Native Tongue (album)
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Native Tongue | ||
Studio album by Poison | ||
Released | February 8, 1993 | |
Recorded | 1992 | |
Genre | Glam metal Blues |
|
Length | 56:20 | |
Label | Capitol Records | |
Producer(s) | Richie Zito | |
Professional reviews | ||
---|---|---|
Poison chronology | ||
Swallow This Live (1991) |
Native Tongue (1993) |
Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986-1996 (1996) |
Native Tongue is the fourth studio album by glam metal band Poison. The record was released on February 8, 1993.
Contents |
[edit] Musical style
While generally associated with the glam metal scene, the album's sound also features funk and blues elements. Richie Kotzen's influence upon the sound of Native Tongue is unmistakable. In songs such "The Scream", the band's traditional sustaining power chords were jettisoned in favour of complex, funky palm-muted metal riffs.
[edit] Production and marketing
The album was the first and only Poison release to feature guitar virtuoso Kotzen. Kotzen was hired as the band's guitarist following the firing of C.C. DeVille. Admitted as a fully-fledged member of the band rather than a "hired gun", Kotzen was given considerable creative freedom. Indeed, Kotzen's writing and performing contributions dominated the album, which reflected a level of musical complexity and sophistication which was absent from the band's previous releases.
Kotzen would later be expelled from the band after it was discovered that he had been romantically involved with the fiance of drummer Rikki Rockett. Recollections of the album, while no doubt soured by these events, nonetheless appear to faithfully reflect the basic clash between Kotzen's style and that of the band's founding members. Kotzen would later claim that "being in Poison helped me forget I was a musician"; [1] while Rockett would lament the loss the band's original "attitude" [2]
The album was recorded and mixed at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California, and Rumbo Recorders in Canoga Park, California with producer Richie Zito. It was dedicated to Van Halen tour manager Scotty Ross and former Poison guitarist DeVille.
[edit] Songs
Lyrically, the band revealed a growing sophistication. The albums themes include battles against injustice ("Scream", "Stand"), heartbreak ("Until You Suffer Some", "7 Days Over You", "Theatre of the Soul"), and inner demons ("Stay Alive").
[edit] Track listing
- "Native Tongue"
- "The Scream"
- "Stand"
- "Stay Alive"
- "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)"
- "Body Talk"
- "Bring it Home"
- "7 Days Over You"
- "Richie's Acoustic Thang"
- "Ain't That the Truth"
- "Theatre of the Soul"
- "Strike Up the Band"
- "Ride Child Ride"
- "Blind Faith"
- "Bastard Son of a Thousand Blues"
[edit] References
- ^ Metal-rules.com, Heart of Steel; Interview with Richie Kotzen by McDonald K. Retrieved January 5, 2005.
- ^ KAOS 2000 Magazine, Interview with Rikki Rockett by Wilson DL Retrieved January 6, 2005.
Poison |
Current Members |
Bret Michaels | Rikki Rockett | C.C. Deville | Bobby Dall |
Past Members |
Matt Smith | Richie Kotzen | Blues Saraceno |
Discography |
Albums: Look What the Cat Dragged In | Open Up and Say...Ahh! | Flesh & Blood | Native Tongue | Crack a Smile...and More! | Power To The People | Hollyweird | Untitled Poison Covers Album |
Live albums and compilations: Texxas Jam 1987 | Poison - Rock Champions | Rock Breakout Years: 1987 | Swallow This Live | Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986-1996 | Best of Ballads & Blues | Great Big Hits Live! Bootleg | The Best Of Poison: 20 Years Of Rock |
Singles "Talk Dirty to Me" | "Cry Tough" | "I Want Action" | "I Won't Forget You" | "Nothin' But a Good Time" | "Fallen Angel" | "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" | "Your Mama Don't Dance" | "Unskinny Bop" | "Something to Believe In" | "So Tell Me Why" | "Ride the Wind" | "Life Goes On" | "Stand" | "Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice)" | "Shut Up, Make Love" | "Rockstar" | "Squeezebox" | "Were An American Band" |