Twisted Sister | DOUBLE LIVE
August 5, 2011 by Publisher
Filed under arcrvws2011
by Jay Villain
Guest Staff Writer
The return of Twisted Sister! The bad boys of rock n roll on two different stages, 19 years apart, and on what seems like two different worlds. Twisted Sister’s latest release is a 2 DVD package appropriately titled, Double Live.
Visually, it contains two very different live performances. The first disc is a performance from 1982 at The North Stage Theater in Long Island N.Y. The second disc is a performance from 2001 at The Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan N.Y., which was actually a benefit to help out during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The North Stage performance is Twisted Sister at full throttle, musically and visually this show is everything one would expect. Great music, vibrant colors, smoke and even a motorcycle for Dee. A rocking performance of “You Can’t Stop Rock n Roll” appears in the set, but for some reason it didn’t make it to the Under The Blade record, “You Can’t Stop Rock n Roll” makes its debut later on the follow up record by the same title. Although their first full length record Under The Blade hadn’t been recorded at this point, it’s obvious that they were a seasoned live band by the way they executed their songs with confidence and authority.
Disc two is the New York Steel benefit. This is a stripped down performance with no war-paint and no twisted attire. Of course that does not mean that the music doesn’t rock, because it most certainly does, their song selections on both DVD’s contain hits, classics and a few obscure songs as well. However, visually it leaves a lot to be desired. The image, costumes and makeup, combined with their over the top performance is what the Twisted Sister ideology is all about. Non conformity and rebellion is what’s being said when Twisted Sister comes out looking outrageous and frighteningly flamboyant. Like it or not, looking like that isn’t just about entertainment, it’s about making a statement.
Hardrock Haven is not a politically motivated web-site so this review must tread carefully. Non conformity and rebellion is why Dee Snider has a mouth like a drunken sailor on a Saturday night. At the New York Steel show, wearing the war-paint and twisted attire would have made a bigger statement, with an even bigger middle finger … considering Dee’s wearing a F#@K Osama shirt.
Ultimately, the benefit was a great idea and very selfless on the part of all that participated, the bands, promoters, the venue, and of course the fans. Double Live shows the band at two different stages, both literally and figuratively; watch the bonus material.
Band:
Dee Snider – vocals
Jay Jay French – guitar
Eddie Ojeda – guitar
Mark Mendoza – bass
A.J. Pero – drums
Disc One Track List:
North Stage Theater 1982
01. What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You)
02. Destroyer
03. Tear It Loose
04. Bad Boys (Of Rock ‘N’ Roll)
05. Lady’s Boy
06. Leader Of The Pack
07. Under The Blade
08. Shoot ‘Em Down
09. Sin After Sin
10. I’ll Never Grow Up, Now
11. You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll
12. You Know I Cry
13. It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)
14. Rock N Roll Saviours
Disc Two Track List:
New York Steel 2001
01. What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You)
02. The Kids Are Back
03. Stay Hungry
04. Burn In Hell
05. You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll
06. Under The Blade
07. Shoot ‘Em Down
08. Come Back
09. You Know I Cry
10. I Wanna Rock
11. We’re Not Gonna Take It
12. The Price
13. S.M.F.
Label: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10
Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister
June 19, 2009 by Managing Editor
Filed under arcint2009
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about Stay Hungry-The 25th Anniversary Edition; why fans should pick up the release on the release day June 30; what changes songs like “Burn in Hell” went through from the demo version (also on the release) to the actual studio version; the new original song “30″ and the making of the video for the single; tour plans in Europe, Rocklahoma and Rock Gone Wild; and a hell of a lot more.
Twisted Sister was one of the first bands to literally own MTV, to make a perfect amalgam between their sonic and visual imagery, and Stay Hungry is one of the most important Rock/Metal releases in the history of music. So tune in to Jay Jay so he can explain why Stay Hungry-25th Anniversary Edition needs to be a part of your musical library, and get ready to pick it up June 30.
(If the embedded player is not populating, please click here to launch the audio interview.)
Links: www.twistedsister.com and www.myspace.com/twistedsister
