Welcome to My Nightmare
Welcome to My Nightmare is Alice Cooper's debut solo studio album, released in February 1975. It is a concept album: played in sequence, the songs follow a child named Steven through his nightmares. Most of Lou Reed's band joined Cooper for the sessions, and it is his only record for Atlantic and, internationally, Anchor Records. Vincent Price contributes a spoken monologue on "Devil's Food", which leads into "The Black Widow".
It matters as the start of Cooper's career under his own name, and it spread well beyond the record. It inspired a TV special, a worldwide tour that was among the most extravagant of its day, and the 1976 concert film. The ballad "Only Women Bleed", released as a single, began life as a Dick Wagner song for his band the Frost. Drew Struzan's cover art later placed ninetieth in Rolling Stone's list of the top 100 album covers. A sequel followed in 2011.
Welcome to My Nightmare on Riffology
riffology.co →Welcome to My Nightmare: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 43:24Tracklist
- 1Welcome to My NightmareAlice Cooper and Dick Wagner5:21
- 2Devil’s FoodCooper, Ezrin, Fordham3:35
- 3The Black WidowCooper, Ezrin, Wagner3:38
- 4Some FolksCooper, Ezrin, Wagner4:18
- 5Only Women BleedAlice Cooper and Dick Wagner5:50
- 6Department of YouthCooper, Ezrin, Wagner3:21
- 7Cold EthylAlice Cooper and Bob Ezrin2:57
- 8Years AgoAlice Cooper and Dick Wagner2:51
- 9StevenAlice Cooper and Bob Ezrin5:47
- 10The AwakeningCooper, Ezrin, Wagner2:31
- 11EscapeAnthony, Cooper, Fowley3:16
- Produced by
- Bob Ezrin
- Recorded at
- A&R Recording Studio, Electric Lady Studios, Soundstage (Toronto), The Record Plant, Record Plant East, Electric Lady and A&R Studios (New York City)
- Recorded
- 1974–1975
- Engineered by
- Jim Frank, Rod O’Brien, Dave Palmer, Phil Ramone, Ed Sprigg, Corky Stasiak
- Mastered by
- Mike Reese
- Artwork
- Pacific Eye & Ear, Drew Struzan
- Photography
- Bret Lopez
- Labels
- Anchor Records, Atlantic (US/Canada), Anchor
- Length
- 43:24
Line-up
- Johnny Badanjek · drums (drum set)
- Jozef Chirowski · clarinet, organ, vocals, keyboard, piano, Rhodes piano, clavinet, background vocals, harpsichord
- Steve Hunter · guitar, slide guitar
- Tony Levin · bass guitar, bass
- Dick Wagner · acoustic guitar, guitar, vocals, slide guitar, background vocals
- Alice Cooper · lead vocals
- Whitey Glan · drums (drum set)
- Prakash John · bass guitar, bass
- Gerry Lyons · vocals · guest
- Vincent Price · spoken vocals · guest
- Michael Sherman · vocals, background vocals
- Bob Ezrin · piano, tack piano, keyboard, synthesizer, harmonium, Rhodes piano
- David Ezrin · background vocals · guest
- The Summerhill Children’s Choir · choir vocals, background vocals · guest
- Trish McKinnon · background vocals · guest
Singles
- “Department of Youth” · February 1975 (UK)
- “Only Women Bleed” · March 1975 (US)
- “Welcome to My Nightmare” · October 1975
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1975 | 5 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1975 | 19 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1975 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1975 | 5 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) · 1975 | 23 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1975 | 24 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2021 | 33 |
| Scottish Albums · 2021 | 48 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1996 | 2× Platinum |
| Canada · 1979 | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 1975 | Silver |
| United States · 1990 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 28 February
Every year →More from Alice Cooper
Full discography →The best of 1975
All of 1975 →More on Anchor Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1975-02-28 vs 1975-03-11 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 1 August 1975 | ignored lone early release dated 1975-03-11 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 28 February 1975 | |
| Wikidata | 11 March 1975 | |
| US release | 11 March 1975 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | March 1975 | earliest UK or European date |
22 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | Atlantic | 075678154263 | other |
| March 1975 | GB | Anchor Records | other | |
| 11 March 1975 | US | Atlantic | original | |
| 1 August 1975 | YU | Anchor Records | other | |
| 1982 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | other | |
| 1987 | US | Atlantic | 075678154225 | other |
| 4 December 1987 | XE | Atlantic | 075678154225 | other |
| 1988 | DE | Atlantic | 075678154225 | other |
| 25 May 1990 | JP | Atlantic | 4988029005748 | other |
| 25 October 1990 | US | Atlantic | other | |
| 1993 | CA | Atlantic | 075678154225 | other |
| 1994 | CA | Atlantic | 075678154225 | other |
| 2001 | US | Atlantic | 081227678593 | other |
| 26 June 2001 | US | Rhino | 081227678593 | other |
| 2002 | XE | Atlantic | 081227438326 | other |
| 19 March 2002 | US | Atlantic | 081227438326 | other |
| 1 October 2011 | XW | Atlantic | 075678154263 | other |
| 18 January 2012 | JP | Atlantic | 4943674112814 | other |
| 10 July 2012 | US | Atlantic | 081227972639 | other |
| 3 December 2013 | XW | Atlantic | 0603497941070 | other |
| 5 January 2024 | US | Analogue Productions | 753088751578 | other |
| 19 April 2024 | US | Analogue Productions | 753088751561 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| deezer | 1800×1800 | native |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
