Simon Rushworth
Poison – Stand (Michaels/Dall/Rockett/Kotzen) b/w Native Tongue/Scream (Michaels/Dall/Rockett/Kotzen) 1993
By the time Stand hit stores hair metal was clinging on for dear life in the face of the unrelenting advance of grunge and US audiences had all but deserted Brett Michaels and co. in 1993.
This excellent song, from the mature yet underrated Native Tongue record, may have hit 25 on the UK singles chart but it only just limped into the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100.
And pretty soon after Poison were forced to accept defeat with the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden stamping all over their MTV heartland.
But while form is temporary, class is permanent and the band which brought us the monster ballad Every Rose Has Its Thorn back in the day is just one of many hair metal acts experiencing a huge revival in 2009.
A sell-out tour across the US with Def Leppard and Cheap Trick this summer has thrown the spotlight back on the original glam metal pretty boys.
And Michaels is making a name for himself as a reality TV star – following in the footsteps of Ozzy, Gene and the rest.
Those of you who did propel Stand to the brink of the Top 20 16 years ago were, at least, rewarded with a neat seven-inch gatefold sleeve featuring the song’s lyrics on the indie back cover. One for the fans – at least those fans who were still sticking with Poison at a time when hair metal was quickly becoming uncool.