Ratings: See Below

Twisted Sister had Stay Hungry and a couple of smash hits in “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock” but these rough n’ tumble rockers come from the streets and were already regional East Coast stars long before the rest of the world had ever heard of them.

Armoury Records has released four TS albums that represent the other facets of the band. Some are better than others and a couple of them should be in your music collection. Here is a rundown of the four albums given the re-release treatment.

You Can’t Stop Rock n’ Roll B+
This is a killer slab of early 80’s metal. Glam be damned Twisted Sister, makeup, torn stockings and messy hair made a name for themselves with the title track of this album. Other standout songs include “The Kids are Back,” “Like a Knife in the Back,” “I am (I’m Me)” and “We’re Gonna Make It.” This is the stuff legends were made of as TS took this album and gained momentum that propelled them forward into heavy metal lore.

Club Daze Volume I The Studio Sessions: B
These thirteen songs are culled from the band’s first trips into a real studio in the 1970’s. Twisted were more of a run of the mill hard rock band still searching for their signature look and sound but this album is much more than early takes and demos. There is some great stuff including “Pay the Price” and an early version of “Under the Blade.” The remake of “Leader of the Pack” is much preferred over the one the band did when they appeared to be searching for stuff to record a few years down the road. This one is for archivists and rock nerds, as they will appreciate this collection of tunes more than your average Joe.

Come Out and Play C+
The success of Stay Hungry put TS in a bit of a bind. They wanted to keep rocking but the record companies wanted more pop tunes and more sales. Billy Joel on a Twisted Sister album is just a bad idea. Alice Cooper, on the other hand, worked. If more stuff like “Be Chrool to Your School” was on this one instead of “I Believe in You” then this would have come out better. There are good moments though although “Leader of the Pack” just ain’t as good as the Club Daze version. “Come Out and Play,” “The Fire Still Burns” and the bonus track “King of the Fools” make this one better than average – slightly.

Love is for Suckers D
By 1987 Twisted Sister had run out of steam. They were chasing their tail and with this album they jumped the shark. Full of metal clichés and lacking in originality this album was not up to the standards of the band’s previous outings. Not even the four bonus tracks can save this one.

By Jeb Wright