Twisted Sister "Stay Hungry (USA, Atlantic Records, 7567-80156-2)"

Stay Hungry is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released on May 10, 1984, by Atlantic Records. The album contains the band's two signature songs: "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", both of which remain a staple of '80s glam metal and rock. According to RIAA certification, Stay Hungry is the band's most successful release by far and their only platinum album. Eventually, the album achieved multi-platinum status in U.S. with sales of more than 3,000,000 certified copies by 1995.

During recording, producer Tom Werman brought some songs by English heavy metal band Saxon for the band to listen to, this led to a conflict with Dee Snider who understood it as Werman wanting the band to replace some of his songs with Saxon covers. Guitarist Jay Jay French also claims the band lost two songs that they wanted on the album due to Werman's influence.

Twisted Sister performed the song "Burn in Hell" during a cameo appearance in the 1985 film Pee-wee's Big Adventure. The song "Burn in Hell" was covered by black metal band Dimmu Borgir on Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia. "We're Not Gonna Take It" was also covered by Bif Naked on the Ready to Rumble soundtrack. The two songs that comprise the Horror-Teria segment became the basis of Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider's 1998 film Strangeland, in which Captain Howdy was played by Snider himself. The "Captain Howdy" segment of the "Horror-Teria" suite would later be covered by the death metal group Broken Hope on their album Repulsive Conception and in 1999 by the Swedish heavy metal band Morgana Lefay on their Symphony of the Damned, Re-symphonised album.

In 2004, the band re-recorded all nine songs from this album and re-released them under the title Still Hungry.

In 2009, the band played Stay Hungry in its entirety for the first time including songs never played live before, such as "Don't Let Me Down" and "Horror-Teria: Street Justice".

Metal Rules ranked the album #5 on their list of the Top 50 Glam Metal Albums.

In 2016, Loudwire ranked the album at number 6 on their list of the Top 30 Hair Metal Albums.

In 2017, Rolling Stone listed the album at No. 76 on its list of the 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.

Track listing

All songs are written by Dee Snider.

    1.-"Stay Hungry" 3:03

    2.-"We're Not Gonna Take It" 3:38

    3.-"Burn in Hell" 4:43

    4.-"Horror-Teria (The Beginning)  7:45

          a) Captain Howdy

          b) Street Justice"

    5.-"I Wanna Rock" 3:06

    6.-"The Price" 3:48

    7.-"Don't Let Me Down" 4:26

    8.-"The Beast" 3:30

    9.-"S.M.F." 3:00

Track 1 dedicated to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Tracks 4a and 4b dedicated to Stephen King.

Recording information:

- Recorded at Record Plant, New York City

- Recorded at Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, California

- Recorded and mixed at Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, California - Feb/March 1984.

- Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York

Twisted Sister "You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll (2011 Reissue, Remastered, USA, Armoury Records, ARMCD533)"

You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released in April 1983 in the UK and on June 17, 1983 in the US.

The songs "I Am (I'm Me)", "The Kids Are Back" and the album's title track were released as singles. The album was certified as a Gold Album by RIAA in November 1995, for selling over 500,000 copies in the USA. Metal-rules.com put the album in their list of "The Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums" and on their list of "The Top 50 Glam Metal Albums".

The title track is a new recording of the track "Can't Stop Rock and Roll" which appeared on the compilation "Son of Homegrown" in 1982.

Track listing:

All tracks are written by Dee Snider

1. "The Kids Are Back" 3:16
2. "Like a Knife in the Back" 3:03
3. "Ride to Live, Live to Ride" 4:04
4. "I Am (I'm Me)" 3:34
5. "The Power and the Glory" 4:20
6. "We're Gonna Make It" 3:44
7. "I've Had Enough" 4:02
8. "I'll Take You Alive" 3:08
9. "You're Not Alone (Suzette's Song)" 4:02
10. "You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll" 4:40
11. "One Man Woman"  3:09   
12. "Four Barrel Heart of Love"  3:05   
13. "Feel the Power"  3:12  

Time:  47:19

 - Bonus tracks 11-13 taken from the 1983 You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll 12" single.

Recording information:

Recorded and mixed at The Sol Studios, Cockham, Berkshire, UK.

Mastered at The Townhouse, London, UK.

Twisted Sister "You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll (1990 Reissue, Germany, Atlantic Records, 7567-80074-2)"

You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released in April 1983 in the UK and on June 17, 1983 in the US.

The songs "I Am (I'm Me)", "The Kids Are Back" and the album's title track were released as singles. The album was certified as a Gold Album by RIAA in November 1995, for selling over 500,000 copies in the USA. Metal-rules.com put the album in their list of "The Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums" and on their list of "The Top 50 Glam Metal Albums".

The title track is a new recording of the track "Can't Stop Rock and Roll" which appeared on the compilation "Son of Homegrown" in 1982.

Track listing:

All tracks are written by Dee Snider

1. "The Kids Are Back" 3:16
2. "Like a Knife in the Back" 3:03
3. "Ride to Live, Live to Ride" 4:04
4. "I Am (I'm Me)" 3:34
5. "The Power and the Glory" 4:20
6. "We're Gonna Make It" 3:44
7. "I've Had Enough" 4:02
8. "I'll Take You Alive" 3:08
9. "You're Not Alone (Suzette's Song)" 4:02
10. "You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll" 4:40

Recording information:

Recorded and mixed at The Sol Studios, Cockham, Berkshire, UK.

Mastered at The Townhouse, London, UK.

Twisted Sister "Under The Blade [2011 Reissue, Limited Edition, SHM-CD, Japan, VQCD-10250]"

Under the Blade is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released on Secret Records in September 1982. It was produced by UFO/Waysted bassist Pete Way and featured an aggressive and hard-hitting sound, which was eventually ignored on a remixed re-release by Atlantic Records on June 13, 1985. The re-release also added a remixed version of the song "I'll Never Grow Up, Now!", the band's long-forgotten 1979 single. The Atlantic Records release was both an attempt to cash in on the commercial success of Stay Hungry and, by then (and for years to come), the only official way to get the album as Secret Records was no more. However, bootlegs with the original mix were still in circulation. On May 31, 2016, Eagle Records re-released Under the Blade in a digital remastered form with the original mix finally restored. Under the Blade has sold over two million copies worldwide.

The track "Bad Boys of Rock 'N Roll" is a new recording of a track that appeared earlier on the 1981 compilation "Homegrown Album"

In a long article about '80s metal, Tim Holmes of Rolling Stone wrote a contemporary review about Twisted Sister describing them as "the clown heir apparent to the gaping vacancy left by Alice Cooper" and a band who "write(s) songs that have a giddy, street-smart narrative approach and a gritty coherence that metal usually lacks." He also wrote that Under the Blade "is not technically a new album but rather a remix for modern ears" of older music.

Modern reviews are very positive. Greg Prato of AllMusic reminds how the band moved to the UK, which was having a "heavy metal resurgence (dubbed the New Wave of British Heavy Metal)", to record with UFO bassist Pete Way "many of the band's best compositions from their club days" and finds Under the Blade "one of Twisted Sister's hardest rocking albums... highly recommended to lovers of early-'80s British heavy metal." Also Exclaim! reviewer Ian Gormely considers the album "a must for anyone with an interest in the history of American hard rock". Despite "the raw production... and lack of an obvious hit... it laid the groundwork for their future success", thanks also to Twisted Sister's "tongue-in-cheek presentation that latter-day hair metal bands clearly lacked." Adrian Begrand of PopMatters reviews the album as a "near-classic" and "the most ferocious of the band's career." He writes that the musicians may have "bar band roots", but on the album "the fun side of Twisted Sister is set aside in favor of something a lot darker", which brought to "a hell of a debut that not only connected with British heavy metal fans, but would eventually lead to a contract with Atlantic Records, paving the way to stardom a couple years later." Canadian journalist Martin Popoff considers Under the Blade "dead serious despite the garish imagery, a good four-fifths of it rocking with hellacious clout, attitude and clever economy" and remarks how the influence of Judas Priest is evident in Dee Snider's compositions.

The album was ranked #24 on Metal Rules list of "The Top 50 Glam Metal Albums.

In 1985 the member of the PMRC committee Tipper Gore (wife of Senator Al Gore), found that the song "Under the Blade" referred to "sadomasochism, bondage, and rape", promoting violence, while Dee Snider testified at the Congress panel hearings that it was "about surgery, and the fear that it instills in people", concluding that "the only sadomasochism, bondage, and rape in this song is in the mind of Ms. Gore."

In 2005, Under the Blade was ranked number 387 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.

Tracklist:

1. What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You) 04:45
2. Bad Boys (of Rock 'n' Roll) 03:19  
3. Run for Your Life 03:27   
4. Sin After Sin 03:22
5. Shoot 'Em Down 03:52  
6. Destroyer 04:15
7. Under the Blade 04:39   
8. Tear It Loose 03:07  
9. Day of the Rocker 05:00
10. What You Don't Know 05:33 
11. Shoot 'em Down 03:56 
12. Under the Blade 04:42 
13. Leader of the Pack (The Shangri-Las cover) 04:01  
14. Shoot 'em Down (live) 03:37 

Time:  57:35  

- Issued with Obi strip, Japanese fold-out insert, and six-page booklet.

- Bonus tracks 10-13 taken from the 1982 Ruff Cuts ep.

- Bonus track 14 taken from the 1982 Reading Rock '82 compilation.

Recording information:

Tracks 1-9:

- Recorded at The Barn at Kitchenham Farm, Ashburnham, England with the RAK Mobile.

- Overdubs recorded at I.C.C. Studios Eastbourne, England, and at Maison Rouge, London, England, and a studio near Battle, England.

- Remixed in April 1985 at Bolognese Recording Studio, Long Island, NY.

Tracks 10-11:

- Recorded at Bolognese Studios, Merrick, NY.

- Co-produced by Twisted Sister.

Tracks 12-13:

- Recorded at Electric Lady Studio, New York.

- Co-produced by Twisted Sister.

Track 14:

- Recorded at the 1982 Reading Festival with the Mean Machine Mobile Recording Studio.

Twisted Sister "Under The Blade (1989 Reissue, Remixed, Japan, Warner-Pioneer Corp., 18P2-2745)"

Under the Blade is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released on Secret Records in September 1982. It was produced by UFO/Waysted bassist Pete Way and featured an aggressive and hard-hitting sound, which was eventually ignored on a remixed re-release by Atlantic Records on June 13, 1985. The re-release also added a remixed version of the song "I'll Never Grow Up, Now!", the band's long-forgotten 1979 single. The Atlantic Records release was both an attempt to cash in on the commercial success of Stay Hungry and, by then (and for years to come), the only official way to get the album as Secret Records was no more. However, bootlegs with the original mix were still in circulation. On May 31, 2016, Eagle Records re-released Under the Blade in a digital remastered form with the original mix finally restored. Under the Blade has sold over two million copies worldwide.

The track "Bad Boys of Rock 'N Roll" is a new recording of a track that appeared earlier on the 1981 compilation "Homegrown Album"

In a long article about '80s metal, Tim Holmes of Rolling Stone wrote a contemporary review about Twisted Sister describing them as "the clown heir apparent to the gaping vacancy left by Alice Cooper" and a band who "write(s) songs that have a giddy, street-smart narrative approach and a gritty coherence that metal usually lacks." He also wrote that Under the Blade "is not technically a new album but rather a remix for modern ears" of older music.

Modern reviews are very positive. Greg Prato of AllMusic reminds how the band moved to the UK, which was having a "heavy metal resurgence (dubbed the New Wave of British Heavy Metal)", to record with UFO bassist Pete Way "many of the band's best compositions from their club days" and finds Under the Blade "one of Twisted Sister's hardest rocking albums... highly recommended to lovers of early-'80s British heavy metal." Also Exclaim! reviewer Ian Gormely considers the album "a must for anyone with an interest in the history of American hard rock". Despite "the raw production... and lack of an obvious hit... it laid the groundwork for their future success", thanks also to Twisted Sister's "tongue-in-cheek presentation that latter-day hair metal bands clearly lacked." Adrian Begrand of PopMatters reviews the album as a "near-classic" and "the most ferocious of the band's career." He writes that the musicians may have "bar band roots", but on the album "the fun side of Twisted Sister is set aside in favor of something a lot darker", which brought to "a hell of a debut that not only connected with British heavy metal fans, but would eventually lead to a contract with Atlantic Records, paving the way to stardom a couple years later." Canadian journalist Martin Popoff considers Under the Blade "dead serious despite the garish imagery, a good four-fifths of it rocking with hellacious clout, attitude and clever economy" and remarks how the influence of Judas Priest is evident in Dee Snider's compositions.

The album was ranked #24 on Metal Rules list of "The Top 50 Glam Metal Albums.

In 1985 the member of the PMRC committee Tipper Gore (wife of Senator Al Gore), found that the song "Under the Blade" referred to "sadomasochism, bondage, and rape", promoting violence, while Dee Snider testified at the Congress panel hearings that it was "about surgery, and the fear that it instills in people", concluding that "the only sadomasochism, bondage, and rape in this song is in the mind of Ms. Gore."

In 2005, Under the Blade was ranked number 387 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.

Tracklist:

1. What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You) 04:45
2. Bad Boys (of Rock 'n' Roll) 03:19  
3. Run for Your Life 03:27   
4. Sin After Sin 03:22
5. Shoot 'Em Down 03:52  
6. Destroyer 04:15
7. Under the Blade 04:39   
8. Tear It Loose 03:07  
9. I'll Never Grow Up, Now! 04:09
10. Day of the Rocker 05:00   

Time:  39:55  

- Issued with Obi-strip and alternate cover.

- From the label's Forever Young series.

- Bonus track 9 taken from the 1979 I'll Never Grow Up, Now! single.

Recording information:

Tracks 1-8 & 10:

- Recorded at The Barn at Kitchenham Farm, Ashburnham, England with the RAK Mobile.

- Overdubs recorded at I.C.C. Studios Eastbourne, England, and at Maison Rouge, London, England, and a studio near Battle, England.

- Remixed in April 1985 at Bolognese Recording Studio, Long Island, NY.

Track 9:

- Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, N.Y.C. and Plaza Sound, N.Y.C.

- Mastered at Sterling Sound, N.Y.C.