The Alice Cooper album of the Day:WELCOME 2 MY NIGHTMARE
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 10:56 am
A lot of you did great reviews of this previously, so will try to avoid needless repetition. Was eagerly awaiting this and was pleased beyond words to see it full of names from throughout Alice's career like Bob Ezrin , Dick Wagner, Desmond Child, Kip Winger, Mark Volman, Steve Hunter (who really shines throughout), Rob Zombie, Chuck Garric, Jimmy DeGrasso and (FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Mike Bruce, Neal Smith and Dennis Dunaway. Kudos must also be given to Vince Gill (as others have pointed out, he can really rock) and especially Tommy Henriksen for being a literal jack of all trades on here.
"I Am Made of You" opens the album in grand style and despite the criticism of auto-tuning, I think it does enhance his voice and as the producer, it's Ezrin's job to get the best possible result from the performer.
"Caffeine" rocks like a bastard and to me, contains some of his funniest lyrics, especially about the "Ice Cold Shower". "The Nightmare Returns" is a good way to get the story fully going before careening into " A Runaway Train" which could almost be the cousin to "Slick Black Limosine" by the way it twists and slides all over the place (Coincidence that Dennis Dunaway had a hand in writing the music for both? I think not) before crashing head on into "The Last Man on Earth" which sounds like a Tom Waits number.
"The Congregation" took me a little while to get into as I found it kind of cheesy , but the music is great and it's my guess Rob Zombie is taking the role Vincent Price did so well in the original album. "Something to remember Me By" may be the "obligatory" ballad, but I think it's the best he's done in ages and also liked the version Donny Osmond did as well-what a kick it would have been to have had him here on background vocals as kind of getting back for the reference in "Department of Youth".
The two remaining ACG songs are both fantastic with "I'll Bite Your Face Off" rocking like a Stones song circa STICKY FINGERS before an almost Elton John-ish piano coda. "When Hell Comes Home" is probably the DARKEST song he's ever done with the story of alcoholic family abuse and the consequences it can bring-musically, love the little guitar strums after certain lines, especially in the "Daddy's gonna get a big surprise".
"What Baby Wants" is a rocking song and Kesha isn't bad, but I think it would have worked better to have Britney Spears on here, reminding us of the "Britney Wants Me" shirts he wore on the DRAGONTOWN tour, plus her own out of control behavior a few years ago. "I Gotta Get out of Here" is a good overview of the album with good music, but find his talking over the "What Part of Dead don't You Get" too much like the unfunny "Give The Kid a Break" and distracting.
My copy has the great "Under The Bed" and three live cuts and I think "UTB" would have worked better as a real cut, removing "Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever" (which would have worked better on ALICE COOPER GOES TO HELL although the guitar work towards the end is quite good and as pointed out, it could be rock conquering disco) and "Ghouls Gone Wild" which could almost have fit on the MCA album with the subject matter and almost Who-ish background vocals. The two aren't bad songs as such-I just think they don't work here.
So, overall, a fantastic album and definitely adding to 2011 being "The Alice Cooper Year" with the group induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the great if way overpriced OLD SCHOOL 1964-74 and this release. Definitely one of the classier sounding albums he had made , especially "The Underture" which seamlessly mixes musical motifs from the original NIGHTMARE with this one. Only complaint I really have is the painfully small writing at the end of the CD booklet when I wanted credits-the man has wrecked havoc with my hearing, now he's trying to make me squint my eyesight away! *****
"I Am Made of You" opens the album in grand style and despite the criticism of auto-tuning, I think it does enhance his voice and as the producer, it's Ezrin's job to get the best possible result from the performer.
"Caffeine" rocks like a bastard and to me, contains some of his funniest lyrics, especially about the "Ice Cold Shower". "The Nightmare Returns" is a good way to get the story fully going before careening into " A Runaway Train" which could almost be the cousin to "Slick Black Limosine" by the way it twists and slides all over the place (Coincidence that Dennis Dunaway had a hand in writing the music for both? I think not) before crashing head on into "The Last Man on Earth" which sounds like a Tom Waits number.
"The Congregation" took me a little while to get into as I found it kind of cheesy , but the music is great and it's my guess Rob Zombie is taking the role Vincent Price did so well in the original album. "Something to remember Me By" may be the "obligatory" ballad, but I think it's the best he's done in ages and also liked the version Donny Osmond did as well-what a kick it would have been to have had him here on background vocals as kind of getting back for the reference in "Department of Youth".
The two remaining ACG songs are both fantastic with "I'll Bite Your Face Off" rocking like a Stones song circa STICKY FINGERS before an almost Elton John-ish piano coda. "When Hell Comes Home" is probably the DARKEST song he's ever done with the story of alcoholic family abuse and the consequences it can bring-musically, love the little guitar strums after certain lines, especially in the "Daddy's gonna get a big surprise".
"What Baby Wants" is a rocking song and Kesha isn't bad, but I think it would have worked better to have Britney Spears on here, reminding us of the "Britney Wants Me" shirts he wore on the DRAGONTOWN tour, plus her own out of control behavior a few years ago. "I Gotta Get out of Here" is a good overview of the album with good music, but find his talking over the "What Part of Dead don't You Get" too much like the unfunny "Give The Kid a Break" and distracting.
My copy has the great "Under The Bed" and three live cuts and I think "UTB" would have worked better as a real cut, removing "Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever" (which would have worked better on ALICE COOPER GOES TO HELL although the guitar work towards the end is quite good and as pointed out, it could be rock conquering disco) and "Ghouls Gone Wild" which could almost have fit on the MCA album with the subject matter and almost Who-ish background vocals. The two aren't bad songs as such-I just think they don't work here.
So, overall, a fantastic album and definitely adding to 2011 being "The Alice Cooper Year" with the group induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the great if way overpriced OLD SCHOOL 1964-74 and this release. Definitely one of the classier sounding albums he had made , especially "The Underture" which seamlessly mixes musical motifs from the original NIGHTMARE with this one. Only complaint I really have is the painfully small writing at the end of the CD booklet when I wanted credits-the man has wrecked havoc with my hearing, now he's trying to make me squint my eyesight away! *****