Tonight the Stars Revolt!

Tonight the Stars Revolt!
Studio album by Powerman 5000
Released July 20, 1999
Recorded 1998-1999 at Sunset Sound, Sound City, The Chop Shop, & Music Grinder
Genre Industrial metal
Length 39:09
Label DreamWorks
Producer Sylvia Massy
Ulrich Wild
Powerman 5000
Powerman 5000 chronology

The Blood-Splat Rating System
(1995)		 Tonight the Stars Revolt!
(1999)		 Anyone for Doomsday?
(2001)
Singles from Tonight the Stars Revolt!
  1. "When Worlds Collide"
    Released: July 1999
  2. "Nobody's Real"
    Released: 1999
  3. "Supernova Goes Pop"
    Released: 2000
  4. "Tonight the Stars Revolt!"
    Released: 2000

Tonight the Stars Revolt! is the second major label studio album by Boston heavy metal band Powerman 5000. It was released on July 20, 1999. Having sold over one million copies, this would become the group's most successful release and featured such hits as "Tonight the Stars Revolt!" "Supernova Goes Pop," "Nobody's Real" and "When Worlds Collide."

Album information

Tonight the Stars Revolt! can be loosely considered a concept album. Although it doesn't tell a specific story, the songs have a cohesive theme, primarily oriented around campy science fiction reminiscent of the 1950s, coupled with nihilistic, apocalyptic messages, and paranoid, cyberpunk imagery.

Music critics and fans alike compare PM5K frontman Spider'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.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau [2]
Rolling Stone [3]
Yahoo! Music (favorable)[4]

Media appearances

Singles

  1. "When Worlds Collide"
  2. "Nobody's Real"
  3. "Supernova Goes Pop"
  4. "Tonight The Stars Revolt!"

Track listing

  1. "An Eye Is Upon You" (feat. 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" (feat. Rob Zombie) – 3:45
  11. "They Know Who You Are" – 2:33
  12. "Good Times Roll" (feat. DJ Lethal) – 3:59 (The Cars Cover)
  13. "Watch the Sky for Me" (feat. Ginger Fish & Malachi Throne) – 5:19
    • "The World of The Dead" found at 4:21

Credits

Chart positions

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1999 The Billboard 200 29

Singles - Billboard (North America)

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

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Robert Christgau review
  3. ↑ Rolling Stone review
  4. ↑ Yahoo! Music review
  5. ↑ "Powerman 5000 - Tonight The Stars Revolt! CD Album MP3". Cduniverse.com. 1999-07-20. Retrieved 2012-03-12.