From the Inside is one of my absolute favorite albums, and the theme is really exactly what it sounds like. The album is about the various characters Alice met when he admitted himself to the Betty Ford Clinic – at least it is said that this famous facility was the one used for the purpose, but you can never be completely sure – in order to finally get his alcohol abuse under control. It is said that Alice consumed two cases of Budweiser and a bottle of whiskey a day, but I wonder if that isn’t just an old story…
Anyway, here he has enlisted the help of lyricist Bernie Taupin, who is perhaps best known for his collaboration with Elton John, and the result is really successful! The characters the songs are about are really twisted and completely different from one another, you can truly say that there is quite a cast of characters. I also think that the music holds together much better here than on the previous albums Lace and Whiskey and Alice Cooper Goes to Hell. There is a different continuity between the songs, and there is also a well-balanced mixture of ballads and uptempo songs.
We meet the Vietnam veteran Jackknife Johnny and are confronted with his problems, sexual frustration in Nurse Rozetta, where a man of God has carnal desires, and a generally reckless way of life in Serious. The ballad Millie and Billie is one of the best throughout his entire career and is also a duet with Marcy Levy. All in all, quite different songs, but as I mentioned earlier, they fit together very well. There is a certain intensity throughout the whole thing that is very interesting and present in almost all of the songs. Really, it is only the title track From the Inside that feels a little radio-friendly, apart from the album’s second single, perhaps – How You Gonna See Me Now?
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