Poison

Members: Bret Michaels, C.C. DeVille, Rikki Rockett, Bobby Dall

Active: 1983-1993, 1998-present

HISTORY

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, and that of glam metal, was characterised by loud and anthemic guitar riffs, and its image, by flamboyant special effects, costumes, hair and make-up, and a emphasis on hedonism.

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 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 notoreity 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. Their live antics were, however, widely rumoured to have been copied from the band 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, where Poison had their roots.

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.

SUCCESS

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 at the MTV Music Awards in 1991, provoked by Deville's inept live performance. 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 performances. It marked a change for the band as they abandoned their anthemic party tunes to focus on more serious subjects. The record contained the single "Stand," and received generally positive reviews. Sales for the album were comparatively sluggish only selling 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 sealed when it was discovered that he had become romantically involved with Rockett's fianc?e Deanna Eve. Kotzen was promptly fired, and replaced by Blues Saraceno.

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 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 marking the return of DeVille to the band. 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 plans to mark its 20th anniversary with a summer "20 Years Of Rock" tour. The band have 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" and was 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.

ALBUMS

1986 - Look What the Cat Dragged In

1988 - Open Up and Say...Ahh!

1990 - Flesh & Blood

1991 - Swallow This

1993 - Native Tongue

1996 - Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986-1996

2000 - Crack a Smile

2000 - Power to the People

2002 - Hollyweird

2003 - Best of Ballads & Blues

2006 - The Best Of Poison: 20 Years Of Rock