Album Guide

Sigmund Freud believed that our dreams provide us with vital clues to the nature of our psychological problems. But Freud is dead.

So, given that today's new standard of currency on the shock markets of the world is nothing less than one long screaming nightmare, is it any wonder that we're in dire need of a new messenger with the communicative power to lead us from the depths of doubt and dark despair? And having come to that conclusion, there's no one better qualified for the job than the man who wrote the book on nightmares: rock 'n' roll's master agitator of the mind, the legendary Alice Cooper.

On his new Epic album, The Last Temptation, Alice isn't fooling around. One look at the cover-a powerfully disturbing graphic created by artist Dave McKean--is enough to make clear his present intent. "The Last Temptation is the first album I've done in a long time that's a true concept album," says Alice. "It has such a definite story line that I really didn't think I could do it justice by only putting it out on record."

Which is why The Last Temptation comes packaged with the first issue of a trilogy of Marvel Comics based on the album. Both arose from a concept jointly conceived by Alice Cooper and comic book writer and novelist Neil Gaiman (whose very Cooperesque character, "Sandman," is his best-known creation). Unlike Tales From The Inside, Marvel's previous Alice Cooper comic book (based on his 1978 album From The Inside), this atmospheric new series — written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Michael Zulli — complements and expands upon The Last Temptation in a depth of detail unavailable anywhere else.

As Alice explains, "The Last Temptation takes place in an average Middle American town where one particular group of young boys, who think they've done and seen everything, stumble across this old vaudeville theater that they've never noticed before in an old part of town." Emerging from the shadows within to greet them is a mysterious figure called The Showman (based on the classic Alice Cooper character) who runs the theater along with his beguiling female assistant, the temptress Mercy.

None of the kids accept the invitation to enter for a free show, except for one brave boy named Steve — who will be instantly recognizable to fans as the selfsame schizoid protagonist of Alice Cooper's groundbreaking concept album, Welcome To My Nightmare. Once inside, it is indeed showtime, and Steven's temptation at the hands of The Showman begins in earnest. But will he succumb? "It's all based on the question of whether or not Steven gives in to modern-day temptation," says Alice.

Creating the proper sonic atmosphere for The Showman and his theatrical environment was so essential to the success of The Last Temptation that Alice never considered working with just one producer. He teamed with three different aural experts to sculpt the richly powerful sound he desired.

Andy Wallace was recruited for the grand opening and closing numbers "Sideshow" and "Cleansed By Fire," as well as Alice's collaborations with Soundgarden's Chris Cornell on "Unholy War" and "Stolen Prayer." Don Fleming, on the other hand, was responsible for the street-tough sound of "Lost In America," "Nothing's Free," and "Bad Place Alone"; and the team of Duane Baron and John Purdell took the helm for the more melodic explorations of "You're My Temptation," "Lullaby," and "It's Me."

Aside from two Chris Cornell background vocal performances, The Last Temptation — in contrast to Alice's previous Epic albums, Trash and Hey Stoopid — features no guest musicians. Backed solely by his current touring band, this time the music is pure, unadulterated Alice Cooper.

The incidents, adventures and achievements which comprise his career proclaim Alice Cooper a true original in a world where originality is disdained and complacency is the norm. His precedent-shattering audacity did more than alter the face of rock 'n' roll. Alice Cooper virtually invented rock and theater; influenced the entire field of fashion; brilliantly satirized America's obsession with sex, death and money; and wrote and recorded a library shelf of classic albums like Love It To Death, Killer, School's Out, Billion Dollar Babies, Welcome To My Nightmare, and Trash. He's continually punctured the balloons of pomposity and pretense--and pushed the envelope of rock 'n' roll-on the way to not only rock stardom but the status of a household name.

Now, with the release of The Last Temptation, Alice Cooper adds yet another extraordinary chapter to a remarkable and timeless body of work.