Poison — Flesh & Blood

intothewellsabyss
Jun 21, 2023
3 min read

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

33 years ago today, this album began its journey to seven + million sales.

On this day (June 21) in 1990, Poison released their third full-length studio album, “Flesh & Blood” in Europe via the Enigma label of Capitol Records (July 2, 1990 in the US). It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard charts and more than 7.2 million copies were sold worldwide. It peaked at number 1 on the Cash Box charts.

The album was an attempt by the band to establish a more serious musical stance, more than just the Glam Metal party dynamic of 1988's “Open Up and Say... Ahh!”. It spawned two top 10 singles, "Unskinny Bop" and "Something to Believe In". Its three other hit singles are "Ride the Wind", "Life Goes On", and "(Flesh & Blood) Sacrifice".

It was certified Platinum in 1990 and triple Platinum in 1991 by the The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It has been certified 4× Platinum by CAN and Gold by BPI.

Production & Marketing:

The album was recorded and mixed at Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with Canadian producer Bruce Fairbairn and mixer Mike Fraser.

The front cover art features the Poison logo and album title as a tattoo on drummer Rikki Rockett's arm. The cover was originally planned to have a slightly different version of the tattoo after being freshly inked, with inflamed red skin with dripping ink or blood.

The original cover was released for the initial pressing in Japan but was removed from all later pressings including those in Japan. The record's marketing reflected the end of Poison's Glam image, including excessive make-up and teased, girlish hair as with “Look What the Cat Dragged In”, instead being similar to Guns N' Roses.

The Songs:

Parts of the album are darker and more serious, including overcoming hard times, missing loved ones, long-term relationships, and mass sociopolitical disillusionment. Fun topics include sex, exhilaration from music or motorbikes, and tongue-in-cheek poverty. Some songs have a Blues-Rock style.

The meaning of "Unskinny Bop", one of the band's most popular songs, is obscure. C.C. DeVille later confessed that the phrase "unskinny bop" has no particular meaning. He devised it as a temporary measure while writing the song, before vocalist Bret Michaels had begun working on the lyrics. The phrase was used on the basis that it was phonetically suited to the music. The song was later played to producer Fairbairn, who stated that although he did not know what an "unskinny bop" was, the phrase was perfect.

Critical Reception:

“Flesh & Blood” was voted Best Album in CIRCUS Magazine's 1990 Readers' Poll, and "Something to Believe In" was voted Best Single.

The album yielded three Metal Edge Readers' Choice Awards in 1990: Album of the Year, and "Something to Believe In" for Song of the Year and Best Video.

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to the “Flesh & Blood” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/flesh-blood-bonus-track-version/723512797

Click this link to watch the official music video for “Unskinny Bop”: https://youtu.be/Xk5y4wvsLyY

Click this link to watch the official music video for “Something to Believe In”: https://youtu.be/G5uamDMoW4o

Click this link to watch the official music video for “Ride the Wind”: https://youtu.be/juhBVAnLkHk

Click this link to watch the official music video for “Flesh & Blood (Sacrifice)”: https://youtu.be/mMbGgnCWfuc

Click this link to watch the official music video for “Life Goes On”: https://youtu.be/iOyleR-jQGk

Click this link to follow the Poison on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Poison

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells