The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

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The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by tuneylune » Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:07 pm

After the stomping wonderful BRUTAL PLANET, I was eagerly looking forward to Alice's next album,but find DRAGONTOWN to be very preachy and unfocused. It seems like Alice was in a sour mood throughout the making of this and other than the great hilarious "Fantasy Man", everything is incredibly pessimistic, making the guys in Black Sabbath seem like a barrel of laughs.
Other than "Fantasy Man", I think "Deeper", "Sex Death and Money","Somewhere in the Jungle" (probably about the awful Rwanda massacres) and "The Sentinel" are about the only songs to keep this going. "Disgraceland" is just plain bad, "Every Woman has a Name" seems to be a rewrite of "Took It Like a Woman" and "I Just Wanna Be God" grates even more than "Pessi-Mystic" from BP. The rest of the songs just feel like leftovers that didn't make the grade for BRUTAL PLANET as pointed out in the STUK page and the Dale Sherman book and as a result, this is one album I wasn't that fond of then or now, despite the good production and playing.
Despite my less than thrilled response to DRAGONTOWN, I saw him twice on the tour (exactly one year apart) and great shows both times, even the material from this album, which proves the point I have made that even if the album is not all that great, the performance will make up for it. **1/2
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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by AlongCameASpider27 » Tue Dec 18, 2012 3:50 pm

I LOVE Dragontown...while Brutal Planet may be a "better" made/produced album...Dragontown has some songs I prefer better than from Brutal Planet.

Triggerman is just awesome and I like it better than Wicked Young Man.
Deeper is creepy...always pictured a video of this where Alice is in an elevator that is just crashing down to earth at a hundred miles an hour and then the door opens to...
Dragontown...the lyrics on this are just AWESOME...I prefer this to Brutal Planet as a title track. "We can dig you a hole...deep in the ground...bury your soul...down in Dragontown...we'll be lower than low, spiraling down, far as you wanna go, down in Dragontown."
Sex, Death, and Money is a fun song...
Fantasy Man cracks me up...
Somewhere in the Jungle is a perfect compendium to Pick up the bones
Disgraceland NEEDS a video...
Sister Sara has one of my favorite lines: "Don't look surprised don't be in shock, you'll be a lovely little demon in my private stock, I'm just doing my job to pull you down, cause its a one way ticket down to Dragontown."
Every Woman Has a Name is a sweet ballad...I prefer Take It Like a Woman
I Just Wanna Be God is an awesome song from the devil's point of view
It's Much Too Late is lyrically and musically a very good song, I wish he would have done live and finally...
The Sentinel..could have been a tad controversial especially at the timing of the release of this album (right around 9/11) "There's something disturbin' going on in my turbin."
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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by cooperrocks » Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:14 am

A mixed bag album for me. I loved Brutal Planet from start to finish and looked forward to this one. The first album of the album rocks and I love the production on this one. Unfortunately the second half is not nearly as solid though I prefer Every Woman Has a Name to Take It Like a Woman. I may be the only Alice fan that thinks "Disgraceland" and "I Love America" are two worst songs Alice has ever done. In my opinion, Brutal Planet is one of the best albums Alice has ever done, so it was going to be very difficult for Dragontown to top it. I would like to see Alice go back in this heavier direction for his next album with maybe a few more guitar solos thrown in.

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by cooperrocks » Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:16 am

Pardon the typo, it should say the first HALF of the album.

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by ThePainAddict » Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:56 am

Found this to be much superior to BP. Primarily, just because of the lyrics, his wit is razor sharp. Not sure how this was any more preachy than BP, they truly go together thematically.
Love the was SD&M skewers both the decandence in society and those who complain about the decandence in society.
Likewise, you could read IMtL as putting promise rings and other external trappings of faith to shame
Disgraceland was awesome for me and probably the first time in a long time that I found people who were shocked and abhored by Alice. They didn't dig him putting Elvis in hell.

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by grim fact » Wed Dec 19, 2012 4:14 am

The least listened-to album of all AC albums. By me anyway.

All over the place, and of little quality in the songwriting department. :(

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by recoop » Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:45 pm

Even for a steadfast AC fan, this one jumped the shark for me- have liked most of output since so I didnt let it put me off him- just a bit turkeyish for me(christmas overtones in my thinking)-but others like it which is of course fine
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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by Lucius Morthem » Wed Dec 19, 2012 4:37 pm

IMO Dragontown is a great album the story fits, it's context and lyrics are great...it's just needs another point of view. Not his best but in it's right point of view a greaaaat work! Would love to hearsomething from this album live ...maybe the Intromedley! That would be great to see!

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by Diane D. » Wed Dec 19, 2012 5:13 pm

Do you have the regular album or the special edition, or both?
[

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by Desperado22 » Thu Dec 20, 2012 3:20 am

This album is definitely in the shadow of the mighty Brutal Planet. It's nowhere near as good imo, but there are several great moments on this album.

TRIGGERMAN- Good song. It's not a particularly exciting song but it's okay. It's not that there's something wrong with it, I just don't think it's anything special. 3/5

DEEPER - I actually really like this one. It's very creepy. I always get the image of the elevator doors opening to reveal this horrifying sight of millions of souls burning in Hell. Very dark. 4/5

DRAGONTOWN - This one is easily as strong as the material on Brutal Planet. I'd say this is one of the few DT songs that's full on heavy metal. The chorus is a real headbanger and the guitar solo is very intense and sinister. 5/5

SEX, DEATH AND MONEY - I can't understand how this song always gets left out of the live shows. It's such a classic Alice song. I love the humour here. I've always been amused how Alice is criticising society while he is always criticising the hypocrisy of those that criticise society(that was a bit of a tongue twister lol). 5/5

FANTASY MAN - The lyrics are very funny but I don't find the song in general that interesting. It's alright but I don't find it to be a song I can listen to again and again. 3/5.

SOMEWHERE IN THE JUNGLE - Once again, it's a good song but I've never really thought much of it. Maybe it will grow on me one day, but atm I don't really get anything from this track. It's got great lyrics though. 3/5

DISGRACELAND - I can see why this song upset people. I was quite shocked that Alice went here, but it's actually a really good song. I'm an Elvis fan but this song is really a guilty pleasure. Alice's Elvis imitation is really good and very funny. 4/5

SISTER SARA - A very heavy track. Alice is very aggressive in this song which is why the ballad section sung by the Nun is a big surprise. The song goes from being very nasty to very sweet. Love it. 4/5

EVERY WOMAN HAS A NAME - Not many people seem to like this but I personally prefer it to Take it like a woman. Very sweet and very sad at the same time. 5/5

I JUST WANNA BE GOD - Alice tries his hand at rapping (again). The guitar work is fantastic here and Alice sounds particularly evil here. Excellent track with a hard-hitting metal chorus. 5/5.

IT'S MUCH TOO LATE - This is a brilliant song. This tale of a good man who fins himself in Hell is told in such a light way that it was only recently that I noticed how sad this song is. It feels a bit out of place on a metal album as it's very poppy for Alice. I do love this one though. Alice uses the same voice he does on Man of the year. I've always thought that MOTY is a prequal to this song. It kinda makes sense. 5/5

THE SENTINEL - This song has very fast verses and a very slow, foreboding chorus. I'm surprised this song didn't upset people. A great way to end the album. One of the stronger tracks. 5/5
All Of My Life Was A Laugh And A Joke
And A Drink And A Smoke
And Then I Passed Out On The Floor

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by HORRORHOLIC » Thu Dec 20, 2012 3:49 am

Desperado22 wrote:This album is definitely in the shadow of the mighty Brutal Planet. It's nowhere near as good imo, but there are several great moments on this album.
That's how I feel. It would have been interesting to hear the 3rd part.
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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by darkmenace » Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:41 am

Love the imagery of Deeper. Hypnotic song.

Every Woman Has a Name is one of his best ballads, very touching, gets me every time.

Powerful commentary in Somewhere in the Jungle:

African genicide
Brother kill brother
Side by side
Wild animals show their teeth
And run away in disbelief

Not a fan of every song but overall an album I like.

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by Nick » Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:59 am

grim fact wrote:The least listened-to album of all AC albums. By me anyway.

All over the place, and of little quality in the songwriting department. :(
I find it the opposite way, I actually think this features some very sharp and witty lyrics.

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by Gunner » Thu Dec 20, 2012 3:56 pm

To me, it always seemed like an album made up mainly from bits left in surplus from Brutal Planet. I never play it. I did like Triggerman but don't like the needless manic ending. Dragontown is good but is too like 'Pick up the bones' in the chorus. I like Sentinel and the ballad, but the rest kinda washed over me.

Saw the show and thought it was one of Alice's best actually.

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by While Heaven Wept » Thu Dec 20, 2012 5:12 pm

Gunner wrote:To me, it always seemed like an album made up mainly from bits left in surplus from Brutal Planet. I never play it. I did like Triggerman but don't like the needless manic ending. Dragontown is good but is too like 'Pick up the bones' in the chorus. I like Sentinel and the ballad, but the rest kinda washed over me.

Saw the show and thought it was one of Alice's best actually.
I pretty much agree with all of that, although I do have a soft spot for "Somewhere in the Jungle" and "It's much too late".

The live show was also really good, although I unfortunately saw him in a venue with really poor sound....... i think it was Plymouth??

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by dadascot » Thu Dec 20, 2012 11:44 pm

This is to me joint with RYFAY as Alice's worst Album. I think it is very one dimensional both lyrically and musically and I really don't like Alice's singing on this. The irony is that I think 'every woman has a name' is one of Alice's best ballads.

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by AlongCameASpider27 » Fri Dec 21, 2012 12:44 am

dadascot wrote:This is to me joint with RYFAY as Alice's worst Album. I think it is very one dimensional both lyrically and musically and I really don't like Alice's singing on this. The irony is that I think 'every woman has a name' is one of Alice's best ballads.

I just died a little inside at this message LOL

RYFAY is my fav album...Dragontown is a fantastic companion piece with Brutal Planet.

But that's what makes us great Sick Things...we love some Alice, all Alice, etc. :)
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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by Gunner » Fri Dec 21, 2012 11:52 am

The irony is that I think 'every woman has a name' is one of Alice's best ballads.
I agree. I think it is overlooked - maybe because it's on this album and so soon after 'Take It Like A Woman' - not sure.

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by Shoesalesman » Mon Dec 24, 2012 9:58 pm

While it has its moments, it's an overall disappointment. One of my least favorite albums from Alice, mainly due to that 'one song' we could ALL do without.

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Re: The Alice Cooper album of the Day: DRAGONTOWN

Post by moonshadow » Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:10 pm

mmmmmm, I think we may have to dig deeper here, Shoey! :evil:
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