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Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (1976)

Where the lyrics of Alice Cooper Goes to Hell take you, and where it was really made.

The ballad 'I Never Cry' was written about Cooper's drinking problem, which sent him into rehab within a year.

Key places

Recording at Record Plant East (1976)

Recording site The Record Plant — Part of the album was recorded at Record Plant East in New York, one of the three studios credited for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at RCA Recording Studios (1976)

Recording site RCA Studios — Part of the album was recorded at RCA Recording Studios in Los Angeles, one of the three studios credited for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Soundstage, Toronto (1976)

Recording site Phase One Audio Group — Part of the album was recorded at Soundstage in Toronto. Only city-level coordinates are available, so the point marks the city center. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Alice Cooper Goes to Hell: second solo album and ninth studio album overall by Alice Cooper
• Released 25 June 1976 on Warner Bros. Records
• Continues the story of Steven from Welcome to My Nightmare as a concept album
• Written by Cooper with guitarist Dick Wagner and producer Bob Ezrin
• Eleven tracks, including 'Go to Hell', 'I Never Cry' and 'Wish You Were Here'

Background

• Followed the success of 'Only Women Bleed' from Cooper's first solo album, so the album kept the rock ballad approach
• 'I Never Cry' was written about his drinking problem
• The drinking problem led him into rehab within one year and affected his later music up to and including DaDa (1983)
• Cooper called 'I Never Cry' 'an alcoholic confession'
• The 1976 tour named after the album was completely cancelled before it began, because Cooper was suffering from anemia

Recording

• Recorded at Soundstage in Toronto, Record Plant East in New York and RCA Recording Studios in Los Angeles
• Personnel includes Alice Cooper on vocals, Dick Wagner on acoustic and electric guitar, Steve Hunter and John Tropea on guitar
• Bob Ezrin on piano, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer and vocals; Tony Levin on bass; Allan Schwartzberg on drums; Jimmy Maelen on percussion
• Bob Babbitt plays bass on 'Go to Hell'
• Jim Gordon plays drums on 'I'm the Coolest', 'I'm Always Chasing Rainbows' and 'Going Home'
• Dick Berg plays French horn on 'I Never Cry'
• Recording engineers credited: Brian Christian, Corky Stasiak, Jim Frank, John Jansen and Ringo Hrycyna
• Manufactured by Warner-Pioneer Corporation, Japan

Cover

• Design credited to Brian Hagiwara and Rod Dyer
• Photography by Bret Lopez

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Alice Cooper originated in Phoenix, Arizona in 1964 as a band formed by Vincent Damon Furnier, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith.
• The group first performed as the Earwigs and later renamed themselves the Spiders and then Nazz.
• In 1968 the band adopted the name Alice Cooper, which was later also the new legal name of Furnier.

Members

• The classic lineup consisted of Furnier (lead vocals), Buxton (lead guitar), Bruce (rhythm guitar), Dunaway (bass) and Smith (drums).
• Furnier legally changed his name to Alice Cooper after the band disbanded in 1975.

Career

• The band released seven studio albums from 1969 to 1973, including Love It to Death, Killer, School's Out and Billion Dollar Babies.
• The band is known as a pioneer of shock rock, using theatrical stage shows with props and illusions.
• As a solo artist he released Welcome to My Nightmare in 1975 and has released 30 studio albums in total.
• The original band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
• Cooper is considered by music journalists and peers to be 'The Godfather of Shock Rock'.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone wrote that the album's rock & roll was dynamic but derivative.
• Rolling Stone also wrote that the old standard 'I'm Always Chasing Rainbows' expressed Cooper's musical sympathies much better than this record did.
• Classic Rock wrote that the album is the nadir of 70s AOR rock.
• Classic Rock described the record as a bloated mess of over-theatrical radio-goo, cheesy ballads and disco.

Records

• Billboard 200 (United States): number 27.
• United States: certified gold.
• Only one single, 'I Never Cry', was released to promote the album.
• 'I Never Cry' reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 (United States).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• 'I Never Cry' was written about Cooper's drinking problem, which sent him to rehab within a year.
• Cooper called 'I Never Cry' 'an alcoholic confession'.
• The 1976 'Alice Cooper Goes to Hell' tour was completely cancelled before it began, because Cooper had anemia.
• 'Go to Hell' became a regular part of Cooper's live setlists and has been performed on most tours since.
• 'Go to Hell' was covered on the 1999 tribute album Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper.
• 'Go to Hell' also appeared in the 2009 video game Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, on the fictitious station Liberty Rock Radio.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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