The Studio Albums 1975-1978

2026, Rhino Records, R1 728507

This European vinyl box set features remastered copies of Alice's first four solo albums (i.e. Welcome To My Nightmare, Goes to Hell, Lace and Whiskey and From the Inside) along with an initially intriguing 'Bonus Misdemeanors' disc housed in a nice large metallic slipcase.

Initially costings a whopping £94.99, and featuring a bespoke shipping container, each album is reproduced to reflect the original vinyl releases. Sadly, this means basic sleeves as none of these albums were originally subject to particularly lavish designs. The only exception is From The Inside, which faithfully recreates the more elaborate approach taken for this release with opening cover and doors on both inside and rear. Comparing the sleeves to the original releases gives the impression that a budget approach was taken to their reproduction, with fairly cheap feeling materials used.

It is also worth pointing out that the 'Alice Cooper' logo used on the slipcase, which was first seen in 1986's Constrictor album, doesn't align with the material covered in this box set.

The Bonus Misdemeanors disc contains the following content:

> Welcome To My Nightmare (Single Version);
> Department Of Youth (Single Version);
> Only Women Bleed (Single Version);
> You And Me (Single Version);
> From The Inside (Single Version);
> No Tricks; and
> Road Rats (Soundtrack Version).

Regrettably, none of this content is exciting, as it has all been released before (as part of supporting singles and / or other releases covering this era). This is a shame as there must have been better content available?

I'm certainly no audiophile but the quality of the material provided is very impressive and sounds excellent on even a modest record player.

For the money, this box set is a hard sell as there simply isn't enough to justify the price tag (especially if you already own the albums).

Discogs Link: Click Here 

For Super Duper Alice Cooper Click Here.