Alice Cooper Working On Nightmare 2

[Full Bug]

It's Official - ALICE COOPER Working On Welcome To My Nightmare 2!

Saturday, May 29, 2010
http://www.bravewords.com/news/139866

Famed producer Desmond Child (KISS, BON JOVI, AEROSMITH, SCORPIONS) has posted the following message on his Twitter page: "Hey everybody... sorry for my absence... I'm writing with ALICE COOPER and Bob Ezrin for Welcome To My Nightmare 2!"


As reported last week, Cooper has begun working on a new album with Ezrin as part of a new joint venture with Bigger Picture Group. Ezrin has a rich history of hugely successful collaborations with Alice including such groundbreaking albums as Billion Dollar Babies, Welcome To My Nightmare, School’s Out and Love It To Death and has, in the past, been described by Alice as “our George Martin.”

Ezrin is a partner in Bigger Picture Group, a Nashville based company that has been instrumental in contributing to the success of numerous artists including country music sensation Zac Brown Band, remarked, “I am delighted to be back in business with Alice Cooper and Shep Gordon’s Alive Enterprises and our whole company is over the moon about this collaboration. This is not a record deal but rather a partnership that involves virtually all aspects of Alice’s ever-expanding universe. And it’s a reunion with the first artist I ever produced and the first great manager I ever worked with. I couldn’t be happier.”

Bigger Picture will contribute to strategy, staging, special products, theatrical projects as well as the production, promotion and distribution of future Alice Cooper releases. The company will utilize its distribution agreement with Warner Music Group when the new Alice Cooper album, projected for release early next year, and other recorded product launches. A tour themed to tie in with the album, the concept of which is being kept under wraps for the moment, is being planned in support of the release.

Ezrin’s career has seen him work with some of the most enduring names in music including PINK FLOYD, KISS, Peter Gabriel, JANE’S ADDICTION, Lou Reed, DEFTONES and scores of others but traces its earliest successes to his association with Alice Cooper, the band and the man.

Alice Cooper remarked, “It feels great to be working with Bob again and the entire Bigger Picture team have been tremendously supportive. Lightning has struck more than once in the past with Bob’s involvement so we feel great that we’re onto something really electrifying now that we’re together again. The album we’re crafting is, in some ways, a ‘shriekquel’ to what’s gone before and there’s no better guy to oversee things than Bob.”

Shep Gordon, whose Alive Enterprises has managed Alice Cooper since his professional debut called the deal with Bigger Picture “a paradigm for the modern music business.” He commented, “We’re working with Bob not just on a brilliant new Alice Cooper album but in building upon the great strides Alice’s career has taken recently.” He cited Nights With Alice Cooper, the internationally syndicated daily radio show that Alice hosts over a network syndicated through United Stations, The Gruesome Twosome tour that has seen Alice Cooper and acolyte ROB ZOMBIE share bills throughout North America as well as an upcoming Alice Cooper arena tour. He also noted that “The Coop” would be headlining a string of festival dates this summer in France, Germany, Belgium, the UK, and Scandinavia. “Awareness and appreciation for Alice is at an all-time high these days,” he remarked. "Bigger Picture is getting in not on the ground floor but as the elevator is zooming to the top and they’re efforts will, doubtless make this a much faster ride.”

[Full Bug]

Errors
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* Tags cannot be overly common words (Welcome).

Whats up with this, you cant even post 'welcome' in the thread title? WTF?
Anyway, I dont know why Alice would even try this, should leave the legacy of a outstanding album alone....

[Mr Badguy]

Well, Alice has a history of making two albums in the same style then moving on, with the second album being slightly inferior (Trash/HeyStoopid, Brutal Planet/Dragontown, The Eyes of Alice Cooper/Dirty Diamonds).

Hopefully this will break the trend, as "Along came a spider" was the worst album he`s put out, probably ever.

Ezrin was involved in "Brutal Planet" and that album was awesome.

[ELVIS]

If it was 1990 I might be inclined to believe there's a remote possibility of this idea turning out any good...


:elvis:

[ThrillsNSpills]

No shit.
If Desmond Child is involved it may as well be called Welcome to my Milkshake.

If AC's going to do a followup to one of his early era albums he should have his old band or some guys that are going to bust their ass to try to get the same energy as his old band did.
Real raw, non technical performances that sound like the players are barely pulling it off and the take is about to fall apart but never does. And it's still able to rock and have feeling to it.
That's the kind of thing I missed about his later stuff. Good songs, but polished to the point where it didn't have the same tension.

[ThrillsNSpills]

and Bug I had the same issue with tags except mine said it had one word too many in the tag.
whatever that meant...I didn't type the tags.

[Igosplut]

No shit.
If Desmond Child is involved it may as well be called Welcome to my Milkshake.

If AC's going to do a followup to one of his early era albums he should have his old band or some guys that are going to bust their ass to try to get the same energy as his old band did.
Real raw, non technical performances that sound like the players are barely pulling it off and the take is about to fall apart but never does. And it's still able to rock and have feeling to it.
That's the kind of thing I missed about his later stuff. Good songs, but polished to the point where it didn't have the same tension.

Loved Alice, seen him a few times. But yep, I remember thinking "we're all clones being a low point. I still say sobriety takes the edge off....

[Hardrock69]

1. Ezrin is here in Gnashville? I'll be damned!

2. Last time I saw Alice was a couple of years back at the Ryman Auditorium, and he fucking kicked ass!

Funny, I just now am encoding some video to DVD - Alice Cooper on ABC's In Concert from 1972. Pretty cool to see the 'primitive' Alice.

Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY
1972-09-21
Broadcast on "ABC In Concert"

VHS->DVD->.avi
640x480
Duration 28:11

I'm Eighteen
Gutter Cats -> Street Fight
Killer
Elected (Promo vid, not live performance)
School's Out


http://cid-e5e1764ca22dfe48.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/.Public/Alice%20Cooper/ABC%20In%20Concert

You have to use a program that can unzip .001 files like 7 Zip or hjsplit.

[Mr Badguy]

I love the "Elected" promo where they get that Chimp to smoke a cigarette.

You`d never get away with that now.

[Mr. Vengeance]

Love Alice, but these projects LONG after the original never turn out too well.

[Hardrock69]

For a good example, look at Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime II

[binnie]

What's that I hear? The bottom of the barrell?

Around the time of 'Brutal Planet' and 'Dragontown' I was very impressed with how inventive Alice still was. Despite being a flawed take on a familiar story, 'Along Came A Spider' at least showed some ambition.......this just feels like self-parody.

[Mr Badguy]

Ezrin is hit and miss.

It could be good.

Or it could be "Bat out of hell 3".

[hambon4lif]

This is just a very bad idea! Trying to make a "Nightmare Part II" 35 years later is really pathetic. It just reaks of desperation.
Given the current state of the music business, why the fuck would anyone want to release a disc anyways? The market is all but dead, and even if the music is any good, you'll be lucky to make a fucking dime!

He is a master showman! If he's that desperate for a buck, he should release DVDs of his shows from the mid-seventies. It would not only show the whole world that Marilyn Manson was a shitty student and a humongous FAIL, but if it's marketed right, Alice would make enough money to abort this "Nightmare Pt. II" nonsense.

sequels always suck ass!

[Mr Badguy]

I don`t really understand what Pt 2 means.

The original was very loosely conceptual but no real story, where does "Department of youth" fit in, for example?

Alice has made other concept albums since with a stronger "concept" ("From the inside", "The last temptation"}.

As long as it`s not called "Welcome to my nightmare 2", how will it differ from any other Alice Cooper solo album?

[Mr Walker]

Funny, I just now am encoding some video to DVD - Alice Cooper on ABC's In Concert from 1972. Pretty cool to see the 'primitive' Alice.


Awesome... thank you.

[chefcraig]

Yeah, I don't quite follow the logic in this either. The fact is, this was only a concept album in the loosest sense, and it was devised to expand on the original Alice Cooper Group's rather limited range. Cooper had a fluke hit with "Only Women Bleed", and has been trying unsuccessfully to rewrite it ever since. I still think a sequel to Alice Cooper Goes To Hell would have been a better, and far more timely idea.

[Mr Badguy]

Yeah, I don't quite follow the logic in this either. The fact is, this was only a concept album in the loosest sense, and it was devised to expand on the original Alice Cooper Group's rather limited range. Cooper had a fluke hit with "Only Women Bleed", and has been trying unsuccessfully to rewrite it ever since. I still think a sequel to Alice Cooper Goes To Hell would have been a better, and far more timely idea.

You know, I think Alice probably does the best ballads out of everybody in rock.

There are a couple of duds of course, but they never seem overly cheesy unlike Aerosmith, Bon Jovi etc.

"Only women bleed", "I never cry", "The quiet room", "Might as well be on Mars", "It`s me", "Every woman has a name", to name but a few, all of these in someone elses hands could be badly overblown.

[Mr Walker]

You know, I think Alice probably does the best ballads out of everybody in rock.

There are a couple of duds of course, but they never seem overly cheesy unlike Aerosmith, Bon Jovi etc.

"Only women bleed", "I never cry", "The quiet room", "Might as well be on Mars", "It`s me", "Every woman has a name", to name but a few, all of these in someone elses hands could be badly overblown.

'Ballad Of Dwight Frye', 'Millie & Billie', 'Jackknife Johnny' and my favorite Alice song of all time 'Pass The Gun Around'.

[sonrisa salvaje]

I at least thought Along CA Spider had some good ideas on it. IMO it kicked the shit out of Eyes and Dirty Diamonds. I am excited about any new Alice release but i'm not sure about WTMN II. I think he would be better served to do a Brutal Planet III (in my mind Dragontown was BPII).

[Hardrock69]

When I saw him at the Ryman a few years back he did "The Ballad Of Dwight Frye", which blew me away, as that is one of my favorite tunes of his. Did NOT expect him to have it in the set list.
Made my fucking night!

[binnie]

As long as it`s not called "Welcome to my nightmare 2", how will it differ from any other Alice Cooper solo album?

It won't be - but it will have a title from one of Alice's most famous records, and will therefore sell more. This thread has had a lot of traffic, which kind of proves the point. People will be curious to see what it sonds like because of the label.

[Mr Badguy]

I`ll tell you something else, where do you go after you`ve brought out songs like (the misunderstood) "Dead babies" and "I love the dead".

I mean, once you`ve covered infant death and necrophilia there aren`t that many more topics that will shock people.

Ozzy, Marilyn Manson etc., all pretenders to Alice`s crown.

[binnie]

Agreed - people forget about those early Alice records, but he was really doing inventive stuff. It's not just needlessly offensive, either - some of it is errie and chilling.

[Mr. Vengeance]

The entire Billion Dollar Babies album is on a level of "sickness" never before heard. Killer had a lot of it, but everything about BDB just has a sick feel...

[chefcraig]

The entire Billion Dollar Babies album is on a level of "sickness" never before heard. Killer had a lot of it, but everything about BDB just has a sick feel...

Not only was the album's content brilliantly warped, the packaging was nothing short of inspired as well. In those days, 12 inch albums were not given much thought by most artists, who pretty much showed up for the cover shoot and that was about it. Alice Cooper on the other hand included all sorts of cool things with their records. For instance, the School's Out album cover folded out into a miniature school desk, that once opened revealed the record wrapped in a pair of girl's panties. Billion Dollar Babies' cover was actually a wallet that included cut out trading cards and a billion dollar bill featuring a picture of the group. The thing is, you were never charged more for these extras, and the album was never re-released a few months later with some crummy live tracks or "floor of the studio scrapings" as an "extended version", in effect expecting you to buy the same record twice.

[Mr Walker]

Not only was the album's content brilliantly warped, the packaging was nothing short of inspired as well. In those days, 12 inch albums were not given much thought by most artists, who pretty much showed up for the cover shoot and that was about it. Alice Cooper on the other hand included all sorts of cool things with their records. For instance, the School's Out album cover folded out into a miniature school desk, that once opened revealed the record wrapped in a pair of girl's panties. Billion Dollar Babies' cover was actually a wallet that included cut out trading cards and a billion dollar bill featuring a picture of the group. The thing is, you were never charged more for these extras, and the album was never re-released a few months later with some crummy live tracks or "floor of the studio scrapings" as an "extended version", in effect expecting you to buy the same record twice.

My favorite Alice extra was the Muscle of Love book cover... I think it had a picture of the band peeling potatoes on it in their sailor gear.

[Mr Walker]

Agreed - people forget about those early Alice records, but he was really doing inventive stuff. It's not just needlessly offensive, either - some of it is errie and chilling.

When a lot of people look back at early Alice they start at the Ezrin era (Love It To Death), but 'Pretties For You' and 'Easy Action' have some hidden gems. I think 'Shoe Salesman' is a brilliant track.

[Mr Walker]

No shit.
If Desmond Child is involved it may as well be called Welcome to my Milkshake.


Desmond Child (Producer of 'Trash') posted the following message on Twitter yesterday: "Hey everybody... sorry for my absence... I'm writing with Alice Cooper and Bob Ezrin tomorrow for 'Welcome To My Nightmare 2!"

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

[jhale667]

Desmond Child (Producer of 'Trash') posted the following message on Twitter yesterday: "Hey everybody... sorry for my absence... I'm writing with Alice Cooper and Bob Ezrin tomorrow for 'Welcome To My Nightmare 2!"

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Same here. And we can forget anything he has a hand in being listenable, tolerable, or not completely GHEY...:rolleyes:

[Hardrock69]

Ugh....Desmond Child is possibly then here in Gnashville already adding to the air pollution......

[chefcraig]

My favorite Alice extra was the Muscle of Love book cover... I think it had a picture of the band peeling potatoes on it in their sailor gear.

They had serious issues with that box cover, and it was pretty much a disaster from a business point of view. For one thing, since it was so damned big (roughly 4 times the thickness of an average album) it required extra shipping costs. Then it was discovered that only 4-5 would fit in the record bins at retailers, so if those sold, the bins more often than not went unfilled (the remainder of the copies being in the stockroom someplace), so customers that failed to ask for the album went away empty-handed. :duh:


http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/8383/alicecoopermuscleoflove.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/alicecoopermuscleoflove.jpg/)

[Mr Walker]

They had serious issues with that box cover, and it was pretty much a disaster from a business point of view. For one thing, since it was so damned big (roughly 4 times the thickness of an average album) it required extra shipping costs. Then it was discovered that only 4-5 would fit in the record bins at retailers, so if those sold, the bins more often than not went unfilled (the remainder of the copies being in the stockroom someplace), so customers that failed to ask for the album went away empty-handed. :duh:


http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/8383/alicecoopermuscleoflove.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/alicecoopermuscleoflove.jpg/)

I'm talking about the paper book cover that came inside the cardboard box cover. I put it on my science notebook back in the day.

[Jagermeister]

I'm talking about the paper book cover that came inside the cardboard box cover. I put it on my science notebook back in the day.


This?

http://www.superseventies.com/oaaa/oaaa_cooperalice1.jpg

[chefcraig]

I'm talking about the paper book cover that came inside the cardboard box cover. I put it on my science notebook back in the day.

Ya know, I completely forgot about that, thanks for the reminder. These albums were really inspired at the time for their packaging, like Cheech and Chong's Big Bamboo which was a pack of rolling papers, and even included a huge one. I recall a Rick Wakeman album that came with a piece of reflective paper that could be rolled into a tube. You'd put it on the cover and you'd see this weird image reflected in the "mirror".

[chefcraig]

This?
Nah, that's merely a picture from the inner sleeve. The item looked just like an old fashioned book cover you'd buy at the supply store at school, with lines for your name, subject, ect. The only difference was it had an image of the band on it and the words Muscle Of Love, otherwise it looked traditional.

[Jagermeister]

I don't remember it. I'm not an Alice fan though I buddy of mine had , still has ,about every album pressed from 1970 to 1986. He may have it. I would kinda like to see what it looks like. I am curious if Mr. Walker looked like a homo with it on his science book.

[Jagermeister]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALICE-COOPER-Muscle-Love-/300430553978?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item45f30e737a

[chefcraig]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALICE-COOPER-Muscle-Love-/300430553978?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item45f30e737a

Nicely done. Here is a screen shot of the book cover. As I said, at first glance it looks just like a normal one available at the time.

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/7766/acoopmus.jpg (http://img266.imageshack.us/i/acoopmus.jpg/)

[Jagermeister]

Nicely done. Here is a screen shot of the book cover. As I said, at first glance it looks just like a normal one available at the time.

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/7766/acoopmus.jpg (http://img266.imageshack.us/i/acoopmus.jpg/)

Hmm. I am trying to decide if I would have thought that was gay or not. I obviously wasn't rich like Mr. Walker so I had to hand make all my book covers. I painstakingly drew this on a fuckin paper sack and wrapped my Science book in it.

Seriously. I had others also then I figured fuck it' I'm just wrapin my shit in a paper sack. Who cares. Nice book cover Mr. Walker.



http://file1.npage.de/002693/27/bilder/kiss_-_rock_and_roll_over_remastered_-_front.jpg

[MAX]

Cheech and Chong's Big Bamboo which was a pack of rolling papers, and even included a huge one. "

I still have that album and in MINT condition complete with the giant doobie/rolling paper!!!

[chefcraig]

...I obviously wasn't rich like Mr. Walker so I had to hand make all my book covers. I painstakingly drew this on a fuckin paper sack and wrapped my Science book in it.
Seriously. I had others also then I figured fuck it' I'm just wrapin my shit in a paper sack. Who cares. Nice book cover Mr. Walker.

Yeah, I pretty much went the same route, using brown grocery bags from the supermarket. The thing is, some ornery teachers would require you to cover the books loaned in their classes, so in order to show their discontent, kids would often adorn the covers with the most vulgar (for the time) images. I had one book with a carefully drawn pot leaf on it, another with a RORER 714 'lude on it. Considering I was still in middle school and wouldn't come into contact with either until around 3-4 years later, this was about as outrageous as I could be at the time.


I still have that album and in MINT condition complete with the giant doobie/rolling paper!!!

Me too! I think mine might have a section about the size of a business card cut out of it, though. :biggrin:

[MAX]

Me too! I think mine might have a section about the size of a business card cut out of it, though. :biggrin:

Hey, desparate times call for desparate measures...

[ThrillsNSpills]

I still have that album and in MINT condition complete with the giant doobie/rolling paper!!!

"Hey it's not real man I just fill it up with my old socks and stuff."
"well let's light it up anyway"

[Mr. Vengeance]

Not only was the album's content brilliantly warped, the packaging was nothing short of inspired as well. In those days, 12 inch albums were not given much thought by most artists, who pretty much showed up for the cover shoot and that was about it. Alice Cooper on the other hand included all sorts of cool things with their records. For instance, the School's Out album cover folded out into a miniature school desk, that once opened revealed the record wrapped in a pair of girl's panties. Billion Dollar Babies' cover was actually a wallet that included cut out trading cards and a billion dollar bill featuring a picture of the group. The thing is, you were never charged more for these extras, and the album was never re-released a few months later with some crummy live tracks or "floor of the studio scrapings" as an "extended version", in effect expecting you to buy the same record twice.

I've got them all. Don't forget the doors that opened up for From The Inside.

[Mr. Vengeance]

Ya know, I completely forgot about that, thanks for the reminder. These albums were really inspired at the time for their packaging, like Cheech and Chong's Big Bamboo which was a pack of rolling papers, and even included a huge one. I recall a Rick Wakeman album that came with a piece of reflective paper that could be rolled into a tube. You'd put it on the cover and you'd see this weird image reflected in the "mirror".

Cheech and Chong's Sleeping Beauty was a foldout shaped like a pill.

[chefcraig]

Cheech and Chong's Sleeping Beauty was a foldout shaped like a pill.

I remember that one. How about the "Wedding Album" that looked like just that? Physical Graffiti had the cover depicting a tenement in New York (it still exists), the windows of which were cut out. You could rearrange the inner sleeves so the windows showed all sorts of odd things taking place, including the moon landing, Queen Elizabeth's coronation and even Lee Harvey Oswald. Led Zeppelin III had a stupid wheel that you could spin which revealed some pretty dull pictures, and the Stones Sticky Fingers featured a guy wearing a pair of pants with a real zipper. This was also fairly dumb, as the zipper scratched the crap out of the album.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

, and the Stones Sticky Fingers featured a guy wearing a pair of pants with a real zipper. This was also fairly dumb, as the zipper scratched the crap out of the album.

SHOOT THE MOON!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZlqqO_AyYA

[Mr Badguy]

SHOOT THE MOON!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZlqqO_AyYA

Shit man, that`s one of those things that makes you laugh whenever you think about it.