Dragontown

{{Infobox album

| name = Dragontown

| type = studio

| artist = Alice Cooper

| cover = Alice Cooper - Dragontown.jpg

| alt =

| released = September 18, 2001

| recorded = 2001

| venue =

| studio =

| genre =

Industrial metal{{cite web | url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/classic-alice-cooper-albums-to-be-released-on-vinyl/ | title=Classic Alice Cooper Albums To Be Released On Vinyl | publisher=Blabbermouth.net | date=September 26, 2016 | access-date=September 26, 2016}}
hard rock{{cite book |chapter=Alice Cooper|last1=Coleman |first1= Mark | last2= Edmonds |first2= Ben|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |year=2004 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages= 11–13}}

| length = 50:48
69:11 (Special Edition)

| label = Spitfire

| producer = Alice Cooper, Bob Marlette{{Cite web |url=http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,1543350,00.html |title=Alice Cooper : Dragontown - Listen, Review and Buy at ARTISTdirect |access-date=2008-06-19 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043136/http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,1543350,00.html |url-status=dead }}

| prev_title = The Definitive Alice Cooper

| prev_year = 2001

| next_title = The Essentials

| next_year = 2002

| misc = {{Extra album cover

| header = Special Edition

| type = studio

| cover = Alice Cooper-DragonTown (Special Edition).jpg

| border =

| alt =

| caption =

}}

Dragontown is the fifteenth solo album by American rock musician 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", "Fantasy Man", "Every Woman Has a Name", and "Triggerman" – 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" 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.

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = Allmusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}} [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r547810|pure_url=yes}} Link]

|rev2 = Rolling Stone

|rev2score = (favorable) [https://web.archive.org/web/20071111205847/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/alicecooper/albums/album/321368/review/6210440/dragontown link]

|rev3 = HM Magazine

|rev3score = {{cite journal |last=Van Pelt |first=Doug |title=Reviews / Dragontown |date=January–February 2002 |journal=HM Magazine |issn=1066-6923 |issue=93 |pages=56 }}

}}

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." 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.

"Somewhere in the Jungle" addresses the issue of genocide and tribal warfare in Africa.

The track Disgraceland sees Cooper deliver verses while impersonating Elvis Presley.[http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/a_2/alice_cooper_2.htm Alice Cooper - Dragontown (CD)]. Metal Temple. 25 January 2002. Retrieved 15 January 2021. 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."[https://lasvegassun.com/news/2003/aug/01/flying-the-coup/ Flying the coup]. Las Vegas Sun. 1 August 2003. Retrieved 15 January 2021.

Track listing

{{track listing

| all_writing = Alice Cooper and Bob Marlette, except where noted

| title1 = Triggerman

| length1 = 4:00

| title2 = Deeper

| length2 = 4:36

| title3 = Dragontown

| length3 = 5:06

| title4 = Sex, Death and Money

| length4 = 3:39

| title5 = Fantasy Man

| length5 = 4:05

| title6 = Somewhere in the Jungle

| length6 = 5:22

| title7 = Disgraceland

| length7 = 3:34

| title8 = Sister Sara

| length8 = 4:35

| title9 = Every Woman Has a Name

| length9 = 3:45

| title10 = I Just Wanna Be God

| length10 = 3:53

| title11 = It's Much Too Late

| length11 = 4:40

| title12 = The Sentinel

| length12 = 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.

{{track listing

| title1 = Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me

| length1 = 4:09

| title2 = Go to Hell

| length2 = 3:48

| note2 = live

| writer2 = Cooper, Dick Wagner, Bob Ezrin

| title3 = Ballad of Dwight Fry

| length3 = 4:27

| note3 = live

| writer3 = Cooper, Michael Bruce

| title4 = Brutal Planet

| length4 = 5:27

| note4 = remix

}}

Personnel

Alice Cooper - Vocals
Ryan Roxie - Guitar
Greg Smith - Bass

=Session musicians=

Tim Pierce - Guitar
Wayne Swinny - Guitar
Bob Marlette - Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboards and programming, String arrangement
Sid Riggs - Keyboards and programming
Teddy Andreadis - Backing vocals
Eric Dover - Backing vocals
Calico Cooper - Backing vocals
Gionvanna Morana - Backing vocals
Kenny Aronoff - Drums

Charts

scope="col"\| Chart (2001) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="row"\| Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite web\|url=https://www.bubblingdownunder.com/2024/07/week-commencing-6-july-1992.html \|title=Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing July 6, 1992\|website=Bubbling Down Under\|access-date=July 6, 2024}} \| 182
{{album chart\|Austria\|75\|artist=Alice Cooper\|album=Dragontown\|rowheader=true\|access-date=May 25, 2024}}
{{album chart\|France\|142\|artist=Alice Cooper\|album=Dragontown\|rowheader=true\|access-date=May 25, 2024}}
{{album chart\|Germany4\|54\|id=3847\|artist=Alice Cooper\|album=Dragontown\|rowheader=true\|access-date=May 25, 2024}}
{{album chart\|Scotland\|98\|date=20011014\|rowheader=true\|access-date=May 25, 2024}}
{{album chart\|Sweden\|41\|artist=Alice Cooper\|album=Dragontown\|rowheader=true\|access-date=May 25, 2024}}
{{album chart\|Switzerland\|98\|artist=Alice Cooper\|album=Dragontown\|rowheader=true\|access-date=May 25, 2024}}
{{album chart\|UK2\|87\|date=20011014\|rowheader=true\|access-date=May 25, 2024}}
{{album chart\|UKRock\|6\|date=20011014\|rowheader=true\|access-date=May 25, 2024}}
{{album chart\|Billboard200\|197\|artist=Alice Cooper\|rowheader=true\|access-date=May 25, 2024}}
{{album chart\|BillboardIndependent\|12\|artist=Alice Cooper\|rowheader=true\|access-date=May 25, 2024}}

References

External links

[http://www.alicecoopertourprograms.com/ Alice Cooper Dragontown Tour Program]

Category:Alice Cooper albums

Category:2001 albums

Category:2000s concept albums

Category:Albums produced by Bob Marlette

Category:Spitfire Records albums