''Native Tongue'' is the fourth studio album by American

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...

band Poison, released in 1993 through Capitol Records. It peaked at #16 on the ''Billboard'' 200, #20 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

and was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

by the RIAA on April 21, 1993. It has also been certified by CAN platinum. This is the only album to feature lead guitarist

Richie Kotzen Richard Dale Kotzen Jr. (born February 3, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. As a solo artist, Kotzen has back catalogue of more than 20 album releases. He was a member of glam metal band Poison from 1991 to 1993, Mr. Big ...

. Kotzen was hired as the band's guitarist following the firing of

C.C. DeVille C.C. DeVille (born Bruce Anthony Johannesson; May 14, 1962) is an American guitarist best known as a member of rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, including 15 million in the United States. In addition to ...

in late 1991. The album features the singles "

Stand Stand or The Stand may refer to: * To assume the upright position of standing * Forest stand, a group of trees * Area of seating in a stadium, such as bleachers * Stand (cricket), a relationship between two players * Stand (drill pipe), 2 or 3 ...

", " Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" and " Body Talk".

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 fiancee of drummer

Rikki Rockett Richard Allan Ream (born August 8, 1961), better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer for rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone. Bio ...

. 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 The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of North La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property serv ...

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, and

Rumbo Recorders Rumbo Recorders was a recording studio in the Canoga Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. History In 1977, Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille, the husband and wife team widely known as Captain & Tennille, began building the studio at 20215 S ...

Canoga Park, California Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a rancho, and after the American victory it was converted into wheat farms and the ...

with producer

Richie Zito Richie Zito (born August 21, 1952) is an American songwriter, composer and record producer from Los Angeles. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Zito has experienced success as a prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of ...

. It was dedicated to

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

tour manager Scotty Ross and former Poison guitarist DeVille. The album peaked at #16 on the Billboard chart. The first two singles "

" 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 (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active 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 The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" peaked at number 32 on the

. Following the album the band released a video/DVD titled ''

Seven Days Live ''Seven Days Live'' is the fourth video/DVD album from the American heavy metal/glam metal Poison, featuring a live concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, in London England, from the Native Tongue world tour in 1993, in support of the fourth Poison ...

'' which featured a concert from the ''Native Tongue'' world tour.

Songs

Lyrically, the band continued on the growing sophistication that began in '' Flesh & Blood''. 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

Band members

* Bret Michaels - Lead Vocals; Acoustic and Rhythm Guitar; Harmonica *

- Lead Guitar; Piano; Mandolin; Dobro; Bass Guitar;Metal-rules.com, Heart of Steel; Interview with Richie Kotzen by McDonald K.
Retrieved January 5, 2005. Backing Vocals *

Bobby Dall Robert Harry Kuykendall, also known as Bobby Dall (born November 2, 1958), is an American musician best known as the bassist for the multi-platinum selling rock band Poison. The band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and has sold 15 mill ...

- Bass Guitars; Backing Vocals *

- Drums; tribal drums, Percussion With: * Jai Winding - Piano (Tracks 3 & 11) *

Billy Powell William Norris Powell (June 3, 1952 – January 28, 2009) was an American musician and keyboardist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2009. Biography Early life Powell was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He grew u ...

- Piano (8 & 15) *

Mike Finnigan Michael Kelly Finnigan (April 26, 1945 – August 11, 2021) was an American keyboard player and vocalist, his speciality being the B3 Hammond organ. Working primarily as a freelance studio musician and touring player, he played with a wide va ...

- Organ (5) *

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted th ...

- Horns (8) * Timothy B. Schmit - Backing Vocals * Tommy Funderburk - Backing Vocals * First AME Church Choir (3) * Sheila E. - Percussion (1 & 2)

Charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Native Tongue (Album) Poison (American band) albums 1993 albums Albums produced by Richie Zito Blues rock albums by American artists