Poison remastered their debut in the hopes of introducing new fans who may have been introduced to the band’s material via a parent or someone else that experienced the band in 1986, when it exploded on the scene with Look What The Cat Dragged In.
The remastering fails to improve the performances, though, and my initial enthusiasm faded as I remembered while listening to this that it is not Poison’s best outing.
However, it manages to be charismatic and, like any good debut, point at the direction the band would take. Opener “Cry Tough” is a fantastic introduction to the band’s attitude, immediately showcasing the four distinct musical personalities at work and lyrics that encourage the listener to “not give in without a fight.” Far from a typical battle cry, the song is a look at Poison’s beginning days of sleeping on floors and starving while touring the L.A. music scene.
That initial feeling fades into songs like the ballad “I Won’t Forget You,” which professes love in a chaotic world, and the title track, which is one of the band’s best moments. “I’ve got a girl on the left of me / a girl on the right / I know damn well I slept with both last night,” Bret Michaels sings, summing up the band’s party lifestyle. It wasn’t a single but is the band’s choice to open its shows with.
Fans hope remasters come with some good archive material, but this one does not live up to expectations. The only songs here are the 7″ single remixes of “I Want Action” and “I Won’t Forget You.” No previously released demos or songs that were recorded and then discarded are here, sadly, and these two tracks are unnecessary. Then, a cover of “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” is included, which is worth a chuckle but is hardly essential.
Poison would go on to make better music than what’s on this debut, which is unremarkable at best. The reissue is equally unremarkable, making this one of interest to fans only, although it’s notable for marking the start of a career filled with teased hair, party anthems and a pop-metal formula that was definitely the sound of the times.
