Customer Reviews

From the Inside

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"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.

Alice Cooper has to be one of the most underrated songwriters in America. During his solo career he has created some fantastic characters, Steven from 'Welcome to my Nightmare', Former Lee Warmer on 'DaDa' and Gail on 'Raise Your Fist and Yell'. With 'From the Inside' Alice presents another group of colorful characters with a twist. This time they are based on actual people Cooper met while sobering up in an asylum. With the help of Elton John sidekick Bernie Taupin, Alice presents a concept album that sounds fresh and unique even 30 years after it's initial release. The title track, about Cooper's battle with booze, 'Serious' about a gambling addict, 'Wish I were Born in Beverly Hills' about a would-be socialite are pretty much straight ahead 70's rockers. 'Nurse Rozetta' is the highlight of the album and features a pretty heavy guitar line that forshadows Cooper's future sound. 'For Veronica's Sake' is another rocker about an inmate who is worried about his dog who has been thrown in the pound. The ballads presented here are excellent, 'How You Gonna See Me Now' is just a fantastic song, and may be Cooper's best ballad along with 'You and Me' off of 'Lace and Whiskey'. 'Millie and Billie' is a creepy little tune about murderous lovers, that hides behind a nice ballad. This is not your usual Alice Cooper fare, but it is a fantastic album and only gets better the more often you hear it. After several listens you too will be humming 'We're All Crazy...We're all Crazy...Crazy. Crazy. Crazy'

Back in the late 70's, I was aware of Alice Cooper only because of this album. I bought it and played it until the grooves were practically worn out. Only later did I realize that Uncle Alice was the scary dude that all the kids' parents were freaked out about. And no Billion Dollar Babies or School's Out tracks compare with any single one of the cuts on this CD. This Alice is not the same guy as the one that you hear in the rest of his music. No sirree, Bob! This Alice is going thru some serious mental and physical pain and you can feel every bit of it right along with him. I can still picture "Nurse Rozetta". I can never forget "Serious". And "The Quiet Room" still haunts. Don't miss an opportunity to get yourself the Real Alice. Overlooked...definitely. Forgettable...definitely not.

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?"

This album was released back in 1978 and would have to be my favourite Alice Cooper album. It was inspired by his battle with alcoholism and features some great rocking tracks with some heavy duty guitar work. My favourite track would have to be the mournful ballad "Billie And Millie" which is about two criminally insane lovers. The lyrics contain " And I liked your late husband Donald, though such torture his memory brings. All sliced up and sealed tight in baggies, I guess love makes you do funny things!!!".Some people might say I have a warped mind to enjoy a song such as this but I say "ALICE COOPER ROCKS!!!"

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.

Originally released in 1978,as this was Cooper's follow-up to his 'Lace&Whiskey' effort(see my review).As I remember,'From The Inside' may've not been a top seller,but I believe it did 'okay',as this was when I first started hanging around record stores on a weekly basis.I also recall Alice saying in an interview that 'From...' would be a return to some of the original style he had concepted back in his early days and that it would make the lp's 'Welcome...','Goes To Hell' and 'Lace...' look like a joke.When I first saw something like four(4)songs from this lp performed live on the Midnight Special(anyone else remember that?),I knew I wouldn't be disappointed in the new album when it came out a month later.Is it just me or did Midnight Special suck MOST of the time?Always thought that 'From...' was basically decent rock&roll,WITH a touch of disco to it,JUST to perhaps fit in with the times.Tunes I always have liked are the title cut "From The Inside",the semi-heavy rockin' "Nurse Rozetta"(about a hot nurse),"Serious","For Veronica's Sake"(about Alice's dog that he needs to get back from the pound during his stay in the looney bin)and "Inmates(We're All Crazy)".My very first concert I ever attended was to see Alice on the first month of THIS tour and it was an unforgetable event,well for all Cooper fans anyway.I remember seeing Davey Johnstone in his touring band(Elton John's guitarist)along with a very large scale theatrical production.Oh,yeah and the music was good,too.A nice catalog title of the Coop's repertoire to check out when you can.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the fact that Bernie Taupin, longtime collaborator with Elton John, was heavily involved on this album. Buy it!

For those who think "Nightmare" is Alice's quintessential work, it could well be they've never hear "From the Inside," Alice's 1978 masterpiece.
Surrounded by Producer David Foster and company (Toto personnel, Chicago personnel, and some of Elton John's cronies- including daughter Kiki Dee and lyrisist Bernie Taupin) Alice puts forth his best work ever- a dark, brooding, sometimes comical work inspired by his brief stay in a mental institution circa- late 1977.
The title track "From the Inside," kicks off this "concept album" explaining how alcohol and the supernatural put Alice into this surreal scenario.
"Wish I Were Born in Beverly Hills," is a scathing piece, critcal of all the valium-popping, Bevely Hills wives who occasionally end up in the neighboring padded cell.
"Quiet Room," is a beautiful song that first revealed to me Alice's ability to actually sing, and not just scream and scowl. This Chicago-esque song could have been a top 40 hit if not for the grisly subject matter.
"Nurse Rozetta," is a masterful funky groove with witty (though be they sexual) lyrics and an incredible musical break that reflects the scale of the talent Alice was working with.
"Millie and Billie," is a bizzare tale of two twisted lovers incarcerated at the facility for killing each other's mates- again lyrically great.
"Serious," is the first indication we have that Alice's mental health is improving (our collective mental health improves as we compare ourselves to his derranged inmates) and that he's had just about enough of all the lunacy around him.
"How You Gonna See Me Now," is a beautiful ballad reflecting on the stigma of mental illness. Somehow, people who've been institutionalized never seem to regain the full trust of those around them and closest to them.
"For Veronica's Sake," is a silly little rocker about Alice's need to get home so he can tend to his dog. ("For Veronica's sake you gotta get me outta here...")
"Jackknife Johnny," perhaps the most moving and meaningful piece on the album, is a tribute to all those vietnam vets who came home with less sanity than they had before they left. Just about moves me to tears everytime I hear it.
The album closes with "Inmates (We're All Crazy)" an anthem defending the mentally ill and celebrating their twisted place in our culture. Another lyrical great.
The lyrics throughout this album are phenomenal. I know that Bernie Taupin had a lot to do with that, but the stories told here- and the ways in which they're told- are incredible.
The thing the CD lacks most is the original album art. I picked this album up out of a cutout bin and discovered a masterpiece. Not only was the music incredible- one of my very favorite albums ever- but the album art was great. Alice's face on the front are two doors leading into the mental facility. When layed open, they reveal the institutions inner sanctum and all the characters that Alice is singing about. Inside was a little flap that opened to reveal Alice huddled in the corner of the Quiet Room. The back cover had two doors that opened to reveal all of the patients running out with release papers. Genius.
This album will never be paralleled and every music lover- especially Alice fans- should own this.