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Smith, who was about to father a child and was concerned about the band's future and went back to [[Pennsylvania]]. The band began auditioning replacement guitarists when Matt Smith left the group. After narrowing down the candidates to three - [[Slash (musician)|Slash]], who would later join [[Guns N' Roses]], [[Steve Silva]] from [[The Joe Perry Project]], and [[C.C. DeVille]], the band eventually agreed that DeVille's "fire" made him the best choice.
Smith, who was about to father a child and was concerned about the band's future and went back to [[Pennsylvania]]. The band began auditioning replacement guitarists when Matt Smith left the group. After narrowing down the candidates to three - [[Slash (musician)|Slash]], who would later join [[Guns N' Roses]], [[Steve Silva]] from [[The Joe Perry Project]], and [[C.C. DeVille]], the band eventually agreed that DeVille's "fire" made him the best choice.


The band began to gain notoriety on the Sunset Strip for its theatrical live shows and striking "[[glam]]" image. Without money for effects, they would fill the stage with old [[Harley-Davidson|Harley's]] and car parts, blow up car fuses and pour [[confetti]] onto themselves from boxes in the ceiling. Their live antics were, however, widely rumoured to have been copied from the band [[Kix (band)|Kix]] [http://launch.yahoo.com/ar-254534-bio--Kix]. Michaels' on-stage persona, in particular, bore a striking resemblance to that of Kix lead singer [[Steve Whiteman]]. Poison had long known of Kix, which had gained a local following in [[Hagerstown, Maryland]], a short distance from [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]], where Poison had their roots.
The band began to gain notoriety on the Sunset Strip for its theatrical live shows and striking "[[glam]]" image. Without money for effects, they would fill the stage with old [[Harley-Davidson|Harley's]] and car parts, blow up car fuses and pour [[confetti]] onto themselves from boxes in the ceiling.


Michaels, Dall, Rockett and DeVille signed to [[Enigma Records]] in [[1986]] (see [[1986 in music]]). Their debut album, ''[[Look What the Cat Dragged In]]'' was released on [[August 2]], [[1986]]. It included three hits, "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Want Action", and "I Won't Forget You". Sales for the album topped 2 million copies.
Michaels, Dall, Rockett and DeVille signed to [[Enigma Records]] in [[1986]] (see [[1986 in music]]). Their debut album, ''[[Look What the Cat Dragged In]]'' was released on [[August 2]], [[1986]]. It included three hits, "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Want Action", and "I Won't Forget You". Sales for the album topped 2 million copies.

Revision as of 23:52, 13 August 2006

Poison
File:Poison000s.jpg
Background information
OriginHarrisburg, Pennsylvania
Years active1983-1993, 1998-present
MembersBret Michaels
C.C. DeVille
Rikki Rockett
Bobby Dall
Poison was also the name of both a shortlived British punk group who eventually became the thrash metal band Anihilated, and a German black metal band.

Poison is an American glam metal band and have achieved popular success in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Music

Formed by a group of aspiring rock musicians from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Poison moved to Los Angeles, California in search of fame. The band's roots, and those of glam metal in general, lay in America's east, and in particular, the sounds and images associated with the New York Dolls, KISS, Boston, Aerosmith, and Cheap Trick. These influences were transplanted to California in the late 1970s, mutated following the release of Van Halen's debut in 1978, and ultimately ignited into a colourful music scene on L.A.'s Sunset Strip in the 1980s. Their later work also has a very blues-influenced style.

Poison's music was characterised by relatively simple (but undeniably catchy) melodies and anthemic guitar riffs, and often the tunes seemed less important than the garish costumes, overblown hair, feminizing make-up, and frenetic stageshow, all delivered via the metal-heavy MTV of the mid to late 1980s. To many, Poison was the epitome of glam metal; for fans, this meant a straightforward celebration of hedonism; for critics, this meant music which was uninspired and unimportant.

Early years

Poison began life in 1984 under the name Paris and consisted of vocalist Bret Michaels, bassist Bobby Dall, guitarist Matt Smith and drummer Rikki Rockett. Moving to Los Angeles in 1985, they started playing the club circuit. The name Poison was picked by the band after the t-shirt worn by drummer Mick Shrimpton in the heavy metal mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap", as the band knew that they fit the stereotypes of rock stars in the movie.

File:Poison-1984.jpg
Promotional picture of Poison, for Look What the Cat Dragged In (1986)

Smith, who was about to father a child and was concerned about the band's future and went back to Pennsylvania. The band began auditioning replacement guitarists when Matt Smith left the group. After narrowing down the candidates to three - Slash, who would later join Guns N' Roses, Steve Silva from The Joe Perry Project, and C.C. DeVille, the band eventually agreed that DeVille's "fire" made him the best choice.

The band began to gain notoriety on the Sunset Strip for its theatrical live shows and striking "glam" image. Without money for effects, they would fill the stage with old Harley's and car parts, blow up car fuses and pour confetti onto themselves from boxes in the ceiling.

Michaels, Dall, Rockett and DeVille signed to Enigma Records in 1986 (see 1986 in music). Their debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In was released on August 2, 1986. It included three hits, "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Want Action", and "I Won't Forget You". Sales for the album topped 2 million copies.

In 1987 the band also recorded a cover of the KISS song "Rock And Roll All Nite" for Less Than Zero's soundtrack.

Poison's second album, Open Up And Say...Ahh!, which was released on May 21, 1988 (see 1988 in music) would ultimately go on to sell 8 million copies worldwide. The record included the band's biggest hit, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," along with other top 10 hits, "Nothin' But A Good Time" and the Loggins and Messina cover "Your Mama Don't Dance." By the time the band toured with David Lee Roth (in 1988 on the Skyscraper Tour), it was apparent that they had become a major live act.

Poison's third album, Flesh & Blood, released on June 21, 1990 was also highly successful. The record went multi-platinum, spawning three gold singles: "Unskinny Bop," "Ride the Wind," and the ballad "Something To Believe In." Flesh & Blood reached #2 on the American charts, providing the impetus for a further World Tour.

Poison recorded a number of performances during its 1990/1991 Flesh & Blood tour which were released in November 1991 as their fourth album, Swallow This Live.

Later years

Despite Poison's success, DeVille's cocaine and alcohol addictions had begun to cause strife in the band. Conflict between Michaels and DeVille culminated in a fistfight backstage at the MTV Music Awards in 1991, provoked by Deville's inept live performance with his guitar unplugged and unilaterally switching tunes in mid-song. Deville was fired and replaced by Pennsylvanian guitar virtuoso Richie Kotzen.

Poison's fifth album, Native Tongue was released on 8 February, 1993. The record was strongly influenced by Kotzen's fresh songwriting contributions and guitar performance. It marked a change for the band as they abandoned their anthemic party tunes to focus on more serious subjects. Containing the single "Stand," the album received generally positive reviews, but sales were comparatively sluggish, selling only 1 million copies worldwide. The band toured in support of the album, but tensions mounted between Kotzen and the rest of Poison. Kotzen's future in the band was doomed when it was discovered that he had become romantically involved with Rockett's fiancée Deanna Eve. Kotzen was promptly fired, and replaced by Blues Saraceno.

File:Poison-cas.jpg
Album cover of Crack a Smile featuring Blues Saraceno on guitars.

Poison began recording its sixth album, Crack a Smile, in 1994. Recording was brought to an abrupt halt in May 1994, when Michaels was involved in an accident in which he lost control of his Ferrari. Michaels suffered a broken nose, ribs, jaw, and fingers and lost four teeth. After his recovery in 1995, the band continued recording. In the face of a sharp decline in demand for 80s hair metal, and with a shift in staff at the label, Capitol Records offered little support for a new Poison record. Instead, the label opted for a Greatest Hits compilation. The record was released on 26 Nov 1996, and went platinum, despite the lack of an immediate tour to support the album.

After eight years apart, Michaels and DeVille were able to patch up their differences during the latter part of 1998. The Greatest Hits reunion tour finally took place in the summer of 1999. The original lineup intact, Poison hit the road. The band's supporting tour was a success, with its show at Pine Knob Amphitheater in Detroit drawing a sell-out crowd of 18,000. Tour dates averaged crowds of 12,000. A summertime appearance on VH1's Behind the Music solidified the reunited lineup's newfound popularity.

Crack a Smile...and More! was finally released on 14 March, 2000. The album, a bright and raunchy series of party anthems, contained few traces of the seriousness of Native Tongue.

Later in the same year Poison also released Power to the People Their studio album with DeVille for the first time in eight years. The record contained five new studio songs: "Power to the People," "Can't Bring Me Down," "Last Song," "Strange," and "I Hate Every Bone In Your Body But Mine." The remainder of the album featured live performances from tours in 1999 and 2000.

Poison's most recent record with new material, Hollyweird, was released on 21 May 2002. The album was heavily criticized by both critics and fans, with many feeling that the album had poor production

In 2004, Poison opened up for Kiss in the "Rock the Nation" tour.

In 2005, the single "Nothin' But A Good Time" appeared on the soundtrack of the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, during the scene in which Brad Pitt's character is driving through the desert in an off-road vehicle.

Current

Poison is celebrating its' 20th anniversary with a summer "20 Years Of Rock" tour, with fellow rockers Cinderella opening. The tour has swiftly become one of the most successful tours of 2006, averaging about 20,000 people in attendance per night. The band recently released an anniversary best-of album The Best Of Poison: 20 Years Of Rock, in April of 2006. The record also features a new track, a cover of Grand Funk's "We're An American Band", produced by Don Was. This marked Poison's return to the Billboard top 20 charts for the first time since 1993. The compilation debuted at #17. [1] "Your Mama Don't Dance" was played in the movie "RV" in 2006.†Cassi†

On August 1, Captiol Records released remastered versions of the first three Poison albums: Look What the Cat Dragged In, Open Up and Say...Ahh! and Flesh & Blood, in honor of Poison's 20th anniversary. All three have been remastered and have bonus tracks added.

Members

Current members

Former members

Discography

(Source: The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums. Credit to Joel Whitburn for this information).

Singles

References

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