Dragontown is the fifteenth solo 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. Although Cooper toured the album with his Descent into Dragontown tour in 2001 and 2002, only four Dragontown songs – “Sex, Death and Money”,[3] “Fantasy Man”,[4] “Every Woman Has a Name”,[5] and “Triggerman”[6] – were performed at all during this supporting tour, with only “Sex, Death and Money” and “Fantasy Man” remaining in the setlist to the end. With the exception of five performances of “Disgraceland”[7] in July 2003 during the Bare Bones Tour, nothing from Dragontown has ever been performed live subsequent to the end of the album’s supporting tour.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   Link |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable) link |
| HM Magazine | [8] |
Story and themes
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."[8] 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.[8]
The track Disgraceland sees Cooper deliver verses while impersonating Elvis Presley.[9] The song relates to Presley's final years and subsequent death and of the track, Cooper has said: "I'm sort of doing a commentary on the absurdity of it, the fact that the greatest rock 'n' roll hero of all time died on a toilet."[10]
Track listing
All tracks are written 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 |
Personnel
- Alice Cooper - Vocals
- Ryan Roxie - Guitar
- Greg Smith - Bass
- Kenny Aronoff - Drums
Session musicians
- Tim Pierce - Guitar
- Bob Marlette - Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
References
- ^ "Classic Alice Cooper Albums To Be Released On Vinyl". Blabbermouth.net. September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ Alice Cooper : Dragontown - Listen, Review and Buy at ARTISTdirect
- ^ "Sex, Death and Money by Alice Cooper". Setlist.fm.
- ^ "Fantasy Man by Alice Cooper". Setlist.fm.
- ^ "Every Woman Has a Name by Alice Cooper". Setlist.fm.
- ^ "Triggerman by Alice Cooper". Setlist.fm.
- ^ "Disgraceland by Alice Cooper". Setlist.fm.
- ^ a b c Van Pelt, Doug (January–February 2002). "Reviews / Dragontown". HM Magazine (93): 56. ISSN 1066-6923.
- ^ Alice Cooper - Dragontown (CD). Metal Temple. 25 January 2002. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ Flying the coup. Las Vegas Sun. 1 August 2003. Retrieved 15 January 2021.