Maps of Music

From the Inside (1978)

Where the lyrics of From the Inside take you, and where it was really made.

The people in this concept album's songs were not invented: each character was modeled on a real person Cooper met during his stay in a New York asylum.

Key places

Davlen Sound Studios, North Hollywood (1978)

Recording site Schnee Studio — Davlen Sound Studios is listed among the studios where the album was recorded in Hollywood, California. The point is placed at the city-center level for North Hollywood. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cherokee Studios, Hollywood (1978)

Recording site Cherokee Studios — Cherokee Studios is listed among the studios where the album was recorded. The point marks the studio's location in Hollywood. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Kendun Studio D, Los Angeles (1978)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Kendun Studio D is listed among the studios where the album was recorded and also served as its mastering studio. The point is placed at the city-center level for Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• From the Inside: the fourth solo and eleventh studio album by American rock singer Alice Cooper
• Released November 17, 1978 by Warner Bros. Records
• Concept album based on Cooper's stay in a New York asylum caused by his alcoholism
• Every character in the songs was based on a real person Cooper met there
• Three former Elton John associates took part: lyricist Bernie Taupin, guitarist Davey Johnstone, bassist Dee Murray
• Produced by David Foster

Background

• Cooper entered a New York psychiatric hospital in October 1977 and stayed about three months
• After quitting alcohol, he grew close to Taupin, a former drinking partner, and shared his observations from the stay
• The album concept took shape through the first half of 1978
• Cooper then played the second leg of the King of the Silver Screen tour, April to August 1978

Recording

• Recorded in Hollywood, California at Davlen Sound Studios, Cherokee Recording Studio, Hollywood Sound Recorders, Kendun Recorders and Studio 55
• Mixed at Sound City, Sunset Sound and Crystal Sound in Hollywood
• Most music credited to Dick Wagner, with several tracks co-written with Steve Lukather and David Foster

Cover

• The cover is a centre-parting gatefold with Cooper's face on the front
• It opens to a triple-page image of a lunatic asylum with a hidden flap that reveals Cooper in a padded cell
• The inner sleeve prints the cell picture along with the song lyrics

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

• Tom Carson of Rolling Stone, while saying the songs are full of good ideas, held that the songwriters and performers approached the concept too seriously
• Carson argued the album should have been done in a parody vein
• He also criticized the session band as too talented and precise for Cooper's sound
• The Globe and Mail said the album displays a hackneyed approach to madness, but its lyrics were consistently interesting
• The same review found the music a repetitive blend of heavy-metal clichés and simple melodics

Reappraisal

• In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Alex Henderson found the album lacks the immediate appeal of Cooper's most popular albums
• Henderson wrote that the album is at points too self-indulgent and intellectual, but at its best, on the track How You Gonna See Me Now, it is as riveting as it is inspiring
• In 2009, Cooper himself called it musically one of the best albums he ever made

Records

• Lead single How You Gonna See Me Now peaked at No. 12 on the US Hot 100
• Album charted at No. 60 in the US and No. 68 in the UK
• Charted at No. 23 in France and sold 57,800 copies there

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

Trivia

• The album was adapted into a comic book, Marvel Premiere No. 50.
• The Madhouse Rocks Tour in 1979 played every song from the album except three: Millie and Billie, For Veronica's Sake and Jackknife Johnny.
• After 1979, songs from the album were rarely performed live, with only a few isolated revivals on later tours.
• The inner flap carries a message in memory of Keith Moon, Cooper's old drinking buddy and drummer for The Who.
• Bernie Taupin had been Cooper's drinking partner before becoming Elton John's lyricist, and Cooper later turned to him with the album's idea.
• The album was reissued in 1990 by Metal Blade Records on CD and cassette, alongside Muscle of Love and Lace and Whiskey.

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

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