POISON 20 Years of Rock: The Best of Poison
Capitol/EMI Records 2006
www.poisonweb.com
What’s the 4-1-1?
To celebrate their 20th anniversary, Poison releases another greatest
hits package. This is either the third or fourth one for the group.
Genre
Hair metal / glam / pop-metal
The Good
Naturally you get all of the Hollywood rockers best and most beloved material; “Talk
Dirty to Me,” “I Want Action.” “Nothin’ But a
Good Time,” “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” “Unskinny
Bop,” “Something to Believe In,” “Every Rose Has It’s
Thorn,” and seven others. What makes this collection different from past
collections is that you get a couple of tracks from their last studio album “Hollyweird;” “The
Last Song” and “Shooting Star.” Also included is Poison’s
cover of Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Nite” (a song that the group
performed nightly on the reunion tours), as well as a brand new recording of
Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re an American Band.”
The Bad
Besides the fact this is another greatest hits package for Poison, the tracks
from Hollyweird were not that memorable. On top of that, the two cover songs,
which reflect how Poison sound today, really pale in comparison to their heyday.
They really should have included “Power to the People” from their
first reunion live/studio album.
The Verdict
I’ve been a Poison fan from day one, so yeah I’m a little biased.
Say what you want, but beyond the gimmicks and trends that came out of the
hair band era, Poison’s music stands the test of time. Whether it’s
the hard rocking party songs or the inspirational ballads, there’s
at least some part of Poison that appeals to everybody. With that being said,
this collection is good, but not great. Their first Greatest Hits collection
is probably the best.
Did You Know?
Poison’s video for “Something to Believe In” beat out Faith
No More’s “Epic” to win MTV’s World Series of Rock Video
of the Year. The single was nominated for an American Music Award that year.
POISON
