Flesh and Blood (
1990) is also the title of a follow-up to
hair metal rock band
extraordinaire Poison's highly successful
Open Up and Say...Ahh! (
1988) album. A bit more balanced than most of Poison's prior efforts, blending a touch of blues and
southern rock ("
Poor Boy Blues") into their standard formula of
booze, guitars and
neon, the album looks almost as if Poison was attempting to refine their sound as a contrast against the ever-rising tide of one-dimensional hair bands.
Regardless, one can't deny that all the traditional hallmarks of glam rock are still strikingly evident on this album; the rock anthems ("Unskinny Bop", "Ride the Wind") and power ballads ("Something to Believe In", "Life Goes On") are mainstays, as of course are the traditional "G, C, D" chord permutations and blatant whammy bar abuse featured in just about every song from the the genre.
All things considered, however, Flesh and Blood may be more notable simply because it may very well be eventually considered indicative of an era's end: as the nineties rolled in, hair metal began a steady descent off the charts, as musical tastes themselves ascended the coast, from Los Angeles to Seattle. As it stands, none of the hair band "trifecta" (Poison, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard) released another album for some time, and following 1990, all had highly publicised upheavals, even deaths, within the respective acts, as the erosion of the genre became readily visible; it wasn't long before the same thing eventually occurred amongst the lesser bands of the genre, as well. When these three bands did begin recording again, it is readily evident that their styles and substance had visibly changed.
As for Poison, following Flesh and Blood's release, Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille was booted from the band, due in part to his incessant drug use. Later replaced by a variety of guitarists including Ritchie Kotzen and Blues Saraceno, Poison still never managed to quite pick up the pieces -- although the aforementioned shift in musical tastes had much to do with that.
In the end, Flesh and Blood, while not a bad selection by any means, from this group, it is perhaps more significant in that it's probably the last major album of the band, and of the genre to find acclaim on the musical charts, a notion that won't likely be overlooked when genre's history is eventually penned.
Track Listing:
1.
Strange Days of Uncle Jack
2.
Valley of Lost Souls
3.
(Flesh & Blood) Sacrifice
4.
Swampjuice (Soul-O)
5.
Unskinny Bop
6.
Let It Play
7.
Life Goes On
8.
Come Hell or High Water
9.
Ride the Wind
10.
Don't Give up an Inch
11.
Something to Believe In
12.
Ball and Chain
13.
Life Loves a Tragedy
14.
Poor Boy Blues