Look What the Cat Dragged In is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on May 23, 1986, by Enigma Records and Capitol Records. Though not a success at first, it steadily built momentum and peaked at #3 on the US Billboard 200 on May 23, 1987. The album spawned three successful singles: "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Want Action", and "I Won't Forget You".
Look What the Cat Dragged In was certified Gold in 1987 and 3× Platinum in 1990 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). and platinum in Canada.
Production and marketing
The record was described by vocalist Bret Michaels as a "glorified demo". It was recorded in twelve days at Los Angeles' Music Grinder Studios with producer Ric Browde, for a cost of US$23,000, part of which was funded from the pockets of the band members and their families.
Background
It originally included only one single, "Cry Tough"; however, Look What the Cat Dragged In became a surprise success and subsequently spawned three more charting hits: "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Want Action", and "I Won't Forget You", The record became the biggest-selling-album in Enigma's history. With heavy rotation on MTV, their debut earned the band tours with fellow glam rockers Ratt, Cinderella, and Quiet Riot, as well as a coveted slot in the Texxas Jam in Dallas. The album ultimately sold 4 million copies worldwide.
Reissues
In 2006, a 20th Anniversary edition was released by Capitol; this version added single versions of two of the album's tracks and a cover of Jim Croce's "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" as bonus tracks.
Track listing
Personnel
- Bret Michaels – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- C.C. DeVille – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Bobby Dall – bass, backing vocals
- Rikki Rockett – drums, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Ric Browde – arrangement, production
- Jim Faraci – engineering, production
- Michael Wagener – mixing
- Evren Göknar – 2006 remastering
Charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (1986–1987)
! Peak<br/>position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
| align="center"| 51
|-
|-
|}
Certifications
Accolades
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Publication
! Year
! Country
! Accolade
! Rank
|-
|Revolver Magazine
|2014
|US
|6 Glam-Metal Albums You Need To Own
|align="center"|N/A
|-
|PopMatters
|2021
|US
|10 Essential Glam Metal Albums
|align="center"|N/A
|-
|Rolling Stone
|2019
|US
|50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time
|align="center"|2
|-
|L.A. Weekly
|2011
|US
|Chuck Klosterman's Favorite Hair Metal Albums
|align="center"|7
|-
|Louder Sound
|2021
|US
|The 10 best glam metal albums
|align="center"|N/A
|-
|L.A. Weekly
|2011
|US
|Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of All Time
|align="center"|6
|-
|Guitar World
|2008
|US
|Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of the Eighties
|align="center"|N/A
|-
|Ultimate Classic Rock
|2021
|US
|Top 30 Glam Metal Albums
|align="center"|16
|-
|Loudwire
|2016
|US
|Top 30 Hair Metal Albums
|align="center"|10
|-
|Metal Rules
|2003
|US
|Top 50 Glam Metal Albums
|align="center"|4
|-
|Loudwire
|2016
|US
|Top 80 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1980s
|align="center"|80
|-
|}
References
External links
- Official website
- Interview with Bret Michaels at Classic Rock Revisited