Native Tongue is the fourth studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released in 1993 through Capitol Records. It peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200,[8] #20 on the UK Albums Chart[9] and was certified gold by the RIAA on April 21, 1993.[1] It has also been certified platinum in Canada. This is the only album to feature lead guitarist Richie Kotzen. Kotzen was hired as the band's guitarist following the firing of C.C. DeVille in late 1991. The album features the singles "Stand", "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" and "Body Talk".
| Native Tongue | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 8, 1993[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 56:20 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Richie Zito | |||
| Poison chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Native Tongue | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[5] |
| Q | [6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
Production and marketing
editAdmitted as a full-fledged member of the band rather than a "hired gun", Kotzen was given considerable creative freedom. Resultingly, Kotzen's writing and performing contributions dominated the album.
Kotzen would later be expelled from the band following the world tour, after it was discovered that he had been romantically involved with the fiancee 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"[10] while Rockett would lament the loss of the band's original "attitude" [11]
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. The album peaked at #16 on the Billboard chart.
The first two singles "Stand" and "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" featured music videos and charted in the US and the UK. "Stand" reached number 15 on the Mainstream rock chart, #35 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100.[12] The song also charted at number 25 on the UK Singles chart and "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles chart.[13]
Following the album the band released a video/DVD titled Seven Days Live which featured a concert from the Native Tongue world tour.
Songs
editLyrically, the band continued on the growing sophistication that began in Flesh & Blood. The album's 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").
"When the Whip Comes Down" is a track not included on the album but used as a B-side for the singles.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall, Rikki Rockett, and Richie Kotzen
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Native Tongue" | 1:03 |
| 2. | "The Scream" | 3:51 |
| 3. | "Stand" | 5:17 |
| 4. | "Stay Alive" | 4:25 |
| 5. | "Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice)" | 4:16 |
| 6. | "Body Talk" | 4:03 |
| 7. | "Bring It Home" | 3:57 |
| 8. | "7 Days over You" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "Richie's Acoustic Thang" | 0:58 |
| 10. | "Ain't That the Truth" | 3:27 |
| 11. | "Theatre of the Soul" | 4:43 |
| 12. | "Strike Up the Band" | 4:17 |
| 13. | "Ride Child Ride" | 3:55 |
| 14. | "Blind Faith" | 3:34 |
| 15. | "Bastard Son of a Thousand Blues" | 4:57 |
| Total length: | 56:20 | |
Personnel
editBand members
- Bret Michaels – lead vocals, acoustic and rhythm guitar, harmonica
- Richie Kotzen – lead guitar, piano, mandolin, dobro, bass,[14] backing vocals
- Bobby Dall – bass, backing vocals
- Rikki Rockett – drums, tribal drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- Jai Winding – piano (3 & 11)
- Billy Powell – piano (8 & 15)
- Mike Finnigan – organ (5)
- Tower of Power – horns (8)
- Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals
- Tommy Funderburk – backing vocals
- First AME Church Choir (3)
- Sheila E. – percussion (1 & 2)
Charts
edit| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] | 60 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] | 39 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[17] | 26 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] | 54 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[19] | 17 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] | 60 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[21] | 39 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[22] | 39 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23] | 39 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[24] | 20 |
| US Billboard 200[25] | 16 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[26] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[1] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c "American album certifications – Poison – Native Tongue". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ "Poison (USA) : Native Tongue".
- ^ "The Number Ones: Poison's "Every Rose Has Its, Thorn"". Stereogum. June 16, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
The band tried to steer into blues-rock, to limited success, on their 1993 album Native Tongue
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Entertainment Weekly review
- ^ Album reviews at CD Universe
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ "Allmusic (Poison charts and awards) Billboard albums".
- ^ "The Official Charts Company - Poison". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ 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 Archived February 18, 2005, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved January 6, 2005.
- ^ "Allmusic (Poison charts and awards) Billboard singles".
- ^ "Poison The Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
- ^ Metal-rules.com, Heart of Steel; Interview with Richie Kotzen by McDonald K. Retrieved January 5, 2005.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 221.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Poison – Native Tongue" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1340". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Poison – Native Tongue" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Poison – Native Tongue" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Poison – Native Tongue". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Poison – Native Tongue". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Poison Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Poison – Native Tongue". Music Canada. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
External links
edit- Official website
- Native Tongue at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- Native Tongue at Discogs (list of releases)