Essential Poison Songs

Did that guy ever not wear a bandana? Seriously!

More serious though, is the music of Poison, especially the short lived tenure with Richie Kotzen, and the even shorter time with Blues Saraceno. All eras are represented on this list, so enjoy!

10. "Tragically Unhip" (Crack A Smile....And More!)
This track seems like an autobiographical song about Poison as they were becoming unhip due to grunge, and even moreso in 2000 with metal on the rise in the form of bands like Godsmack, Disturbed, and Korn. I tried giving the follow-up album, Power to the People, a shot to see if any songs might crack my own top ten list, but that album sounded like Poison trying to become those bands of the 2000's. "Power to the People" reminded me a lot of something you'd find on Generation Swine from Motley Crue or Rob Zombie's similarly over-produced Hellbilly Deluxe, while "I Hate Every Bone In Your Body But Mine" had a shot because it sounded so different than most Poison, if not for the vocals that were grating like Weird Al.


9. "Talk Dirty To Me" (Look What The Cat Dragged In)
"Pick up that guitar and talk to me!" SOLO! What else do you need to know other than that? I love when 80's singers commanded their guitarists to commence the rocking.

8. "Something To Believe In" (Flesh & Blood)
"Every Rose Has It's Thorns" seems to be the song that comes to mind when most think of a ballad from Poison; maybe that needs be a Family Feud survey of 100 people- "1980's ballads." While "Every Rose" was an acoustic ballad, this song is driven by piano. I never realized until this year just how many albums were produced by Bruce Fairbairn, which I'll assume Bruce is responsible for punching up this song with backing vocals and piano; seems likely coming off his success with Aerosmith and their power ballads like "What It Takes".


7. "Body Talk" (Native Tongue)
I just love the guitar at the beginning with its pounding riffs from Richie Kotzen. The 80's glam scene was full of sexually charged lyrics and I think this is a fine example from Poison, which didn't fall into campy nonsense like "Unskinny Bop". 

6. "Be The One" (Crack A Smile....And More!)
One of the finer ballads in the Poison catalog. Had this been a song in 1990 rather than 2000, it would've been a mega hit. 

5. "7 Days Over You" (Native Tongue)
Another from Native Tongue, and this is one I like for the lyrics. Bret didn't seem to write too much about heartbreak, because glam rock of the 80's was all about getting the girl and getting her horizontal, and all sorts of "clever" innuendo. I was disappointed to learn the live album recorded from this tour was called 7 Days Live, yet this song was nowhere to be found. It was, however, on the live video along with plenty more from Native Tongue.

4. "The Scream" (Native Tongue)
I feel like the band's rhythm section of Rikki Rockett and Bobby Dall were up to the challenge of Kotzen's stellar writing and guitar playing, because this is the song where those two shine. In fact, it kicks of the album with gusto and tells the listener, forget everything you know about Poison because we're about to blow your speakers. I think Bret Michaels even busts out some scat vocals towards the song's end.

3. "Stand" (Native Tongue)
I liked this album from the moment I pressed play, so I ventured into the solo works of Richie Kotzen. His own albums are across the board and he cannot be placed into a single genre, as one album features a lot of blues-rock, yet another seemed inspired by funk of the 1970's like Earth, Wind, and Fire. After listening to solo Kotzen, and then returning to Native Tongue, this one is a true gem, obviously inspired by Kotzen's many influences.

2. "Best Thing You Ever Had" (Crack A Smile...And More!)
I thought for sure Poison would only appeal to me on Native Tongue; I was wrong. I never knew too much of the band outside of their radio hits and Bret Michaels' tacky reality shows, and I was okay with knowing nothing more. However after I was turned on to Native Tongue, I later heard my friends talking about a follow up album, Crack A Smile, which featured yet another guitarist. I went back and forth on whether or not this was my number one choice, and it's every bit as good as the tracks on Native Tongue. In fact, it has everything in this song, from a harmonica solo, to a guitar solo, into a groovy drum portion. 

1. "Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice)" (Native Tongue)
I would never call myself a fan of Poison but I am a fan of this album. My friend Brent told me about this CD shortly after I discovered The Winery Dogs, which I was instantly hooked. After becoming more familiar with the solo work of Richie Kotzen (and later Mr. Big), it's easy to tell his hands are all over this album, from the writing to the guitar playing, even his soulful backing vocals. Later Richie included a stripped down version on one of his own albums, featuring only his guitar and vocals, however I feel the Poison version packs the best punch.