Alice Cooper slumbers back into hell with Welcome 2 My Nightmare
"Follow-up" to definitive 1975 album proves that sequels can be worthy and don't necessarily HAVE to suck!
"Follow-up" to definitive 1975 album proves that sequels can be worthy and don't necessarily HAVE to suck!
Alice Cooper
Welcome 2 My Nightmare
Universal
alicecooper.com, nightswithalicecooper.com
By Thom Copher
Sequels come and go and rarely do they live up to the monuments which their predecessors established.
However, upon hearing that Alice Cooper was conjuring a follow-up to the monolithic Welcome to My
Nightmare, I knew that something special was in the works... after all, Coop is rock's foremost fabulist
and master of the macabre. Simply put, Alice doesn't tell a story unless there's one to tell.
For those of you who may have forgotten the original premise, WTMN was Coop's first "solo" album back
in 1975 - one which theatrically explored his personal demons and nightmares through a young alter-ego,
Steven. Rather than picking up where the maiden journey ended, Welcome 2 My Nightmare has once
again teamed Alice with producer Bob Ezrin (who helped craft the first Nightmare) to revisit Steven's
dreamworld in real-time... 36 years later.
"I Am Made of You" eerily introduces the new nightmare like an opening scene from a John Carpenter
flick, revealing the connection between Alice, the creator, and Steven, the creation: "In the beginning /
I was just a shadow... You're the singer / I'm the song." From there, "Caffeine" establishes W2MN's
Welcome 2 My Nightmare
Universal
alicecooper.com, nightswithalicecooper.com
By Thom Copher
Sequels come and go and rarely do they live up to the monuments which their predecessors established.
However, upon hearing that Alice Cooper was conjuring a follow-up to the monolithic Welcome to My
Nightmare, I knew that something special was in the works... after all, Coop is rock's foremost fabulist
and master of the macabre. Simply put, Alice doesn't tell a story unless there's one to tell.
For those of you who may have forgotten the original premise, WTMN was Coop's first "solo" album back
in 1975 - one which theatrically explored his personal demons and nightmares through a young alter-ego,
Steven. Rather than picking up where the maiden journey ended, Welcome 2 My Nightmare has once
again teamed Alice with producer Bob Ezrin (who helped craft the first Nightmare) to revisit Steven's
dreamworld in real-time... 36 years later.
"I Am Made of You" eerily introduces the new nightmare like an opening scene from a John Carpenter
flick, revealing the connection between Alice, the creator, and Steven, the creation: "In the beginning /
I was just a shadow... You're the singer / I'm the song." From there, "Caffeine" establishes W2MN's
thesis ("I gotta stay awake... If I close my eyes / It'll be the death of me") as Alice/Steven journey along the lurid landscape that exists just beyond the foyer of
fantasy. Early on, our protagonist is juxtaposed as an innocent member of a hell-bound chain-gang on "A Runaway Train" after which Alice, the narrator, examines - with
tongue firmly in cheek - the various levels of the underworld on "The Congregation."
fantasy. Early on, our protagonist is juxtaposed as an innocent member of a hell-bound chain-gang on "A Runaway Train" after which Alice, the narrator, examines - with
tongue firmly in cheek - the various levels of the underworld on "The Congregation."
Down the road, Steven encounters what could be interpreted as the second-coming of "The Black Widow" (from
WTMN) who pledges "I'll Bite Your Face Off" before (insert pun here) facing off against disco, the familiar
70s-rock antagonist (what did you expect - this IS a journey into hell) on "Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever."
There's even a Ramones-ish beach-party-n'-brimstone bopper ("Ghouls Gone Wild") which finds our hero dodgin'
zombies prior to drifting near consciousness on the ballad "Something to Remember Me By" which rekindles the
somber seriousness of "Only Women Bleed."
WTMN) who pledges "I'll Bite Your Face Off" before (insert pun here) facing off against disco, the familiar
70s-rock antagonist (what did you expect - this IS a journey into hell) on "Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever."
There's even a Ramones-ish beach-party-n'-brimstone bopper ("Ghouls Gone Wild") which finds our hero dodgin'
zombies prior to drifting near consciousness on the ballad "Something to Remember Me By" which rekindles the
somber seriousness of "Only Women Bleed."
Swiftly, it's back to the depths of Alice's imagination - "When Hell
Comes Home" is a disturbing tale about abuse and revenge that sends
chills reminiscent of the first listening of "Dead Babies." We finally
come face-to-face on "What Baby Wants" with - as Alice himself
has disclosed - good ol' Beelzebub... wildly portrayed in-duet by
pop-diva Ke$ha who sports "a pretty mouth... razor blades instead
of teeth." The nightmare, for now, is nearing its end with "I Gotta
Get Outta Here" where Steven declares "I can't wait to wake up in
my very own bed / Far away from the madness and my pounding
head." However, the response to his plea ("Isn't the message clear
to you yet? / Sonny, what part of DEAD don't you get?") leaves us
Comes Home" is a disturbing tale about abuse and revenge that sends
chills reminiscent of the first listening of "Dead Babies." We finally
come face-to-face on "What Baby Wants" with - as Alice himself
has disclosed - good ol' Beelzebub... wildly portrayed in-duet by
pop-diva Ke$ha who sports "a pretty mouth... razor blades instead
of teeth." The nightmare, for now, is nearing its end with "I Gotta
Get Outta Here" where Steven declares "I can't wait to wake up in
my very own bed / Far away from the madness and my pounding
head." However, the response to his plea ("Isn't the message clear
to you yet? / Sonny, what part of DEAD don't you get?") leaves us
to wonder if the nightmare does, in fact, end here. It's a cliff-hanger that only The Houdini-of-Horror could come up with.
Before I mention the finale, I have to touch upon some of the obvious nuances. W2MN has a purposely constructed retro
aura - the inclusion of surviving Alice Cooper Band members Dennis Dunaway (bass), Michael Bruce (guitar) and Neal Smith
(drums) along with guitarist Steve Hunter (WTMN and subsequent late-70s Coop albums) provides an earthy jam-session vibe
on several numbers. Also - and you'll hear it here first - Vince Gill ROCKS, supplying some smokin' lead work on "A Runaway
Train" and "I Gotta Get Outta Here." My favorite, though, is more ragtime than rock: "The Last Man on Earth" finds Alice
Before I mention the finale, I have to touch upon some of the obvious nuances. W2MN has a purposely constructed retro
aura - the inclusion of surviving Alice Cooper Band members Dennis Dunaway (bass), Michael Bruce (guitar) and Neal Smith
(drums) along with guitarist Steve Hunter (WTMN and subsequent late-70s Coop albums) provides an earthy jam-session vibe
on several numbers. Also - and you'll hear it here first - Vince Gill ROCKS, supplying some smokin' lead work on "A Runaway
Train" and "I Gotta Get Outta Here." My favorite, though, is more ragtime than rock: "The Last Man on Earth" finds Alice
walking along the path of his own past ("I can smoke, I can drink, I can swear and I can stink / There ain't no one to bother me") while giving it his best Tom Waits
impersonation - I can see a dance number a-la "Some Folks."
The closer, "The Underture," is an orchestrated instrumental recap of the first Nightmare in which (as we can imagine) Steven's journey flashes before his eyes. It also
exemplifies what a perfect accompaniment W2MN is to the original. In short, THIS is the way a sequel should be done! The Master has spoken and we are humbly
worthy to hear what he has to say.
impersonation - I can see a dance number a-la "Some Folks."
The closer, "The Underture," is an orchestrated instrumental recap of the first Nightmare in which (as we can imagine) Steven's journey flashes before his eyes. It also
exemplifies what a perfect accompaniment W2MN is to the original. In short, THIS is the way a sequel should be done! The Master has spoken and we are humbly
worthy to hear what he has to say.