Alice Cooper: Goes To Hell (Limited Orange Vinyl)

Alice Cooper’s Goes To Hell is one of those records that gets overshadowed by the bigger titles around it, but it has a filthy charm all its own. This limited orange vinyl reissue came out on 16 October 2018 through Rhino as part of the Rocktober series, pressed on 140g orange vinyl. Rhino says it was limited to 4,000 copies, and lists the UPC as 603497858859.

As an album, Goes To Hell works because Alice Cooper fully commits to the sleazy theatre of it. This is not raw shock rock in the early band sense, and it is not as grand or iconic as Welcome to My Nightmare, but it has a decadent, overlit, slightly ridiculous energy that suits Cooper perfectly. It sounds like a drunken descent through a showbiz underworld, full of smirking cabaret, hard rock swagger, and enough self-awareness to keep it from turning pompous. That tone is the whole appeal. Even when it is theatrical to the point of absurdity, it feels deliberate.

The title track sets the mood straight away. “Go To Hell” is one of those songs that sounds like it was built for a sneer, and Cooper knows exactly how to sell it. “I’m The Coolest” and “You Gotta Dance” push further into the album’s glam-sleaze persona, while “I Never Cry” gives the record its emotional centre and probably its strongest individual song. Rhino’s notes call out “I Never Cry” specifically, and for good reason. It cuts through all the costume drama with something bruised and human underneath.

That is why Goes To Hell is better than its reputation sometimes suggests. It is not a flawless album. The second half drifts a little, and some of the more overtly theatrical cuts feel more amusing than essential. But it is never dull. There is always some weird arrangement choice, some sarcastic lyric, or some overcooked bit of showbiz rot keeping it alive. If Welcome to My Nightmare was the statement piece, Goes To Hell is the grimier afterparty. Less essential, maybe, but also meaner and stranger in a way that has aged pretty well.

For collectors, the orange vinyl is the version to have if you want the Rocktober pressing. Rhino confirms the format as 1LP, orange vinyl, 140g, and Discogs ties that same pressing to the RCV1 2896 catalogue number.