Part 2: The Special Edition.
There is a part 1 to this review found here http://www.epinions.com/content_150231420548. Basically what you’re getting with the Special Edition is an extra CD and a special jewel case sleeve along with everything from the regular release. Therefore instead of repeating all the other info I’m just going to tell you about what’s unique to the SE.

This edition is hard to find and really doesn’t offer a whole lot for the time and energy it takes to find it. It’s still worth it for some fans, and in just a minute I will go into detail about every aspect to help you judge its worth. I have enjoyed it overall. Dragontown is one of my favorite albums of all time so I’m glad I was able to get this rare version of it. Granted I don’t listen to the bonus disc as much as the regular one, but that has more to do with the fewer number of songs than because I don’t like them.

I’ll start from the outside. The white cover you see is a cardboard sleeve that holds the jewel case. It looks great but does require a little more care than a solid plastic case. The number of each disc is displayed (mine is 3568 of 7500) on the front, and there’s a track listing for the songs and videos on the back.

Once the outer sleeve is off the package is almost the same as the original release. In fact, the lyric book is identical. The back sleeve is slightly different with the addition of the bonus disc songs listed and an inner picture under the CD tray which lifts up for disc 2.

Disc 1 is the same in every respect. Disc 2 has 4 songs and 2 videos, the meat of what the SE is about.

Songs

1) Clowns Will Eat Me – A driving rock tune about coulrophobia from the point of view of a boy who can’t sleep for fear that his toy clowns will eat him. I love the music, the dark humor, and the wit (“And if you think this isn’t real/ I’ll show you wounds that never heal/ To them I’m just a Happy Meal/ Can’t sleep, the clowns will eat me”). Hearing a clip of this song was a deciding factor for me hunting down the SE, and it’s great.
2) Go To Hell – A live version of the classic song. The band gets off beat at the beginning, but tighten up again when Alice starts singing. This one is also filled with dark humor “You’re something that never should have happened/ You even make your grandma sick.” The music is catchy making it a really good if twisted song. It also fits with the Hell theme of the main album.
3) Ballad Of Dwight Fry – Another classic performed live. It’s a decent song, but it doesn’t have the excitement of Go To Hell. Alice gets off key a few times and can be hard to understand. I feel like this is probably a better song with visuals.
4) Brutal Planet Remix – I’m not impressed. I prefer the guitar rock sound to the processed electronica of the remix. Not that that kind of sound is bad in and of itself, it just doesn’t work well here. I miss the contrast of the sweet female vocals against Alice’s harsh tones, the driving bass, and other elements that made Brutal Planet a great song. I just think there are other songs from the album that would have made better remixes in this style. I could see that kind of sound fitting well with the imagery of Cold Machines.

Videos:
I’m a little disappointed in the quality of the videos (Quicktime format). They are low resolution and look awful when played full screen on my 17” flat panel. In their default windows they look better but aren’t large enough for my preferences. Gimme is a decent concept video with a fitting tone and a little twist at the end. It’s the Little Things is more like a bunch of random images haphazardly edited together. It doesn’t particularly fit the tone of the song or the imagery of the lyrics. I wasn’t impressed in any way with it.

If you’re hunting for Dragontown and find the SE in a CD swap shop or something then grab it up. Used copies can be found on the internet, but I had to look long and hard and had trouble getting the right version sent to me. If you’re a collector go for it, otherwise you just need to weigh the quantity and quality against the difficulty. It still gets 4* partially on the merits of Dragontown (which I gave a 5*), if not for that it would probably be no more than 3*.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving