Poison
exploded out of the LA club scene and onto the national stage in 1986.
After
years of paying their dues, the controversial glam metal punks, whose
stage
show was hailed by one critic "as the Sex Pistols meets Kiss on acid",
could not be ignored. Combining streetwise, catchy songs which lead vocalist
Bret Michaels called "the soundtrack to our lives" and a strong
video image,
helped to make their 1986 independent debut album, Look What
The Cat Dragged In a multi-platinum Top Ten smash.Soon
Capitol Records came calling, however Poison refused to subdue any of its music
or image to fit into the mainstream. They stuck to their guns. Poison’s outrageous
image and attitude caused as many people to hate the band as fans who loved them.
There was no middle-of- the-road attitude with this band. With the MTV and radio
success of the singles "Cry Tough," "Talk Dirty To Me," "I
Want Action," "I Won't Forget You," and an opening act slot on
the Ratt tour, Poison had become a household name by the summer of '87. Poison
was, and still is, one of the few bands who, because of constant touring and having
over the top, no-holds-barred stage shows, has formed one of the most loyal fans
bases in the world, allowing them to tour arenas for the last 16 years, as many
of
their peers fell by the wayside.
In 1988,
Poison released their second album, Open Up And Say...Ahh!, which
was originally
slated to be produced by Paul Stanley of Kiss, but due to
scheduling conflicts,
the band worked with legendary producer Tom Werman
instead. The record quickly
went platinum and its first single, "Nothin' But
A Good Time" raced
up both the MTV and Billboard charts. The band hit the
road opening for David
Lee Roth, but by that summer, it became obvious that
they were capable of
selling out arenas on their own. They soon found
themselves as headliners
with three more hit singles: "Fallen Angel," "Every
Rose Has
Its Thorn" (their first #1 single), "Your Mamma Don't Dance" and
an
album that would ultimately go on to sell eight million copies worldwide,
and
were featured in Time Magazine alongside Metallica as one of the largest
grossing touring acts of that era.
They kicked
off the 90's with the release of their third album, Flesh And
Blood, and once
again embarked on another World Tour. Flesh & Blood reached #2 on the charts,
and went multi-platinum, and spawning three more gold singles ("Unskinny
Bop", "Ride the Wind" and the mega-hit, "Something To
Believe
In"). But cracks in the band's foundation were already beginning to
surface.
Rock 'n' roll's excesses, and tension between Bret and C.C., were
threatening
to tear the band apart. A fist fight broke out between Bret and
C.C. in New
Orleans. The conflict continued, making for an "infamous"
appearance
on 1991's MTV Music Awards, where Bret and C.C. slugged it out
backstage afterwards.
C.C. departed the band that night. It became clear to everyone that things were
about to change. However, Capitol Records continued with the release of the double
live CD, Swallow This Live in early 1992, despite the fact the band had no guitar
player.
Guitarist Richie Kotzen was recruited to
replace C.C., and in 1993 at the
height of the "grunge" movement,
Poison racked up yet another Top 20 gold
album and successful World Tour with
the release of Native Tongue. After
personal situations arose, however, Kotzen
was summarily dismissed from the
band.
All
content © 2002/2003 Sweet Cyanide Music, Inc.
From Poison's
official website:
http://www.poisonweb.com
