Customer Reviews

Dragontown (Special Edition)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Alice Cooper is simply amazing...and his latest effort prooves it. I bought Dragontown when it first came out, and I didn't like it as much as his under-appreciated Brutal Planet, but I still liked it. Today I went to Best Buy and saw this Limited Edition CD in a white slip case with mirrorized red lettering and had to have it. Not only is Dragontown an awesome record, but the bonus disc just adds to its' brilliance. Four songs-3 live and one remix and 2 videos. "Clowns will eat me" I think is on the Brutal Planet deluxe edition, and the song is great. The 2 live tracks are ultimate classics (in my view), "Go to Hell" & probably my favorite Alice song, "Ballad of Dwight Fry." His vocals sound amazing...even on hitting the high notes in "Ballad of Dwight Fry." The remix could sound more haunting, more Alice. It sounds as if "Brutal Planet" was being played at a dance club (but not as poppy or cheesy). I think if Rob Zombie remixed it the song would be better. All in all, Dragontown Limited Edition is amazing and it's a must have for any Alice Cooper fan.

With "DRAGONTOWN," the remarkable and ageless rock legend, Alice Cooper, completes his brilliant trilogy of good versus evil that started with the 1994 release of "THE LAST TEMPTATION." The second installment built to a crescendo with the 2000 release of the apocalyptic yet thoroughly entertaining "BRUTAL PLANET."

Now with "DRAGONTOWN," Alice has outdone himself with an album that not only hits all the right notes musically and lyrically, but also chronicles the events of the world like nothing I have heard in the last decade. This is a mission to the darkest regions of the Brutal Planet. Whether you are into hard rock, heavy metal, gothic, industrial, or even an occasional ballad, this collection hits the bulls eye on all fronts. Tracks such as "Triggerman," "Dragontown," "Deeper," "Somewhere In The Jungle," and "Sex, Death & Money" will absolutely pin you to the wall. "Disgraceland" is the most inventive and disturbing send-up on the life of Elvis Presley that has ever been written.

The album closes with "The Sentinel," where Alice seems to predict, almost to the letter, the catostrophic events that occurred on September 11, 2001.

For over 30 years, Alice has been a master visionary and observer, depicting the reality of life in America and the world with a dark tongue-in-cheek satire that few artists can ever hope to hold a candle to. What really disturbs me is the fact that if Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2, or The Dave Matthew's Band were writing material like that found on DRAGONTOWN - or any of Alice's albums - they would be on the cover of every rock magazine in the country.

Why has the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame continued to neglect Alice? Why does someone like Ozzy Osbourne (who hasn't grown a lick musically) continue to garner so much press? And what about Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Godsmack, Alice In Chains, Ministry, White Zombie, Black Sabbath, Stone Temple Pilots and numerous other contemporaries? All great bands in their own right, but next to Alice they sound repetitive and lacking in fresh ideas.

I think Rob Zombie summed up the Alice Cooper phenomena best when he said: "People have been ripping him off for years. They just don't have the stones to admit it." Remember The Coop'. Accept no substitutes.

After welcoming us to Brutal Planet, Alice Cooper gives his loyal fans the second instalment in the Brutal Planet Trilogy. This album is more diverse than its predecessor but it is still as dark themed. Here is a review of the songs, one by one:

1. Triggerman- This is one of the best opening tracks in Alice Cooper albums. Hard rocking, up-tempo music which is very energetic. The booklet states this is a remix, mainly because the vocals were distorted to give the song a better effect. The only flaw is that in the end it changes beat and becomes rather funny.(rating:9)

2. Deeper- This is one of those songs which are present only for the continuity of the story. The riff is similar to the song "Brutal Planet" however this is slower and tends to get boring by time. (rating 6)

3. Dragontown- This is the perfect Alice title track. The song starts off slowly but has a very good up-beat chorus, which is also one of the best choruses on the album. This one is full of references to the first album of the trilogy. Wicked young man, the family of bones, everyone is mentioned here. One of my personal favourites. (rating 10)

4. Sex, Death & Money- Another slow song but much better than Deeper. Very interesting intro to the song and the opening drum beat sounds somewhat like Marilyn Manson's "The Nobodies". The lyrics are very good and somewhat ironic. Overall this is an enjoyable song and a lyrical highlight.(rating: 8)

5. Fantasy Man- This is another up-tempo song with classic Alice Cooper tongue in cheek lyrics. This song is possibly the catchiest one on the whole album with a really good chorus. It's one of my personal favourites and I think it would have been a good single had Alice decided to release any. (rating:9)

6. Somewhere in the Jungle- Slow jungle beat. Not one of my personal favourites but it is a lyrical highlight. This is a song about wars in Africa and the suffering of African people which we tend to forget. (rating:7)

7. Disgraceland- Rockabilly song. Alice sometimes does Elvis style vocals and it turns out to be a sort of Elvis-Alice duet. Even Elvis is in Dragontown!! Classic tongue-in-cheek Alice humor but sounds like it shouldn't be on Dragontown. (rating:8)

8. Sister Sara- This is a mid-tempo but very heavy song, ala Eat Some More off Brutal Planet. It is abuot a nun who turns into a whore. The song also features Calico as Sister Sara. Somewhat catchy chorus, but not one of the best. (rating:7)

9. Every Woman Has a Name- Another great Alice Cooper ballad, this is part 3 of the trilogy, which is made up of Only Women Bleed, Take it Like a Woman and this. Good lyrics and awesome performance by the Coop. It is somewhat similar to How You Gonna See Me Now, but Alice sounds better. (rating:9)

10. I Just Wanna be God- A lyrical highlight, up-tempo song which features Alice rapping on the vocals and a catchy chorus. Alice is impersonating the devil, who is frustrated and singing about how he wants to be God. My personal favourite. Very nu-metallish song. (rating:10)

11. It's Much too Late- Beatelesque song about a man wondering how he ended up in Dragontown. Beatle-style chorus and once again a real good vocal performance by Alice Cooper. (rating:8)

12. The Sentinel- Very heavy mid-tempo song. This one has good lyrics but it should have been a faster song to close off the album better. Alice is sending everyone to hell here, the lyrics sound as if written after September 11, "there's something disturbin' goin on in my turban" (rating; 7)

Overall, this effort equals but fails to surpass its predecessor, Brutal Planet. Alice's vocals are in better shape but the lyrics on Brutal Planet are better. Also this is very varied, and while it can be seen as an advantage it sometimes makes the album sound like it is many bits and pieces put together on a cd. That said, it is still a great album, Alice shows that he's still capable to rock n roll. Deserves full marks.

If you're an Alice fan, this is a must. If you're a nu-metal fan, this is a must. If you're a fan of the new "shock-rockers", pick this up to see the power of the original master and creator of shock. He's still out there and ready to rock. Can't wait for number 3!!! :)

"Dragontown" is Alice's best album since 1994's "The Last Temptation". This edition comes with (Can't Sleep) "Clowns Will Eat Me" which was only previously available on the Japanese import of the "Brutal Planet" album. The song "Brutal Planet" is remixed on the bonus CD and it is not all that interesting of a remix and probably should not haven been done. It also features two live tracks "Got to Hell" and "Ballad of Dwight Fry" which isn't all that thrilling either since live versions of these tracks were previously available on various imports. A common complaint about Alice Cooper concerts is that you know what songs you are going to hear because he adds very little recent material in his set lists (material from "Constrictor" to "Dragontown"). If he added a couple live tracks of recent material that haven't been available before, I would've given it five stars "Dragontown" rocks, but the bonus CD is only worth buying for "Clowns" and if you have the Japanese import of "Brutal Planet", don't bother picking this CD up. My four star rating is based on the "Dragontown" album itself, not this bonus CD.

When the CD came out, I went positivly crazy until I gould get it. Then I finally bought it, got it home, and sat there fumbling with the plastic wrapper. Buying a new CD by a classic, beloved artist is sort of like paying good money to get ahold of Pandora's box. Do you dare open it and play it? Will certain doom befall the world? Where is my Magic 8-Ball?

I was scared. I'd over played Brutal Planet. That's a great album there, even if I played every single song every single day until I was sick of all of them. I had this little voice in my head that said, "You're a gonna be livin in pain once you put that CD on." That little voice was WAY WRONG, buddy.

I was blown away. I don't feel that all the songs were quite as heavy as on Brutal Planet, but soundwise it had a much more diverse style on every song. A few of the songs seemed a bit reminiscent of old Alice Cooper, some not. Definatly, Brutal Planet and Dragon Town are modern Alice Cooper. It amazes me that Alice Cooper can adapt modern musical styles, but make them ALL HIS OWN. And to top that off, it's always some of the best music as well. Even though he/they don't have the hype of most current metal/hard rock bands, and get quite a bit of hatred from the Spooky Manson Club of 14 Year Old Middle Class Goth Kids, they're still doing better music than you're going to find running on MTV. And I mean that too. There's this overwhelming notion that Alice Cooper is "not cool". Well, guess what. Alice Cooper ain't cool. Marilyn Manson ain't cool. Slipknot ain't cool. BRITNEY SPEARS and NSYNC are the cool ones. So if you're worried about only listening to the "cool" music, you better dump all that metal and get with the In Crowd on MTV's TRL. Every day at four est. standard time. Better hurry, you might be missing it right now! U BeTteR sEt Ur VcR nOw PEEPS : ^D !!!!11

Enough ranting on that.

"Triggerman" = fast paced, hard hitting, awesome. "Deeper" is... woah. I love this song. It's hard, it's heavy, I could listen to it all day. "Dragontown" is a good song. A really good song, but not my personal favorite. "Sex, Death, and Money" is simply magnificent. I grin, I sing along, I dance around. "Fantasy Man" wins me over just because it's funny, very funny. "Somewhere in the Jungle" will rock your world, you'll be humming it all day.

As somebody whose family comes from the south, specifically MEMPHIS, TN, I'm used to Elvis as being revered as something close to Jesus. If Memphian Catholics had more of an influence, I'm sure he'd have been named a saint by now. So "DisGraceland" hit me first as extreme heresy, ("OH MY GOSH! He just insulted Jesus... errr... I mean, ELVIS!") and then I fell over laughing. It's so, so SO true. God bless you, Alice Cooper, you said what needed to be said. And in the voice of The King Himself.

"Sister Sara" has this amazing chorus that sticks with me. I really, really love this song. Almost to counteract "Sister Sara", "Every Woman Has a Name" comes up next. It's a shame that this song will probably never get the recognition that it deserves. In meaning and overall empathetic kindness and understanding, I feel that it gives "Only Women Bleed" a run for its money. I'd say it's one of the best songs I've heard in a long, long while. It's such a true, true song. I've been toutched.

"I Just Wanna be God" is funny, funny parody of the mindset loads of people have today. You just listen, shake your head, and say to yourself, "Yes, it's ALL true." "It's Much Too Late" is probably, right under the Elvis song, the funniest on the album. Funny in the way that it's true, and sort of a spiritual warning to all of us that when it comes to living your life, sometimes it ISN'T just the thought that counts. "The Sentinel" ends the album. It's got some good words, good points, and overall is a pretty darn accurate view on terrorism and violence.

It's a shame the daily news doesn't have the clarity of Dragon Town.

"Sound alarm
It's Armageddon R.S.V.P.
Sound alarm
Babylon's burning sea to sea."
--A&M recording artist Michael Anderson, 1988

Alice Cooper releases "Dragontown" again, and the original disc is still the same old gloomy thing it was a year ago, not that I didn't dig it.

We will focus on the bonus disc here, leading off with "Clowns Will Eat Me," available since the original release of "Brutal Planet" in 2000, Japanese release only.

I always liked "Clowns," when it was on my hard-drive a long time ago. It's finally nice to have it on regular CD... I guess. I can't deny feeling like Jimmy Fallon, insincere and with my hair sticking up ...

It is a really good song, but has very little to do with the Brutal/Dragontown theme, so far as I can see.

We have live versions of "Go to Hell" and "Ballad of Dwight Fry," both from the "Brutally Live" DVD soundtrack.

They are both stellar performances.

The gem here is the "Brutal Planet" re-mix. When I first heard the original, alcohol logged and through tinny speakers reaching my tinny ears (in May, 2000), I thought, "That siren's got to go!"

I have since come to love the siren, or the guitars which I think sound like a siren. It's appropriate for a Brutal Planet headed toward Armageddon.

However, I missed my fun-loving Alice, but only a little because of songs like "It's the Little Things" (featured on computer-playable video here, Quicktime preferred). Most of the CD was very dark, and "Dragontown" was even way, way darker.

"Brutal Planet" re-mix features an outright danceable version. I'm reminded of the guy who used to dance by himself in the middle of the Amarillo Civic Center in the early '80s during intermissions of rock shows. I will never forget him swaying to Black Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell," all by himself.

This re-mix is for him!

I do love it, but I'm old enough to be a parent, really (even though I'm not) of the younger ones who love the harder edge of the original.

So I guess I can just take Alice's cue from "Flush the Fashion" in 1980, from the kid's perspective:

I get a kiss good-bye
I get all numb and high
From all the smoke left on their breath
I smile and wish them well
Then I pray like hell
They go and dance themselves to death

Come on momma
Come on daddy
Come on skinny
Come on fatty
Shake it Martha
Shake it Larry
Shake it Mr. Coronary
You gotta dance dance
Come on and dance dance
Dance til you're outta breath

If it's all the same to you, I WILL be dancing to it. I love the re-mix!

(Also featured is the video for "Gimme.")

This latest offering titled "DragonTown" comes in true Alice fashion. Kicking the album off is the powerful "Triggerman". With the line "I am the triggerman, I am the underhand, I'm full of dirty tricks, I'm twice as smart and certainly twice as sick" it is a perfect Alice song.

I've seen Alice in concert several times and when listening to his new music, I visualize the song live and this album has several cuts to offer for the live forum.

The album is solid overall and features the ballad "Every Woman Has A Name" which is one of Alice's strongest ballads ever. Not since "Only Women Bleed", "How You Gonna See Me Now", and "You and Me" has Alice shined like this on a ballad. A definite high point of the disc.

Another high point lyrically is the song "It's Much Too Late" about finding yourself in hell after doing everything right while here on earth. The hypnotic "Deeper" is a rockin' track as is "Somewhere In The Jungle", and the albums title track. "Disgraceland" has Alice singing ala Elvis. It's a tongue in cheek tune about "The King" and his passing. Finally, undoubtably the most controversial song on the album is "Sister Sarah" about a nun who has had the bishop, the abbot, and even Alice.

The whole album has the underlying theme of death running through almost every song. If this album were to be released by Marilyn Manson it would be a very controversial piece of work with a lot of negative press and publicity. But since it's Alice who is no longer seen as he was twenty plus years ago, I doubt much will come of it in any negative way.

The album is a must for any Alice fan and it proves that he still has a lot left to offer. Pick this one up for sure!

Alice Cooper is back with his new album, "DragonTown", which is in the same vein as his previous album "Brutal Planet". I have to say that I'm more a fan of Alice's 70's albums but this album isn't that bad. The title track is pretty good. Alice still seems to have his sense of twisted humor, but it's much darker now. The stand out tracks are "Triggerman", "DragonTown", "Fantasy Man", "Disgraceland" (a hilarious Elvis ditty), "Every Woman Has A Name" (although you may know this song by it's previous titles, "Only Women Bleed" or "You Took It Like A Woman") and "It's Much Too Late". If you're looking for another "Welcome To My Nightmare" or "Billion Dollar Babies" you won't find it here. If you're looking for that twisted sense of humor with a REALLY dark twist, then you'll enjoy your stay in DragonTown.

The latest--and darkest--of Alice's releases takes us on a chilling tour of the underworld, rock-n-roll style. From the explosive opening of the anonymous "Triggerman" ("got no fingerprints or DNA; don't need an alibi cuz I don't exist") we are guided by the Master through his version of the apocalypse. Stops along the way include "Sex, Death, and Money," which is "the gospel here in Dragontown." Alice tells the amusing tale of how he was "so offended" as he "sat for 3 hours" at an adult entertainment show, where, "a couple hundred dollars later I was up on a morals rap." The Beatle-esque "It's Much Too Late" is dedicated to--and sounds very much like--the late John Lennon, who wonders why he's "down here" and plaintively claims that "there must be some mistake up there in heaven." The hilarious spoof of "Disgraceland" (which needs no explanation, really) reminds us that even a king can die on his throne; Alice spookily emulates the "once and former king's" voice to perfection. Our journey ends with the haunting tale of the "Sentinel," who smugly informs us that he's sending us all to hell (while he calmly sits, soldering his C2 bomb). Wonder what the Master can possibly do for an encore? Alice, you'll ALWAYS be MY "Fantasy Man!"

Veteran shock rocker Alice Cooper's 2001 follow up to the fantastic "BRUTAL PLANET" (2000) isn't quite as satisfying, but is an enormously entertaining album as well. The album consists of twelve tracks (written by Cooper and Bob Marlette) that detail the inhabitants and goings-on in Dragontown, the bleakest location on Brutal Planet. Each track is briskly paced and the choruses are as memorable as ever. The music backing Alice's superb vocals is heavy, ugly and, most importantly, contemporary. The entire feel of the disc is darkness, rage and despair. If that appeals to you (as it does to me), then you'll easily overlook the flaws. For some odd reason, most of the tracks don't sound quite complete. It's almost as if the released version of the album is missing a few guitar or bass riffs here and there. Also there are times when the mix itself doesn't sound quite right and the instruments drown out the vocals a bit (particularly during the first track "Triggerman"). Fans of Alice Cooper and fans of just the darker side of life in general should really get a kick out of this album though. Upon first listen it sounded like a bare bones version of "BRUTAL PLANET" but as I listened more and more I realized what a truly original piece of work "DRAGONTOWN" really is. Although not as fully developed all around as his previous effort, "DRAGONTOWN" captures the angry, freaky Alice at his anti-establishment best!