Are there any other musicians more relevant to Halloween than Alice Cooper? Those unfamiliar with Cooper’s decade-spanning repertoire will at least know of him from every student’s favourite song, “School’s Out,” or his cameo appearance in Wayne’s World.
Alice Cooper, as both the band and the artist, has such a long and illustrious history that it makes choosing just one album a difficult feat. 1975’s Welcome to My Nightmare is Cooper’s first solo record, which catapulted the mascara-smeared front man into the spotlight, launching a controversial and elaborate stage show that is still reflected in his tours to date.
From the hair-raising Vincent Price monologue on “Devil’s Food” to the tragic story of “Steven,” Welcome to My Nightmare lends itself to a macabre theatricality unique to Cooper’s villainous persona.
While Cooper is known for his gorey theatrics, the lyrics and orchestration of Welcome to My Nightmare make it less of a campy gimmick and more of a coming-of-age realization about fear, violence, corruption, and death.
If you’re looking to get a genuinely terrifying experience out of this week’s album selection, try walking home alone after dark listening to “Years Ago,” especially if your name happens to be Steven.
Courtesy photo.