Following the success of his first solo album, Welcome to My Nightmare, Alice Cooper followed it up with another concept album, Goes to Hell, similar in style to its predecessor. Again, longtime Alice producer Bob Ezrin was on board, and while there are a few highlights, Goes to Hell signaled an Alice era where he pretty much forsook the raw garage rock of his early days (Killer, School's Out) in favor of polished studio glitz. That said, the title track is worthy of any headbanger's time (and remains one of Cooper's most overlooked rock tunes), while "I Never Cry" was another Alice ballad that found a place near the top of the charts. Other highlights include such tracks as the disco-rock-boogie of "You Gotta Dance" and the laid-back yet sinister funk groove of "I'm the Coolest." Elsewhere, the musical experiments aren't as successful -- the old-time sounds of "Give the Kid a Break," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," and the album-closing "Going Home" are about as far removed from the expected hard-rocking AC direction as you can get. And while the rocker "Wish You Were Here" would become a late-'70s concert standard for the Coop, the original studio version lacks the firepower the song achieved on the stage. Alice was supposed to follow up the album's release with another highly theatrical stage show (following the cue of his first solo tour in 1975), but an illness squashed the tour altogether. Despite its missteps, the gold-certified Goes to Hell would prove to be Alice's most commercially successful solo album for quite some time. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
John Tropea (Guitar), John Tropea (Arranger), John Tropea (Performer), John Tropea (Wah Wah Guitar), Alice Cooper (Vocals), Alice Cooper (Main Performer), Alice Cooper (Concept), Alice Cooper (Creation), Steve Hunter (Guitar), Jimmy Maelen (Percussion), Jimmy Maelen (Performer), Jimmy Maelen (?), Jim Gordon (Drums), Jim Gordon (Performer), Bob Babbitt (Bass), Dick Berg (French Horn), Brian Christian (Engineer), Brian Christian (Mastering), Bob Ezrin (Synthesizer), Bob Ezrin (Piano), Bob Ezrin (Arranger), Bob Ezrin (Keyboards), Bob Ezrin (Vocals), Bob Ezrin (Producer), Bob Ezrin (Performer), Bob Ezrin (Fender Rhodes), Bob Ezrin (Concept), Bob Ezrin (Creation), Jim Frank (Assistant Engineer), Shep Gordon (Vocals), Shep Gordon (Performer), Robert Hrycyna (Engineer), Robert Hrycyna (Assistant Engineer), Shaun Jackson (Vocals), John Jansen (Engineer), John Jansen (Assistant Engineer), Tony Levin (Bass), Tony Levin (Performer), Allan MacMillan (Piano), Allan MacMillan (Arranger), Bill Misener (Vocals), Bill Misener (Performer), Colina Phillips (Vocals), Colina Phillips (Performer), Allan Schwartzberg (Drums), Allen Schwarzberg (Drums), Michael Sherman (Vocals), Corky Stasiak (Engineer), Corky Stasiak (Assistant Engineer), Donny Vosburgh (Vocals), Dick Wagner (Guitar (Acoustic)), Dick Wagner (Guitar), Dick Wagner (Arranger), Dick Wagner (Guitar (Electric)), Dick Wagner (Vocals), Dick Wagner (Performer), Dick Wagner (Concept), Dick Wagner (Creation), Laurel Ward (Vocals), Laurel Ward (Performer), Sharon Williams (Vocals), Joe Gannon (Vocals), Joe Gannon (Performer), Denny Vosburgh (Vocals), Denny Vosburgh (Performer), Brian Hagiwara (Design), Bret Lopez (Photography), Rod Dyer (Design), George Graves (Mastering), Dean Babbitt (Bass), Alister MacMillan (Piano), Alister MacMillan (Arranger), Alister MacMillan (Performer), Brian Higiwara (Design), Sharon Lee Williams (Vocals), Sharon Lee Williams (Performer), Jim Gannon (Vocals), Shawn Jackson (Vocals), Shawn Jackson (Performer)
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 the matter of Alice's drinking situation, which would in one year send the performer into rehab. As quoted by Cooper, the song was "an alcoholic confession".
^(1976) Album notes for Alice Cooper Goes to Hell by Alice Cooper, p. 12 [CD Booklet]. 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Records Inc. (2896-2).
