Alice Cooper: Welcome 2 My Nightmare CD Review

By: Rick Landers

Welcome 2 My Nightmare

Welcome 2 My Nightmare

Alice Cooper is back with his wicked rock unleashed again on his new release, Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Cooper vamps with producer, Bob Ezrin, who produced the original 1975 Welcome To My Nightmare album, and the coupling of spirits works its magic once more on the new Nightmare II. Alice also called on a fellow Michigan guitar legend, Dick Wagner, who collaborated on the original album, to work his six-string magic. And let’s not forget the monster axe master Steve “The Deacon” Hunter who, along with Wagner, still cranks out some of the best surly rock you’ll ever hear.

Click to buy Nightmare II from iTunes

But, the big surprise was Alice pulling in pop superstar, KE$HA, who wrote lyrics for “What Baby Wants,” a duet with Alice that’s a fun rock-pop dance romp.

Nightmare IIsucks us in with its campy hard rock and venomous tongue in cheek lyrics. You’ve got to hand it to Alice who slithered on the Detroit music scene during the ‘60s caked in evil eye shock rock makeup with his storied tales of over the top horror. While a few other performers like British bizarre rocker Arthur Brown were dramatically flamboyant and talented, most of those earlier contemporaries fell by the wayside in the ‘70s.

As luck would have it, Cooper would bolt into the headlines over “the chicken incident” when some claimed he chewed off a chicken’s head on-stage. That’s not quite what occurred, but recognizing the value of any publicity, he didn’t deny it and the legend was born. Today, Alice is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with record sales in the millions and a staple on the American rock music scene.

With his latest release, Cooper proves he can still impale us with hard rock, as well as the occasional hypnotic ballad. Welcome 2 My Nightmare wraps us in a hauntingly fine tune, “I Am Made of You,” a pretty thing of a song, followed by “Caffeine” that’s classic Alice creep rock hard-wired with lead guitar licks straight out of the madness of the Motor City. “The Nightmare Returns” is downright ghoulish with an exorcist piano riff borrowed from Mike Oldfield’s hit, “Tubular Bells,” and Alice’s portrayal of a damaged kid at the end of the track that invites and draws us into his nightmare.

“Runaway Train” clips along with its cool guitar licks, that swirl and dirge, carrying the song forward to its ramshackle ending. Shifting gears Alice shows up playing “The Last Man on Earth” that’s got a Nawlin’s street music vibe going, and a perfect vehicle for Cooper’s vamp camp live performances.

“The Congregation” is loaded up with soaring guitar riffs, open-air layered harmonies and an ending that’s Peter Lorre creepy. The next cut has Rolling Stone’s written all over it, and a touch of Ray Davie’s “Low Budget,” if you’re familiar and listen close. Somehow the track finds its way into a piano interlude that’s as sweet as “Candle in the Wind,” yet doesn’t quite feel right. Then Cooper breaks back into that Stone’s sound and familiar rock territory.

Alice makes Eddie Cochran and Blue Cheer proud with “Ghouls Gone Wild,” that’s got the beat and the riffs nailed down tight. This fun upbeat track sounds like a high school anthem. The track’s title is a transparent pun on “Girls Gone Wild” and suggests Cooper’s playfulness, but it’s the hillbilly rock guitar that makes this song appealing.

Nightmare’s ballad, “Something to Remember Me By,” channels the late John Lennon’s solo work suggesting Cooper’s Beatles’ influence. It’s a song that would make Julian Lennon proud and although unexpected from Alice, it works and we should expect to hear it covered by some other artists.

Heavy metal darkness surfaces on “When Hell Comes Home” with Cooper’s touching lyrics like “Mommy’s bleeding out, maybe she don’t care.” Next up is the pop rocker, “What Baby Wants” with KE$HA that’s upbeat and a bit of fun.

A full circle of five ancient bells eerily opens “I Gotta Get Out of Here,” but the mood abruptly shifts to straight up classic rock and roll. What’s unusual about the track is its mix of Tom Petty style rock, interrupted by a choral arrangement and a bit of patter from Alice. The track moves along in good form and audiences will love it…but at the tail end, there go those spooky bells again.

The final track, “The Underture,” shows off Cooper’s theatrical reliance on cinematic music. Die-hard Alice Cooper fans will likely love it once they figure out that the melodrama and the classically fueled track doesn’t lead into a rock riff.

Welcome 2 My Nightmare shows Alice Cooper spread-eagled with his ‘60s and ‘70s influences hanging out, along with his Detroit rock roots in full view. Classic rock riffs run throughout the album and for the most part keep things charged and serve as a platform for Alice’s own legendary sound and stagecraft.

The CD is a solid introduction to Alice for a new generation of fans and is trademark Cooper for those long of fang. The music lends itself perfectly to Alice Cooper’s on stage persona and, as luck would have it, he’s on a world tour. So, life is in synch if you’re an Alice Cooper fan and his tour creeps past your town. Not only will you dig some of Nightmare II, but with luck he’ll dip into his cauldron of hits from the past 40 years and make the “nightmare” tour complete.

5 Comments

  1. William B Johnston (12 years ago)

    I saw AC in concert in 1973, I guess that makes me one of the “Long of Fang” fans!

  2. Kurt (12 years ago)

    Alice is awesome!

  3. Daniel (12 years ago)

    The inteligent mastermind is back! Can’t wait to hear what he’s got in store for us. Alice is rock!

  4. Mel Ludlam (12 years ago)

    Awesome cd great article seeing Alice sat night Halloween show

  5. Hiromi (12 years ago)

    Love Alice Cooper, and now even better with Orianthi!!