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Twisted Sister always looked like they just crawled out of a
dumpster to us, but that's why we loved them. Twister
Sister started out in 1972 as a band called "Silver Star" in New York
with guitarist Jay Jay French. It wasn't until 1976 that Danny
Snider (Dee Snider) joined the band as lead singer. In the early days,
Twisted Sister was a big local bar draw in the tri-state area.
Their stage show was unique in that they played games with the audience
and often discussed that day's happenings between songs. Twisted
Sister became so popular, they sold out large New York venues even
without a record contract.
In desperation for a record contract, Twisted Sister
ended up moving to the United Kingdom where they were signed in 1982 and
an EP (Ruff Cuts) was released, quickly followed by their second
release, Under the Blade. It was soon after this release
that the band began changing their image, landing somewhere between
Russian female models, homeless people, and Oscar the Grouch's trash
can. By 1983, You Can't Stop Rock & Roll was produced by
Atlantic Records, and Twisted Sister was back in the states.
Twisted Sister's most recognized and best selling release
was their 1984 release,
Stay Hungry,
which featured the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and
"I Wanna Rock". The band's popularity was
increased by their comedic music videos, one of which even featured Pee
Wee Herman. Unfortunately, fame was somewhat fleeting, and
subsequent releases did not do nearly as well. Many people do not
know that the album Love is for Suckers (1987), was actually a
session recorded album with Dee Snider, Reb Beach (prior to Winger), Kip
Winger, and Steve Whiteman (Kix). This album did not do well, but
we really like it. The band broke up in 1987.
By 1997, the members of Twisted Sister were once again
collaborating. Not only could the band be found performing on
stage again (Rocklahoma, Masters of Rock), but also back in the studio.
They released
Still
Hungry in 2004 and a Christmas album, A Twisted Christmas,
in 2006. More to come? At the time of this writing, the
Twisted Sister Discography was as follows:1982: Ruff Cutts
1982: Under the Blade
1983: You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
1984: Stay Hungry
1985: Come Out and Play
1987: Love is for Suckers
1992: Big Hits and Nasty Cuts
1994: Live at Hammersmith
1999: We're Not Gonna Take It!
1999: Club Daze Volume 1: The Studio Sessions
2002: The Essentials
2002: Club Daze Volume II: Live in Bars
2003: We're Not Gonna Take It & Other Hits
2004: Still Hungry
2005: The Best of Twisted Sister
2006: A Twisted Christmas
2006: Live at Wacken: The Reunion
2007: A Twisted Christmas Live
2011: Live at the Marquee |
