Welcome to My Nightmare

The Alice Cooper band broke up by spring of 1974, with Cooper beginning work on his first solo project. ==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 to 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 of Rolling Stone 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." 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." Rhino called the album "one of Cooper's most classic albums" and "iconic". 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==

Musicians • Alice Cooper – lead vocals • Dick Wagner – electric and acoustic guitar, vocals • Steve "Deacon" Hunter – electric and acoustic guitar • Prakash John – bass • Pentti "Whitey" Glan – drums Additional personnel • Bob Ezrin – synthesizer, keyboards, vocals, producer • Jozef Chirowski – keyboards, clavinet, vocals, Fender Rhodes • Tony Levin – bass on "Welcome to My Nightmare" and "Escape" • Johnny "Bee" Badanjek – drums on "Welcome to My Nightmare" and "Escape" • Vincent Price – 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 – 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 • Drew Struzan – artwork ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==

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, Mick Mars, Mike Inez, Billy Sheehan and Simon Phillips and "The Black Widow" by Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, Tony Franklin, Tommy Aldridge and David Glen Eisley. The album also includes covers of the title track and "Only Women Bleed". All four tracks also feature the album's producer, Bob Ezrin. ==References==