Stay Hungry: 25th Anniversary Edition

Performer: Twisted Sister
Engineer: George Marshall; Greg Laney; Geoff Workman; Gary McGachan; John Agnello
Producer: Charlie "6th Sister" Barreca; Mark Mendoza; Tom Werman
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Dee Snider (vocals, background vocals); Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda (guitar, background vocals); Mark Mendoza (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Geoff Workman; Mark Mendoza. Audio Remasterer: Dave Schultz. Recording information: Audio Magick, West Babylon, NY (02/1984-02/2009); Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, CA (02/1984-02/2009); Nino's Studios, Baldwin, NY (02/1984-02/2009); Record Plant, New York, NY (02/1984-02/2009); Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, CA (02/1984-02/2009). Photographer: Mark Weiss. Unknown Contributor Role: Gabby McGachan. Arranger: Tom Werman. After nearly a decade trying to make it to "The Show," Twisted Sister were finally up to bat. Their first album was a wild swing, their second had flown just barely foul, but with their third -- the unstoppable Stay Hungry -- the New York veterans finally hit one out of the park. And few bands were as deserving. Having paid their dues on the tough as nails N.Y.C. club scene (half of the band looked like the Ramones, the other half like the Dictators, and Dee Snider looked like, well, Dee Snider), Twisted Sister had finally worn down the opposition and truly arrived. With their comedic videos and bubblegum undertones, hit singles "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" helped the band bridge the "beauty gap" into MTV acceptance, and a competent power ballad in "The Price" would cement their consumer-friendly status. But it was the irrefutable menace of tracks like "The Beast," "S.M.F.," and the massive "Burn in Hell" that connected with their loyal fans and displayed Twisted Sister's true power. Equally grim, "Captain Howdy" and "Street Justice" -- the two songs comprising the "Horror-teria" suite (later the basis for Snider's ill-fated movie project Strangeland) -- are a cross between Alice Cooper and its stated source of influence, Stephen King. And don't forget the all-out metal ambition of the title track. Ironically, the album's very mainstream appeal would alienate their core heavy metal fan base and spell the band's overexposure-induced fall from grace, but for this brief moment, Twisted Sister were truly the "talk of the town, top of the heap." [In 2009, Rhino released the 25th Anniversary Edition of Stay Hungry which included a re-mastered version of the original album, as well as a bonus disc with sixteen previously unissued tracks and one newly recorded cut.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia Motley Crue may have been the glam metal kings of the '80s. But, for a while at least, Twisted Sister gave them heated competition. While the Crue and their L.A. cohorts (Ratt, Dokken, etc.) were dead-serious in their approach, Twisted Sister's music and videos always contained an element of humor-something most bands of the era sorely lacked. 1984's STAY HUNGRY was Twisted Sister's double-platinum breakthrough, its popularity spurred by the imaginative (and hilarious) videos for the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock." The Long Island-based Twisted Sister built a solid following, gigging constantly since the early '70s and riding on the strength of such albums as UNDER THE BLADE and YOU CAN'T STOP ROCK N' ROLL. All of which set the band up for STAY HUNGRY. Singer Dee Snider proved to quite an intimidating figure, bedecked in garish make-up and transvestite gear, and his outspoken personality carried Twisted Sister's songs and stage-show. STAY HUNGRY proved to be the band's finest hour, containing such tracks as "Burn In Hell," "The Price," "S.M.F.," "Horror-Teria," and "Stay Hungry" itself. Unfortunately, Twisted Sister was unable to sustain such success, and the band broke up only a few years later. After nearly a decade trying to make it to "The Show," Twisted Sister were finally up to bat. Their first album was a wild swing, their second had flown just barely foul, but with their third -- the unstoppable Stay Hungry -- the New York veterans finally hit one out of the park. And few bands were as deserving. Having paid their dues on the tough as nails N.Y.C. club scene (half of the band looked like the Ramones, the other half like the Dictators, and Dee Snider looked like, well, Dee Snider), Twisted Sister had finally worn down the opposition and truly arrived. With their comedic videos and bubblegum undertones, hit singles "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" helped the band bridge the "beauty gap" into MTV acceptance, and a competent power ballad in "The Price" would cement their consumer-friendly status. But it was the irrefutable menace of tracks like "The Beast," "S.M.F.," and the massive "Burn in Hell" that connected with their loyal fans and displayed Twisted Sister's true power. Equally grim, "Captain Howdy" and "Street Justice" -- the two songs comprising the "Horror-teria" suite (later the basis for Snider's ill-fated movie project Strangeland) -- are a cross between Alice Cooper and its stated source of influence, Stephen King. And don't forget the all-out metal ambition of the title track. Ironically, the album's very mainstream appeal would alienate their core heavy metal fan base and spell the band's overexposure-induced fall from grace, but for this brief moment, Twisted Sister were truly the "talk of the town, top of the heap." [In 2009, Rhino released the 25th Anniversary Edition of Stay Hungry which included a re-mastered version of the original album, as well as a bonus disc with sixteen previously unissued tracks and one newly recorded cut.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Twisted Sister, fronted by charismatic Long Islander Dee Snider, occupied a unique place in rock-&-roll history. A band of populists with a regular-guy attitude toward fun, the band also set out to shock with blatantly sexual lyrics and outrageous gender-bending costumes. They formed in 1976--partly in response to the disco phenomenon--and opted for more straightforward hard-rock riffs rather than the new punk sounds being created by their local peers. After relentless gigging and recording, they finally hit the charts in 1984 with the all-purpose us-against-the-world anthem "We're Not Gonna Take It." After a few more albums with no further hits, the band disassembled and Snider went on to a varied solo career.

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