Album Review: Poison - ‘Open Up and Say...Ahh!’ [Original Recording Remastered]

By Patrick Luce Aug 2, 2006, 0:02 GMT

Metal band Poison returned in 1988 with the monster hit album ‘Open Up and Say … Ahh!’ – which would become the band’s most successful selling album with more than eight million sold worldwide. The album is now being re-released in a digitally remastered version with two bonus tracks (“Living for the Minute” and an interview track) in honor of the group’s 20th anniversary.

Hot on the heels of the band’s debut album, Poison (consisting of singer Bret Michaels, bassist Bobby Dall, guitarist C.C. DeVille, and drummer Rikki Rockett) showed a much slicker studio production for the group’s sophomore album. ‘Open Up and Say … Ahh!’ started off with a harder guitar rock sound on the opening track “Love On the Rocks,” and quickly moved away from some of the poppy glam touches on ‘Look What the Cat Dragged In.’

The album’s cover also found the band in a bit of hot water with church groups (something every good rock band needs to help its rep) due to the photo which featured a model named “Bambi” dressed as a luminous red demon with a protruding tongue. It was later released with most of her face obscured.

Along with a harder guitar sound on certain songs, the album also saw the band flexing some of its “blues” muscle on tracks like “Good Love” and the group’s cover of “Your Mama Don’t Dance.” The album saw Poison’s songwriting skills staying true to what they knew with most lyrics discussing the party lifestyle that followed the band on the road, and with enough sexual innuendo to make Steven Tyler blush – “Look But You Can’t Touch” and “Tearing Down the Walls” are good examples of the more sexually suggestive songs.

At the same time, the group saw massive success on the singles charts with the radio friendly “Nothin’ But A Good Time,” and “Fallen Angel” (which showed the band’s stretch into more serious songwriting with its themes of lost innocence). Both songs featured catchy lyrics, a great hook of a chorus, and of course a massive guitar solo from DeVille.

Although the album is filled with rock songs, it was Poison’s ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” that would launch them onto a grander stage, and give them their only #1 hit single on the U.S. charts. The song (written by Michaels) details a failed relationship and features a blend of Michaels’ acoustic guitar with massive electric guitar solos from DeVille. It would become the band’s signature song, and the formula of including a ballad on every album would be followed by dozens of “hair metal” bands that followed in its wake.

‘Open Up and Say … Ahh!’ is probably the best album released by Poison. It is filled with powerful guitar solos from DeVille, great lyrics, and once again radio friendly songs. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” is without a doubt the best song on the album, and probably has some of the best lyrics that Michaels has written.

If you are already a Poison fan, the new remastered version of this album is a must buy. If you are a fan of ‘80s “metal” then you should also check it out. From start to finish, the album is filled with larger than life guitar riffs, and fast-living lyrics.

‘Open Up and Say...Ahh!’ [Original Recording Remastered] is now available at Amazon. Visit the music database for more information and a complete track listing.