The most engaging Alice Cooper album of all

Alice Cooper - From the Inside

Five of five stars

Alice Cooper has been reinventing himself and his sound over and over again for decades, but 1978's From the Inside stands out as the most transparent, personal and honest effort to date. Too, the musicality is unmatched in the Cooper catalog. A deeply introspective exploration of Alice's thoughts and of the characters he claimed to have met while in a sanitarium addressing his alcoholism, this is a rock album that everyone should give a spin.

Worthy of mentioning is that Cooper's songwriting collaborator on this album was Bernie Taupin, most famous for his long-time professional association with Sir Elton John. Personally, this particular Alice Cooper album ranks as one of my top three favorites, in such diverse company as Killer and Raise Your Fist & Yell, though it's more accessible than the other two for newbies to the Alice Cooper catalog or those who like their rock a little less hard. Be warned, though - it's definitely dated and a few tracks have a distinct, funky kind of '70s vibe.