{"id":39746,"date":"2006-05-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-05-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/the-best-of-poison-20-years-of-rock\/"},"modified":"2006-05-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-05-04T00:00:00","slug":"the-best-of-poison-20-years-of-rock","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/the-best-of-poison-20-years-of-rock\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Of Poison: 20 Years Of Rock"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

I’ll come out and say it: I like Poison. I’ve seen
\nthe band twice in concert — once with Warrant opening, the other
\ntime with Don Dokken and Slaughter opening. Truly, those concerts
\nwere among the two best I’ve ever attended. Back in the day, my
\nbest friend and I used to cruise for girls on First Avenue in Cedar
\nRapids, Iowa, with Look What the Cat Dragged In<\/i> blasting
\nthrough the car stereo.<\/p>\n

As an example of how Poison has integrated into my
\nlife, I have to share this story. When I was in high school, I
\nworked at a restaurant with a mom (Barb) and daughter (Lisa). Lisa
\nand I were the same age. I vividly remember Barb and I having a
\nconversation about Poison. She felt Poison was not an apporpriate
\nband for Lisa and objected to the lyrics “Talk Dirty To Me.” She
\nsaid she didn’t want her teenage daughter talking dirty to anyone.
\nI dismissed her concerns, mainly because I couldn’t see where she
\nwas coming from as a parent at the time; really, I thought it was
\nover-protecting and downright weird to prevent someone from
\nlistening to the music that they wanted to hear. I also remember
\nvowing to myself that if I ever had a child, I would never, ever
\nprevent my daughter from listening to any band.<\/p>\n

I chuckle now when I think about all that has changed
\nfor me since those days. I’m married, two kids, career,
\nresponsibilities. I can tell you that, as a parent, Barb makes a
\nlot of sense now. I am struggling with whether to allow my 9
\nyear-old daughter to listen to this release. Like Barb, I don’t
\nwant my daughter to “talk dirty to” anyone — yet I am reminded of
\nthe fun I associate this music with in my mind.<\/p>\n

It’s hard to believe that Poison has been around for
\n20 years — it doesn’t seem possible. I can say now that Poison’s
\ncockiness appealed to us — vocalist Bret Michaels, guitarist CC
\nDeVille, bassist Bobby Dall, and drummer Rikki Rockett — then and
\nit still has a magic now. Their “we can do whatever the hell we
\nwant” confidence still brings justifiable comparisons to KISS and
\nVan Halen in the areas of attitude and writing a great lick.<\/p>\n

Poison followed up Cat<\/i> with Open Up And Say
\nAhhh<\/i> and Flesh & Blood<\/i> and then the Seattle
\nexplosion went off. The band was lumped into the hair metal
\ncategory and their attitude became a source of mockery. Rock radio
\nstations dropped them. CC DeVille left the band after a fight with
\nvocalist Michaels. Their 1993 release only had one single, “Stand,”
\nand the fans moved away as the lyrics moved away from the typical
\nparty-’til-you-drop fare.<\/p>\n

Predictably, the material on this disc focuses on the
\nband’s first three releases with a flavoring of material from their
\nother discs. As it should, this collection opens with “Talk Dirty
\nTo Me,” the single that got the band on MTV and launched their
\ncareer. There are five tracks from Look What the Cat Dragged
\nIn<\/i> and I could tell you a story about how each one has affected
\nmy life. Though it was never released as a single, the title track
\nfrom that disc definitely belongs here. Open Up And Say Ahhh<\/i>
\nis represented with four tracks and Flesh & Blood<\/i> gets
\nfour as well. The rest of the release is filled with their cover of
\nKISS’ “Rock And Roll All Nite,” “The Last Song” and “Shooting Star”
\nbefore finishing with a recently recorded version of “We’re An
\nAmerican Band.” The band sounds good on this track and it is almost
\na tribute to their attitude that I adored when Cat<\/i> was
\nreleased.<\/p>\n

Overall, this release is a great retrospect of the
\nband’s career. There are a few songs missing that I would have
\nincluded, namely “Let Me Go To The Show” from Cat<\/i>, “Look But
\nYou Can’t Touch” from Open Up And Say Ahhh<\/i> and “Poor Boy
\nBlues” from Flesh & Blood<\/i>. But I can get past that and
\nstill say this release captures the band’s magic in its
\nentirety.<\/p>\n

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