"FROM THE INSIDE"

REVIEW:

From October to December of 1977, Alice Cooper had voluntarily spent time in a New York mental hospital for treatment for his alcoholism. His three month stint at the hospital was the inspiration behind "From The Inside". All characters were loosely based on the patients he had met there. Some of the colorful characters featured here are: a wealthy teenage prostitute ("Wish I Was Born In Beverly Hills"), a religious man fantasizing about a nurse ("Nurse Rozetta"), two demented lovers who were incarecerated for killing off each other's spouses ("Millie and Billie"), a compulsive gambler ("Serious") and a tormented Vietnam veteran ("Jackknife Johnny"). Producer David Foster along with the excellent songwriting by Alice (and with 'some' assistance from Elton John's lyricist Bernie Taupin) create a fabulous concept album. Great guitar work and some lively drumming throughout propel this as one of the best Alice Cooper releases. Standouts: the title track, "Wish I Was Born in Beverly Hills," "Nurse Rozetta," "Millie and Billie," "Serious," "How You Gonna See Me Now," and "Inmates (We're All Crazy)".

MUSICIANS:

Guitars: Dick Wagner, Steve Lukather (of Toto), Rick Nielsen (of Cheap Trick), Davey Johnstone, Jefferson Kewley, Jay 'Wah Wah' Graydon

Bass Players: Kenny Passarelli, David Hungate, John Pierce, Dee Murray, Lee Skiar

Drums: Rick Shlosser, Dennis Conway, Michael Ricciardella

Percussion: Jim Keltner

Keyboards: David Foster, Fred Mandel, Robbie King

Lead Vocal: Marcy Levy - 'Millie'

Backing Vocals - Kiki Dee, Bill Champlin, Flo and Eddie, Tom Kelly, Davey Johnstone, Bobby Kimball, Marcy Levy, Sheryl Cooper, The Totally Committed Choir.

INTERESTING FACTS:

1. Released in November of 1978, "From The Inside" peaked at #68 on the Billboard Top 200. The single "How You Gonna See Me Now" peaked at U.S. #12 on Billboard singles chart.

2. In 1979, Marvel Comics released a comic book based off of the characters from this album.

3. "How You Gonna See Me Now" is based on an actual letter Alice wrote to his wife, Sheryl, while in the hospital.

PACKAGING:

Terrific album cover, as well as the back cover and the excellent inside photos are all capped off with the album's lyrics. This is certainly one of the best presentations for an Alice Cooper album.

APPROX. RUNNING TIME:

37 min.

FINAL ANALYSIS:

Excellent musicianship and tremendous lyrics all add up to a funny, twisted and even touching concept album. A must have!! ***** out of 5.

The vinyl cover concept was just a forewarning to the wonderful approach Alice Cooper took within this albumn. The songs are good alone, but also they grew (and grow) on you as you listen more and more. Shame the new music formats of CD do not allow the younger generations the "fun" of exploring great albumn art that is a size to truly merit indepth inspection and can greatly contribute to an LP's environment. Kiddie's who are just learning about rock history, skip the pop crap and grab this album then allow yourself to be lead into a mental journey of Alice's insane asylum and met the patients through their voices, one by one.

I bought the LP vinyl, first edition, when it was released and now breaking down and getting the CD version so I can protect the fine artwork and be able to be a bit lazier with a cd. Although the sound of a CD sucks compared to vinyl, I do love the lazy factor. SO PEOPLE:"From the Inside" is an intelligent approach to concept music that still works after 25 years... and makes you feel less alone on those weekend nights when the snakes are crawling from the ceiling.

From the Inside is a concept album based on Alice's stay in asylum in order to dry out. The music and lyrics come to together beautifully to give the listener a look at what it was like inside. The great tragedy of this cd is that it was out of print for a while, never having much commercial success.

Stand out tracks include, "Millie and Billie", "Nurse Rozetta", "Jack Knife Johnny", and "How You Gonna See Me Now". The singles don't say nearly as much as they do when you listen to the whole album together. It is a fun journey. So as Alice says in the liner note, "Do you belong here?"

I'm so excited to find this album. I've looked in stores but they don't have the good taste to carry it. I first heard this record as a teenager. My friend & I listened to it over & over. The album cover was sooooooooo cool. It opened and the inside was an insane asylum with Alice huddled in a corner, the back showed everyone escaping. This album is very memorable and different from anything you have ever heard. A must have for anyone who likes metal/hard rock.

"From the Inside" has got to be the most cohesive and innovative concept album ever released. Alice has a great knack of incorporating his personal experiences into humorous and provocative songs that just grab you by the throat and ingrain themselves into your psyche like a really good Stephen King story. The songs on this LP are based on actual people Alice encountered during his stay in a psychiatric hospital he voluntarily entered to seek treatment for his alcoholism. The stories involve characters ranging from a man obsessed with his dog to a compulsive gambler to a couple who have hacked the female's husband into little pieces. The latter song, "Millie and Billie", is a tender duet sung by Alice and Marcy Levy that fades with the sound of a circular saw grinding Millie's poor spouse to bits. Also included are a couple of personal songs Alice penned. "How You Gonna See Me Now" is a beautiful ballad written in the form of a letter to Sheryl Cooper, Alice's wife, in which he expresses his insecurities over whether or not Mrs. Cooper's love for her man has diminished as a result of his ordeal. Loaded with great musicianship by people like Steve Lukather, David Foster and Rick Nielsen, our peek into the "Inside" concludes with the exuberent and haunting anthem, "Inmates (We're All Crazy)". I'm a huge fan of Alice and have been for some thirty-five years, and I consider this ambitious gem to be his best work. A truly great album I would consider to be in the same class as great works like "Sgt. Pepper". It's a crime that Warner has ceased U.S. availability of it, but that's par for the course for a record label that's notorious for not valuing their great artists.