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Showing reviews 1-5 of 67
 ALICE'S MASTERPIECE October 4, 2009
MRT
alice disbands the ALICE COOPER BAND and goes solo. what happens was the best release of alice's long career.now technically he didn't disband the band,the other guys wanted to do other things.but alice carried on. buy this,FROM THE INSIDE,&the new ALONG CAME A SPIDER(this one actually a continuation of the story started with steven on WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE).
welcome to my nightmare August 12, 2009
blinddog
even after 35 years die-hard alice fans are still upset over the break-up of the original alice cooper group. depending on which source you choose to believe - alice grew bored and decided to go solo with "welcome to my nightmare" while the band was taking a (well deserved) break and/or michael bruce, having grown tired of the theatrics, began work on his solo "in my own way" and neal smith soon followed with "platinum god".
(the band "billion dollar babies", including bruce, smith and dunaway released "battle axe" in 1977, smith and dunaway got together in "the flying tigers" in the late seventies, glen buxton returned to music in the mid eighties with the band "virgin" and all four former band members recorded together in 1998 with billy james in the band "ant-bee". in 2006 the dennis dunaway project released "bones from the yard").
while we all hold our breath for a long overdue reunion, we can take comfort in the fact that @61, alice still performs most of his classics on tour and with each new studio release proves that he at least still has a sense of humor.
alice cooper's first solo effort was far removed from the classic rock and roll album, however "welcome to my nightmare" is considered a concept album masterpiece. where previous alice cooper group albums were all connected with "themes", alice wanted to create his version of "tommy" - with a fully developed story centering on the nightmares of a character called "steven". produced by bob ezrin and creating a more mainstream alice while retaining the horror elements that made him famous, "nightmare" included the album, an hour long television special with vincent price (winning an emmy), and a huge theatrical stage show including pre-filmed projections on a giant screen, numerous dancers (including future wife sheryl) and a wide assortment of props. the hugely successful concert was filmed for theatrical release in 1975 and is now available on dvd.
backed by the best band money could buy, the album opened with the excellent title cut. alice provides lyrics with plenty of visual imagery, while the band puts the listener in the proper mood with layered brass, an almost funky bass line and very innovative guitar licks from dick wagner and steve hunter. the "devil's food/black widow" suite quickly seal your fate beginning with a great guitar riff before dissolving into an infamous recitation from vincent price. however, it is the centerpiece suite, "years ago/steven/the awakening", that is the true gem and remains a concert favorite to this day.
the rockers on the album are "cold ethyl" ("i love the dead" sequel), the great closer "escape", and the semi-anthem "department of youth" with a humorous nod to donny osmond. alice sings his first true ballad "only women bleed", a minor hit about spousal abuse, and even tips his hat to cabaret with the finger snapping "some folks", featuring a line of dancing skeletons in the live show.
reaching new heights, the "welcome to my nightmare" tour featured a giant screen with pre-filmed images that had alice bursting onto the stage while simultaneously disappearing from the screen. there was a bed with a giant toy box, dancing spiders & snakes and even a 9' tall cyclops. suzi quatro was the opening act. --set list: welcome to my nightmare/no more mr. nice guy/billion dollar babies/i'm eighteen/some folks/cold ethyl/only women bleed/devil's food/the black widow/steven/welcome to my nightmare (reprise)/the awakening/escape/school's out/department of youth
released february 1975 it reached #5 usa and #19 uk -- singles: department of youth b/w cold ethyl (#67) - only women bleed b/w devil's food (#12) - welcome to my nightmare b/w the black widow (#45)
every alice cooper album has great songs that never made radio. it's not the hits, but the deeper cuts that are the real black beauties... blinddog pick: year's ago / steven / the awakening
Welcome to My Nightmare Rocks June 9, 2009
Bob Roblyer (Houston, TX)
Looked for this CD everywhere. Amazon is definitely the place to go to end your searching headaches. Kudos Amazon.
MY FAVORITE ALICE COOPER ALBUM May 21, 2009
cool j (elkhart, indiana United States)
THE DVD-AUDIO IS SO FAR THE BEST SOUND OUT THERE. SORRY RHINO, 2002 CD REMASTERED VERSION. THE DVD-AUDIO GIVES YOU MORE INSTRUMENTS YOU NEVER HEARD BEFORE . INCLUDES THE LONG VERSION OF DEVILS FOOD, VINCENT PRICE SOLO WITH BACKGROUND NOISES, YEARS AGO THE SAME AND A GUITAR RIFF IN "STEVEN" THAT WAS NOT ON THE CD VERSION. ANOTHER THING THE SOUND IS CRISP AND CLEAR. I WILL NEVER PUT MY DVD-AUDIO UP FOR SALE. IT'S THE ONLY ONE I GOT.
 Download doesn't include Vincent Price March 11, 2009
Ambrose Peirce (Eastern, USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
One of the big thrills of the original vinyl album was hearing Vincent Price's narration to Black Widow. Price was essential to nailing down the creepy feeling to the whole album. Lugubriously, this audio is missing from the mp3 album download. I feel cheated.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 67
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