her mind.) I wish I saved the receipt -handwritten in those days- on it he gave the title as "Alice Cooper Goes to Heck".
Purchases: Original vinyl pressing, CD
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Lace and Whiskey
Release Date: April 29, 1977
Highest US Chart: #42
Tracks: It’s Hot Tonight * Lace and Whiskey * Road Rats * Damned if You Do * You and Me * King of the Silver Screen * Ubangi Stomp * (No More) Love at Your Convenience * I Never Wrote Those Songs * My God
I could see this coming. There was this troubling slant towards over production on Ezrin’s part over the years. “Welcome” managed not to drop over the edge of the world and was buoyed by brilliant songs. “Hell” drew even closer to that, but it too, found a way to stay afloat, but “Lace” … Gawd this is waaaay over produced!
The mix is thick as sludge, the vocals and instrumentation are overcooked, as if Ezrin was taking a page from Spector’s “Wall of Sound” - he neuters Alice like Phil did to the Ramones on “End of the Century”. But Coop and his co-writers are not blameless, the compositions can be non-descript, and rather flat ("Damned if You Do"), or, in the case of "The King of the Silver Screen", simply make me wince (those corny musical interludes). Dick Wagner felt the release "suffered from lack of focus on the songwriting" [1], and even AC expressed embarrassment over one number, "No More Love at Your Convenience"... "I don't know what I was thinking about when I wrote it." he said when speaking of its exclusion from the "Crimes" Boxset [2].
Is there anything I liked? Moving away from the horror genre gave Alice a chance to try a few new things conceptually. And I think it's cool that he's working with legendary Motown bassist Bob Babbitt. The ballads... You and Me (which actually charted higher than Only Women and I Never Cry) isn't bad, though it just kind of... drifts away unsatisfactorily. Better are I Never Wrote Those Songs, and aside from the heavy layers (I would have liked the lead vox to be more up front), the sweet-sounding hymn, My God.
I could see this coming. There was this troubling slant towards over production on Ezrin’s part over the years. “Welcome” managed not to drop over the edge of the world and was buoyed by brilliant songs. “Hell” drew even closer to that, but it too, found a way to stay afloat, but “Lace” … Gawd this is waaaay over produced!
The mix is thick as sludge, the vocals and instrumentation are overcooked, as if Ezrin was taking a page from Spector’s “Wall of Sound” - he neuters Alice like Phil did to the Ramones on “End of the Century”. But Coop and his co-writers are not blameless, the compositions can be non-descript, and rather flat ("Damned if You Do"), or, in the case of "The King of the Silver Screen", simply make me wince (those corny musical interludes). Dick Wagner felt the release "suffered from lack of focus on the songwriting" [1], and even AC expressed embarrassment over one number, "No More Love at Your Convenience"... "I don't know what I was thinking about when I wrote it." he said when speaking of its exclusion from the "Crimes" Boxset [2].
Is there anything I liked? Moving away from the horror genre gave Alice a chance to try a few new things conceptually. And I think it's cool that he's working with legendary Motown bassist Bob Babbitt. The ballads... You and Me (which actually charted higher than Only Women and I Never Cry) isn't bad, though it just kind of... drifts away unsatisfactorily. Better are I Never Wrote Those Songs, and aside from the heavy layers (I would have liked the lead vox to be more up front), the sweet-sounding hymn, My God.
Other than that, this turgid Whiskey is big time swill.
Note: An hour-long concert special titled "Alice Cooper and Friends" aired in syndication on Sept 1977 - Coops set was around 25 minutes, the rest was shared between The Tubes, Nazareth (I was a fan of both) and Sha Na Na. The original show launched the "King of the Silver Screen" tour (June 19, 1977, at Anaheim Stadium in California) it also included the Kinks and was hosted by Flo & Eddie (neither act was included in the special).
Alice was drunk off his ass and gave a lackluster go of it. The Tubes set was chopped up (censored probably, White Punks on Dope and all), Nazareth was fantastic, and Sha Na Na were pros.
Note: An hour-long concert special titled "Alice Cooper and Friends" aired in syndication on Sept 1977 - Coops set was around 25 minutes, the rest was shared between The Tubes, Nazareth (I was a fan of both) and Sha Na Na. The original show launched the "King of the Silver Screen" tour (June 19, 1977, at Anaheim Stadium in California) it also included the Kinks and was hosted by Flo & Eddie (neither act was included in the special).
Alice was drunk off his ass and gave a lackluster go of it. The Tubes set was chopped up (censored probably, White Punks on Dope and all), Nazareth was fantastic, and Sha Na Na were pros.
Purchases: Original vinyl pressing
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Release Date: November 17, 1978
Highest US Chart: #60
Tracks: From the Inside * Wish I Were Born in Beverly Hills * The Quiet Room * Nurse Rozetta * Millie and Billie * Serious * How You Gonna See Me Now * For Veronica’s Sake * Jackknife Johnny * Inmates (We’re All Crazy)
David Foster takes over the producer's chair and Elton John’s lyricist Bernie Taupin adds his talents; what emerges is the best Cooper album since Nightmare. The production's still too slick, I’m not real fond of the heavy keys/synths and layered backing vocals in spots (most evident in the two opening tracks), but it is a vast improvement over the last release because the writing team of Cooper, Taupin and Wagner fashion some amazing songs. The melodies are beautiful and catchy (love those pretty 7ths and flats in the ballads). Taupin has always been a deft storyteller and Alice a playful and clever wordsmith - together they weave compelling tales about Alice’s stay at a sanitarium for alcoholism and the people and things he saw within those walls. My favorites...
“Millie and Billie” -a dark duet with Marcy Levy (aka Macella Detroit of Shakespeare's Sister's fame)- is a tender love ballad about a nightmarish act. There's something humorously melodramatic about it, the orchestral swells and such, but it doesn't stumble into novelty, and winds up an artfully executed marriage of voice, arrangement, and disturbing lyric - "Billie I dream of our children, they're frightening and gruesome and sad, and I don't want them growing inside me, they're no prize for the love that we have" - From the delicate acoustic picking at the start, to those horror-movie strings, joined by the chilling sound of a table saw, and finally, a bass stepping off into the fade, M&B wows on all phases.
Other highs - the domestic, vulnerable side of AC is touched upon in twin ballads, "The Quiet Room" and “How You Gonna See Me Now”, which netted Coop a Top 12 hit (the video was shown frequently on MTV). For up-tempo delights, "Nurse Rozetta" gives the LP a shot in the arm, with its down & dirty mix of perverse comedy and tragedy; and “Serious”, a rockin' firecracker that features Cheap Trick's Rick Nielson on guitar. The closer, "Inmates (We're All Crazy)", is a warped, operatic anthem that's elevated by colorful phrasing in the vocals, where Alice is as much an actor as singer - Note the incredulous tone when delivering the lines, "Imagine playing with trains", and later, "digging up graves". Or the way his voice briefly falls to a near whisper, "I wonder if he's talking about us?" and the hitch when he says, "A-a-and it's not like we don't know the score..."
The affecting “Jackknife Johnny” is another that sticks with me, it too features a female vocalist, this time as backing, and is a song where the soulful organ is a boon. Both of these tunes are so lyrically and musically palpable that the outside world falls way, and I'm completely immersed in the one created by Cooper and his collaborators.
Other highs - the domestic, vulnerable side of AC is touched upon in twin ballads, "The Quiet Room" and “How You Gonna See Me Now”, which netted Coop a Top 12 hit (the video was shown frequently on MTV). For up-tempo delights, "Nurse Rozetta" gives the LP a shot in the arm, with its down & dirty mix of perverse comedy and tragedy; and “Serious”, a rockin' firecracker that features Cheap Trick's Rick Nielson on guitar. The closer, "Inmates (We're All Crazy)", is a warped, operatic anthem that's elevated by colorful phrasing in the vocals, where Alice is as much an actor as singer - Note the incredulous tone when delivering the lines, "Imagine playing with trains", and later, "digging up graves". Or the way his voice briefly falls to a near whisper, "I wonder if he's talking about us?" and the hitch when he says, "A-a-and it's not like we don't know the score..."
Lastly, the cover design is way cool (The doors on the cover open to show the patients from the songs inside (complete with Alice in the quiet room). On the back cover we see the folks storming the exit with release forms in hand). Alice has always had nice album art and design in the 70s, which makes me pine for the LP era.
Purchases: Original vinyl pressing, CD
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Note: The album was also given the Marvel Comics treatment (release date, July 24, 1979)
In addition - earlier in 1978 Alice was seen in 2 crappy movies, in July it was Sgt. Peppers, where he played Father Sun and performed "Because" - Before that, in March, it was Mae West's final feature Sextette - he's the waiter with a very un-Alice hairdo, who sits at the piano and sings "Next Next". (Originally, he was to do "No Time for Tears", but this was changed. Tears can be heard on the "Life and Crimes" box set) - A couple of drummers are also in the picture - Keith Moon (as a dress maker) and Ringo Starr (as a director).
The Hot 10! Highest Charting US Singles
1. School's Out #7
Poison #7
3. You and Me #9
4. Only Women Bleed #12
I Never Cry #12
How You Gonna See Me Now #12
7. I'm Eighteen #21
8. No More Mr. Nice Guy #25
9. Elected #26
10. Hello Hooray #35
