Originally released on LP in 1975 and reissued on CD in 2002,
Welcome to My Nightmare is, quite simply, a
shock rock masterpiece. It is also a conceptual effort that, like other
Alice Cooper releases of the '70s, generated some controversy. Often described as the
arena rock equivalent of a horror movie, this album didn't offend those who understood where
Cooper was coming from. His fans realized that gems like
"Cold Ethyl" and the spooky title song weren't really promoting evil;
Alice Cooper is merely a character, and
Welcome to My Nightmare gives listeners a guided tour of the character's dark, twisted mind. Arguably, this reissue is
arena rock's version of a
Bela Lugosi or
Vincent Price film; in fact,
Price himself makes a guest appearance on
"The Black Widow," a creepy number that pays tribute to a very deadly spider. But for all of the album's dark subject matter,
Cooper is surprisingly sensitive and tender on the
ballad "Only Women Bleed." A major
pop hit, the song really struck a chord with female listeners and was covered by everyone from
Carmen McRae to
Lita Ford to
Etta James. Nonetheless,
Cooper was still controversial in 1975, and fundamentalist ministers kept insisting that he was taking America straight to hell. Produced by
Bob Ezrin, Nightmare marked the first time that
Cooper was billed as a solo artist -- and without
the Alice Cooper Band he became slicker, more polished, and less gritty. Nonetheless, this album is conceptually brilliant. Thanks to
Rhino,
Nightmare now has 14 tracks instead of 11; hardcore collectors will be glad to know that
Rhino has added alternate takes of
"Cold Ethyl," "Devil's Food," and
"The Awakening." But even those who aren't hardcore collectors should obtain
Welcome to My Nightmare, which remains a textbook example of mid-'70s
shock rock. [A Deluxe Edition added three bonus tracks.] ~ Alex Henderson