Tonight the Stars Revolt!

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!
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 20, 1999
Recorded1998–1999
Studio
Genre
Length39:09
LabelDreamWorks
Producer
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: November 2, 1999
  3. "Supernova Goes Pop"
    Released: March 27, 2000

Album information

edit

Although 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
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Robert Christgau [3]
Rolling Stone     [4]
Yahoo! Music(favorable)[5]
  • CMJ (July 19, 1999, p. 3) – "...tighter than a barbed wire noose wrapped around your neck...[TONIGHT] relies on sci-fi imagery and memorable hooks that are sharp enough to catch more than a few big, heavy fish".[6]

Awards

edit

The 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

Track listing

edit

All lyrics by Spider One; all music by Powerman 5000, except "Good Times Roll" by The Cars.

No.TitleLength
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

Charts

edit

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^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Planet Stories v05 05 - Tonight the Stars Revolt! - Gardner F. Fox".
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ Robert Christgau review
  4. ^ Rolling Stone review
  5. ^ Yahoo! Music review
  6. ^ "Powerman 5000 - Tonight The Stars Revolt! CD Album MP3". Cduniverse.com. July 20, 1999. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  7. ^ "POWERMAN 5000 FAN ALLIANCE NEWSLETTER". Archived from the original on December 10, 2000.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ "Powerman 5000, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "American album certifications – Powerman 5000 – Tonight the Stars Revolt!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 6, 2023.