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On July 31, Rhino will celebrate the early years of shock rock legend Alice Cooper with a new 5CD or 5LP box set.  The Studio Albums 1975-1978 begins with 1975’s Welcome to My Nightmare, his first proper solo album, and continues with Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (1976), Lace and Whiskey (1977), and From the Inside (1978).  The collection is rounded out with a 7-track collection of bonus material encompassing rarities and unique single versions.  (In the vinyl set, this bonus album is cut at 45 RPM.)

The band Alice Cooper began performing in the late 1960s and made their LP debut with 1969’s Pretties for You on Frank Zappa’s Straight label.  The band consisted of Vincent Furnier on vocals and harmonica, Glen Buxton on lead guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar and Neal Smith on drums.  They soon signed with Warner Bros. and had a hit with “School’s Out” in 1972 from the album of the same name.  Their next album, Billion Dollar Babies, would hit No. 1.  Amid tensions, the original band broke up in 1974.  Soldiering on, Furnier officially assumed the persona of Alice Cooper and released 1975’s Welcome to my Nightmare as a solo project.  The album solidified Cooper’s theatrical stage presence as well as his position as a pioneer of shock rock; Cooper, the character, has appeared in movies, on television, and in comic books.  Alice stayed with the Warner label through 1984 before moving onto other labels including MCA and Epic.  The original band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

The Bob Ezrin-produced Welcome to My Nightmare (originally issued on Warner sister label Atlantic) peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and spun off the hit single “Only Women Bleed” (No. 12 Billboard/No. 10 Cash Box); the title track would be memorably sung by Cooper on The Muppet Show.  Alice followed it up with Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, yielding another smash with another ballad, “I Never Cry” (No. 12 Billboard Pop/No. 9 Cash Box/No. 24 Billboard AC).  He took a stylistic turn with 1977’s Lace and Whiskey, adopting the persona of a bumbling, Inspector Clouseau-inspired private detective.  But he took the music seriously, and he and co-writer Dick Wagner introduced another radio staple with the melodic ballad “You and Me” (another future Muppet Show standout).  The soft “You and Me” earned Cooper a new audience, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 23 AC as well as No. 8 Cash Box.  The final album in Rhino’s box, From the Inside, was based on Cooper’s real-life experience at a sanitarium.  A collaboration with producer David Foster and lyricist Bernie Taupin, it welcomed Elton John Band members Davey Johnstone and Dee Murray as well as singer-songwriter Bruce Roberts, background vocalists Bill Champlin, Kiki Dee, and Flo & Eddie, and Toto’s Steve Lukather and David Hungate.  “How You Gonna See Me Now” earned Cooper another No. 12 Billboard Hot 100 hit.

Five single versions (including “Only Women Bleed,” “Welcome to My Nightmare,” and “You and Me”) are featured on the bonus disc along with the non-LP B-side “No Tricks” (a duet with Betty Wright) and “Road Rats” from the Roadie soundtrack album.

This October, Alice Cooper will release his autobiography, Devil on My Shoulder, sharing a candid glimpse into his extraordinary life and career.  In the meantime, The Studio Albums 1975-1978 is due from Rhino on July 31.  You’ll find the track listing and pre-order links below!  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The Studio Albums 1975-1978 (Warner/Rhino, 2026)

5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD/LP 1: Welcome to My Nightmare (Atlantic SD 18130, 1975)

1. Welcome to My Nightmare
2. Devil’s Food
3. The Black Widow
4. Some Folks
5. Only Women Bleed
6. Department of Youth
7. Cold Ethyl
8. Years Ago
9. Steven
10. The Awakening
11. Escape

CD/LP 2: Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (Warner Bros. BS 2896, 1976)

1. Go to Hell
2. You Gotta Dance
3. I’m the Coolest
4. Didn’t We Meet
5. I Never Cry
6. Give the Kid a Break
7. Guilty
8. Wake Me Gently
9. Wish You Were Here
10. I’m Always Chasing Rainbows
11. Going Home

CD/LP 3: Lace and Whiskey (Warner Bros. BSK 3027, 1977)

1. It’s Hot Tonight
2. Lace and Whiskey
3. Road Rats
4. Damned If You Do
5. You And Me
6. King of the Silver Screen
7. Ubangi Stomp
8. (No More) Love At Your Convenience
9. I Never Wrote Those Songs
10. My God

CD/LP 4: From the Inside (Warner Bros. BSK 3263, 1978)

1. From the Inside
2. Wish I Were Born in Beverly Hills
3. The Quiet Room
4. Nurse Rozetta
5. Millie and Billie
6. Serious
7. How You Gonna See Me Now
8. For Veronica’s Sake
9. Jackknife Johnny
10. Inmates (We’re All Crazy)

CD/LP 5 (45 RPM): Bonus Misdemeanors

1. Welcome to My Nightmare (Single Version) (Atlantic single 45-3298, 1975)
2. Department of Youth (Single Version) (Atlantic single 45-3280, 1975)
3. Only Women Bleed (Single Version) (Atlantic single 45-3254, 1975)
4. You and Me (Single Version) (Warner Bros. single WBS 8349, 1977)
5. From the Inside (Single Version) (Warner Bros. single WBS 8670, 1978)
6. No Tricks (with Betty Wright) (from “How You Gonna See Me Now” single – Warner Bros. WBS 8695, 1978
7. Road Rats (New Version) (from Roadie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Warner Bros. 2HS 3441, 1980)