Welcome to My Nightmare

Personnel: Alice Cooper (vocals); Vincent Price (spoken vocals); Dick Wagner (guitar, background vocals); Steve Hunter (guitar); Jozef Chirowski (Clavinet, keyboards, background vocals); Bob Ezrin (keyboards, background vocals); Prakash John, Tony Levin (bass); Whitey Glan, Johnny Badanjek (drums); The Summerhill Children's Choir, Michael Sherman, Gerry Lyons (background vocals).
Producer: Bob Ezrin.
Reissue producer: Brian Nelson, David McLees, Bill Inglot.
Engineers include: Jim Frank, Ed Sprigg, Phil Ramone.
Recorded at Soundstage, Toronto, Ontario; Record Plant East, A&R Studios, and Electric Lady Studios, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Jeffrey Morgan.
Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch (Digiprep).
Personnel: Dick Wagner (vocals, guitar); Jozef Chirowski (vocals, clarinet, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Gerry Lyons, Michael Sherman, David Ezrin, The Summerhill Children's Choir (vocals); Steve Hunter (guitar); Bob Ezrin (Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Whitey Glan, Johnny Badanjek (drums).
Recording information: A&R Studios, NY; Electric Lady, NY; Record Plant East, NY; Soundstage, Toronto.
Illustrator: Drew Struzan.
Photographer: Bret Lopez.
Unknown Contributor Role: Trish McKinnon.
Arrangers: Allan McMillan; Bob Ezrin.
In 1975, Reuniting with longtime producer Bob Ezrin (who was absent for Cooper's prior record, MUSCLE OF LOVE), Cooper released an album whose title explains the subject matter--WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE. Now on his own and in total control, Cooper was able to explore rock theatrics in a way that was impossible in his band. The ensuing tour was one of the most over-the-top excursions of that era.
"Cold Ethyl" is a disturbing little ditty about necrophilia. The soft, melodic "Only Women Bleed" became a surprise smash for Alice, and there's a low-key feel as well on the chilling "Steven." The somewhat funky title track works as a kind of theme song, while Cooper's expected heavy metal tendencies are explored on "The Black Widow." Most of Lou Reed's band joined Cooper for this record. Guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, as well as bassist Prakash John do a superb job of replicating the excitement of the original band.