Editing Alice Cooper (section)

===Alice Cooper solo: 1975–1980===
In 1975, Alice Cooper returned as a solo artist with the release of ''[[Welcome to My Nightmare]]''. To avoid legal complications over ownership of the group name, "Alice Cooper" had by then become Furnier's new legal name. Speaking on the subject of Alice Cooper continuing as a solo project as opposed to the band it once was, Cooper stated in 1975, "It got very basically down to the fact that we had drawn as much as we could out of each other. After ten years, we got pretty dry together." Manager Gordon added, "What had started in a sense as a pipe-dream became an overwhelming burden."<ref name="news.google.ca"/> The success of ''[[Welcome to My Nightmare]]'' marked the final breakup of the original members of the band, with Cooper collaborating with their producer Bob Ezrin, who recruited [[Lou Reed]]'s backing band, including guitarists [[Dick Wagner]] and [[Steve Hunter]], to play on the album. Spearheaded by the US Top 20 hit ballad "[[Only Women Bleed]]", the album was released by [[Atlantic Records]] in March of that year and became a Top 10 hit for Cooper. It was a concept album that was based on the nightmare of a child named Steven, featuring narration by classic horror movie film star [[Vincent Price]], and serving as the soundtrack to Cooper's new stage show, which now showcased more theatrics than ever, including an {{convert|8|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} furry [[Cyclopes|Cyclops]] which Cooper decapitated and killed.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}

Accompanying the album and stage show was the television special ''The Nightmare'', starring Cooper and [[Vincent Price]], which aired on US prime-time TV in April 1975. ''The Nightmare'' (which was later released on home video in 1983 and gained a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Music Film|Best Long Form Music Video]]) was regarded as another groundbreaking moment in rock history. Adding to it all, a concert film, ''[[Welcome to My Nightmare (film)|Welcome to My Nightmare]]'', produced, directed, and choreographed by ''[[West Side Story]]'' cast member [[David Winters (choreographer)|David Winters]] and filmed live at London's [[Wembley Arena]] in September 1975, was released to theaters in 1976. The film was released in a special edition DVD in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alice Cooper to release 'Welcome to My Nightmare' special edition DVD |url=https://www.axs.com/alice-cooper-to-release-welcome-to-my-nightmare-special-edition-dvd-th-120823 |website=[[AXS (company)|AXS]] |access-date=December 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206191608/https://www.axs.com/alice-cooper-to-release-welcome-to-my-nightmare-special-edition-dvd-th-120823 |archive-date=December 6, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Such was the immense success of Cooper's solo project that he decided to continue as a solo artist, and the original band became officially defunct. Bruce, Dunaway, and Smith would go on to form the short-lived band Billion Dollar Babies, producing one studio album—''Battle Axe''—in 1977. While occasionally performing with one another and [[Glen Buxton]], they would not reunite with Alice until October 23, 1999, at the second Glen Buxton Memorial Weekend for a show at CoopersTown in Phoenix. They reunited for another show, with [[Steve Hunter]] on guitar, on December 16, 2010, at the [[Arizona Financial Theatre|Dodge Theatre]] in Phoenix.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxuPXFuhBSQ |title=Alice Cooper – Dennis Dunaway Interview |website=YouTube |date=October 30, 2011 |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016190220/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxuPXFuhBSQ |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> This lineup would perform together again (televised) on March 14, 2011, at the induction of the original Alice Cooper group into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], as well as on May 11, 2011, at London's [[Battersea Power Station]] at the [[Jägermeister]] Ice Cold 4D event (webcast). In 2011, Bruce, Dunaway, and Smith appeared on three tracks they co-wrote on Alice's solo studio album ''[[Welcome 2 My Nightmare]]''. In 2017, they appeared on two tracks they co-wrote on Alice's solo studio album ''[[Paranormal (Alice Cooper album)|Paranormal]]'', released in July, and in November they joined his current live band for five tour dates in the United Kingdom.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}

[[File:Alice Cooper 1977.JPG|thumb|upright|Cooper in 1976]]
Following the 1976 US No. 12 ballad hit "[[I Never Cry]]";<ref name="Ezrin"/> two studio albums, ''[[Alice Cooper Goes to Hell]]'' and ''[[Lace and Whiskey]]''; and the 1977 US No. 9 ballad hit "[[You and Me (Alice Cooper song)|You and Me]]", it became clear during his 1977 US tour that Cooper was in dire need of help with his alcoholism (at his alcoholic peak it was rumored that he was consuming up to two cases of [[Budweiser]] beer and a bottle of [[Seagram's Seven Crown]] whiskey a day). Following the tour, Cooper had himself hospitalized in a sanitarium for treatment, during which time the live album ''[[The Alice Cooper Show]]'' was released.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Alice Cooper Show – Alice Cooper |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-alice-cooper-show-mw0000189513 |website=AllMusic |access-date=December 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423184303/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-alice-cooper-show-mw0000189513 |archive-date=April 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1978, a [[sobriety|sobered]] Cooper used his experience in the sanitarium as the inspiration for his semi-autobiographical studio album ''[[From the Inside (Alice Cooper album)|From the Inside]]'', which he co-wrote with [[Bernie Taupin]], known for his work with Elton John; it spawned yet another US Top 20 hit ballad, "[[How You Gonna See Me Now]]". The subsequent tour's stage show was based inside an asylum, and was filmed for Cooper's first home-video release, ''[[The Strange Case of Alice Cooper]]'', in 1979. Around this time, Cooper performed "Welcome to My Nightmare", "You and Me", and "School's Out" on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' (episode #307) on March 28, 1978 (he played one of the [[devil]]'s henchmen trying to dupe [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Gonzo (Muppet)|Gonzo]] and [[Miss Piggy]] into selling their souls). He also appeared in an against-typecasting role as a piano-playing disco waiter in [[Mae West]]'s final film, ''[[Sextette]]'', and as a villain in the film ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film)|Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]''. Cooper also led celebrities in raising money to remodel the famous [[Hollywood Sign]] in Los Angeles, California. Cooper himself contributed over $27,000 to the project, buying an O in the sign in memory of close friend and comedian [[Groucho Marx]]. In 1979, Cooper also guest starred on good friend [[Soupy Sales]]' show, ''[[Soupy Sales#Lunch with Soupy Sales|Lunch with Soupy Sales]]'' and was hit in the face with a pie, as part of the show. When asked about the experience, Cooper had this to say about his friend: "Being from Detroit, I came home every day and watched Soupy at lunch (Lunch with Soupy Sales). One of the greatest moments of my life was getting pie-faced by Soupy. He was one of my all time heroes."<ref>{{cite web |title=Alice Cooper gets pied in the face on 'The Soupy Sales Show' |url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/alice_cooper_gets_pied_in_the_face_on_the_soupy_sales_show |website=Dangerous Minds |date=October 16, 2018 |access-date=December 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207044205/https://dangerousminds.net/comments/alice_cooper_gets_pied_in_the_face_on_the_soupy_sales_show |archive-date=December 7, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>