ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 207 TWISTED SISTER - STAY HUNGRY (30TH ANNIVERSARY 1984)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Artist: Twisted Sister

Genre: Hard Rock

Country Of Origin: United States

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: No

Album: Stay Hungry

Producer: Tom Werman

Singles: We're Not Gonna Take It/I Wanna Rock/The Price

RJ's Top 5 Tunes: 1. The Price...2. Stay Hungry...3. Don't Let Me Down...4. Burn In Hell...5. The Beast

Disclaimer:  All "facts" still come from wikipedia.com unless otherwise noted (no matter what Jon's attitude toward it is).

It's anniversary time, so this week I'm going with Stay Hungry by Twisted Sister.  Let's get right to it:

• Stay Hungry is the band's third studio album.
• It has been certified 3 X Platinum by the RIAA (5 X Platinum in Canada).
• It climbed to number 15 on the U.S. chart.
• The album's big hit was We're Not Gonna Take It (#21), followed by a moderate hit in I Wanna Rock (#68), while The Price did not chart.
• Most folks probably remember the videos for We're Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock, primarily because they featured Neidermeyer from Animal House.
• Neidermeyer even gets in on the action by providing hand claps for the album.

Let's face it, I have never been a fan of Twisted Sister.  I am not at all a fan of the two "hits" on this album.  But I do think The Price is a fantastic song.  And now, after listening to this a couple of times, I have to say that I may have been wrong.  I still don't like the hits at all, or the closer, but otherwise, this is a cool album.  And I will say I almost get a Judas Priest feel with several of the songs.  Snider isn't what I'd call a fantastic vocalist, but he's better than I ever gave him credit for.  

So what are your thoughts?

1. Stay Hungry

2. We're Not Gonna Take it

3. Burn In Hell

4. Horror Teria (The Beginning)

     a). Captain Howdy

     b). Street Justice

5. I Wanna Rock

6. The Price

7. Don't Let Me Down

8. The Beast

9. S.M.F.

 

[Scott]

Finally a post with some Wiki facts to back it up.  I don't trust allmusic.  Seems like too many people can spoil the content you know?

I too have never been a TS fan, and that includes the two hits, I do recall The Price being a pretty nice tune and video actually.  I'll pass on the two hits for this listening experience...

• The title track kicks this off and as far a riffage goes, its weak.  Not much substance to it at all.  Even the production feels raw and weak, but Sniders vocals do work to preserve the tune.
• Burn In Hell, uh.... When he sings "you cant believe the things that have gone wrong in my life"., he can stat with this track.  The guitar work, while ok, is uninspired, this is just an awful tune.
• Horror-teria (whatever that is) follows Burn In Hell.  I get the Captain Howdy reference.  Didn't realize TS were so evil.  Here again, the riffs are missing any umph! And the vocals aren't any better.  But hey the geetar sounds better on the solo that lasted about 5 seconds.  Why do they list Street Justice as part B of this tune, and then they fade out Captain Howdy and fade in more weak riffage.  Poor attempt at prog?  Poor attempt at evil?  Maybe just a poor attempt period...
• The Price, thankfully this still works.  Nice vocal work, but more weak riff work
• Don't Let Me Down did exactly that, let me down
• The Beast isn't bad compared to what I've just listened to, but the bar has been set pretty low at this point...
• SMF...  SMH!

I heard zero Judas Priest on this, not sure where you got that.  Glad I listened, but even more happy I never spent money on this band.

Nice work boss! This one just isn't for me...

[Jon]

"I don't trust allmusic.  Seems like too many people can spoil the content you know?"

Sounds like another one of those wiki "facts".

[Scott]

[Jon]

[Niels (Mod)]

I bought a couple of TS-albums back in the 80's and this is one of 'em.

I don't know, why I bought it, I bought lots of crap back then, but I never really liked it. I liked the video's of the two hits though.

Not very good musicians, any of them. Luckily the guitarist never got the job in KISS.

Priest? I can't hear it?????

[Jon]

Judas Priest? Gotta say "no" to that. 

Had this album when it came out, but it was songs 3, 4, 8 & 9 that I played the most. Didn't really care for the two "hits", they seemed like they really, really, really were written to get radio play. Hey, it worked so I guess you can't really fault them for doing so. They just seemed really out of place considering some of the songs are really dark. I haven't heard this album since the 80's, don't have it on CD, like my version better. It does bring back memories!

Now everyone needs to watch "Strangeland" featuring Captain Howdy!!!

[Gordon Williams]

Twisted Sister is a band I love. Absolutely love them. And here's why....

Because to me....IF Twisted Sister can "make it"...then ANYBODY could! So TS has always given me encouragement (in a strange kind of way) to play guitar myself. This was back in the 80's, before marriage, before kids, before quitting playing myself for 20 years.

I actually do like "I Wanna Rock". I do love this tune...a rocker's anthem, it is. But, the guitar work overall is very average and basic.

I do have a (true) TS story. I used to work, back in the 80's, with a guy whose cousin was/is J.J. French, the rhythm guitar player. My friend grew up in New York with these guys. Once, my friend got us tickets and backstage passes to a TS show at Atlanta's fantastic Fox Theatre. We got to go back stage and meet J.J.

I remember TS was the opening band (We're Not Gonna Take It was starting to get lots of airplay). Dokken was the middle band, and the band I really went to see. I remember we were backstage, talking to J.J., and both George Lynch and Don Dokken got off the elevator we were standing near. I specifically remember that my eyes got wide when I saw Lynch and Dokken...but I could not believe how short both of them were! No dis-respect meant to any short people!! But they were/are little guys. My memory of the head-liner is foggy...maybe it was Y and T? Who knows?? I just remember the backstage part.

[Niels (Mod)]

I like to read your stories, Gordon

Yeah, some times you get surprised how small people are, when you see them in reality. I once stood right next to Geoff Tate (they had opened for Metallica on the "..and Justice for all" -tour, and he went out to see Metallica's set) nad he was very small.

One of my friends just saw Tesla the other night, and met and got a picture together with Jeff Keith, and he said, that he was surprised how tiny JK was.

[Gordon Williams]

Yeah, I can't play, sing, or write songs worth a damn, but I can reach the peanut butter and the Ritz crackers on the top shelf!