Brutal Planet

Brutal Planet
Studio album by
Alice Cooper
ReleasedJune 6, 2000
Recorded2000
StudioBlue Room, A&M (Hollywood)
Genre
Length47:58
LabelSpitfire
ProducerBob Marlette
Alice Cooper chronology
The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper
(1999) 		Brutal Planet
(2000) 		Mascara and Monsters: The Best of Alice Cooper
(2001)
Singles from Brutal Planet
  1. "Brutal Planet"
    Released: 2000
  2. "Gimme"
    Released: August 2000
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
HM Magazine[4]
Metal Heads Forever Magazine76/100[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

Brutal Planet is the fourteenth solo studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in 2000. Musically, it sees Cooper tackling a much darker and heavier approach than on previous albums, with many songs approaching a somewhat modern-sounding, industrial/metal sound.

Themes

Lyrically, Brutal Planet deals with themes of dark "social fiction", including domestic violence ("Take It Like a Woman"), prejudice ("Blow Me a Kiss"), psychopathic behavior ("It's the Little Things"), war ("Pick Up the Bones"), depression, suicide ("Sanctuary"), Neo-Nazism and school shootings ("Wicked Young Man"). The album was followed by a sequel, titled Dragontown (2001).

Reception

Doug Van Pelt, editor of the alternative Christian music-oriented HM Magazine, found that the lyrics communicated biblical morals "in a very powerful way".[4] Van Pelt stated further that the final argument is provided in the title track, which condemns the systems of judgment that the world uses.[4] Moreover, "Blow Me a Kiss" urges the listener to think deeper about spiritual matters.[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alice Cooper and Bob Marlette except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Brutal Planet" 4:40
2."Wicked Young Man" 3:50
3."Sanctuary" 4:00
4."Blow Me a Kiss"Cooper, Marlette, Bob Ezrin3:18
5."Eat Some More" 4:36
6."Pick Up the Bones" 5:14
7."Pessi-Mystic"Cooper, Marlette, Brian Nelson4:56
8."Gimme" 4:46
9."It's the Little Things" 4:11
10."Take It Like a Woman" 4:12
11."Cold Machines" 4:14
Japanese edition
No.TitleLength
12."Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me"4:09
2001 tour edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."It's the Little Things" (live) 5:19
13."Wicked Young Man" (live) 3:32
14."Poison" (live)Cooper, Desmond Child, John McCurry4:52
15."My Generation" (live)Pete Townshend1:32
16."Total Rock Rockumentary" 35:48

Personnel

Additional musicians
  • Sid Riggs – additional programming, sound design
  • Eva King – strings arrangement
  • Natalie Delaney – backing vocals (track 1)
Production
  • Produced by Bob Marlette
  • Executive producer – Bob Ezrin
  • Engineered, mixed and arranged by Bob Marlette
  • Additional engineering – Dave Reed, German Villacorta
  • Assistant engineers – German Villacorta, Jaime Sickora
  • Mastered by Dave Collins
  • Recorded at the Blue Room, Woodland Hills, CA and the A&M Studios, Los Angeles, CA
  • Mixed, Mastered at the A&M Studios, Los Angeles, CA

Charts

Chart (2000) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 49
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 23
Scottish Albums (OCC)[9] 32
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 66
UK Albums (OCC)[12] 38
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[13] 5
US Billboard 200[14] 193
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[15] 11

References

  1. ^ "Classic Alice Cooper Albums To Be Released On Vinyl". Blabbermouth.net. September 8, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Allmusic link
  3. ^ Coleman, Mark; Edmonds, Ben (2004). "Alice Cooper". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 11–13. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. ^ a b c d Van Pelt, Doug (September–October 2000). "Reviews / Brutal Planet". HM Magazine (85): 65.
  5. ^ "Alice Cooper - Brutal Planet Album Review | Metalheads Forever Magazine". April 5, 2018.
  6. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Fireside Books. pp. 11–13. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  7. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Alice Cooper – Brutal Planet" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Alice Cooper – Brutal Planet" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  10. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Alice Cooper – Brutal Planet". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  11. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Alice Cooper – Brutal Planet". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  14. ^ "Alice Cooper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "Alice Cooper Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2024.