For my second full band discography review, I wanted to go back and do one of my very favorite bands from my childhood. This is a band that I still listen to, and very much enjoy to this day. Poison were the kings of the radio back in the day. They had hit after hit, up until C.C. left the band, following the studio tracks for "Swallow This - Live". After he left, the band were never able to regain the momentum that they had been building upon for so many years. Unfortunately that momentum didn't return after C.C. came back to the band. But I never cared about the radio. I cared only about the music, and that is a damn good reason why Poison have long been a favorite of mine. It's also the reason that I'm reviewing their catalog now.
I wasn't sure if I was going to add "Poison'd" to this list, as it's a covers album, and not their own material. However, I thought that I would at least mention it here. It gets the bottom position, not because the music isn't great, but only because these are not Poison songs. The tunes they chose to cover make sense, for the most part. Tom Petty's "I Need To Know", "Just What I Needed" by The Cars, "Suffragette City" from David Bowie, and The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" (a definite highlight on this album for me) are songs that really fit that Poison sound. And then you get to the so-called "bonus track", and it's "SexyBack" from Justin Timberlake. It's an amusing little oddity for the collection, but a very strange one. The album is rounded out with some covers from earlier in the band's career (the Loggins And Messina turned Poison hit, "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Rock And Roll All Nite" from Kiss, and the more recent tracks Grank Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band", and The Who's "Squeeze Box" to name a few). It's a fun little album, but certainly not better than a long hoped for album of original material.
Next up on my list is "Crack A Smile". The band's fifth album was a return to the party anthems of the bands past, lyrically. Musically it is very much an extension of "Native Tongue". There is some good music here, but there are also some pretty bad music as well (What the hell were they thinking with the intro, and outro to "Shut Up, Make Love"?!). Blues Saraceno takes over guitar duty from Richie Kotzen, and it's pretty obvious that they have very similar styles. Though I personally prefer Richie. There are moments of exploration, and brief glimpses of growth, and a progression, but nothing that is fully explored. The album isn't bad, there just isn't much here that is overly memorable, which is why I put it at the bottom of my Poison list. Though they were previously released on the Greatest Hits album, "Lay Your Body Down", and "Sexual Thing" are my two favorites (performed by this line-up). "Best Thing You Ever Had", "Set You Free", and "Be the One" are solid tracks as well.
Poison's second album is, like the first, full of enduring hits. The sound is a bit more polished, and the songs are... pretty much like the first album. What we have here are party anthems, and a lot of music that bring back my childhood, with that 80's hair metal crunch, and some of the best guitar solos my ears have had the pleasure of ever hearing. If you were looking for something widely different from the debut, this sophomore album is not it. "Open Up And Say... Ahh!" is very much a continuation of that first album. But when a band find a formula that works this well, it would be crazy to not pursue it, at least for an album or two. Standouts for me would be "Love On the Rocks", "Fallen Angel", "Back To the Rocking Horse", and "Look But You Can't Touch".
"Hollyweird" is the name of the final album of original material... at least at the time that I am writing this. And to be honest, that's kind of a bummer, as this is a fantastic album, and everything that you have ever loved about Poison. The music is anthemic, catchy, and listening to it, you can surely have nothing but a good time! Hell, there are a couple songs here that I would rank above any other album in the band's catalog. This is just a fantastic album that, if it ends up being their final original material together, is a great way to go. The entire band are playing amazingly. Bret is singing as good as he ever has, and even CC takes over the vocal chair for a few tracks. The melodies are perfect, and the music is very well written. You can't tell that this is a band that once went through one of the most embarrassing moments in MTV Video Music Awards history (I won't go into that here... just look it up!). What you get here is a band that are having a great time writing music for their fans, and I sincerely hope that they have another album this great in them! My favorites are "Livin' In the Now", "Shooting Star" (probably my favorite song in the bands catalog), "Devil Woman", and "Wasteland".
I'm going back to the very beginning for this spot on my list. "Look What the Cat Dragged In" is a solid debut release. This is the album that the band really had to prove themselves to the people who couldn't come out to a live show, so it's no surprise that half of the songs are absolute classics that still see some live love even today. The tracks that weren't huge hits are all great songs as well, "Play Dirty" on "Blame It On You" being my favorite so-called "forgotten" tracks from this album. Throw the title track, "Cry Tough" (with that killer drum beat intro), and "I Won't Forget You" in there, and you have my favorite tracks from this disc.
There's no denying that change was the name of the game on Poison's fourth album, "Native
Tongue". This album is very different from its predecessors in nearly every way. The music is more hard-rock, and less hair-metal. The lyrics are decidedly different from the party anthems of the band's previous albums. And the guitarist is a completely different guy. Gone is the self-destructive axe-man C.C. Deville, to make way for the far bluesier, more soulful Richie Kotzen. And while this album is a different affair than the band's earlier catalogue, I think that it works well for them. And while I'll admit that I was a bit turned away by lead single, the gospel tinged, "Stand", I fell in love with this record as a whole from the first listen. It's a band that has grown up a lot, but still wants the same thing: to play their hearts out, and maybe take some friends and fans along for the ride. Damn good reason why this is my second favorite Poison album. The best of the bunch, for me, are "The Scream", "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)", "Blind Faith", "Theatre of the Soul", and "7 Days Over You".Poison's third album was their biggest, my favorite, and the beginning of their downfall. I guess that the road-life isn't an easy one, especially when you add drugs and alcohol to the equation. And while the band started to splinter on the ensuring tour, the studio album is nothing short of phenomenal. There are so many anthemic moments, so many blistering guitar solos, and so many beautiful melodies, and harmonies, that it's hard to pick any favorite moments here. The entire disc is a masterpiece, from start to finish. "Flesh And Blood" is a far more diverse album. From the blues, to pure hard-rock, there are so many great musical moments on this album. And the bass line in "Ride the Wind" is one of my very favorite bass parts from any band. This is just an all around pleasing, and fun record. And one that I still spin fairly often. My favorites would probably be, if hard pressed, "Ride the Wind", "Life Loves A Tragedy", "Don't Give Up An Inch", and "Life Goes On".
At this point, I'll talk about some extra tracks. Much like Kiss, Poison released a handful of new tracks amidst two live albums. One of them, "Swallow This - Live", featured four new tracks, and signaled the end of C.C.'s initial run with the band. The second, "Power To the People", featured five new tracks, and signaled the beginning of his second run with the band. A run that is still going today. The tracks from "Swallow This Live" are classic Poison tracks, and are among my four favorite tracks from Poison. Recorded at the height of the end, it's hard to imagine that a band firing on this many cylinders were in the grip of a major personnel change. These four songs should have been added to, and an entire album should have been made. They are that good. And if they had been part of a full length release, I'm fairly certain that it would have been my favorite Poison disc. "Power To the People", while not as good as the bands earlier three albums, are damned good tunes, and a welcome return to form for Poison. Perhaps it was the return of CC Deville that breathed new life to the band. Or perhaps they were just more focused after the lackluster support of "Crack A Smile". Whatever it was that gave them the kick in the ass that they needed, I'm glad they got it. Again, if "Power To the People" had been a full studio release, I'm sure it would have ranked fairly high in my list. High points from the two discs are "So Tell Me Why", "Only Time Will Tell", "Last Song", and "Strange".
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