Twisted Sister Albums (8)
'Twisted Christmas'
Release Date 10/17/2006
Tracks 11
Label Razor & Tie
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Holiday-themed albums need to either be pretty good, horrifically terrible, or completely original to cause even the jolliest head to turn. Twisted Christmas, a ten-track collection of yuletide classics from the band that once writhed atop a convertible singing the song "Burn in Hell" near the end of Pee Wee's Big Adventure, manages to achieve all three. Twisted Sister was always a group that would occasionally transcend their hair metal image with some truly majestic and powerful rock & roll, so it comes as no surprise that they filter the beloved Christmas carol through the same makeup-smeared sieve that brought the world "I Wanna Rock," "Wake Up the Sleeping Giant," and "The Prize." In fact, "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" sounds so much like a reimagining of "We're Not Gonna Take It," the listener can't help but become outraged at all of the injustice in the world. "Deck the Halls" sounds like a Ramones tune, "I'll Be Home for Christmas," featuring guest vocalist Lita Ford, could have launched a thousand lighters at any stadium in the late '80s, and the absolutely embarrassing "Heavy Metal Christmas" ("12 silver crosses, 11 black mascaras, ten pairs of platforms, nine tattered T-shirts, eight pentagrams, seven leather jackets, six cans of hair spray, five skullhead rings, four quarts of Jack, three studded belts, two pairs of spandex pants, and a tattoo of Ozzy") is almost impossible to turn off without seeing it through to its loathsome but charming end. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Stay Hungry is to Twisted Sister what Metal Health is to Quiet Riot, Operation: Mindcrime is to Queensrÿche, and Appetite for Destruction is to Guns n' Roses -- it isn't their only worthwhile release, but it is widely regarded as their best and most essential. So when Twisted Sister decided to re-record one of their albums in 2004, the most logical choice was Stay Hungry -- and Still Hungry finds a reunited Twisted Sister revisiting that 1984 classic 20 years later. Of course, it's impossible to improve upon perfection, and some fans of Sister's '80s output will wonder if favorites like "We're Not Gonna Take It," "I Wanna Rock," and "Burn in Hell" really needed to be re-recorded. But here's the thing: according to guitarist Jay Jay French, Stay Hungry wasn't perfection -- at least not from a production standpoint. French had problems with the way Tom Werman produced Stay Hungry; Werman and Atlantic Records insisted on a glossier, lighter sort of production, while Dee Snider and his bandmates had envisioned a tougher, harder, heavier sound (and didn't get their way). Stylistically, Still Hungry isn't a big departure from Stay Hungry; Sister plays the same nine songs in pretty much the same fashion and offers them in the same order (adding seven bonus tracks, which range from 2000's previously released "Heroes Are Hard to Find" to some tunes that were written in the '80s but went unfinished). On Still Hungry, bassist Mark Mendoza's production does, in fact, give Stay Hungry's nine songs a dirtier, less glossy sound -- and these 2004 performances are undeniably inspired. Twenty years obviously haven't robbed Snider, French, or Mendoza of their enthusiasm for this material. Nonetheless, the original, Werman-produced 1984 version of Stay Hungry remains Sister's most essential disc; casual listeners should start out with Stay Hungry, not Still Hungry. But for collectors and hardcore fans, Still Hungry paints an enjoyable, interesting picture of the sound that Snider and friends originally had in mind for their most famous album. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'Love Is for Suckers'
Release Date 10/19/1999
Tracks 10
Label Spitfire
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
When Twisted Sister issued their 1985 album, Come Out and Play, the members were convinced they'd created their best work yet. But ultimately, the record was met with a very cool response by their fans -- a major disappointment after the double platinum success of their preceding album, 1984's Stay Hungry. For their next album, Love Is for Suckers (issued in 1987), the band attempted returning to more straight-ahead, hard rock-based songwriting. Long-time drummer A.J. Pero left the band prior to the album (replaced by session drummer Joey Franco), and the raw approach of their early work was noticeably absent -- producer Beau Hill (Ratt, Winger) gave the album a very '80s pop-metal sound. Standouts included "Hot Love," the title track, and "Tonight," but like the album before it, Love Is for Suckers died quickly on the charts. Having been together for over ten years, Twisted Sister decided to call it a day shortly after the album's release. The 1999 CD re-issue included four bonus tracks not included on the original -- "Feel Appeal," "Statutory Date," "If That's What You Want," and "I Will Win." ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Twisted Sister were left in a strange position after the massive breakthrough success of their 1984 album, Stay Hungry. While the album contained more of a pop edge than their more raw preceding albums (Under the Blade and You Can't Stop Rock n' Roll), the heavy metal masses worldwide still embraced the album, as did the the lucrative MTV/pop audience. So for its follow-up, the band was faced with a question: whether to continue in a more pop-oriented direction or return to its early heavy metal. As the resulting album, 1985's Come Out and Play, proved, the band pursued a little bit of both. Behind the boards was Scorpions/Accept producer Dieter Dierks, and the compositions alternated between the ambitious (the title track), obvious ready-for-radio tracks (a cover of "Leader of the Pack," "Be Chrool to Your Scuel"), and songs custom-made for headbangers ("The Fire Still Burns," "Kill or Be Killed"). The aforementioned "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" contained such musical guests as Alice Cooper, Billy Joel, Clarence Clemons, and Brian Setzer, for which a humorous video was filmed, and ultimately banned by MTV. And although the album was certified gold shortly after its release, it soon slid from sight -- eventually leading to Twisted Sister's demise a few years later. When originally released on Atlantic, the cassette version of Come Out and Play included a bonus track, "King of the Fools," which was included on the Spitfire Records CD reissue in 1999. Strangely, the 1999 CD contained very muffled sonics. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After nearly a decade trying to make it to "The Show," Twisted Sister were finally up to bat. Their first album was a wild swing, their second had flown just barely foul, but with their third -- the unstoppable Stay Hungry -- the New York veterans finally hit one out of the park. And few bands were as deserving. Having paid their dues on the tough as nails N.Y.C. club scene (half of the band looked like the Ramones, the other half like the Dictators, and Dee Snider looked like, well, Dee Snider), Twisted Sister had finally worn down the opposition and truly arrived. With their comedic videos and bubblegum undertones, hit singles "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" helped the band bridge the "beauty gap" into MTV acceptance, and a competent power ballad in "The Price" would cement their consumer-friendly status. But it was the irrefutable menace of tracks like "The Beast," "S.M.F.," and the massive "Burn in Hell" that connected with their loyal fans and displayed Twisted Sister's true power. Equally grim, "Captain Howdy" and "Street Justice" -- the two songs comprising the "Horror-teria" suite (later the basis for Snider's ill-fated movie project Strangeland) -- are a cross between Alice Cooper and its stated source of influence, Stephen King. And don't forget the all-out metal ambition of the title track. Ironically, the album's very mainstream appeal would alienate their core heavy metal fan base and spell the band's overexposure-induced fall from grace, but for this brief moment, Twisted Sister were truly the "talk of the town, top of the heap." [In 2009, Rhino released the 25th Anniversary Edition of Stay Hungry which included a re-mastered version of the original album, as well as a bonus disc with sixteen previously unissued tracks and one newly recorded cut.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
'You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll'
Release Date 6/15/1983
Tracks 13
Label Atlantic
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
From the solid sales of their independently released debut album, 1982's Under the Blade, New York's Twisted Sister were finally rewarded with a major record label contract, courtesy of Atlantic, who issued their first domestic release, You Can't Stop Rock & Roll, a year later. The album followed the same raw heavy metal direction of their debut, and was even more consistent from a songwriting and performance standpoint. Several of Twisted Sister's best anthems reside here -- the title track (which was one of the band's first videos to be aired on MTV), as well as "The Kids Are Back," "We're Gonna Make It," and "I Am (I'm Me)." But besides a ballad that vocalist Dee Snider wrote especially for his wife, "You're Not Alone (Suzette's Song)," the album is comprised of 100 percent heavy metal -- "Like a Knife in the Back," "Ride to Live, Live to Ride," "I've Had Enough," and "I'll Take You Alive." The 1999 CD reissue included three bonus tracks not included on the original: "One Man Woman," "Four Barrel Heart of Love," and "Feel the Power." Eventually certified gold in the U.S., You Can't Stop Rock & Roll set the stage perfectly for their next release, 1984's breakthrough Stay Hungry. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Although Twisted Sister had been slugging it out on the New York-area bar/club scene for nearly a decade by the early '80s (developing a large following in the process), no major record label would sign the act. Noticing that England was in the midst of a heavy metal resurgence (dubbed the New Wave of British Heavy Metal), the quintet moved over to the U.K., where they recorded their debut album, Under the Blade, issued in 1982 on the independent Secret Records. UFO bassist Pete Way produced the album, which featured many of the band's best compositions from their club days. The chilling title track remains one of the band's best and has became a perennial concert favorite, while other metallic highlights include the opening "What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You)," "Sin After Sin," "Shoot 'Em Down," and "Tear It Loose." The band also brings the volume down a notch or two with the slow-burning tracks "Run for Your Life" and "Destroyer," while the 1999 CD reissue on Spitfire included a bonus track not on the original record ("I'll Never Grow Up Now!"). Under the Blade remains one of Twisted Sister's hardest rocking albums and is highly recommended to lovers of early-'80s British heavy metal. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
