Open Up & Say Ahh [Extra tracks, Original recording remastered]

Poison | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 1, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000FIMHJ4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,475 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #16 in Music > Classic Rock > Glam

Editorial Reviews

CD =20Th Anniversary Edition= Incl. 2 Bonus Tracks

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally Remastered August 12, 2006

By Justin G. TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Two years after their debut album Look What the Cat Dragged In firmly secured metal's place atop the pop charts, Poison came back for more with 1988's Open Up and Say... Ahh!

Open Up and Say... Ahh! isn't that far removed from the band's debut album. This is a pretty straightforward rock album full of party anthems and power ballads, all of which focus on Bret and the boys' efforts to sleep with every eligible female in sight. Poison definitely took the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach with this album.

It may not have been that inventive, but it's hard to argue with the results. This is the album that made Poison superstars, not to mention one of the decade's top selling artists. Songs like "Fallen Angel" and "Nothin' But a Good Time" were pretty big hits, but the power ballad "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" was a monster hit, and seemed to play every hour on the radio in 1988-89.

The 2006 reissue of Open Up and Say... Ahh! gives the album a much needed tune-up. The album has been digitally remastered and the sound quality is as good as anything released today. They also added two bonus tracks. The first is an upbeat rocker called "Livin' for the Minute" and the second is an old 10-minute audio interview with the band. It would have been nice if they had included the KISS cover (Rock & Roll All Nite) that appeared on the Less Than Zero (1987 Film) soundtrack, but just having the remastered sound is good enough for me.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Open up and say, yeaahhh... not bad November 3, 2003

By Daniel J. Hamlow HALL OF FAME

Format:Audio CD

After doing a more or less straight cover of KISS's "Rock And Roll All Nite" for the Less Than Zero soundtrack, the bad boys of Poison released their second album, Open Up And Say Ahh!, which got into a bit of a controversy because of the album cover. So what's the big deal about a scraggly haired demonic green-eyed woman with a long tongue sticking out? Apparently a lot to the censorship folks. The edited album cover was a narrow strip that merely showed the eyes and orange slightly below and above. Fortunately, I manged to snag the unedited cover.

"Love On The Rocks" recalls Motley Crue and Cinderella, only not as hard as those two groups, but a good enough dose of rock and roll and swaggering bedroom antics. Another track Diamond Dave would be proud of.

"Nothin' But A Good Time" was a good choice for the first single although not as rowdy as the first single from their debut. The theme of blowing one's hard-earned money for a good time to compensate for an unsatisfying job is shown clearly here. The part before the final chorus run-through is a favorite. After CC's solo, comes the rhythmic thumping of the drums in measured time.

Going "Back To The Rocking Horse" seems like a good idea to me. After a brief been-there, done-that explanation, the narrator longs not only for a simpler time but to start all over again. Gosh, the things I'd do if I had the chance, and the world had better look out! A worthy rocker.

A bluesy harmonica and beats owing nods to to "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way" is displayed on "Good Love," which is to the girl of the song what petrol is to a car. The lifestyle led by the couple in this leads neighbours saying "the things you're doing ain't natural, boy."

The naughtiest and hardest rocking non-single track here is "Look But You Can't Touch" about his trying to seduce a young thing who later doesn't seem quite as innocent as all that. When he sings "I didn't plan on spending money just to get a piece of mind", he emphasizes the word "mind", making me think, "Yeah, as opposed to something rhyming with mass." The guitar squeals in time when he sings that he gets slapped in face for making an illegal move.

"Fallen Angel", the second single, is about a small-town girl whose dreams of show business includes a life in the fast lane, "rolling the dice of her life."

A heartfelt sigh opens the heartbreaking "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", their first #1 song and a mature ballad looking back at a blown chance to make or break a relationship. After words like "like the knife that cuts you/the wound heals, but the scar, that scar remains," I thought, "And these guys did 'Talk Dirty To Me' two years ago?" This really set the standard for their other great ballad, Flesh & Blood's "Something To Believe In"

Then comes a cover of Loggins and Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance," which is good old fashioned rock and roll from the 70's. By the time this single came out, hard on the heels of the previous one, the album had run its course, hence its failing to make the Top Ten.

Things get slower, the sound lacking the ferocity of Look What The Cat Dragged In, which results in a few filler tracks, compensated for by "Every Rose..." but Bret Michael's swaggering bad-boy, play all night with beautiful women tone, is still here. Worthy followup to their debut. And when is EMI going to reissue that original cover for everyone?

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good party rock November 12, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

people think they're really cool if they hate bands like poison and motley crue but the truth is all the heavy metal bands of the 80's had something better than these new bands, TALENT! they were more than terrible drums that hardly even follow along with the music, more than some lame guitarriff that any three year old could play no problem,and more than just some horrible out of key singer screaming ditzy lyrics. this album is what rock was supposed to be, Fun! imagine that. some great trax on this album.

love on the rocks 8 out of 10 points nuthin but a good time 9.5 back to the rockin horse 7.5 good love 8 tearin down the walls 9.5 look but you can't touch 8 fallen angel 9 every rose has it's thorn 10 (great song!) mama don't dance 8 bad to be good 9

very good, if you like good old rock get it!