Dragontown
| Dragontown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Alice Cooper | ||||
| Released | September 18, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2001 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal, hard rock, industrial | |||
| Length |
50:48 69:11 (Special Edition) | |||
| Label | Spitfire | |||
| Producer | Alice Cooper, Bob Marlette[1] | |||
| Alice Cooper chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Special Edition | ||||
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Dragontown is the 22nd studio album by Alice Cooper. It was released in 2001 on Spitfire Records. Like Brutal Planet, the album displays a heavier metal style than many of his previous releases. It peaked on Billboard's "Top Independent Albums" Chart at #12, and the Billboard 200 at #197, his lowest album chart performance since 1983’s DaDa, which did not chart at all.
This is the first Alice Cooper studio album to contain no singles.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   Link |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable) link |
| HM Magazine | [2] |
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Alice Cooper and Bob Marlette, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Triggerman" | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Deeper" | 4:36 |
| 3. | "Dragontown" | 5:06 |
| 4. | "Sex, Death and Money" | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Fantasy Man" | 4:05 |
| 6. | "Somewhere in the Jungle" | 5:22 |
| 7. | "Disgraceland" | 3:34 |
| 8. | "Sister Sara" | 4:35 |
| 9. | "Every Woman Has a Name" | 3:45 |
| 10. | "I Just Wanna Be God" | 3:53 |
| 11. | "It's Much Too Late" | 4:40 |
| 12. | "The Sentinel" | 3:53 |
A special edition was released on September 24, 2002, limited to 7,500 units. It includes the original album and a bonus disc with four additional tracks.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me" | 4:09 | |
| 2. | "Go to Hell" (live) | Cooper, Dick Wagner, Bob Ezrin | 3:48 |
| 3. | "Ballad of Dwight Fry" (live) | Cooper, Michael Bruce | 4:27 |
| 4. | "Brutal Planet" (remix) | 5:27 |
Story and Themes
It has been believed by many that the album is a sequel to 2000's Brutal Planet. The title song "Dragontown" mentions several characters from that album, such as the "wicked young man" from "Wicked Young Man", the "family of bones" from "Pick Up the Bones", and the lyrical hero from "It's the Little Things". While Dragontown is billed as the worst place on Brutal Planet, several songs are about Hell and who goes there, as opposed to the apocalyptic world of "Brutal Planet." The songs "I Just Wanna Be God" and "The Sentinel" are sung from Satan's perspective, as was "Gimme". "Sister Sara" deals with a nun who "lost her soul" ("Sister Sara/It's your penalty for eternity/Did you think that you were saved?"), and is stylistically reminiscent of the previous album's eponymous opener. "It's Much Too Late" contains direct references to the life of Alice's former drinking buddy, John Lennon, sung in a faux-Liverpudlian accent.
Doug Van Pelt, editor of the Christian music oriented HM Magazine, likened Cooper to C.S. Lewis, stating that he "grabs the devil's microphone and attempts to spill his guts and reveal his wicked schemes."[2] Van Pelt further states that "It's Much Too Late" exposes "unrestrained truth" in stating that "The road to hell is littered with nice guys and good intentions..." and likens "Sex, Death and Money" to Proverbs 5 and isn't really about 'Sex, Death, and Money, but talks against it, as the Bible states.[2]
Personnel
- Alice Cooper - Vocals
- Ryan Roxie - Guitar
- Tim Pierce - Guitar
- Greg Smith - Bass
- Kenny Aronoff - Drums
- Bob Marlette - Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
References
- ↑ Alice Cooper : Dragontown - Listen, Review and Buy at ARTISTdirect
- 1 2 3 Van Pelt, Doug (January–February 2002). "Reviews / Dragontown". HM Magazine (93): 56. ISSN 1066-6923.
