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| Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare Classification: Pop Band: Alice Cooper 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 - Devil's Food (Alternate Version) (bonus track) - Cold Ethyl (Alternate Version) (bonus track) - The Awakening (Alternate Version) (bonus track) The Return of the Coop Alice had ditched his Band and was shooting for the moon when he came up with "Welcome To My Nightmare." After the dissapointing "Muscle Of Love," he needed to re-establish his preeminence among the imitators that started springing up around him (KISS comes to mind) and prove that, when it came to shock rock, nobody did it better. He scored on all counts. By recruiting producer Bob Ezrin (who was sorely missed on "Muscle")for sound, and actor Vincent Price for character, plus putting the whole concept on late night ABC tv - (Dammit somebody PLEASE get the DVD rights?), he turned the album into an event. At the time of "Nightmare's" release, there was Talk of how Alice had revived showmanship in musical theater and what a brillaint acting talent this man could become, and how under-rated all his prior work had been, etc....and in the years after MTV, it's hard to remember just how outragous and new a concept video was! (Just a warning: The three CD bonus tracks are from the TV show, and a the DVD audio has these bonus tracks in PLACE of the studio versions, an error that has yet to be corrected on the DVD audio version.) This would all be Boa Constrictor poo if the album didn't measure up. The "Welcome To My Nightmare" Remaster shows how and why it stands the test of time. The production was far above ANY of the original group albums, and Alice was able explore his continuing fascination with gothic theater in ways his old bandmates wouldn't allow. "Only Women Bleed" was the highpoint of it all, providing Alice with his first cross format hit. (It also led, unfortunately, to far too many sappy songs later in his career.) "Some Folks" was almost vaudevillian in scope (remember the dancing skeletons, with Alice in tux and tails?), and the metal punch of "Escape" proved that Alice could still rock when it counted. "Welcome To My Nightmare" is an album that spawned a million more (think "Destroyer," "The Wall," even "Thriller"). It is, unfortunately, Alice's last great album before too much booze and too few ideas began sapping his strength. Savor this nightmare, because for Alice, the real nightmares were just around the corner. Alice's Adventures in Nightmare Land! This is Alice Cooper in all of his glory. In many ways is this Alice Cooper at the height of his success, stature and musical aplomb. It's sad that Alice can sometimes be written off as, "That's wackjob with the chickens.", because this record contains songwriting that equals The Beatles, Billy Joel, Elton John etc. A 20th Century Great! The opener track, "Welcome To My Nightmare" begins with a true tip of the hat to Jim Morrison (who Alice apparently hung with for a while) and just builds from there. "Cold Ethyl" is a hysterical homage to necrophilia. But in a funny way. Although this album flat out ROCKS ("Escape", "The Black Widow") its theatrical elements should not be taken for granted or overlooked. Alice had a lot of guts trying to pull of something like this. The whole disc is sort of like a story about nothing. It has no real beginning or end. Kind of like a NIGHTMARE!!! Wouldn't you say? Finally, I'm sick of everyone screaming, "Led Zeppelin created hard rock and heavy metal." Forget that! Listen to Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath and you'll figure out who the real trailblazers were!!! Thanks Alice! Gotta Love Alice Cooper I was one of the lucky people who got to see the tv show of this album. Remembering that this was before MTV, seeing someone that was considered to be somewhat of a rebel and counterculture on tv at that time was incredible. Naturally I ran out and bought the (vinyl) album. And what an album. Not quite like his previous albums, "Nightmare" had a few softer touches, most notably "Only Women Bleed", a song about how women in general at that time were considered second class citizens. There are more highlights. "The Black Widow" has a narrated opening by the incomparable Vincent Price, preceding Michael Jackson's "Thriller" by quite a few years. My general rule of thumb is that just about anything that Vincent Price ever did on vinyl is excellent, and this narration is perfect for the album and as a lead-in to the song. Listen to the end of "Department of Youth" cranked up really loud. As the sound is fading Alice Cooper asks the children who has the power, they answer that they do, then Alice asks who gave them the power, with the expectation that it would be Alice Cooper. The children answer "Donny Osmond", setting Alice into a frenzy, a hilarious fadeout. "The Awakening" is a bit of a chiller that implies the singer has killed his wife. All seriousness here, and one of the best songs on the CD. "Cold Ethyl" is pure laughs. Macabre laughs yes, but laughs nonetheless. Cold Ethyl is his lover, but she's Cold because she's dead and in the refrigerator. As long as you can handle the subject, the song should make you smile. "Devil's Food" and "Stephen" have some rocking moments more characteristic of Alice Cooper, and are both good as well. "Some Folks" and "Welcome to My Nightmare" are both good, though each has a mainstream feel to the music though the lyrics are anything but. Perhaps Alice was trying for the contrast between the lyrics and music to give the songs a bit of surrealism. both are enjoyable. "Years Ago" has Alice talking in a little boy voice in a song that implies something sinister. The song is okay and somewhat unique, but really provides the lead-in to "Stephen". While "Years Ago" might put you off a little at first, listening to it and then "Stephen" you realize that the two go together, almost as part I and II of the same song. "Escape" caps off the original album. "Escape" was always a puzzler for me, because it seems to be a bit out of step with the rest of the album. Partially it's due to the lyrics: "Where am I running to,<BR>There's no place to go.<BR>Just put on my makeup,<BR>and get me to the show." The way Alice sings these lyrics sounds more like The Beatles than Alice. It's good, but unlike Alice. The 70s was such a great time for unique albums, and this one Buy Alice Cooper Welcome To My Nightmare at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.comJamster - the latest ringtones for your phone! |
