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Following up 'Brutal Planet' was some task, and fans seem to be split as to whether 'Dragontown' was a move forward or a album of leftovers. Personally I think it could even be the better of the two 'heavy' albums as it's more diverse and has at least one bonefide classic in 'Sister Sarah', a sequel to 'Nurse Rozetta' ("Sister Sarah IS Nurse Rozetta" Alice said) from 1978. Elsewhere it includes the Trash-y 'Fantasy Man' and the ultra-doom of 'Deeper' with only a couple of tracks failing to make the grade. Definitly an underrated release. |
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Buy Now from Amazon |
All songs written by Alice Cooper and Bob Marlette UK Tour Edition (with blue tint slipcase) adds 'Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me' and the 'Gimme' video
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The Album
Produced by Bob Marlette
Executive Producer Bob Ezrin
Musicians
Guitars - Ryan Roxie , Tim Pierce, Wayne Swinng, Bob Marlette
Bass - Greg Smith, Bob Marlette
Drums - Kenny Aronoff
Keyboards/Programming - Sid Riggs, Bob Marlette
String Arrangement - Bob Marlette
Backing Vocals - Ryan Roxie, Teddy ZigZag Andreadis, Eric Dover, Calico Cooper, Giovanna Moraga(`Sister Sara`)
The Album
Dragontown is described by Alice as the worse town on Brutal Planet.
Dragontown is part 2 of Brutal Planet, not part 3 as stated in Spitfire Records publicity and repeated all over the place. Alice confirmed this fact in an Interview with Total Rock at the time of the release and several times since.
On the subject Spitfire records and the fact that he`s no on a small label(From `Get Rhythm` Nov. 2001):
Get Rhythm: "Another thing that's changed for you is that you're no longer dealing with a major label, does working with a smaller company give you more freedom"
Alice: "Oh it's a hundred times better, you never get lost in the shuffle. When I was with Warner Brothers I was in a stable with over a hundred more acts-great acts- so if you did not have a number 1 album you were not getting number 1 preference, while with a smaller label you are the focus for them all the time.
Let me tell you how things also changed - back in the days of School's Out & B$B even the president of the label, the vice president and the head of A&R would be down in the studios at 3am interested and enthusing about the record, really listening to the music and I really appreciated that. But after a while these record companies became so big, I could see it coming, that they just didn't care anymore, all they cared about was get the product out, sell it and get the money and that's when I decided I had to go with a smaller company.
You never know who you are really working for with a major label now, so many labels are owned by companies with anything to do with music (it says here -GR). They are only interested in the product and whether it will sell, it could be coca cola, mcdonalds, everything is so corporate. All they and the radio stations, who they influence and control via advertising, are after is the next thing. They cannot sit around and understand and nurture new talent and what they already have. They are always worried somebody else is going to get the upper hand on them, so a band doesn't really get a chance, one strike and you're out. I'll tell you something really interesting. There is a name artist I know, but I'll not name, that sold five million of his last album and the record company told him that if he does not sell at least five million with his next he is out and that's insane."
Known Releases
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Country |
Format |
Number |
Date |
Chart |
Label |
Notes |
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USA |
CD |
SPT-15200-2 |
9/10/01 |
197 |
Spitfire |
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USA |
CD |
SPT 15089-2 |
24/9/02 |
197 |
Spitfire |
Limited (7500) numbered 2CD edition with White slipcase |
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UK |
CD |
EAGCD181 |
10/01 |
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Eagle Rock |
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UK |
CD |
EDG? |
28/10/02 |
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Eagle Rock |
Limited Tour Edition with bonus tracks Can't Sleep Clowns Will Eat Me and Gimme (Video & Screensaver) |
UK |
CD |
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07 |
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Recall |
Double CD including Brutal Planet and Dragontown |
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Australia |
CD |
927422002 |
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Japan |
CD |
VICP61606 |
2001 |
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Eagle |
Promo with obi |
Germany |
2CD |
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08 |
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Eagle |
Reissue in double format with 'Brutal Planet' |
The Tour: Descent Into Dragontown Phase One
Full setlists for all Dragontown shows can be found here
Band:
Ryan Roxie - Guitar
Eric Dover - Guitar
Greg Smith - Bass
Eric Singer - Drums
Teddy `Zigzag` Andreadis - Keyboards
Calico Cooper - Nurse/Assassin/Britney etc
Show Directed by ROBERT JESS ROTH
Setlist:
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The Show
The show starts with an intro tape (from the film 'Godzilla Vs Mothra' track 27, 'Baby Mothra Vs Godzilla') followed by the intro to `Hey Stoopid`. The band appear, playing `Sex Death and Money. There is a curtain between the Drums and the keyboards on a high platform(Where the band ended their solo spot last year). The Band stop suddenly and Alice bursts through the curtain before they continue with the song. This segues into 'Brutal Planet' and on into `Dragontown` itself. Unfortunately the songs aren`t played entirely. Alice is wearing a similar costume(the Wine red Trenchcoat) to last year but with Dragon motifs added and holding a vicious looking oriental spear.
'Eighteen' again features the Crutch. 'Billion Dollar Babies` Does NOT feature the money sword this time out. |
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'Teenage Frankenstein' replaces `Feed My Frankenstein` from last year. Alice picks up body parts and places them in the Frankenstein Machine. 'Triggerman' features Alice in Black Trenchcoat and sunglasses stalking the stage as a secret agent.
Henchmen appear and it`s off to the Guillotine. After the Instrumental section and drum solo '..Dwight Fry' begins and the nurse carries out Alice`s severed head , the intro to and places it in the Frankenstein Machine and the machine fills with smoke (when it works!). She pulls a switch and Alice bursts out in Top Hat And Tails and into 'No More Mr Nice Guy'. 'Every Woman Has A Name' and 'Only Women Bleed' are segued together as Alice sings to the women at the front while sitting on an upturned Can and Ryan playing an acoustic guitar. Before 'Under My Wheels' Alice introduces the band. As this tour is around Halloween time he tells it a a Halloween story which is really funny and should be heard. Teddy plays a bit of the Halloween movie theme(last years intro tape) and Ryan plays the riff to `Get It On`.! 'School`s out' has all the normal chaos of Balloons and Confetti.
'Elected' shifts into Hendrix`s `Fire`which again changes into `Dept. Of Youth`, a real highlight now. Alice is wearing a 'Brittany Wants Me... Dead' T-shirt. When the song get`s to the `Donny Osmond` section the band shout `Britney Spears!` and a tape of `Hit Baby One More Time(A Spears hit)` plays. Calico appears on the high platform, dressed as Spears with a headphone mike pretending to sing along to the tape. She moves down the stairs with her personal security guard towards centre stage. When she arrives at the chorus. "Hit Me Baby One More Time". the tape stops, and Alice looks at the audience, shrugs, and lands her one square in the face! A fight ensues and Calico manages at least one hit right to Alice`s groin. She`s then dragged off stage right with Alice following. A few seconds later he reappears on the platform with Britney`s severed head which he proceeds to spike onto the top of one of the Dragontown poles by the platform. Show differences. `Raped and Freezin` was played a few times, certainly at Vegas, Albuquerque, Denver, St. Louis, Merrillville and Detroit. Pictures by Brian Harrington and Me! The Tour - Descent Into Dragontown Phase TwoBand:
 Setlist:
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The stage and show is basically the same setup as the Brutal Planet Tour, but with a dragon/eastern motif. The Car is moved over to the far left which leaves more space for Ryan. Also on the left is the Frankenstein machine. There are platform to the left for the Keyboard setup and slightly more central for Eric`s drums.
'Go To Hell' features Alice`s daughter Calico first appearing as a Geisha in silk robe and fans before she strips off to the familiar bondage gear. Again she is kicked from the left platform by Alice.
Calico, as the nurse, appears as `Nurse Rozetta` with the Wheelchair from the Carnival show(which has been refurbished a bit). Alice is in a green hospital gown. This continues on to `Dead Babies` as before. The Baby carriage is pushed on stage and Alice acts as if it`s truly horrible and doesn`t really want to touch it. Finally he raises the baby up for all to see. It`s a two headed (one human, one wolf) mutant which proceeds to bite his finger so he throws it to the ground and spears it with the Samurai sword he stuck in the stage during 'Brutal Planet', holding it up on the sword for everyone to see.
After `Elected`, which includes the flag and president, they play a few bars of `God Bless America` in honor of the people who suffered after the World Trade Center Attack of September.