Recent Release: Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare

Alice is back with the sequel to his classic first solo album (sans original band) "Welcome To My Nightmare". I usually don't like the idea of revisiting previous albums but this works very well. It is one of the best Alice albums in years.

 The storyline is vague, but coherent if you really pay attention and can use your imagination, something required for almost all of Alice's work. Musically, the album takes many twists and turns in style, and features small tidbits of music from the original "Nightmare" peppered throughout the record. It also reunites the surviving members of the original Alice Cooper Band for a few songs, which is a nice touch.

The only downside here is that this record is unlikely to bring many new folks to the party, but for true fans it's a great ride. Let's peel back the sheets and look at Alice's new nightmare track by track. Possible Spoilers.

I Am Made Of You- Piano driven opener in the "Hello Hooray" tradition. Not entirely sure who's singing here...Alice? The Devil?  Steven? Don't know, but a big, grandiose track with a touch of creepiness to set the mood.

Caffeine- Total Detroit rocker. Gotta stay awake somehow, right?

The Nightmare Returns- Caffeine stopped working. Short and sweet song to lull Alice to sleep...

A Runaway Train- All aboard the Nightmare Express. This song actually sounds like a train running faster down the tracks all the time. How'd Alice get here...and where are we going?

Last Man On Earth- Alice Cooper's Tom Waits tribute song. Complete with tuba and everything. Or maybe it's Gilbert And Sullivan. Possibly both.

The Congregation- Okay, so not the last man...but a chance to meet Alice's guide to this dream world he's found himself in. Some nice humour here, moves the story along but not a very memorable track.

I'll Bite your Face Off- Alice Cooper's Rolling Stones tribute. Total attitude, total Alice. And who's this woman he's singing about...?

Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever- Alice still has nightmares about Disco, but so do a lot of people. The music here sounds like bad German techno/club/dance music. And Alice raps which is pretty funny. Until the rock and roll part kicks in, the bloodbath part ensues, and all is right with the world.

Ghouls Gone Wild- Zombie beach dance party!!! Survivors of the disco maybe? Catchy as hell.

Something To Remember Me By- Possibly the prettiest song Alice has ever done, sure to make the ladies cry, but I think this is being sung by Alice to one of the lovely bikini zombies he just hooked up with. And if so, I don't want to know what he's giving her. Or this song could be a prequel to...

When Hell Comes Home- a dark song in both mood and lyrics. Is this the back story as to why Alice (the character) turned out like he did? Very affecting, but again, really dark.

What Baby Wants- Baby gets. And it's time to pay up. Ke$ha guests here and doesn't totally embarrass herself or the song. She almost sounds as evil as her character requires...and has she bit his face off yet?

I Gotta Get Outta Here- Co-written with Patterson Hood of Drive By Truckers fame, and those familiar with his work will hear it. Story wise we're coming to the end. Alice has had it with this whole nightmarish world is trying to find his way out. And we'll leave it at that.

The record ends with an Underture, combining music from both "Nightmare" records and a few other Cooper classics as well. a little sophistication to go out with, and to give the listener a chance to think about the record. And you should think. Alice (the artist) usually has another layer to his work, that's why his stuff is so good and bears repeated listening and/or viewing. Anybody can do the shock rock thing, but none can do it with the intelligence, mirth, and quality of Alice Cooper. When he's firing on all cylinders, he's the king.

Despite its flaws, which are few and forgiveable,  5 out of 5 Daves.

The Return of W.A.M.

Whassup rockers!

My apologies for the long absence, I kinda took most of the Summer off. As a result, I missed out on reviewing some decent records, which I'll try to catch up on soon. There's lots of new stuff coming as well, the fall season is always a good one for new music. I may begin adding some other features as well, but I don't want to talk too much about that as plans may change due to time restraints.

But the blog is definitely back. Look for new reviews coming later this week, some of my favorite old school hard rock/metal artists are releasing new material Tuesday and I'll put up some reviews here shortly.

Thanks for checking in. Keep it loud.