Open Up and Say... Ahh!
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | StarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
| Rolling Stone | StarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[3] |
Open Up and Say... Ahh! is the second studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on April 27, 1988, through Enigma Records and Capitol Records. It proved to be the band's most successful release, and spawned four hit singles: "Nothin' But a Good Time", "Fallen Angel", "Your Mama Don't Dance" (a Loggins and Messina cover) and their only number one single to date, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". The album peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200.
Open Up and Say Ahh was certified platinum in 1988 and 5× platinum in 1991 by the RIAA.[4] It also has been certified 4× platinum in Canada and gold by the BPI.
Production and marketing
The album was recorded and mixed at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Paul Stanley from Kiss (whose song "Rock and Roll All Nite" had been covered by Poison the year before) was originally selected to produce the record, but was unable to fulfill the role due to scheduling conflicts. Instead, the band worked with Tom Werman. Werman was an experienced rock producer, having worked with artists such as Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Twisted Sister and Mötley Crüe.
Following the album was the release of the band's first video compilation, titled Sight for Sore Ears, which featured all the music videos from Open Up and Say...Ahh! and Look What the Cat Dragged In.
Cover
The original front cover of the album, which featured model Bambi dressed as a luminous red demon with a protruding tongue, caused controversy among parental groups. The band changed the cover so that only the model's eyes were visible.[5][6][7]
Track information
Vocalist Bret Michaels allegedly wrote the band's most successful single, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", in response to a failed love affair with a Los Angeles stripper. Poison had been playing at a cowboy bar called The Ritz in Dallas, Texas. After the show, Michaels called the woman at her apartment and heard a man's voice in the background. Heartbroken, he wrote the song with an acoustic guitar in a laundromat.[8]
The first single "Nothin' But a Good Time" was born from the merger of a guitar riff by C. C. DeVille and a chorus by Michaels. Michaels later explained that he was in search of a "kick ass big arena rock song" which would make him feel good about his life. The song was about "not wanting to be held back by working a job and being depressed", as portrayed in its music video.
The fourth single, "Your Mama Don't Dance", was a cover version of the 1972 song written by Loggins and Messina from their 1972 self-titled album.
Two additional songs written for the record, "Livin' for the Minute" and "Face the Hangman", were later released as B-sides. "Face the Hangman" was later included on Crack a Smile... and More!.
Track listing
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Personnel
- Bret Michaels – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar (track 8), harmonica (track 4)
- C.C. DeVille – lead guitar, background vocals, keyboards (track 8)
- Bobby Dall – bass, background vocals
- Rikki Rockett – drums, background vocals
Additional credits:
- John Purdell – keyboard, horn
- Evren Göknar – 2006 and 2018 remastering
Charts
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Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[14] | 3× Platinum | 210,000 |
| Canada (Music Canada)[15] | 4× Platinum | 400,000 |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[16] | Platinum | 15,000 |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[17] | Gold | 100,000 |
| United States (RIAA)[18] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000 |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Open Up and Say... Ahh! - Poison | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Robert Christgau: CG: Poison". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."RIAA Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Compact Data: Short Cuts" (PDF). Radio & Records (736). Los Angeles, California, USA: Radio & Records, Inc.: 38 May 6, 1988. ISSN 0277-4860. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
Poison (who had to change the cover of their new LP after the Wal-mart chain refused to carry it) perform Loggins & Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance" on their "Open Up And Say Ahh" LP.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ouellette, Mary (May 3, 2023). "30 Years Ago: Poison Break Through on 'Open Up and Say … Ahh!'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Edwards, Gavin (January 15, 2015). "Banned in the U.S.A.: 20 Wildest Censored Album Covers". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Something to Believe In". Archived from the original on November 13, 2006. Retrieved September 15, 2006.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in suomi) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in 日本語). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1988". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top Selling Albums of 1989". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."ARIA Australian Albums Chart 1989". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
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External links
- Official website
- Open Up and Say... Ahh! at MusicBrainz (list of releases)Template:EditAtWikidata
- Open Up and Say... Ahh! at Discogs (list of releases)
- [1] theGAZZ.com, Interview with Bret Michaels. Retrieved October 13, 2006.
- [2] Classic Rock Revisited, Classic Trax, Interview with Bret Michaels. Retrieved January 6, 2005.
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