Alice Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare

In 1975 Alice Cooper released his first solo album, after his break with the original members of the Alice Cooper band. Collaborating with producer Bob Ezrin who had produced Love It to Death, Killer, School's Out, and Billion Dollar Babies, and Lou Reed guitarist Dick Wagner, (as well as Reed's backing band) the project produced Welcome To My Nightmare.

Led by the US Top 20 hit "Only Women Bleed", the solo album was released by Atlantic Records in March 1975 and became a Top 10 hit for Cooper.

It was a concept album, based on the nightmare of a child named Steven, featuring narration by classic horror movie film star Vincent Price (several years before he guested on Michael Jackson's "Thriller"), and became the soundtrack to Cooper's new stage show, which included more theatrics than ever before.

Besides the album and stage show was the TV special "Alice Cooper: The Nightmare", starring Cooper and Vincent Price in person, which aired on US prime-time TV in April 1975.

The Nightmare, was the first rock music video album ever made and was later released on home video in 1983 and received a Grammy Awards nomination for Best Long Form Music Video.

A concert film, also called Welcome to My Nightmare and filmed live at London's Wembley Arena in September 1975, was released to theaters in 1976. It bombed at the box office, but later became a midnight movie favorite and cult classic.

With the success of his solo project, Cooper decided to continue without the rest of the original band.

(Photo credit: Alice Cooper Welcome To My Nightmare Framed Gold Record)

Producer Bob Ezrin is credited with bringing the Alice Cooper band to the mainstream with the 1971 release Love It to Death. He also worked with them on Killer, School's Out, and Billion Dollar Babies. He's probably best known for his work on Pink Floyd's The Wall in 1979.

Guitarist Dick Wagner came with Bob Ezrin and Steve Hunter from working with Lou Reed. He contributed to Billion Dollar Babies and Muscle of Love. He helped with songwriting, composing, production as well as playing lead guitar on Welcome to My Nightmare, Goes To Hell, Lace and Whiskey, From the Inside and DaDa.

Guitarist Steve Hunter had previously worked with Mitch Ryder and Lou Reed, he continued to work with Alice on Goes to Hell and Lace and Whiskey.

Bassist Prakash John also came from Lou Reed's band. He had previously worked with George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic (he was inducted into the the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a member of Parliament/Funkadelic). He continued working with Alice until Dada.

Bassist Tony Levin had been working with Lou Reed's band. He also contributed to Goes To Hell and Lace and Whiskey. Tony would later become famous for his work with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson