This ranking of Poison‘s albums from best to worstpaints a near-mythologicalportrait of an entire musical era through the lens ofone of its biggest bands.
Although they were not quite the highest-selling or most musically accomplished band of thehair metal era, Poisonperhapsrepresented the movement best. With their multisensory onslaught ofneon-and-spandex clothing, androgynous makeup, Aqua Netted hair and loud, unapologetic party-metal anthems, Poison became archetypes of the dreadedglam metal pejorative.
But there is no denying that they wrote some damn good songs along the way. Poison’s first three albums — 1986’sLook What the Cat Dragged In, 1988’sOpen Up and Say … Ahh! and 1990’sFlesh & Blood— are chock-full of catchy, riff-driven pop-metal anthemsand bleeding-heart power ballads.
But then the ’90s happened and things got hairy for Poison.
READ MORE:11 Forgotten ’90s Bands Formed by ’80s Hair Metal Legends
The band fired guitarist C.C. DeVille after a drug-fueled implosion at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. They replaced him with young blues-rock virtuoso Richie Kotzen and releasedNative Tongue in 1993. But grunge and alternative rock had fully obliterated glam metal by then and Poison’s time in the sun was over.
The rockers floundered for the rest of the decade and finally released the previously shelvedCrack a Smile … and More!in 2000 with Blues Saraceno on the guitar. DeVille returned to the band for 2002’sHollyweird, and in 2007 Poison released thePoison’d! covers album, their most recent studio effort to date.
From dizzying, multi-platinum highs to dismal, rap-metal lows, Poison’sdiscography serves as a microcosm of the entire glam metal era. But despite their critical drubbing and misguided decisions, they’veretained their fanbase and remained a top concert draw because the best parts of their catalog still hold up.
Revisit the good, the bad and the ugly in our ranking below.
Poison Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Revisit the full catalog of one of glam metal’s definitive bands.
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
The Best Song Off Every Poison Album
From glam metal to roots-rock, this list contains time-honored classics and a few hidden gems.
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
All 7 Poison Albums Ranked From Worst to Best
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