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Alice Cooper Goes to Hell

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Alice Cooper Goes to Hell
Studio album by
Alice Cooper
ReleasedJune 25, 1976
StudioSoundstage, Toronto; Record Plant East, New York and RCA Recording Studios, Los Angeles
Genre
Length43:15
LabelWarner Bros.[1]
ProducerBob Ezrin[2]
Alice Cooper chronology
Welcome to My Nightmare
(1975) 		Alice Cooper Goes to Hell
(1976) 		Lace and Whiskey
(1977)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[1]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Alice Cooper Goes to Hell is the second solo studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in 1976.[6] A continuation of Welcome to My Nightmare as it continues the story of Steven, the concept album was written by Cooper with guitar player Dick Wagner and producer Bob Ezrin.[7]

With the success of "Only Women Bleed" from his first solo effort, Alice continued with the rock ballads on this album. "I Never Cry" was written about his drinking problem, which would in one year send the performer into rehab and affect all his subsequent music up to and including 1983's DaDa.[8] Cooper called the song "an alcoholic confession".

The "Alice Cooper Goes to Hell" tour of 1976 was completely cancelled prior to commencement due to Cooper suffering from anemia at the time. However, a number of songs from the album ended up in Cooper's live show. "Go to Hell" proved the last song until the 1989 hit song "Poison" to become a consistent part of Cooper's live setlists, being performed on most tours to the present. "I Never Cry" was also regularly performed in the late 1970s and during the 2000s, while "Guilty" was performed regularly on the Flush the Fashion and Special Forces tours and occasionally during the 2000s, and "Wish You Were Here" was frequently played on the tours for the following two albums.

Critical reception

[edit]

Rolling Stone wrote that "the soppy old standard, 'I'm Always Chasing Rainbows', probably expresses [Cooper's] musical sympathies much better than this record’s dynamic, if derivative, rock & roll."[9]

Classic Rock wrote that "Goes To Hell is the nadir of 70s AOR rock, a bloated mess of over-theatrical radio-goo, cheesy ballads and disco.[10]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Alice Cooper, Dick Wagner and Bob Ezrin, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Go to Hell" 5:15
2."You Gotta Dance" 2:45
3."I'm the Coolest" 3:57
4."Didn't We Meet" 4:16
5."I Never Cry"Cooper, Wagner3:44
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Give the Kid a Break" 4:14
7."Guilty" 3:22
8."Wake Me Gently" 5:03
9."Wish You Were Here" 4:36
10."I'm Always Chasing Rainbows"Harry Carroll, Joseph McCarthy2:08
11."Going Home" 3:47

Personnel

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Additional personnel
  • Bob Babbitt – bass on "Go to Hell"
  • Jim Gordon – drums on "I'm the Coolest", "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" and "Going Home"
  • Dick Berg – French horn on "I Never Cry"
  • Bill Misener, Colina Phillips, Denny Vosburgh, Laurel Ward, Michael Sherman, Sharon Lee Williams, Shawne Jackson, Shep Gordon, Joe Gannon – vocals
  • Allan Macmillan, Bob Ezrin, Dick Wagner, John Tropea, The Hollywood Vampires – arrangements
Technical
  • Brian Christian, Corky Stasiak, Jim Frank, John Jansen, Ringo Hrycyna – recording
  • Brian Hagiwara, Rod Dyer – design
  • Bret Lopez – photography

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[18] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[19] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

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“Go to Hell” was covered by Dee Snider, Zakk Wylde, Bob Kulick, Rudy Sarzo, Frankie Banali and Paul Taylor on the 1999 tribute album Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper. Also, was included on the 2009 videogame Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned on the fictitious station Liberty Rock Radio.

References

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  1. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 111.
  2. ^ Chapman, Ian (March 12, 2018). Experiencing Alice Cooper: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442257719 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ AllMusic
  4. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 270.
  5. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 9.
  6. ^ "Alice Cooper | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  7. ^ Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (CD Booklet). Alice Cooper. Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Inc. 1976. p. 12. 2896-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ ‘Hanging with Mr. Cooper’ Archived 2014-10-27 at the Wayback Machine; Phoenix New Times, June 20, 1996
  9. ^ Morris, Teri (August 26, 1976). "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell". Rolling Stone.
  10. ^ "Every Alice Cooper album, ranked from worst to best". Classic Rock. February 2, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  11. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4296a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Alice Cooper – Alice Cooper Goes to Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "Alice Cooper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  16. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 428. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5175". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  18. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Alice Cooper – Alice Cooper Goes to Hell". Music Canada.
  19. ^ "American album certifications – Alice Cooper – Alice Cooper Goes to Hell". Recording Industry Association of America.
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