Poison Still Working Hard to Stay on the Pop Culture Radar

Some call it cynical; others call it survival. Maybe you think it's shameless, and your friend declares it utterly natural. Wherever you stand on the issue, '80s hair metal champions Poison are still refusing to fade away. With a new album of covers, Poison'd, set for release on June 5 and a summer tour with '80s comrades Ratt and White Lion kicking off a few days later, the band's original lineup will be prominent this summer indeed. And as if that weren't enough, VH-1 is set to launch another sensationalistic reality show featuring none other than Poison frontman Bret Michaels. I don't think I have the stomach to go into the gory details, but if you're interested, click here for information about Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, set to premiere in July.

Anyway, I'll skip a lengthy rant on the state of American culture this time around and simply invite you to check out my recent profile and top songs list focusing on perhaps the '80s most defining glam pop metal band. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Poison's catalogue may not be the era's most life-changing body of work, but the group's music has always been better than most "serious" critics have been willing to admit. As always, we must ultimately decide for ourselves by cutting through the distractions (somehow) and simply listening to the music.

• Poison Profile
• Top 7 Poison Songs of the '80s
• Poison Official Website

Album Cover Photo Courtesy of EMI-Capitol Special Markets