Alice Cooper Goes to Hell
Alice Cooper Goes to Hell is the second solo album by Alice Cooper, released in 1976. A continuation of Welcome to My Nightmare as it continues the story of Steven, this concept album was written almost exclusively by Cooper with guitar player Dick Wagner and producer Bob Ezrin.[3]
| Alice Cooper Goes to Hell | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 25, 1976 | |||
| Studio | Soundstage, Toronto; Record Plant East, New York and RCA Recording Studios, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | Rock, hard rock, pop rock | |||
| Length | 43:15 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Bob Ezrin | |||
| Alice Cooper chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Rolling Stone | Mixed[2] |
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.[4] 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, “Go to Hell” proved the last song until his big hit “Poison” to become a consistent part of Cooper’s live setlists, being performed on most tours to the present.[5] “I Never Cry” was also regularly performed in the late 1970s and during the 2000s, whilst “Guilty” was performed regularly on the Flush the Fashion and Special Forces tours and occasionally during the 2000s[6] and “Wish You Were Here” frequently played on the tours for the following two albums.[7]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Alice Cooper, Dick Wagner and Bob Ezrin, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(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, Wagner | 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(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 McCarthy | 2:08 |
| 11. | "Going Home" | 3:47 |
Personnel
- Alice Cooper – vocals
- Dick Wagner – acoustic & electric guitar, vocals
- Steve Hunter – guitar
- Tony Levin – bass
- Allan Schwartzberg – drums
- Additional personnel
- Bob Babbitt – bass
- Jimmy Maelen – percussion
- Jim Gordon – drums
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Pop Albums | 27 |
| 1976 | UK Album Charts | 23[8] |
Singles – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | "I Never Cry" | Pop Singles | 12 |
Cover versions
“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.
References
- AllMusic
- Rolling Stone Archived June 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (CD Booklet). Alice Cooper. 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Inc. 1976. p. 12. 2896-2.CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: location (link)
- ‘Hanging with Mr. Cooper’; Phoenix New Times, June 20, 1996
- ‘Go to Hell’ live performance data
- ‘Guilty’ liver performance data
- ‘Wish You Were Here’ live performance data
- Alice Cooper – UK Album Charts
