Poison/Look What The Cat Dragged In(1986)

Haven’t done one of these(3/4’s Filler) in a while and since I rip on Poison  in other reviews on this site all the time  why not delve into something a little deeper like this debut from Poison.

Look What The Cat Dragged In  was the name! Hairspray/Lipstick/Cheese Rock was the game. Fair enough these guys sold a shitload of records and hey I’m not that Evil as I dig the followup (Open Up And Say AHHH) . Flesh&Blood released in 1990 was good also (some filler but pretty decent).

As you followers all know I caught along with our friend Oinks, Tbone and T’s younger brother Rugg, Poison in Jan/1991 in Winnipeg and I’ll leave it a that for now!(review is on the site)

But let’s back up to 1986…

Read in Circus Magazine that Poison is opening for RATT so if those cool rodent rockers are letting Poison open up they must be decent so I checked em out and bought this album at a record shop called Poor Pete’s here in Tbay. They had a dude that worked there that was a splitting image of  Randy Rhoads and that day Randy Rhoads sold me the album(nice guy from what I remember)…

I played the album and it was ok. I mean I’m 18 so I’m easily influenced and basically buying everything in sight at the time (1986).Like I always did was to scoot on over to my best pal Tbones place and show off my latest purchase.  Tbone took a look at the cover squinted and asked me…well our conversation went something like this…

(For people  reading on a device that doesn’t show the you tube clips below I have posted the cover of LWTCDI along with the track Cry Tough. Just so you can get an idea where I’m coming from…

TBone: “Is that a chick on the bottom right hand corner?”

For a split second I thought of telling Tbone Yup it’s girl and her name is Rikki Rockett  she plays the drums. It would have been cool to hear Tbone tell our fellow hard rockers at the time  that the chick drummer in Poison is awesome! haha….anyways back to reality…1986 style

Deke: “Naaa it’s a dude but shit they could all pass as chicks..”

TBone:”Where did you get this?”

Deke: “Poor Petes. Randy Rhoads sold it to me….”

TBone:” Let’s Go I need this….’

We hopped into Tbones hot rod and headed down to Poor Petes. Tbone wanted the cassette  copy! Randy Rhoads  didn’t have it in stock or for that matter there was not any vinyl left as well. We hit all the record shops A&A Records/Sam The Record Man/Kings Stereo/St James Stereo and about 4 different Music City  locations! We hit all the record shops as listed none of them had Poison.

We had to go to Plan B which was for me to record this for Tbone on a Maxwell cassette tape which would hold Tbone over until he could purchase the tape at a later date. Which he did…

(Now two years later in 1988 Tbone scored Poison’s sophomore Open Up And Say Ahhh the first day before I even got my hands on it! Read the sordid tales of this fine story here…)
https://superdekes.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/sonic-waves-poisonopen-up-and-say-ahh/

Wowzers were all being Poisoned!

So the first single drops and it’s Cry Tough. What a great opening number and first single even though it bombed on the charts and no one cared but I. Still think it’s a solid track 30 years later!  The pre chorus with the drums and guitars colliding is Gold! Speaking of which Tbone does a bang on impersonation of  Elvis singing Cry Tough! Dump a few Beers down the Man’s Hatch and you just never know when Elvis Michaels will reappear!

30 years on and yeah it’s a bit of tough sledding getting through this record. The last 3 tracks(Blame It On You/#1 Bad Boy/On With The Show) I couldn’t even bother with dunno why to me they haven’t aged well and perhaps neither have I.

Compare it say to RATT’s “Dancing Undercover” album from 86 as well and I have no problem getting through that album as its sleaze rock 101 even 30 years later but Look What The Cat Dragged In sold tons more. So there ya go!

But there are some good songs like Want Some, Need Some even for Poison with stuffiness schmooze tunes. I Won’t Forget You is a pretty decent written track! The title track is not too shabby as well I mean the lyrics are friggin funny and hokey but sometimes hokey can be cool. After all its the 80s!

But yeah Bret Michaels/C.C.Deville/Bobby Dall and Rikki Rocket hit pay dirt with this record so good on them!

Didn’t Motorhead have a track at the time called The Chase Is Better Than The Catch? Wonder what Tbone would say now about it. Was the chase to get a copy of this cassette worth the catch?

Cool Vs Gah! Round 2….Poison…

Valley Of Lost Souls Vs Poor Boy Blue’s

Poison by album three (Flesh&Blood) have taken it up a notch! Everyone knows there deal and what to expect and Jingle Jangle Flesh & Blood sells a ton and overall it’s a pretty decent album that except for a few tracks I don’t really have a problem with. Well I got a problem with Bret  Michael’s touring around his schtick prying his trade as a solo performer playing  at fairs and parking lots and playing Poison without the other guys who made up Poison!

Back in 1990 though Poison were selling out Arenas and I really turned on this band after the lacklustre performance in Winnipeg (1991) on the Flesh & Blood Tour . Poison that night didn’t give a shit and after that show I didn’t give a shit about Poison anymore…..

Why do I care that Bret  isn’t with Poison anymore? Ha! Silly finicky RnR Guy I have morphed into….

HairSpray Dudes…

Bret Michaels – lead vocals
C.C. DeVille – lead guitar
Bobby Dall – bass
Rikki Rockett – drums

Anyhoo these two tracks are from the same album!

Valley OF Lost Souls is the opening number on the album and Valley is the kind of song Poison excels at! The tune drives at a furious pace (for Poison Standards that is!) that crashes into a real slick catchy chorus! Check out the lyrics below

Living it up, giving it up
Living in the valley of lost souls
Wanting it all, taking the fall
Living in the valley of lost souls

Basically the tune is about being age 16 and running towards a dream! The only real downer about this track is the solo by C.C as like many of his solo’s he overplay’s it or that’s what it sounds like to me. But make no mistake of it Folks this is a great album opener!

Yeah I said it……

Flesh And Blood though by the end of the album kinda runs out of steam and its kinda funny that when a group of guys known as Poison get success they start thinking “Hey We Can Be Like Old School Aerosmith” that line of thinking in my book is Wrongo!

Ha! Check out this live clip of Michael’s’ and Crew trying to Aero It Up?  I will tell you that when you watch this clip and the first minute is just Bret blasting air into his Harmonica playing and to me it’s Meh! Tbone back in the day after a few beers and when it was late at night would blast the harmonica and man I would friggin howl.  Almost Borderline Cool! Needless to say Tbone kept me amused with his Antics whereas Bret doesn’t!

Tbone-1……BMichael’s-0

It’s one thing for a band too say “Hey  these guys  are our influences”  but it’s another to slap it down on (back than) vinyl and …

Well you be the judge……

SONIC WAVES….Poison/Open Up And Say Ahh!

 

 

Dateline May 1988 I’m your host Deke and I will not change the names to protect the guilty! The guilty in this case are myself and Tbone and get ready folks here comes another Arena Rock Tbay story. Ya ready?

Tbones house basically backed onto my backyard and maybe there was a couple of hundred feet of wooded area separating both of our parents properties so basically it was a two-minute stroll from my place to T’s and vice versa thru the back pathway winding and joining our houses together.

So one hot early May Day of good OL 1988 I mosied up to Tbones one afternoon and he was painting his new fishing boat or something and on his ghetto blaster there’s Tbone blasting Poisons Open Up And Say Ahh! on cassette tape! Wowzers T out scooped and out scored me on this. Well played T!

There Ya have it there’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Geez I built up,this huge hype and that’s it you say?!

Sorry folks  all tales can’t be about Tbones Scotch cabinet and blow! Ha… speaking of which myself and Tbone did have tickets to see Poison and Tesla live in Duluth back in the summer of 88 but Poison cancelled and the word was someone in Poison was sick or was it because it snowing in July? (Ahem!)

1988 and Poison sure as hell didn’t annoy me back than like they do now! After witnessing a first hand live debacle performance on there 1991 Flesh & Blood Tour read here…..https://superdekes.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/open-up-and-say-blah/ Poison 2015 when I think of them is well……Blah!

But I’m getting a little ahead here but back in 1988 CC Deville/Bobby Dall/Rikki Rockett and Bret Micheals released what I would consider a pretty good rock n roll album that when I figured to do a Sonic Waves on these guys this one came to mind first and foremost!

Look What The Cat Dragged In…Meow!

LOVE ON THE ROCKS-Tom Werman produces this album and he does a great job on the sonics as far as I’m concerned. CC opens with a sleaze ball riff and cue drums and Dalls bass and Bret man i have to give him full props with one of the best opening lines of the roaring 80s with ‘She goes down slow like a shot of gin!” There it is folks! A sure-fire Classic line that Tbone got tattooed on his arm! Hahahaha…Na man just joking but seriously this is a great tune and CC like he always does over solos the solo but that’s ok and we’re off to a real good start! Man I better check my blood sugar here…..crank the song posted!

NUTHIN BUT A GOOD TIME- I was working in a Hospital Kitchen at the time so that’s why I can probably relate to this video! Hahahaha…Another big CC opening power riff and its a good time feel good song! In other words get thru the fuckin week,toss work aside,crack open some beers And have nuthin but a good time! Real catchy single and they pull out all the stops in the video big lights, pyro and they used Green as a color instead of everything Black which I thought was a smart move.FYI… I never left that many dishes to be washed as Michaels does. For a good Flashback watch the vid!

BACK TO THE ROCKING HORSE- yeah man another good straight ahead simple Simon Poison Rocker! These guys were smart man they wrote simple tunes and it was they were Poisoning us ..hahaha and it worked until 1991 but man this is a good plus Rockett slaps da cow bell here so good on him! Me and Tbone were always a sucker for a good tambourine/ Cowbell / harmonica tossed into any rock track! This song is well done!

GOOD LOVE-yeah this ones a pretty good track it’s like Poison doing Sunset Drive in L.A Blues. I mean they were trying to stick little olive branches out there to say ‘ hey we just can’t write 4 on the Floor non stop rockers” oh yes you can i said back in 1988! Bret plays some Harmonica so a few bonus points are tacked on here at Arena Rock for that move. Whereas the first three tracks on Open Up are winners this one in my mind loses a little steam.

TEARIN DOWN THE WALLS-I dunno and like I said in a my Kiss Hot In The Shade 3/4’s Filler review…didn’t really dig the song in 1988 just not going there in 2015! Next…….

LOOK BUT YOU CAN TOUCH- close call Poison goes back to what they know best! Just play Simple Simon Poison Rock and this is another good rocker! Bret lays it down vocally with the ” Good Girls go to heaven…Bad Girls to Hell!” This ain’t (Rikki) Rockett science here folks. This is little 80s schmoozed cheseball rock and I  lapped it up and so did many others including you so don’t even go there! CC plays the solo,Rikki drums the drum,Brett sings the song and Bobby well….

FALLEN ANGEL- when I revisited this track a few weeks back when I was planning on scribbling down a thoughts on the said works of Poison and when this track came on the old IPod I friggin giggled! The song is your typical late 80s deal…girls splits home looking for fame and fortune and instead winds up in the back of the bass players bus! Ewwww….Bret chimes the words “win big mamas little Angel”…the song is just a straight ahead rocker so Poison doesn’t deviate to far from the masterplan! The reason this  song made me giggle is that this is the song I could have seen Tbone hacking (writing)out in his basement when we recorded the Current River debut cassette Hodder To Hell! Fallen Angel would have fit nice and snuggley on side two I think! Silly,cheesy corney rock Fallen Angel is but CC man he wrote a riff that sticks in your head after its done…..well played Deville!

EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORN- oh boy I gotta be careful here! This tune pushed this album into mega sold ville! Fair enough and everyone knows my deal with this proto typed frontman who has the fame and glory and is still messed up with his  lady! Sorry I cannot fuckin relate to this. I mean I hate to say it folks but what I really remember bout this song is the actual video of bassist Bobby Dall jacked to the 9’s and being helped off stage by some roadies. Ok I get it your Wasted….Geez sorry BMicheals you write the biggest selling single of your career and some yo yo in Tbay named Deke who scribbles a bunch o bullshit 4 times a week remembers this tune for the bass player not keeping his shit together! Hahaha…yeah that’s it…..

YOUR MAMA DONT DANCE- well well well here comes Poison with their own cover version of Your Mama and wasn’t it three years earlier when my good pal Tbone drooled over Y&Ts version of this song on Y&Ts Down For The Count? Refresh yourself and read all about it here…https://superdekes.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/down-for-the-count-yep/

BAD TO BE GOOD- ok ok I gotta say it this is one of my favourite Poison tracks off of Open Up… I will say it ..its a Gem! Love the beginning where Bobby actually plays some bass and it almost sounds like Poison is about to get into a street fight as some one stole their Hairspray and boom CC and company rock this tune but in a different way! It grooves along at a nice clip and Poison fire out a sure bang winner here at Arena Rock! I always chuckle at the end of the tune where Bret does the ” babababa, bababa Bad Ohhhh Yeahhhh”love it good solo good riff,good chorus…..man it’s all good ! Wheelin! Dealin! Cheatin! Stealin! ….it’s all here. A proper Glam Rock send off! Play the video for fun!

IN CONCLUSION-revisiting this album 26 years later! Holy Crap that’s nuts! It was a nice little revisit and I’m sure many of yous would have not expected this right? Well to be honest with ya’s neither did I! Thats ok though this album when spun in my iPod took me back to good OL May of 1988 and transported me back  in time. So for that I guess I gotta give the Rockett,the over sometimes solo kind of guitar guy,the bandana wearing frontman and the polluted bass player there due!

Good Job!

Open Up And Say…..Blah!

Just a small write up from the show. Actually a highlight was after a 9 hr bus trip from Tbay to Winnipeg the fact that some dude passed out on the party bus after consuming a ton of booze to awaken to only one eyebrow  as the other one was shaved(courtesy of his friends)

 

Poison/Don Dokken/Jan 26 1991/Winnipeg Arena

So the Poison/Warrant tour of 90/91 are selling tickets like hotcakes but when it comes  to the Canadian part of the Poison tour Warrant gets the boot. Word on the street was due to issues,i.e. stage space,blowing off the headliner, maybe egos being hurt. Who knows what the deal is but when me,Tbone and his brother Rugg and a buddy named Oinks boarded the party bus to the Peg in Jan 91 I’m glad to hear that Don Dokken and his solo band are the opening act.

Don you know along with the rest of  Dokken  basically self destructed after a good run so Don put out Up From The Ashes and assembled a hot-shot band with two guitarists in John Norum (Europe) and Billy White( have no idea) along with bassist Peter Baltes (Accept) and Mikkey Dee(Motörhead)  and man as far as I’m concerned this band destroyed the headliner  that night.

You want proof well Don and the boys sauntered and ripped into The Hunter! Hell yeah man my fav Dokken tune and yep they plugged the album Give It Up,Crash N Burn,When Some Nights,Stay and the Hunger. Course some ol Dokken tracks from yesteryear like Breaking The Chains, In My Dreams and an acoustic  version of Alone Again.  Dokken as in Don and the fellas showed up and rocked it well for me anyways the crowd was so so I mean it was Poisons crowd but man this is a better band musically.

This was for me  and TBone our second crack at seeing Poison. The first time was gonna be on the Open Up and Say Ah tour in Duluth with Tesla opening but Bret Michael’s was sick or sumthin and the show was scrapped.

Anyways…..

So the Flesh & Blood tour is here and here they come out on stage one by one Bobby,Ricki, CC and then the one and only Mr Bandana himself Bret and were off to see Look What The Cat Dragged In. Interesting choice as it was the Open Up tour opener as well. Look But You Can’t Touch and Good Love are now numbers 2&3 played and are we at the wrong tour is this the Open Up show? Ahhh ok current single Ride Like The Wind is played followed by Let Em Play. I Want Action is next and of course Bret works the crowd like he’s working the counter at Burger King like asking the customers instead of wanting fries,ya want some Action….the girls in the crowd shriek…..

Something To Believe in and if memory serves me correct Poison dedicates this to the Canadian Troops fighting in the Gulf War. In other news Bobby Dall has no idea he is on stage in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada at this time! (Will explain later)

Now an oddball track is played and that’s Poor Boy Blues?? Why I have no idea oh yeah so B Michael’s can play the harmonica and tell us all that even though Bret is as glam looking as the lady selling makeup at Shoppers Drug Mart He knows  the blues? Uhhh ok pal if ya say so!

The place goes bonkers for Unskinny Bop and haha…..and than the song of the night for me is next with Love On The Rocks with the all time classic 80s line….quote “She goes down slow like a shot of gin!” end quote. Love it,that my friends is rock 101 literature at its finest and hell I’m ok with it!

Wait for it here it is….Every Rose is played and the place lights up like a Xmas Tree! Lighter anyone? And now it’s Fallen Angel…and now a cover of Y&T’s (haha) of Your Mama Don’t Dance followed by Nuthin But A Good Time shows over kinda….

Poison come back out like champs and give us Talk Dirty To Me..night is over and I’m relieved and let me tell you why….

I won’t lie. At the time  I liked em and so did you! So don’t try to bullshit your way out of this one. This show for me was a letdown for a few reasons….

15 tracks were played yep that’s 15 tracks (17 tracks if you include drum and guitar solo)in a 75 minute show.

7 of which were from Open Up And Say Ahh from there 1988 album 3 from Look What The Cat Dragged In and 5 from their current release Flesh & Blood.

Bobby’s Dall was well,basically he laid around on a ramp for a good while before B Michael’s helped him up.  The dude was in another zone that night. Basically if I want to see people inebriated and lying around smashed out I will just spend a night drinking with the Erickson brothers. Nuff said!

A good 20 minutes was bogged down in solos(10 for Rikki,10 for CC)

But we did have a good time as we were about 10 rows back in our seats and then Michael’s told the crowd early in the show were all too far back and the floor went chaotic and next thing you were pushed almost 2 rows from the stage. During CC Devilles  solo he started nicking EVH’s Eruption so me,Oinks and the brothers chanted Eddie.Eddie,Eddie not that he heard us…but it was fun….

Flesh & Blood sold tons and not to plug said current release? Bizarro move ….