''Welcome to My Nightmare'' is the debut solo and overall eighth studio album by American rock musician

Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...

, released on March 11, 1975 by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. A

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, its songs played in sequence form a journey through the nightmares of a child named Steven. The album inspired the '' Alice Cooper: The Nightmare'' TV special, a worldwide

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...

, and his ''

Welcome to My Nightmare ''Welcome to My Nightmare'' is the debut solo and overall eighth studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released on March 11, 1975 by Atlantic Records. A concept album, its songs played in sequence form a journey through the nightm ...

concert film A concert film or concert movie is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert, by either a musician or a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian. Ea ...

(1976). The tour was one of the most over-the-top excursions of that era. Most of

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

's band joined Cooper for this record. Internationally, ''Welcome to My Nightmare'' was released by the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

subsidiary

Anchor Records Anchor Records was a UK-based record label, co-founded by Ian Ralfini and the American Broadcasting Companies, which owned ABC Records in the United States, in 1974. ABC Records marketed (distributed) Anchor albums in the US, and Anchor Records ...

. It is Cooper's only album under Atlantic Records and Anchor Records. The cover artwork was created by

Drew Struzan Drew Struzan (; born March 18, 1947) is an American retired artist, illustrator and cover designer. He is known for his more than 150 movie posters, which include ''The Shawshank Redemption'', ''Blade Runner'', ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'', as ...

for

Pacific Eye & Ear Ernie Cefalu (born 1945) is a contemporary artist and Senior Creative Director, currently working out of Los Angeles, CA. He is known for designing art for music albums. Cefalu attended the California College of Arts and Crafts (now California Co ...

. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' would later rank it ninetieth on the list of the "Top 100 Album Covers of All Time". Famed

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

star

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor. He was known for his work in the horror film genre, mostly portraying villains. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price ...

provided a monologue in the song "Devil's Food". The song "Escape" was a rewrite of a song by the Hollywood Stars from their shelved album ''Shine Like a Radio – The Great Lost 1974 Album'', which was finally released in 2013. The ballad "

Only Women Bleed "Only Women Bleed" is a song by American rock singer Alice Cooper, released on his debut solo studio album '' Welcome to My Nightmare'' (1975). It was written by Cooper and Dick Wagner and was the second single from the album to be released. Bac ...

", released as a single, is a song originally composed by guitarist

Dick Wagner Richard Allen Wagner (December 14, 1942 – July 30, 2014) was an American rock guitarist, songwriter and author best known for his work with Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, and Kiss. He also fronted his own Michigan-based bands, the Frost and the Boss ...

for his late-1960s band

the Frost The Frost was an American psychedelic rock band from Alpena, Michigan in the late 1960s, led by singer-guitarist Dick Wagner, who went on to play with Ursa Major, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel in the 1970s. The rest of the band consist ...

, with a new title provided by Cooper and revised lyrics written by Wagner and Cooper. The remastered CD version adds three alternate version bonus tracks. A sequel concept album, ''

Welcome 2 My Nightmare ''Welcome 2 My Nightmare'' (also known as ''Welcome to My Nightmare 2'') is the nineteenth solo and the twenty-sixth studio album overall by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released on September 13, 2011 by UME. It is a sequel to his 1975 al ...

'', was released in 2011.

Background

The Alice Cooper band broke up by spring of 1974, with Cooper beginning work on his first solo project. Cooper intended the music to be more theatrical than the previous

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...

focused records. Alice Cooper's manager, Shep Gordon had a clause in his contract, that allowed the members of Alice Cooper to do a soundtrack album for a different label, other than Warner Brothers. As a result, Shep Gordon and Alice Cooper went to Atlantic Records, a sister label to Warner Brothers, to begin work on the album. Cooper hired

Bob Ezrin Robert Alan Ezrin (born March 25, 1949) is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, best known for his work with Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Andrea Bocelli and Phish. As of 2010, Ezri ...

, who had produced four previous Cooper records, to collaborate with him. Ezrin,

Steve Hunter Stephen John Hunter (born June 14, 1948) is an American guitarist, primarily a session player. He has worked with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, acquiring the moniker "The Deacon". Hunter first played with Mitch Ryder's Detroit, beginning a long ...

, and

had all performed on the Alice Cooper band’s 1973 studio album ''

Billion Dollar Babies ''Billion Dollar Babies'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Alice Cooper, released on February 27, 1973 The album became the best selling Alice Cooper record at the time of its release, hitting number one on the album charts in the ...

'', produced by Ezrin. Subsequently, Ezrin produced and performed on

’s 1973 concept album ''

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

'', including Hunter, Wagner, and

Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer specializing in electric bass guitars, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (19 ...

. Reed’s band on his following live album ''

Rock 'n' Roll Animal ''Rock 'n' Roll Animal'' is a live album by American musician Lou Reed, released in February 1974 by RCA Records. In its original form, it features five songs, four of which were initially recorded by the Velvet Underground. Reed's band included ...

'' (1974) was composed of Hunter, Wagner,

Prakash John Prakash John is an Indian-Canadian rock and rhythm & blues bassist. He is known as one of the originators of the ' Toronto sound'. Early years John was born in Mumbai, India, in 1947. At age four, he was enrolled at the prestigious Protestant ...

, and

Pentti Glan Pentti "Whitey" Glan (July 8, 1946 – November 7, 2017) was a Finnish-Canadian rock drummer, best known for his work with Alice Cooper and Lou Reed. Musical career Glan's first serious band was the Canadian soul band The Rogues (later called M ...

. Ezrin and Cooper hired all four members of Reed’s live band, plus Levin, to work on Cooper’s new album. Wagner and Ezrin would co-write the majority of the tracks with Cooper.

Concept

In 2020, while being interviewed on the Bob Lefsetz podcast, Ezrin recalled that Alice Cooper's manager Shep Gordon had a clause that allowed the Alice Cooper band members to make a soundtrack album for another label. As a result, the album needed have a storyline to become a soundtrack, that would subsequently be adapted into a film or television show. Ezrin and Cooper came up with a story concept for the album, with Cooper telling the story of the nightmares of the character Steven. During the Bob Lefsetz podcast, Ezrin recounts that he and Alice Cooper initially created the storyline, in which a rock star named Steven and his mistress are on a private jet flying over the Rocky Mountains. The jet crashes, and both Steven and his mistress disappear. However, 28 days later, Steven emerges alone and unharmed. During those 28 days, Steven became a vampire and he now lives out his days as a rock star by day and killer at night. The album was ultimately adapted into a television show called '' Alice Cooper: The Nightmare''.

Critical reception

''Welcome to My Nightmare'' received generally mixed reviews upon release.

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born ) is an American music critic and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of '' Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone'', and has published num ...

of ''

'' called the album "a TV soundtrack that sounds like one. The horn parts are so corny you might imagine that you're listening to the heavy-metal

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born 28 April 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Her many screen roles include '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' Bye Bye B ...

." He noted the absence of the original Alice Cooper band, stating, "without the wildness and drive of the sound the Cooper troupe had, the gimmicks on which Alice the performer must rely are flat and obvious." He concluded by saying that it "is simply a synthesis of every mildly wicked, tepidly controversial trick in the Cooper handbook. But in escaping from the mask of rock singer which he claimed he found so confining, Cooper has found just another false face." In addition,

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

rated the album a B− grade, stating that it "actually ain't so bad – no worse than all the others". He stated that the varying compositions of the songs would potentially cause the album to influence younger listeners, saying: "Alice's nose for what the kids want to hear is as discriminating as it is impervious to moral suasion, so perhaps this means that the more obvious feminist truisms have become conventional wisdom among at least half our adolescents." A retrospective review by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Greg Prato was more positive. Prato considered the album Cooper's best solo work, despite the absence of the original band: "While the music lost most of the gritty edge of the original AC lineup, ''Welcome to My Nightmare'' remains Alice's best solo effort – while some tracks stray from his expected hard rock direction, there's plenty of fist-pumping rock to go around." However, he maintained that "the rockers serve as the album's foundation – 'Devil's Food', 'The Black Widow', 'Department of Youth', and 'Cold Ethyl' are all standouts, as is the more tranquil yet eerie epic 'Steven'." He concluded by comparing the album to Cooper's subsequent solo efforts by stating: "Despite this promising start to Cooper's solo career, the majority of his subsequent releases were often not as focused and were of varying quality." ''The New York Times'', describing the subsequent tour, said that Cooper was much tougher than he looked in concert. Since its release, ''Welcome to My Nightmare'' has become the most-represented album in Alice Cooper's concert setlists, accounting for, even including concerts from before its release, 15.7 percent of all the songs he has played live – a proportion which of course will be much larger counting only shows since the album's composition and release. It is the last album from which every song has been performed live, although "The Awakening" was never played until the Trash Tour on November 21, 1989; while "Some Folks" and "Escape" were never performed after the album's support tour apart from a handful of performances of the latter song in 2001. Alice started playing "Escape" again on his 2019–2020 Ol' Black Eyes Is Back Tour.

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians *

– lead vocals *

– electric and acoustic guitar, vocals * Steve "Deacon" Hunter – electric and acoustic guitar *

– bass * Pentti "Whitey" Glan – drums Additional personnel *

– synthesizer, keyboards, vocals, producer * Jozef Chirowski – keyboards, clavinet, vocals, Fender Rhodes *

– bass on "Welcome to My Nightmare" and "Escape" *

Johnny "Bee" Badanjek Johnny "Bee" Badanjek is an American musician, singer, songwriter and painter, who has been a member of various rock bands, including, The Romantics, The Detroit Wheels, Alice Cooper, and Ted Nugent. Music career At 16, Badanjek (pronounced: ...

– drums on "Welcome to My Nightmare" and "Escape" *

– The Curator * Trish McKinnon – "Mom" * David Ezrin, Gerry Lyons, Michael Sherman, the Summerhill Children's Choir – vocals * Bob Ezrin, Allan Macmillan – arrangements Technical * Jeffrey Morgan – liner notes (reissue) * Michael Sherman – production assistant *

Phil Ramone Philip Rabinowitz (January 5, 1934March 30, 2013), better known as Phil Ramone, was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, and co-founder of A & R recording studio. Its success led to expansion ...

– engineer on "Only Women Bleed", recording at A&R Studios * Corky Stasiak, Dave Palmer, Ed Sprigg, Rod O'Brien – recording at Record Plant East and Electric Lady Studios * Dave Palmer, Jim Frank – recording at Soundstage *

– artwork

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Stage adaptation

Cooper talked with ''Rolling Stone'' over the theatrical adaptation of his album, although there has been little traction on this since 2010.

Cover versions

The 1999 tribute album '' Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper'' includes covers of "Cold Ethyl" by

Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist of heavy metal music, heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 formation until his departure in 1992. Neil reunited with the ...

Mick Mars Robert Alan Deal (born May 4, 1951), known professionally as Mick Mars, is an American musician best known as the former lead guitarist and co-founder of the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, being the oldest of the four origin ...

Mike Inez Michael Allen Inez (born May 14, 1966) is an American rock musician and bassist. Since 1993, Inez has been the bassist of the American rock band Alice in Chains. He is also recognized for his work with Ozzy Osbourne from 1989 to 1993. Inez also ...

Billy Sheehan William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician known for playing bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing style, includ ...

and Simon Phillips and "The Black Widow" by

Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Dickinson has performed in the band across two stints, from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to the present d ...

Adrian Smith Adrian Smith may refer to: * Adrian Smith (basketball) (born 1936), American basketball player *Adrian Smith (architect) (born 1944), American architect *Sir Adrian Smith (statistician) (born 1946), English statistician and academic *Adrian Smith (m ...

, Tony Franklin,

Tommy Aldridge Tommy Aldridge (born August 15, 1950) is an American heavy metal and hard rock drummer. He is noted for his work with numerous bands and artists since the 1970s, such as Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesn ...

and

David Glen Eisley David Glen Eisley (born September 5, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor. Personal life Eisley was born in Los Angeles, California and is the son of actor Anthony Eisley and Judith Tubbs Eisley. While in high school, he ...

. The album also includes covers of the title track and "

". All four tracks also feature the album's producer,

References

External links

*
Alice Cooper Welcome to My Nightmare Tour Program

Alice Cooper Welcome to My Nightmare on Original Album Cover Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welcome To My Nightmare Alice Cooper albums 1975 debut albums Atlantic Records albums Rock operas Albums produced by Bob Ezrin 1970s concept albums Albums with cover art by Drew Struzan Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios