Alice Cooper - Welcome To My Nightmare
Atlantic - 1975
10/10
Welcome To My Nightmare is a record that took me a little longer to appreciate than the earlier ones, but over time enveloped me with all of its glory. As perfect as Love It To Death, it manages to take all of its facets and expand upon them into one concept. Perhaps an example where a band breakup serves a better platter? With Cooper’s character now in full control of the music, dynamic shifts were bound to happen.
Revolving around a fictional boy named Steven, and Alice seemingly acting as the adult alternative, this record goes through what is a series of nightmares. It holds the established formula of not getting weird until the back half, working like a play with different acts. You have your intro, your accessible lump of rock hits, your creepier deep sleep, and waking up. How this one holds everything together from front to back is its refusal to dismiss the theatrical workings.
Thus, Welcome To My Nightmare acts as a rare case where the whole record is better analyzed song-by-song. Opening with the title track sets the stage with its quiet intro, slowly working in harder guitars and horns. The next six tracks however weave in and out between different attitudes and contexts. “Cold Ethyl” is a quick banger that reflects a crossover of necrophilia and perhaps alcoholism. On the other hand, the classic ballad “Only Women Bleed” paints the picture of an abusive relationship under a beautiful coat of instrumentation. Horror jitters are crucial in the “Devil’s Food” and “Black Widow” two-piece that features Vincent Price and doom metal excellence in the main riff on the latter. The bass adds so much life here.
The outliers in this set are “Some Folks” with its cabaret sound, really raking in the theater feel, and the cheerful energy on “Department Of Youth.” Both seem less nightmarish with their energy than the others, yet are so well written and fill in the cracks nicely. It’s when we reach the “Years Ago” “Steven” and “The Awakening” block that things really take a spookier turn. All three weave in Exorcist-theme-adjacent keys, minor tones for an unsettling presence, and imagery of disorientation. I’ve always pictured Sid’s bedroom from Toy Story with certain parts of this. The record then exits on the light “Escape” note, acting as the true break from the nightmares and finding the morning light.
All of this makes the first Alice Cooper solo record the most essential disc of his for spooky season. It features a combo of tales that reflect real adult horrors as well as silly childhood fears. While Love It To Death holds the title as my favorite, this one easily earns the place of packing in the most content with the swiftest delivery. I probably play it at least once a week every October, and every time it’s like the first time all over again. Truly an album that loses no steam over time.
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