Hollyweird

For other uses, see Hollyweird (disambiguation).
Hollyweird
Studio album by
Poison
ReleasedMay 21, 2002 (2002-05-21)[1]
RecordedApril 2001 – April 2002
Studio
  • Henson (Hollywood)
  • Rock Central (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length42:04
LabelCyanide Music
ProducerThom Panunzio
Poison chronology
Rock Champions
(2001) 		Hollyweird
(2002) 		Best of Ballads & Blues
(2003)
Singles from Hollyweird
  1. "Rockstar"
    Released: May 27, 2001
  2. "Squeeze Box"
    Released: March 4, 2002
  3. "Shooting Star"
    Released: November 5, 2002
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
411Mania(4/10)[2]
AllMusic[3]
antiMusic[4]
KNAC[5]

Hollyweird is the sixth studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released through Cyanide Music on May 21, 2002. It debuted at No. 103 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 8 on the Independent Albums chart[6] and sold 11,000 copies in its first week.[7] As of 2023, it is the band's most recent album of original material.

Musical style

The record brought together Poison's original lineup for the first full studio project since Flesh & Blood. The result was a combination of old and new sounds, with guitarist C.C. DeVille frequently preferring pop and punk rock sounds to the heavy metal style that had characterized Poison's previous records.[citation needed] The band's new style was particularly evident in the songs "Emperor's New Clothes", "Livin' In the Now" and "Home (C.C's Story)", which featured DeVille on lead vocals.

Production and marketing

In the face of major label offers that would have required the band to re-record old material, the band decided to release the album through their own label, Cyanide Music. Hollyweird was recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California and Rock Central Studios in Sherman Oaks, California with producer Thom Panunzio and engineer Bob Koszela.

Songs

The album's themes revolve almost exclusively around the trials and tribulations of success in Hollywood, California—a theme that had previously been explored in the band's single "Fallen Angel" from their second album Open Up and Say... Ahh!.

The first single released from the album was "Rockstar", which was released on the web as a preview for the album; the second single was a cover of The Who song "Squeeze Box".

Bobby Dall on The Who cover "Squeeze Box":

...Actually, that was Rikki's idea. When we came into rehearsals ... to break the ice for the new record ... before we started fightin' and arguin' about songs, we went through a list of covers and remakes. ...It was the song that stuck and I think it fits perfectly for our band. It has a great melody and a great vocal, but it's also kinda sparse and undefined ... it was kinda like an open pallet [sic.] for us.[8]

"Shooting Star" was also released as a single for the album and was referred to as part 2 to the Fallen Angel single from Open Up and...Say Ahh.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall, Rikki Rockett, and C.C. DeVille, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hollyweird" 3:15
2."Squeeze Box" (The Who cover)Pete Townshend2:32
3."Shooting Star" 4:39
4."Wishful Thinkin'" 2:49
5."Get 'Ya Some" 4:22
6."Emperor's New Clothes" 2:15
7."Devil Woman" 3:47
8."Wasteland" 3:56
9."Livin' in the Now" 2:37
10."Stupid, Stoned & Dumb" 3:10
11."Home" (Bret's Story) 2:49
12."Home" (C.C.'s Story) 2:47
13."Rockstar" 3:33
Total length:42:04

Personnel

Poison

Additional musicians

  • Dan Wagner – keyboards
  • Mark "Small Face" Poole – backing vocals
  • Christy Calabro – backing vocals
  • Cliff Calabro – backing vocals

Singles

Charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[9] 103
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[10] 8

References

  1. ^ "Hollyweird – Poison | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^ 411Mania review Archived January 16, 2013, at archive.today
  3. ^ "Hollyweird – Poison | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  4. ^ antiMusic review
  5. ^ KNAC review
  6. ^ "Allmusic (Poison charts and awards) Billboard albums".
  7. ^ "Sludge Scan For April And May 2000". 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
  8. ^ "PoisonRight". Archived from the original on November 13, 2008. Retrieved November 13, 2008.
  9. ^ "Poison Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "Poison Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.