Welcome 2 My Nightmare - Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper has been around since before the release of the band's first album, "Pretties For You", in 1969. Born Vincent Damon Furnier, he decided to name his band Alice Cooper in 1968, simultaneously adopting it as his stage name/persona as well. Thus was the beginning of a very long and complex career. An explanation of all the different albums and musical paths that Furnier took to arrive at his latest achievement would take days to complete. The most important background information to this album, was the prequel, Welcome to My Nightmare, recorded in 1975. This was a phenomenally disturbing album that combined a continuous narrative, with incredible songwriting that produced one of Cooper's all time biggest hits "Only Women Bleed". To summarize the story old throughout the album, it follows a deeply toubled protagonist named Steven, beginning with a voyage into his nightmares (with a superb use of Vincent Price's voice as "The Curator). The story follows Steven as he tries to survive the dark depths of his own mind, as he is schizophrenically conflicted with a childlike personality and a necrophiliac murderer of women. Througout the trek, Stephen imagines himself doing cruel and unspeakable acts to his wife, but in the track "The Awakening" the audience realizes as Steven realizes that he was sleepwalking and that he has murdered the love o his life. Perhaps the most chilling aspect of the story is that it is told from a first person point of view, and that Cooper embodies the character of Steven so well the audience loses themself in the narrative. Throughout his career, Alice has brought back "Steven" on occasion, but the story has always been left open ended. I must admit that as a diehard fan of the original Nightmare, I was very much anticipating the sequel and had very high expectations. The sequel was created partially due to the 35th anniversary of the 1975 original, and much has changed since then. One aspect of the new album is that Alice Cooper uses a lot more humor in his lyrics now, and is not as dependent on the gruesome and gutwrenching subject matter of his early works. The sequel, like most sequels, is more modern, more fun, and longer. I cannot stress how highly I reccomend listening to the original Nightmare, as it is not merely a musical album, but a life experience to follow the story. With that said, let us commence our disection of Alice Cooper's Welcome 2 My Nightmare.

The premier track on the album is titled "I Am Made Of You". Let me first say that I am not a fan of auto-tune in music. I feel that it takes away all the essence and creative freedom of a singer to truly express themselves. Upon hearing this song for the first time I was initially dissappointed by the modern sound. However, listening through the track from beginning to end a few more times, it is quite frightening and one of the closest tracks to the tone of the original album. This song isn't the greatest, but it has the Alice Cooper essence to it that chills the listener down to the bone, and it is a great transition into the sequel album. Side notes on the track include the inclusion of the piano melody from the eternally bone-chilling "steven" from 1975. Also, the guitar solo on this track is superb, and Furnier stated that it was one of the best guitar solo's he had ever heard from original guitar player Steve Hunter. As far as story goes, this song simply sets the stage for the story to come.

The second track is a fun one called "Caffeine". The subject mater of this song deals with the protagonist struggling to stay awake, in desperate frantic need of caffeine to protect himself from the horrors of his own mind. This song has clever and comical lyrics "A little speed is all I need" while at the same time delving into the scenario of the story. The song ends perfectly with Cooper wailing "gimme, gimme" over and over and over until his voice is finally slowed down as the character sinks into sleep.

The third song "The Nightmare Returns" is very similar to "Steven" from the original album, and even recycles the same piano melody. This song displays the personality of a frightened child who is terrified of his own mind and is tormented by the thoughts that await him. the second half of te song is mostly instrumental and meant for theatrical purposes rather than pare of the plot.

The fourth song is called "A Runaway Train". This song is a great Rock n Roll track, going back to the early Alice Cooper sound. The band is really free to explore their many dimensions. This song picks up speed as an introduction into the true nightmare part as the protagonist boards a train of men on the fast track to hell. Cooper plays with the lyrics beautifully in this song, having a lot of fun ("I'm sleeping in the graveyard, on the wrong side of the dirt") while also painting a clear picture of the story. This song ends in the only way it possibly could, with the train wrecking at its destination. Hell.

The fifth track is a vaudeville tune titled "Last Man on Earth. This song is a break in the story as the protagonist finds his way out of the rubble  of the trainwreck and sings about his new found freedom as he finds himself alone. Musically, this song is fun and different as Cooper ventures into the territory of such artists as Tom Waits and other bluesy jazzy, vaudeville artists. Once again, Alice Cooper has a lot of fun playing with the ideas and lyrics of the song, singing of how barbaric he may become now that he is all alone. The song comes to an end with an audience who has (unbeknownst to the main character) collected to watch and listen to his music. The laugh and clap mocking the amusement he has provided. The protagonist has now arrived in Hell.

"The Congregation" is the sixth track on the album. This particular song is a lot of fun for the listener musically, as it is one of the most exciting rock tunes.The pounding drums adaquately break up the song, while bluesy guitar fills provide the flavoring atop this catchy tune-sandwich. This song is sung from the point of view of the residents of Hell, and they explain and welcome the protagonist in as one of their own. towards the end of the song, Rob Zombie makes his guest appearance as "The Guide" and he explains the different rooms of Helll as they correspond to their separate inhabitants. A parallel can be drawn between Zombie's character and Vincent Price's character from the original, however Price was much more terrifying while Zombie has a bit more fun.

The seventh track is known as "I'll Bite Your Face Off". This song was the first single off the album, and it lives up to that credential, being a fun and exciting classic rock song. The subject matter of this song deals with the protagonist being seduced by a female that absolutely frightens him. He explains that he wants only to run and hide from her, but he is paralyzed by his lust mixed with his fear. The female takes control of him and throws him down on a bed, but rather than engaging in coitus, she explains that she is going to "Bite his face off". This song is not completely humorous, but only Alice Cooper could write lyrics that are so frightening and produce a song that is so much fun.

There are a few different interpretations of the eighth track titled "Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever". One is that Disco is so completely horrendous that it lives on for eternity in Hell. Another interpretation is that even in Hell everyone gets into the disco fever. Either way, this song details a very unusual disco taking place in which there is much gore and many disturbing creatures letting out their barbaric side to the music. Musically, this song is so-so, kind of catchy, but it is disco. After a few listens it is not too bad of a song, but initially I was not crazy about the disco song. Overall the listeners will find this song hit and miss, but the guitar solo towards the end is very exciting as it features guest artist John 5.

The ninth song "Ghouls Gone Wild" is a ton of fun for all listeners. This song continues with the theme of party-hard spirit of the creatures of the underworld. At this point it seems that the protagonist is slipping into more and more of an animalistic state, and that he is quite enjoying this side of hell. The music of this song is a surf-rock type of theme and it stays snappy and keeps the audience in the groove. Background vocals on this song are provided by guest artist Mark Volman.

The true ballad of the album comes in the tenth track "Something To Remember Me By". As far as the stoy continues, this song finds the main character singing to a victims corpse. The lyics are not completely relevant to the plot, but this song has been adapted from its original conception back in the 70's. Musically this song is supreme, as the first slide guitar introduces the melody of Cooper's voice, tears begin to well in the audience's eye. Ignoring the context of the story, the lyrics to this song are absolutely beautiful, and Furnier tells a tale of truly unconditional love. Musically this song is similar to classic Alice Cooper ballads such as "I Never Cry" and "You and I" while lyrically it is more similar to the latter.

The eleventh track it the deeply disturbing "When Hell Comes Home". The song opens with dark depressing bass pounding setting the scene for the main character to reminisce on his gruesome childhood. This song explains how the protagonist watched his father continually abuse his mother, and how his mother tried to protect him and tell him "everything's alright". Eventually he snaps and says he is tired of always being scared and how he is going to put a bullet "right between his [father's] eyes". This song is set apart on the album as it is much more macabre, whereas the other songs on the album tended to me more humorous and playfully dark.

"What Baby Wants", the twelfth track, is an interesting diversion in the album. The sound of this track is much more modern including guest artist Kesha, assuming the role of the male-consuming demon from the earlier track, "I'll Bite Your Face Off". At this point the only real relevance to the plot is that, after the protagonist has had his tour of hell he must now offer up his soul in order to complete the whole ordeal. The music of this song is very modern and at first seems to abandon rock and roll. However once Furnier begins wailing and the electric guitars chime in, the listeners start to understand the direction of this style and they can get into the groove. This song is anything but typical Alice Cooper, but in a strange sort of way it works. Overall this song is fun and can be enjoyed by a much more diverse audience than other songs by Alice Cooper.

The penultimate track "I Gotta Get Outta Here" is one of the best, and strangest songs on the album. This track begins with the protagonist asking to go home, saying he gets the message and has learned his lesson. In the second verse he recounts on the various events that have taken place throughout his adventure. Lyrically, Furnier does a great job of being clear, concise, and extremely cathchy. The strange aspect of this album comes with the music and melody, it is truly quite upbeat and enjoyable, and the audience really feels enlightened by the humanity of the main character. Just as the audience begins to rejoice and relate to the protagonist a choir of voices blares out "What part of dead don't you get?!?!?" and the protagonist is baffled. At this point the audience can truly appreciate the Alice Cooper brand of humor. Although it is not certain whether this is a ploy to torment the main character, or whether he is truly dead as the ending is left open to the interpretation of the audience.

The final track titled simply the "The Underture" is a bit of a bittersweet gem. This track is an all instrumental medley of various songs spanning both the original and the sequel album. While much credit is due to the orchestra and band that executes these many melodies flawlessly, the audience must also note that this song shows how truly gifted Alice Cooper is that he can craft such incredible pieces of music on top of the lyrics and vocals that he sings them with. This song brings about the end of the album, and although it is a phenomenal recording it is a bit sad and lonely with out the main character. If this album were a movie or play, this song would certainly be played over the credits or final bows.

All in all, this album was a lot of fun and has a little bit of music for virtually any listener. I sincerely reccommend this to any Alice Cooper fan, or any fan of some good solid Rock N Roll music. While as a concept album, this cannot be compared to the original, and it shouldn't, it has been 35 years and much has changed. The musicians played their hearts out on this album and Alice Cooper did a fantastic job on every aspect of the album. Especially considering Halloween is around the corner I suggest to all readers that you race to your local record store and pick up both Nightmares because they provide a perfect soundtrack for a memorable holiday.

Born Free - Kid Rock

Kid Rock has been known throughout his career for many different things. Musically Robert James Ritchie (Kid Rock's birth-name) rose to fame through his unique brand of southern rap metal. After a three albums that did not find much success, Kid Rock had earned enough money to do a larger more produced album, Devil Without a Cause. This album was a breakthrough as it had a very grandiose and heavy sound from the heavy metal played by the band, along with Kid Rock flaunting his talents at writing lyrics. After the enormous success and attention of Devil Without a Cause, Kid Rock released The History of Rock, an album full of his older songs that he had rerecorded and improved with the larger budget, along with the smash hit "American Badass". Then in 2001 can the album Cocky. While this album was very heavy and hard like Devil Without a Cause, it showed a little more of Ritchie's southern influence. After the mega success of Cocky (especially the single "Picture" which was very popular with the country audience) Kid Rock ventured into a lot more southern rock with the next two albums the eponymous Kid Rock and the very sucesful Rock N Roll Jesus. While the hardcore fans enjoyed the rock and rap sound of Kid Rock's unique songwriting, his most commercially succesful songs were the deep rooted southern ballads that he wrote. As a result for his most recent venture, Ritchie discarded his usual foul-mouthed head-banging rhymes, for a more soulful and bluesy album. This resulted in "Born Free" a phenomenal album in all senses of the word, but something very different from what is to be expected from Kid Rock.

The first song is the single "Born Free" a beautiful ballad written about the American spirit. This song begins with a simple acoustic guitar melody joined by some piano chording. The song gains much of its essence from teh wailing of Kid Rock's raspy yet well tuned voice. The song becomes more layered at the chorus with electric guitars and more prominent drums, but for the most part Ritchie's voice and lyrics truly carry the feeling and meaning to the song.

The second track "Slow my Roll" is an up-beat and laid-back tune. The title "Slow my Roll" is humorous in reference to the titles and lyrics of past Kid Rock rap songs, but this song is still quite bluegrass. Even though the tempo increases on this song, it is still based in simple but layered musicianship coming from acoustic and twangy electric guitars blended with simple but driving drum beats. Ritchie's vocals hold strong through the second song and remind the audience to relax and enjoy the ride.

The third track "Care" is an interesting song. This song slows back down and deals with prominent issues such as world hunger, world peace, and other societal problems. Kid Rock explores his vocal range in this song and shows his more gospel and smoother side. Kid Rock features two guest singers on this song as well, first is Martina McBride who does a great job and harmonizes very nicely with Ritchie.  The second guest is T.I. who begins rapping in the middle of the slow peaceful ballad. While this represents a unity of univeral cultures and lifestyles (Men and Women, White and Black), the singing distracts the audience from the flow and rhythm of the song.

The fourth track "Purple Sky" is another powerful tune, similar to Born Free. The music is similar to the first two tracks with the electric guita being a littl e more prominent on this song and carrying more of a melody rather than simple chords. By the time Kid Rock begins the chorus the audience is already hooked and it only gets better as he pours his heart out into this beautiful and elegant love song.

"When it Rains" the fifth song on the album, and a little bit of a detour from the inspiring and encouraging first few tracks. Not to say that it is not a good song, it is just much more sad than the first few tracks. "When it Rains" deals with reminiscence of a time long since past, and is a great representation of the album, showing where Ritchie has come from. Kid Rock sings very well on this song once again and by the breakdown towards the end of the song, the audience is nearly brought to tears.

"God Bless Saturday" is an up-beat anthem for the working class. The song opens with a fun twangy electric guitar riff, leading to Kid Rock howling about the tough workweek. However when the chorus hits the band picks up and rejoices in the fun and excitement of saturday. This song is thematically targeted to show respect to the blue collar workers which make up much of Ritchie's audience. Thematically this song carries along with the rest of the album talking about working hard but enjoying and being grateful the good times that we have.

"Collide" is a very slow ballad with two guest stars featured. Kid Rock duets with Cheryl Crow once again, playing off of the success of their previous song "Picture" off the album Cocky. Kid Rock once again proves his range as he gets down and connects soul to soul with the audience with this heart-rending lament. Kid Rock and Cheryl Crow produce another great song about lost love. The other performer on this track is Bob Seger on the piano, Seger is a great influence of Kid Rock and perhaps this helped Kid Rock tap into his spiritual essence in his singing.

The eighth song "Flyin' High" is possibly the most fun song of the entire album. This song keeps up a slow tempo, but remains up beat. The feeling portrayed is the unwinding after a long day and enjoying the litte thing that are present at that moment. Instead of remembering a good time, this song makes a good time out of what and whom ever ever is present at that moment. After the guitar solo Kid Rock shares a verse with Zac Brown a famous country singer/guitar player who typically sings this style of relaxed and happy tune. No matter who you are where you are or whats happening, when this song is played it instantly produces a good time.


"Times Like These" is another song that brings back reminiscent feelings like "When it Rains". However, this time Kid Rock sings more about sitting back and enjoying the day you are in and living life to its fullest. Even though today may not be as good as yesterday it is still great to be alive and can be made into any number of great memories. The acoustic guitar strumming on this song is simple but once again accompanies Ritchie's vocals superbly.

"Rock On" is a slower song very much similar to a classic ballad by a southern rock artist, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd might record. Even though this is one of the most dismal and mournful songs on the album, it still has the essence of "Rolling on" and the spirit that Kid Rock has kept through the album to push through adversity and never give up.

The penultimate song on the album is "Rock Bottom Blues" a very fun throwback bluesy tune, complete with harmonica and clapping. This song starts off slow but determined with a straight blues driven rhythm guitar, and the then band keeps joining in and the song snowballs to a great jam session piano, singing, and guitar.

The final song "For the First Time (In a Long Time)" is a bit of an experiment for this album. Kid Rock uses falsetto singing on this track, a unique quality that is not present in most music. For the most part this song comes off as a shock from the unbelievably consistent album that surrounds it, however when this song is isolated and listened to on its own, it holds up. This song isn't neccessarily the strongest track on the album, and maybe not the best track to finish on, but if this song is considered the blemish it says a lot about the rest of the album.

From cover to cover Kid Rock truly explored a new musical genre and style, and left everything he had on this album. Ritchie proves his gift for writing truly legendary songs from chorus after chorus that makes you want to stand up and sing along, to the heartmelting emotions that he brings out in his ballads. This is an incredible album that anyboddy who enjoys music can appreciate.