WELCOME TO THE NIGHTMARE: An All-Star Tribute to Alice Cooper

Welcome to the Nightmare: An All-Star Tribute to Alice Cooper (2005, Magik Records)

Track Listing:
1. “Welcome to My Nightmare” (5:13) Performed by: Ronnie James Dio, Phil Soussen, Randy Castillo
2. “Dead Babies” (5:42) Performed by: Iced Earth
3. “School’s Out” (4:00) Performed by: Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, Bob Daisley
4. “Black Widow” (4:49) Performed by: Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, Tommy Aldridge
5. “Bed of Nails” (3:58) Performed by: Children Of Bodom
6. “Go to Hell” (4:37) Performed by: Dee Snider, Zakk Wylde, Rudy Sarzo, Frankie Banali
7. “Roses on White Lace” (4:25) Performed by: Icarus Witch
8. “Cold Ethyl” (4:04) Performed by: Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Billy Sheehan
9. “Under My Wheels” (3:21) Performed by: Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Bob Kulick
10. “Elected” (4:00) Performed by: Duff McKagan, Buffy Duffy, Matt Sorum
11. “No More Mr. Nice Guy” (3:41) Performed by: Roger Daltrey, Slash, Bob Kulick
12. “Billion Dollar Babies” (3:59) Performed by: Phil Lewis, George Lynch, Stu Namm
13. “Eighteen” (5:11) Performed by: Don Dokken, John Norum, Tim Bogert
14. “Only Women Bleed” (5:43) Performed by: Glenn Hughes, Paul Gilbert, Bob Kulick

Pretty much a re-release of 1999′s Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper from Dead Line Music (both Dead Line & Magik are under the larger Cleopatra Records label), although it includes 3 additional tracks.

Of the three new additions Iced Earth’s cover of “Dead Babies” can be found on their Tribute to the Gods cover album and “Bed of Nails” by Children of Bodom can be found on their Trashed, Lost & Strung Out EP. Only Icarus Witch’s version of “Roses on White Lace” appears to be the sole “new” track here, although given the way Cleopatra Records works their compilations, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was already released another compilation, EP, or was a B-side somewhere else.

Still, you’re getting quite a lot of bang for you buck with this tribute album. There was quite a fad (mainly perpetrated by Cleopatra/Dead Line) of hair metalers getting together to produce low budget tribute compilations for any and every band, but there’s quite a few big names to be found here: Dave Mustaine, Ronnie James Dio, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Dee Snider, Bruce Dickinson, Roger Daltrey, Slash, Glenn Hughes, and Joe Elliott just to name a few.

Children of Bodom (a band I know nothing about) really stand out here on “Bed of Nails”, I love the 80s pop-metal era of Alice Cooper and they did a great version of this song, just a little bit heavier, especially with the vocals. Icarus Witch really blew me away with their cover of “Roses on White Lace” (one of my favorite Alice songs and it’s pretty disturbing at that), and I even went and bought their album because of it.

Highlights: “School’s Out”, “Bed of Nails”, “Roses on White Lace”, “Under My Wheels”, “Billon Dollar Babies”, “Only Women Bleed”

Lowlights: “Black Widow”. I’m not a fan of the original version either.