Poison - Greatest Hits 1986-1996

Review by: Jennifer Perkins

I think my earliest memories of Poison go back to a car trip with my parents when I was 14. As a pre-teen you are really not digging hanging around with your parents and you are just sure that everything cool is happening back home without you there to be a part of it. As any normal surly 14 year old I decided to act really annoyed with my parents for the entire trip and avoid any bonding by keeping my headphones glued to me at all times. What was the soundtrack of my trip and bad attitude? Poison’s “Open Up and Say Ah”. I can remember listening to “Nothin’ But a Good Time” and my favorite of the cassette tape “Look But You Can’t Touch”. I knew the cover with the raunchy girl with her long tongue really pissed off my parents too, and that pleased me to no end.

Years later I have worked out the issues with my parents, but I still have quite the soft spot for Poison the quintessential hair band of the 80’s. I was there the night their Behind the Music debuted on VH1, I have seen them in concert the last 2 summers in a row and you can bet your sweet ass I am the proud owner of their greatest hits record, Poison’s Greatest Hits 1986-1996. All 18 songs get me riled up and nostalgic.

Every Poison gem there ever was (well except “Look, but You Can’t Touch” much to my disappointment) is here. My personal favorite “Talk Dirty To Me” is here and I sing a long to every word. My boyfriend has a real soft spot for “Mamma’s Fallen Angel”, one I like, but do not remember being a big fan of in J. High. Of course their power ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” is here, so get your lighters ready. Poison can really do no wrong. Given, they were a little silly looking back in the day, their makeup on “Look What the Cat Dragged In” still scares me in a lot of ways, but they are so much fun how can you resist.

I think of all the bands that owe their come back success to VH1, it is Poison. As their official website proudly displays according to VH1, they are "The number one glam metal band of all time". Poison were great when I was 13 and they are even better 13 years later at 26. Lyrics like “I got a girl on the left of me, a girl on the right, I know damn well I slept with both last night” are endlessly entertaining to me. So if you ain’t lookin’ for nothin’, but a good time, it don’t get better than this.

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