Native Tongue (album)
Encyclopedia
Native Tongue is the fourth studio album by American
hard rock
band Poison
, released in 1993 through Capitol Records
. It peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200
, #20 on the UK Albums Chart
and was certified Gold
by the RIAA
on April 21, 1993.
It has also been certified by CAN platinum. The album features new lead guitarist Richie Kotzen
. Kotzen was hired as the band's guitarist following the firing of C.C. DeVille in late 1991. The album features the singles "Stand
" which featured the Los Angeles First A.M.E. Church Choir on backing vocals, "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" and "Body Talk
".
genre, Native Tongue also features funk
and blues
elements. Richie Kotzen
's influence upon the sound of the album is unmistakable. In songs such as "The Scream", the band's traditional sustaining power chord
s were jettisoned in favor of complex, funky palm-muted
heavy metal riffs.
Kotzen would later be expelled from the band following the world tour, after it was discovered that he had been romantically involved with the fiance of drummer Rikki Rockett
. Recollections of the album, while no doubt soured by these events, nonetheless appear to faithfully reflect the basic clash between Kotzen's style and that of the band's founding members. Kotzen would later claim that "being in Poison helped me forget I was a musician", while Rockett would lament the loss of the band's original "attitude"
The album was recorded and mixed at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California, and Rumbo Recorders in Canoga Park, California with producer Richie Zito
. It was dedicated to Van Halen
tour manager Scotty Ross and former Poison guitarist DeVille. The album peaked at #16 on the Billboard chart.
The first two singles "Stand
" and "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" featured music videos and charted in the US and the UK. "Stand" reached number 15 on the Mainstream rock
chart, #35 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The song also charted at number 25 on the UK Singles chart
and "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles chart
.
Following the album the band released a video/DVD titled Seven Days Live which featured a concert from the Native Tongue world tour.
. The album's themes include battles against injustice ("Scream", "Stand"), heartbreak ("Until You Suffer Some", "7 Days Over You", "Theatre of the Soul"), and inner demons ("Stay Alive").
"When The Whip Comes Down" is a track not included on the album but used as a b side for the singles.
, Richie Kotzen
, Bobby Dall
and Rikki Rockett
With:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
, released in 1993 through Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. It peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, #20 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and was certified Gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on April 21, 1993.
It has also been certified by CAN platinum. The album features new lead guitarist Richie Kotzen
Richie Kotzen
Richie Kotzen is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.At a young age, Richie Kotzen was taken by music and first began playing piano at the age of five. At the age of seven he was inspired by the band KISS to learn the electric guitar...
. Kotzen was hired as the band's guitarist following the firing of C.C. DeVille in late 1991. The album features the singles "Stand
Stand (Poison song)
"Stand" is a song by American Hard rock band Poison, it was the 1st single from their 1993 Native Tongue album. The song reached number 15 on the Mainstream rock chart, #35 on the top 40 mainstream chart and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" which featured the Los Angeles First A.M.E. Church Choir on backing vocals, "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" and "Body Talk
Body Talk (Poison song)
"Body Talk" is a song by American Hard rock band Poison, it was the 3rd single from their 1993 Native Tongue album, which reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 200...
".
Musical style
While the band is generally associated with the glam metalGlam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
genre, Native Tongue also features funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
elements. Richie Kotzen
Richie Kotzen
Richie Kotzen is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.At a young age, Richie Kotzen was taken by music and first began playing piano at the age of five. At the age of seven he was inspired by the band KISS to learn the electric guitar...
's influence upon the sound of the album is unmistakable. In songs such as "The Scream", the band's traditional sustaining power chord
Power chord
In music, a power chord is a chord consisting of only the root note of the chord and the fifth interval, usually played on electric guitar, and typically through an amplification process that imparts distortion...
s were jettisoned in favor of complex, funky palm-muted
Palm mute
The palm mute is a playing technique for guitar and bass guitar executed by placing the side of the picking hand below the little finger across all of the strings very close to the bridge and then plucking the strings with the fingers while the damping is in effect. This produces a muted sound...
heavy metal riffs.
Production and marketing
Admitted as a full-fledged member of the band rather than a "hired gun", Kotzen was given considerable creative freedom. Resultingly, Kotzen's writing and performing contributions dominated the album.Kotzen would later be expelled from the band following the world tour, after it was discovered that he had been romantically involved with the fiance of drummer Rikki Rockett
Rikki Rockett
Richard Allan Ream , better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer best known for his work with the glam metal band, Poison.-Biography:...
. Recollections of the album, while no doubt soured by these events, nonetheless appear to faithfully reflect the basic clash between Kotzen's style and that of the band's founding members. Kotzen would later claim that "being in Poison helped me forget I was a musician", while Rockett would lament the loss of the band's original "attitude"
The album was recorded and mixed at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California, and Rumbo Recorders in Canoga Park, California with producer Richie Zito
Richie Zito
Richie Zito is a session guitarist and record producer from Los Angeles.He has worked with Poison, Neil Sedaka, Yvonne Elliman, Eric Carmen, Art Garfunkel, Leo Sayer, Diana Ross, Marc Tanner, Elton John, the Motels, as well as The Cult, White Lion, Eddie Money, Heart, and Bad English...
. It was dedicated to Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
tour manager Scotty Ross and former Poison guitarist DeVille. The album peaked at #16 on the Billboard chart.
The first two singles "Stand
Stand (Poison song)
"Stand" is a song by American Hard rock band Poison, it was the 1st single from their 1993 Native Tongue album. The song reached number 15 on the Mainstream rock chart, #35 on the top 40 mainstream chart and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" and "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" featured music videos and charted in the US and the UK. "Stand" reached number 15 on the Mainstream rock
Mainstream rock
Mainstream rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.-Format background:...
chart, #35 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The song also charted at number 25 on the UK Singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Following the album the band released a video/DVD titled Seven Days Live which featured a concert from the Native Tongue world tour.
Songs
Lyrically, the band continued on the growing sophistication that began in Flesh and BloodFlesh and Blood (Poison album)
Flesh & Blood is the third studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released in 1990 through the Enigma label of Capitol Records. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard chartsand it sold over 7.2 million copies worldwide....
. The album's themes include battles against injustice ("Scream", "Stand"), heartbreak ("Until You Suffer Some", "7 Days Over You", "Theatre of the Soul"), and inner demons ("Stay Alive").
"When The Whip Comes Down" is a track not included on the album but used as a b side for the singles.
Track listing
All songs written by Bret MichaelsBret Michaels
Bret Michaels is an American musician, actor, director, screenwriter, producer and reality television personality. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison. Besides his career as lead singer, he has several solo albums to his credit, as well as one chart single...
, Richie Kotzen
Richie Kotzen
Richie Kotzen is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.At a young age, Richie Kotzen was taken by music and first began playing piano at the age of five. At the age of seven he was inspired by the band KISS to learn the electric guitar...
, Bobby Dall
Bobby Dall
Robert Harry Kuykendall also known as Bobby Dall is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for Poison. Dall is the youngest of three children...
and Rikki Rockett
Rikki Rockett
Richard Allan Ream , better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer best known for his work with the glam metal band, Poison.-Biography:...
- "Native Tongue" (1:03)
- "The Scream" (3:51)
- "Stand" (5:17)
- "Stay Alive" (4:25)
- "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" (4:16)
- "Body Talk" (4:03)
- "Bring it Home" (3:57)
- "7 Days Over You" (4:15)
- "Richie's Acoustic Thang" (0:58)
- "Ain't That the Truth" (3:27)
- "Theatre of the Soul" (4:43)
- "Strike Up the Band" (4:17)
- "Ride Child Ride" (3:55)
- "Blind Faith" (3:34)
- "Bastard Son of a Thousand Blues" (4:57)
Singles
- "StandStand (Poison song)"Stand" is a song by American Hard rock band Poison, it was the 1st single from their 1993 Native Tongue album. The song reached number 15 on the Mainstream rock chart, #35 on the top 40 mainstream chart and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" - #50 Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... - "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" - #32 UK Singles chartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
- "Body TalkBody Talk (Poison song)"Body Talk" is a song by American Hard rock band Poison, it was the 3rd single from their 1993 Native Tongue album, which reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 200...
"
Band members
- Bret MichaelsBret MichaelsBret Michaels is an American musician, actor, director, screenwriter, producer and reality television personality. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison. Besides his career as lead singer, he has several solo albums to his credit, as well as one chart single...
- Lead Vocals; Rhythm/Acoustic Guitars; Harmonica - Richie KotzenRichie KotzenRichie Kotzen is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.At a young age, Richie Kotzen was taken by music and first began playing piano at the age of five. At the age of seven he was inspired by the band KISS to learn the electric guitar...
- Lead/Rhythm/Acoustic Guitars; Piano; Mandolin; Dobro; Backing Vocals - Bobby DallBobby DallRobert Harry Kuykendall also known as Bobby Dall is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for Poison. Dall is the youngest of three children...
- Bass Guitars; Backing Vocals - Rikki RockettRikki RockettRichard Allan Ream , better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer best known for his work with the glam metal band, Poison.-Biography:...
- Drums; Percussion; Backing Vocals
With:
- Jai Winding - Piano (Tracks 3 & 11)
- Billy PowellBilly PowellWilliam Norris "Billy" Powell was an American musician. He was the longtime keyboardist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, from 1970 until his death in 2009.-Biography:...
- Piano (8 & 15) - Mike Finnegan - Organ (5)
- 'Tower of Power' Horn Section (8)
- Timothy B. SchmitTimothy B. SchmitTimothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group...
- Backing Vocals - Tommy FunderburkTommy FunderburkTommy Funderburk is an American rock and roll singer. He has recorded with artists such as Jon Anderson, Laura Branigan, Coverdale-Page, Melissa Manchester, Magnum, Mötley Crüe, Steve Lukather, Richard Marx, Rick Springfield, Starship, REO Speedwagon, Whitesnake, Yes and many others.Funderburk was...
- Backing Vocals - First AME Church Choir (3)
- Shelia E. - Purcussion (1 & 2)