For me, "Welcome to my nightmare" is a kind of unfocused trying too hard record. A mish mash of styles and vocal ranges, often in the space of one song; Devil's Food and The Black Widow being prime examples of this.
Years Ago, Steven and the Awakening try to tell a story, but I'm always confused as to what it is about, other than a kid being locked in a basement and escaping.
However, there are three songs that rescue this album. Only Women Bleed with it's beautifully arranged music and a lyrical subject far removed from the typical 70's rock ballad (my woman just left me/ I love that woman). Department of Youth contains the albums best line as it fades out "we've got the power" "and who gave it to you" "Donny Osmond" "WHAT?!?", it's the egotistical Alice screming out, I'd wondered where he'd gone to. The closing song Escape is an Alice Cooper song, sneering, as if to say "I'm back", but the listener thinks was the journey through the nightmare really worth it?
Goes to Hell, is so much tighter and well constructed, Alice is in charge. Singing classic "ME" anthemns like Guilty or I'm the Coolest or Wish You Were Here. The kind of "ME" anthemns that Slim Shady specialises in today.
Goes to Hell works so much better as an album, I Never Cry and Wake Me Gently are up there with some of Alice's greatest songs.
Which do you prefer? Or am I missing the point of Nightmare?
― Sid, Sunday, 23 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)
I always thought "Nightmare" was a gaudy, overproduced, low
rock-content Vegas show. I dearly love the pre-"Nightmare" Alice
Cooper band, but for me Alice the man lost it here. I never
bothered buying Goes to Hell... maybe I should check it out.
― Sean, Sunday, 23 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)
"Goes to Hell" is great! It's got that super-decadent seventies
production (think "Berlin", Eagles, Queen etc) except with Alice's
non-singing and ridiculous lyrics ("You'd even give a diabetic a
candy cane, go to hell!") on top. "I Never Cry" is nice too. Perhaps
the Billion Dollar Babies band, good as they were, just took
themselves too seriously as a 'rock band' to do this kind of stuff?
― dave q, Monday, 24 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)