Formed in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and led by the charismatic Bret Michaels, glam rock band Poison took the world by storm in the late 80s. They had a huge surprise hit with "Talk Dirty To Me" right out of the gate, which went to #9 in 1987. It catapulted their debut album, "Look What The Cat Dragged In", to multi-platinum status and set the band up for a string of follow-up successes that included "Nothin' But A Good Time" (#6), "Fallen Angel" (#12), "Unskinny Bop" (#3), and their cover of the Loggins & Messina classic, "Your Mama Don't Dance" (#10). The band had a softer side, too, and scored big with ballads like "I Won't Forget You" (#13), "Something To Believe In" (#4), and their chart-topping hit "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," which spent 3 weeks at #1 in 1988. By 1993, things took a turn. Beloved guitarist CC DeVille was fired due to substance abuse issues and replaced with a more blues oriented axe, Richie Kotzen. In addition, grunge had arrived in full force by the time the new line-up released their album, "Native Tongue." The album, which largely abandoned their usual party and cock rock fare in favor of more mature songwriting, was met with mixed reviews. The first single, "Stand," backed by a gospel choir, stalled at #50 and became the band's last chart appearance. Kotzen was subsequently fired for fraternizing too heavily with the drummer's girlfriend, opening the door for DeVille to come back onboard in 1996. "Native Tongue" might have performed better had it been released during the hair band heyday. It contains some really good tracks and put Poison on a growth trajectory that would have been interesting to continue. The musicianship and harmonies that decorate the killer ballad "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" exemplify what this might have been like.
Most people know the Pointer Sisters from their string of hits in the 80s - they were in fact the 16th most successful artist of the decade. The sisters who initially started recording in 1969 were June and Bonnie, joined later by Anita and Ruth. Their music was all over the map, starting with jazz and R&B, even venturing into country territory. With some modest hits under their belt by 1978, Bonnie decided to leave the group for a solo career. She scored two top 40 hits on her own, but probably wishes she stuck with her sisters, who went on to reformulate their sound towards rock and pop, achieving monumental success. The first album that solidified their sound was 1978's "Energy." The Pointer Sisters brought in some heavy hitting songwriters, including Donald Fagen (Steely Dan), Bob Welch, Loggins & Messina, and Bruce Springsteen. With Springsteen's song "Fire," the Pointer Sisters obtained their first monster hit, taking it to #2 for two weeks in 1979. The group was a mainstay in the top 10 for years to come, with hits like "He's So Shy" (#3), "Slow Hand" (#2), "Automatic" (#5), "Jump (For My Love)" (#3), "I'm So Excited" (#9), "The Neutron Dance" (#6), and "Dare Me" (#11). Despite this impressive list of hits, the Pointer Sisters never hit #1 on the Top 100. "Lay It On The Line" was the lead off track for the successful 1978 album, "Energy." A great rocker that set the stage for the new direction that took the ladies to global fame.
While similar to The Eagles in many respects, including personnel at times, Poco did not share the same success on the charts. They never cracked the top 10, but are known for popular tunes like "Crazy Love" (#17), "Heart Of The Night" (#20), "Under The Gun" (#48), and a come-back hit of sorts from 1989, "Call It Love" (#18). Poco began with Rusty Young and members of Buffalo Springfield, including Jim Messina, who would later team up with Kenny Loggins to achieve a string of hits as Loggins and Messina. Two musicians in Poco who later joined The Eagles were Randy Meisner and Timothy B. Schmit. The height of the band's popularity has in the late 70s, largely thanks to their album called "Legend." "Little Darlin'" is one of the gems tucked away on that strong record, buried beneath the big singles. The band's last chart appearance was in 1990, when "Nothin' To Hide," penned by Richard Marx, peaked at #39.
Before Kenny Loggins became an undisputed superstar and soundtrack king, he struck gold as a duo with the great Jim Messina. Messina has also been in other bands, including Buffalo Springfield and Poco. Loggins and Messina's first big hit was the classic, "Your Mama Don't Dance," which soared to #4 in 1972. They would not achieve another top 10 hit, but scored top 20 hits with "Thinking Of You" (#18) and "My Music" (#16). Before dissolving in 1975, the boys made several albums mixing country, folk, and rock jams. Kenny started exploring his softer acoustic side with classics everyone knows and loves like "Danny's Song," "House At Pooh Corner," and "A Love Song." Surprisingly, none of these well-known favorites made an appearance on the charts. "Growin'" stalled on the charts at #52 in 1975, taken from their album "Mother Lode." It deserved better and could have breathed new life into the duo, but then again that might have stopped Kenny from embarking on his impressive solo career.
