Open Up and Say...Ahh!

Poison

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: May 3, 1988
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002UE9
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,748 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Love on the Rocks

2. Nothin' But a Good Time

3. Back to the Rocking Horse

4. Good Love

5. Tearin' Down the Walls

6. Look But You Can't Touch

7. Fallen Angel

8. Every Rose Has Its Thorn

9. Your Mama Don't Dance

10. Bad to Be Good

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The second song on this album from the premier pop-metal band of the '80s sums up perfectly what Poison was all about: "Nothin' But a Good Time" isn't exactly deep, but it's a fun song. There's other good stuff on what is unquestionably Poison's best album; "Love on the Rocks" and "Look But You Can't Touch" show that this band is at its best when it's not taking itself seriously, though the wistful "Fallen Angel" remains one of Poison's best songs. "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," on the other hand, has nothing to distinguish it from the flood of power ballads of the late 80s. The cover of "Your Mama Don't Dance," however, more than makes up for this, with the sense of fun and humor that made Poison so entertaining. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 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 (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poison Reinforces Their Grip on the 80's, November 11, 2001

By	J. Villanueva (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After their multi-platinum debut, Poison took an even tighter grip on their 80's fame with Open Up and Say Ahh...

Featuring the Bands most successful hit of all time "Every Rose Has It's Thorn", this CD rounds out its place in Hair-Band history with "Fallen Angel" and Nothin' But a Good Time". I believe this is their best work to date...

~Shadow~

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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!