I'm not a hardcore Alice Cooper fan, but I always seem to enjoy his music when I hear it and I've bought his last couple of CDs. I discovered "Brutal Planet" through a recommendation on an Alan Parsons mailing list I'm on (who'da thought AP and AC fans would intersect? :)) and from my first listen to the MP3 on Alice's official website I was hooked. I went out and bought the CD that same day and was not disappointed.

That's kind of an understatement, actually. It's rare that I love a CD on the first listening, but this one did the job. Every song was good. Alice has himself a real winner here, and anybody who says old guys can't rock had better listen to "Brutal Planet" before saying it too loudly.

Here's my song by song opinions:

Brutal Planet: The CD opens with the title track, a hard driving piece with a strong beat and a very catchy chorus. It sets the tone for the rest of the CD, which is essentially a concept album describing what's wrong with the world today. Alice Cooper with a social conscience? Oh, yeah!

Wicked Young Man: This track seems to be Alice's answer to the Columbine incident. "It's not the games that I play, the movies I see, the music I dig--I'm just a wicked young man." Sometimes some people are just evil and there's no point in trying to pass it off on society.

Sanctuary: A depressing little ditty about a guy with no life and no real aspirations. A commentary on folks who sit home, watch TV, follow the script, and never let themselves break out of the box long enough to live.

Blow Me a Kiss: A nice commentary on political correctness and some of the motives that really underly it.

Eat Some More: Alice weighs in (pardon the pun) on the American tendency to overeat to the point of gluttony. Some strong and rather grotesque imagery in this one, and a real thought-provoker before you head off to get that Big Mac.

Pick Up the Bones: One of my favorite songs on the album. Strangely the first couple of times I listened to it, although I loved it, I missed the point--I thought it was sort of a horror thing about a cannibal. Careful listening revealed the true meaning: a young man returning home after a war and finding the remains of his entire family in a home destroyed by the enemy. This song almost makes me cry every time I listen to it now. Its theme reminds me a bit of Savatage's "Dead Winter Dead."

Pessi-Mystic: Probably my least favorite song (although it's still good). Nice commentary on "pop-culture nihilism" and folks who are p*ssed off just because it's the thing to do.

Gimme: This is the standout hit on the CD and my favorite. I love it when Alice plays the Devil! The chorus in this one is infectious and I almost guarantee you'll catch yourself humming it for quite some time after. I thought it was hilarious that the video for this song featured a group who looked very much like a certain boy band selling their souls to Alice for musical fame and fortune. The spoken word piece in the middle of this one reminds me a lot of Don Henley's "Garden of Allah."

It's the Little Things: A humorous piece that speaks to the frustration in all of us: The big stuff doesn't bother us, but it's that one "little thing" that can throw us right over the edge. Alice throws a couple of references to old songs into the chorus: "Welcome to my nightmare/no more Mr. Nice Guy." Another song with a very catchy chorus.

Take it Like a Woman: Part II of the 70s hit "Only Women Bleed," this one celebrates women who rise above abusive relationships. Probably my second least favorite, it was a little slow and didn't seem to fit with the rest of the CD. Still, a powerful message.

Cold Machines: Another entry into the "catchy chorus" contest, this one comments on the sterile world of offices where everybody is isolated in cubicles and barely even connects with the other human beings only a few feet away. As a cube-dweller myself, I got some resonance from this one.

The last song, the mostly humorous "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me" is only available on the import CD (I picked it up from Napster). Although it doesn't really fit with the rest of "Brutal Planet"'s message, I recommend picking it up just because it's a good song in its own right.


In conclusion, Alice Cooper, the original shock rocker and stylistic ancestor of such modern-day acts as Marilyn Manson, is back with a vengeance in 2000 with some of his best and nastiest work ever. If you like literate heavy metal with a solid message, don't pass this one up!

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Exercising