Welcome 2 My NightmareRelease Date: September 2011
Highest US Chart: ?
Tracks: I Am Made of You * Caffeine * The Nightmare Returns * A Runaway Train * The Last Man on Earth * The Congregation * I'll Bite Your Face Off * Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever * Ghouls Gone Wild * Something to Remember Me By * When Hell Comes Home * What Baby Wants * I Gotta Get Outta Here * The Underture (Instrumental)
Welcome back, it’s been a few years. Flush off being named to the Rock and Roll HOF, Alice has released a new album, a sequel to one of his classics. So lets dust off the old thread and give it a listen.
First off, I just read that the CD has debuted at #22 on the charts. It’s his highest charting album since the original Welcome to my Nightmare, which peaked at #5. I’ll be curious to see where it tops out. Second, the record reunites AC with Bob Ezrin, who Cooper once called his George Martin and marks the reunion of the classic band on 3 tracks.
Welcome opens with
I Am Made of You, which has caused controversy because Alice plays around with auto-tune. Eh, I could care less if the old man wants to experiment with that - it sounds good and adds a haunting, disjointed vibe to the tune. Bottom line, it’s a great number, one of Alice’s best. The piece opens with a piano-riff borrowed from Welcome to My Nightmare’s "Steven" (which will return in other tracks and is the binding thread to the first LP).
From here Bob and AC record a wide variety of styles and sounds, and as with recent AC releases, he draws from other artists. There’s a tune that has some Dylan, another that’s pure Tom Waits (the ear catching “Last Man on Earth”), you can hear the Stones "Brown Sugar" and a little of Michael Jackson’s "Beat It" sprinkled throughout. Somehow though, all this theft works.
As with the original, “Welcome 2” follows the character Steven as he goes from dream to dream. Original AC Bandmates, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith reunite on the crunchier numbers ("A Runaway Train", "I'll Bite Your Face Off" and "When Hell Comes Home") and prove they still can rock as good as ever. The numbers have me longing for a full album from the foursome (with Ezrin as producer). Most notable for me, is
When Hell Comes Home. This is a grinding, bluesy tune about an abusive husband and father – the lyrics are as dark as anything AC has done, and the lead guitar echoes one of the bands classics, "Dead Babies" - (if you listen closely, you can hear drunk dad scream for "Steven!")
Cooper the clown also shows up in
Disco Boogie Bloodbath Fever. Believe it or not, Alice raps (is he imitating Eminem?) It’s a funny track – unfortunately he goes to the well once too often, and follows up this novelty with another novelty song. A 50’s parody, "Ghouls Gone Wild". It’s not a horrible tune, but it is the weakest of the bunch. After this we get the ballad (had to have a ballad, didn't we?)
Something to Remember Me By is no "Only Women Bleed", but it’s pleasant enough.
The album burst back the life with 3 strong numbers, and a closing melody (The Underture). Of these 4, there is the (apparently) strange paring of AC with Ke$ha on
What Baby Wants. This duet has some folks whining, but screw ‘em. I’m old and have no idea who Ke$ha is. All I know is that the song is wicked, rockin fun and K does a great job playing the devil's daughter.
Other guests on the album include Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, who played on the original Welcome. And country artist Vince Gill, who can be heard on 2 numbers and shows that he’s a kick-ass rock lead guitarist!
All told, while it doesn't match the brilliance of the first Welcome, and lacks the originality of Coopers best releases in the 70s – this is a damn good, entertaining listen (and far superior to the flat “Along Comes A Spider” that came before).