Tonight the Stars Revolt! is the second major label studio album by American rock band Powerman 5000. It was released on July 20, 1999, by DreamWorks Records. Having sold over one million copies and achieving platinum status, this would become the group's most successful release and featured such hits as "Nobody's Real" and "When Worlds Collide".
| Tonight the Stars Revolt! | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 20, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1998–1999 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:09 | |||
| Label | DreamWorks | |||
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| Powerman 5000 chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Tonight the Stars Revolt! | ||||
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Album information
editAlthough it doesn't tell a specific story, the songs have a cohesive theme, primarily oriented around campy Atomic Age science fiction reminiscent of the 1950s, coupled with nihilistic, apocalyptic messages and paranoid, cyberpunk imagery.
Music critics and fans alike compare Powerman 5000 frontman Spider One's fixation on bygone science fiction with older brother Rob Zombie's obsession with B-movie horror themes. Both seem to share an affection for campy entertainment that influence their musical output, though Spider has since abandoned science fiction as the inspiration for Powerman 5000's sound and image. The CD booklet of Tonight the Stars Revolt! is also composed with science fiction imagery and text, similar to Zombie's horror-themed Hellbilly Deluxe, released the year prior.
Musically, the album bears similarity to Rob Zombie's industrial metal sound with catchy riffs and electronic elements. However, it also includes a cover of The Cars' "Good Times Roll" and "Watch the Sky for Me", a moody, lounge song with its entire melody taken from the track "One More Kiss, Dear" by Vangelis for the Blade Runner soundtrack. [citation needed]
The album shares the same title as a story by Gardner Fox published in the pulp science fiction magazine Planet Stories (1952).[1]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau |  [3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
| Yahoo! Music | (favorable)[5] |
Awards
editThe album won the Boston Music Awards for "Album of the Year" in 2000, while "When Worlds Collide" was nominated for "Single of the Year".[7]
Media appearances
edit- "When Worlds Collide" featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2. It also served as the theme song to WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW and featured on the Little Nicky soundtrack, Free Air, Vol. 2, and MTV The Return of the Rock.
- "Nobody's Real" featured on the End of Days soundtrack, Gravity Games 2000: Summer Sounds, Vol. 1, and Naked 4-Play as a live rendition.
- "The Son of X-51" (Remix) featured exclusively on the Bride of Chucky soundtrack.
- "Supernova Goes Pop" featured on the Universal Soldier: The Return soundtrack and Gran Turismo 3.
Track listing
editAll lyrics by Spider One; all music by Powerman 5000, except "Good Times Roll" by The Cars.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "An Eye Is Upon You" (featuring Malachi Throne) | 0:51 |
| 2. | "Supernova Goes Pop" | 3:14 |
| 3. | "When Worlds Collide" | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Nobody's Real" | 2:54 |
| 5. | "System 11:11" | 0:48 |
| 6. | "Tonight the Stars Revolt!" | 2:42 |
| 7. | "Automatic" | 3:22 |
| 8. | "The Son of X-51" | 2:58 |
| 9. | "Operate, Annihilate" | 3:48 |
| 10. | "Blast Off to Nowhere" (featuring Rob Zombie) | 3:45 |
| 11. | "They Know Who You Are" | 2:33 |
| 12. | "Good Times Roll" (featuring DJ Lethal) | 2:33 |
| 13. | "Watch the Sky for Me" (featuring Ginger Fish and Malachi Throne) | 5:22 |
| Total length: | 39:09 | |
Note
- The song "Watch the Sky for Me" ends at minute 3:50. After 30 seconds of silence (3:50–4:20), the hidden track "The World of the Dead" starts.
Personnel
edit- Spider One – vocals
- Adam 12 – guitar
- M.33 – guitar
- Dorian 27 – bass
- Al 3 – drums
Production
- Chapman Baehler – photography
- Tom Baker – mastering
- Joe Barresi – engineer
- Ginger Fish – piano
- Frank Gryner – mixing
- Scott Humphrey – programming, mixing
- Sylvia Massy – producer, engineer
- Marc LaCorte – programming
- DJ Lethal – turntables
- Spider One – art direction, design
- Nika – art direction, design
- Malachi Throne – narrator
- Ulrich Wild – producer, mixing
- Rob Zombie – vocals (track 10)
- Ron Handler – A&R
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
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Singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "When Worlds Collide" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 16 |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 18 | ||
| 2000 | "Nobody's Real" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 18 |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 23 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Planet Stories v05 05 - Tonight the Stars Revolt! - Gardner F. Fox".
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Robert Christgau review
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ Yahoo! Music review
- ^ "Powerman 5000 - Tonight The Stars Revolt! CD Album MP3". Cduniverse.com. July 20, 1999. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
- ^ "POWERMAN 5000 FAN ALLIANCE NEWSLETTER". Archived from the original on December 10, 2000.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Powerman 5000, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – Powerman 5000 – Tonight the Stars Revolt!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 6, 2023.