Goes to Hell

On his 1976 follow-up to Welcome to my Nightmare, Alice continues the narrative but goes all Dante on us in a comically absurd way, taking longtime producer Bob Ezrin and cowriter Dick Wagner with him. He’s the pre-eminent mirror star on the charging “Go to Hell,” condemning himself for havoc he's wrought upon the world. He’s a delusional narcissist on “I’m the Coolest,” revealing a Harry Nilsson–like wit and a sinister campfire croon that we knew had always lurked inside him. The striking ballad and album centerpiece “I Never Cry” is remarkable; it might be the first alcoholic’s confessional to top charts around the world. He’s all creepy sex in a hellish disco on “You Gotta Dance," and he’s a raise-the-dead infidel who rocks hard enough on “Guilty” and “Wish You Were Here” to satisfy followers of his early-’70s work. Still, hardcore fans cried sellout. In truth, the Coop was still all about innovation, evolving and testing limits—albeit with slicker production—long after the original group split up in 1974.