Look What the Cat Dragged In is the debutstudio album by American hair metal bandPoison, released on August 2, 1986 through Enigma Records. Though not a success at first, it steadily built momentum and peaked at #3 on the US Billboard 200 on 23 May 1987. The album spawned four singles, three of them charting successfully: "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Want Action", "I Won't Forget You" and "Cry Tough". It serves as a prime example of the glam metal genre both musically and image-wise. The album ultimately has sold four million copies worldwide, one of their best-selling albums. Look What the Cat Dragged In was certified gold in 1987 and 3x multi-platinum in 1990 by the RIAA. It has also been certified silver by the BPI and platinum in Canada. It is No. 2 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of 50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time.
Musical style
Described by Revolver Magazine as "oversexed, under-thought, and relentlessly fun", the album's style is typically described as "glam metal" and was strongly influenced by East-Coast bands such as Aerosmith and Kiss. Reflecting a period in time before the band's music began to take on the influence of Californian, Van Halen-styled stadium rock, the album is characterized by more traditional heavy metal sounds.
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. The front cover of the album featured the members of Poison at their most "glam", with each sporting excessive make-up, thick girlish hair, and the pouting "kiss" pose which was to become a Poison trademark. The cover is often compared to the alternate cover of Mötley Crüe's 1983 album Shout at the Devil due to both featuring the band members' faces in heavy makeup, but it also may or may not have represented a loose parody of the cover of The Beatles' Let It Be, or perhaps more likely, Van Halen's debut album.
Themes and tracks
The album's themes are ambition, lust, sexual frustration, love lost, and, most importantly, anti-social behavior. "Talk Dirty to Me" was written by guitarist C. C. DeVille prior to his joining the band. DeVille played it to Michaels, Rikki Rockett and Bobby Dall during his audition for the role as the band's guitarist. "Talk Dirty to Me" has been covered by several bands, including Children of Bodom and Reel Big Fish. It is also included as a playable cover track in , with Michaels re-recording the vocals.
Reissues
In 2005, Madacy Entertainment reissued the album, with a new cover but identical contents, under the title Rock Breakout Years: 1987. The following year, a 20th Anniversary edition was released by Capitol, with the original title. 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.
