Twisted Sister
Encyclopedia
Twisted Sister is an American
heavy metal
band from Long Island
. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden
and Judas Priest
, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal
bands. The band is generally categorized as glam metal for their earlier work, although the band does not consider themselves to be so.
Although the band was formed by guitarist Jay Jay French
in December 1972, all of their songs were written by Dee Snider
from 1976 onward. Snider remarked to Johnny Carson
that the proposed name for the band was "This" but was rejected for fear of fans saying "This sucks". He describes Twisted Sister as "Slade
meets Sex Pistols
". Twisted Sister's most well-known hits include "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock
", both popularized in the USA by regular airplay on MTV
in the 1980s. Many of the band's songs explore themes of parent vs. child conflicts and criticisms of the educational system.
, but without abandoning its glam image.
At this point, the bands popularity began to soar as the band, especially Dee and Jay Jay started to talk (rap) to the audience about current topics of the day between songs. These raps started to take on a life of their own and pretty soon the band could get away with playing one song per set and talk the rest of the time.
Having audience participation in the "Sweet Jane Gong Show" and the "Death to Disco" stage routines became legendary. The band broke attendance records at large halls in the Tri-State Region and its growing fan base began to take the name "S.M.F.F.O.T.S.", for Sick Motherfucking Friends Of Twisted Sister, later shortened to "S.M.F." for "Sick Mother Fuckers." NME reported that Twisted Sister had sold out the 3,000 capacity New York Palladium for a March 16 show without a recording contract or radio airplay. Fan hysteria and the seemingly "lost art of entertainment" soon became the hallmark of a TS show.
After selling out the Palladium theater in NYC without a record deal, they began aggressively pursuing a recording contract and get out of the club circuit before it would collapse due to the raising of the drinking age from 18 to 21.
The band went though 3 more line up changes between 1979 and 1982. Drummer Joey Brighton replaced Tony Petri, Former Dictator Drummer Richie Teeter replaced Brighton and finally AJ Pero replaced Teeter.
The band started its own T Shirt company and record label. They released two singles which eventually made it over to the UK and caught the attention of Martin Hooker, the president of secret records. Jay Jay remained as manager though 1981 at which time he hired Mark Puma, a local promoter, to manage the band. This lineup (Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, Mark Mendoza and A.J. Pero) is considered the "official Twisted Sister line up" because this version is responsible for almost all the studio albums, singles, videos and DVD's.Upon the suggestion of two reporters from Sounds
and Kerrang!
magazines, Twisted Sister left New York to find a label in the UK
. There, in April 1982, it was finally signed by Secret Records, a small British label that was mainly a punk outlet.
, produced by Pete Way
of UFO
. Despite rather low production quality, the album was an underground hit in the UK, providing the band with sufficient name recognition to open for such metal acts as Motörhead. The album had an overall raw metal sound and included "Tear It Loose", a very fast speed-metal song featuring a guitar solo by "Fast" Eddie Clarke
of Motörhead. Another single, the future hit "We're Not Gonna Take It", was planned for release, but Secret Records went out of business before Snider was able to complete the lyrics. "We're Not Gonna Take It" later became one of its top singles.
Around this time, Twisted Sister updated its feminized image with a more grotesque look that distinguished them from other glam metal
bands of the era. The group was now regarded more as a weird-looking heavy metal band because its look and music, although still reminiscent of pop/glam styles, were growing closer to heavy metal's leather and chains image.
After an appearance on the music TV program The Tube
, Atlantic Records
approached the band and signed them. Atlantic was one of the labels that had turned Twisted Sister down in the Club Days period. Their first LP under Atlantic, You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
, produced by Stuart Epps
, was released in 1983 and included the UK #19 hit "I Am (I'm Me)". From a production standpoint, the album sounded better than its predecessor, and it was every bit as heavy. Upon the success of the album the company decided to promote the band more heavily. A music video was made for the title track of You Can't Stop Rock'n'Roll, which was to become the first of a series of comedic videos that popularized the band.
's production, but it still included heavy songs such as the title track and "Burn in Hell". During a successful tour, a young Metallica
supported the band. Stay Hungry sold more than two million copies by the summer of 1985, and went on to sell more than three million in subsequent years. It remains the band's biggest success.
Videos of hit singles "We're Not Gonna Take It" (a #21 hit in the US) and "I Wanna Rock
" (US #68) ran almost constantly on MTV. Their pervasive slapstick comedy proved a change of pace for the genre and gave the band a distinctive appeal. The acclaimed surreal comedy film
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
took this further with the band having an appearance making a fictional video for "Burn In Hell" on the Warner Bros.
backlot only to be interrupted by Pee-wee Herman
passing through. Despite being comedic in nature, the videos featured violence against parents and teachers, which placed the band under heavy criticism by conservative organizations. They were singled out by the PMRC in 1985. Twisted Sister songs "Under the Blade" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" were specifically mentioned in the associated Senate hearings. Snider was one of the few musicians to testify before a Senate
committee in these hearings on September 19, 1985. (He was addressed formally by the committee counsel as "Mr. Sister".)
In May that year Ojeda took part, on behalf of the band, in the recordings for the Hear 'n Aid
project, "Stars", although the single was not released until the following year.
, produced by Dieter Dierks
. It was not nearly as successful as its predecessor, although it did earn the band a gold album for sales of 500,000 copies. Some speculate that the failure was partly due to MTV banning the video for "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" on the grounds that it was graphically offensive. The song featured such guests as Alice Cooper
(who also stars in the video), Brian Setzer
, Clarence Clemons
and Billy Joel
. The tour supporting the album was a near fiasco, with low attendance and many cancelled dates. Not even Atlantic's re-release of a remixed Under the Blade helped the band recover its popularity. Come Out and Play was one of the first CDs
to go out of print.
After the tour, Pero left to rejoin Cities. He was replaced by ex-Good Rats drummer Joey "Seven" Franco. The nickname "Seven" comes from his being the band's seventh drummer.
In 1987, Snider embarked on a solo project, reportedly approaching future Iron Maiden
guitarist Janick Gers
, but this did not work out. He then recorded an album with Franco programming the drum machine
and featuring several session musician
s such as Reb Beach
on guitar and Kip Winger
(just before they formed Winger) and Steve Whiteman of Kix
. Atlantic Records refused to release it unless it was labeled as a Twisted Sister album. So, on August 13, 1987 Love Is for Suckers
made its debut. Although the band had not played in the recording sessions, it was mentioned on the album cover as if they had, and they did play some of the songs in subsequent shows. Beau Hill
's production gave the album a very polished pop metal
sound. The band's members had also removed the makeup that they had been wearing since their early days. Commercially, the album was a complete failure and many of their metal fans were disappointed with the pop sound.
On October 12, 1987, almost two months after the release of Love Is For Suckers, Snider left the band, the record label cancelled its contract, and Twisted Sister disbanded. The public announcement of the band's demise came in January 1988.
In 1992, Atlantic Records, released a "best of" album Big Hits and Nasty Cuts
that also featured some live performances from the Under The Blade period. This album was compiled by French. A live album from the Stay Hungry era named Live At Hammersmith was released in 1994 by CMC International
.
In 1998, the band recorded a song for the soundtrack
of Snider's movie Strangeland.
In 1999, Spitfire Records
re-issued the group's back catalog, supplemented with previously unreleased tracks. This was followed by Club Daze Volume 1: The Studio Sessions
, an album containing demo recordings from the pre-Under the Blade era, which has three songs that were written by French, this was the first time someone other than Snider was writing songs, and Club Daze Volume 2: Live In The Bars, a live counterpart.
In 2001, Koch Records
released a tribute album
under the name Twisted Forever: A Tribute To The Legendary Twisted Sister
. The album featured a wide range of artists and bands who had been influenced by Twisted Sister, including Lit, Motörhead, Chuck D
, Anthrax
, Overkill
, Cradle of Filth
, Joan Jett
, Sebastian Bach
, and HammerFall
. Oddly for a tribute album, Twisted Sister was also present with a cover
of AC/DC
's "Sin city".
In November 2001, the reunited Twisted Sister joined fellow New York metal artists Anthrax, Overkill, Sebastian Bach, and Ace Frehley
to headline a benefit concert for NYPD and FDNY Widows and Orphans Fund in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks
on the World Trade Center
. New York Steel
raised over $100,000 for the charity, and the reaction to the first Twisted Sister set in 14 years was overwhelming. The demand for more live dates was immediate, and the band took the first steps toward returning to the concert stage.
In 2002, a remastered "best of" compilation named Essentials was released. Fans generally consider this to be a better compilation than the one previously issued by Atlantic.
2002 also saw the featuring of "I Wanna Rock" as one of the gameplay radio songs on the videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
. The song features in the playlist of the fictional radio station "V Rock".
Twisted Sister, this time including Mark Mendoza, reunited again for the Sweden Rock Festival
in June 2003. They also appeared in August of that same year at the Wacken Open Air
festival. Footage from that show was filmed for a DVD release, which featured former Violent Apathy
and Spite
member, Tom Fuller.
In March 2004, they entered the studio to completely re-record their Stay Hungry album for Demolition Records. They reported that they were not happy with the original album's production, so this time they produced it themselves. The re-recording was released under the name Still Hungry
and contained seven bonus tracks.
In July 2005, the group played a free concert in Edmonton
for the Klondike Days festival. In late 2005, Snider appeared on Numbers from the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden, performing vocals for the Iron Maiden classic "Wasted Years
". Snider was joined by his contemporaries and peers George Lynch
, formerly of Dokken
, and Bob Kulick
. Also in 2005, the band released the 2003 Wacken
show on CD and DVD simply titled Live At Wacken. It also went on tour with Alice Cooper, acting as the support band but delivering a set similar to a headliner's.
In 2006, Snider and French worked with Lordi
to produce and play on a few tracks on their new album The Arockalypse
. Snider was featured on the first track, "SCG3 Special Report", as the voice of Lordi warning of the upcoming Arockalypse. French guest starred on the song "Chainsaw Buffet". In June 2006, the band announced that they had signed with the American record label Razor and Tie to release a final CD, of heavy metal Christmas music called A Twisted Christmas
. The CD was released on October 17, 2006, and was a commercial success. On July 8, 2006, Twisted Sister played in front of 80,000 people in Quebec City
, Canada
. The show also featured Scorpions
as the headliner. It also played a small concert at the Wolverhampton Civic Center.
The group is still together and occasionally makes small tours around the world, in full makeup. Before each of these mini-tours, it performs as Bent Brother, practising its set and appearing without makeup, usually at reduced ticket prices.
Twisted Sister was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame
on October 15, 2006. On December 13, 2006, Twisted Sister made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The group performed their rock version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" which is arranged in the style of "We're Not Gonna Take It". On December 22, 2006, Twisted Sister appeared on CBS
's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
, performing its rock version of "O Come All Ye Faithful". On an episode of Snider's syndicated radio program "The House of Hair", he stated that due to the success of the Christmas album, and also due to the response to the tour promoting the album, that Twisted Sister might not retire, and the band's future was being discussed.
On July 15, 2007, Twisted Sister performed at glam metal festival Rocklahoma
.
Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock" was featured in the game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
as a playable song (instead of being a cover like several songs featured in the game, it was the version from the 2004 remake of their classic album Stay Hungry, titled Still Hungry).
In 2008, Snider appeared on the CMT television show Gone Country
. On February 25, 2008, Twisted Sister performed at "Aftermath - The Station Fire 5 years later" in Providence, Rhode Island. On May 10, 2008, Twisted Sister performed a free concert at the Bulgaria
n town Lovech
. On July 13, 2008, Twisted Sister performed at Snatch Rock n Roll Lounge, in Calgary
, Alberta
. On September 1, 2008, Twisted Sister performed at the Rock The Bayou Festival in Houston, Texas.
On June 4, 2009, Twisted Sister performed 'Stay Hungry' in its entirety for the first time at the Sweden Rock Festival
. This included never before played songs such as "Don't Let Me Down" and "Horror-Teria: Street Justice".
On July 16, 2009, in a interview on Live with Regis and Kelly
, Snider said that 2009 was the last year that the band would perform with makeup and costumes.
On February 16, 2010, Twisted Sister were confirmed to play at Bloodstock Open Air 2010.
Twisted Sister has recently announced that they will be performing at Dillo Day 2011 at Northwestern University
.
On July 15, 2011, Twisted Sister were confirmed to play at Masters of Rock
On October 13, 2011, the band announced a five-disk DVD set of live performences over their entire career entitled From The Bars To The Stars, with a release date of November 8.
A new DVD was recorded at the Bang Your Head!!! in Germany, on July 17, 2010
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
and Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
bands. The band is generally categorized as glam metal for their earlier work, although the band does not consider themselves to be so.
Although the band was formed by guitarist Jay Jay French
Jay Jay French
John French Segall , better known by his stage name Jay Jay French or J.J. French, is a founding member and one of the two guitarists of the American heavy metal band, Twisted Sister....
in December 1972, all of their songs were written by Dee Snider
Dee Snider
Daniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister...
from 1976 onward. Snider remarked to Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
that the proposed name for the band was "This" but was rejected for fear of fans saying "This sucks". He describes Twisted Sister as "Slade
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
meets Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
". Twisted Sister's most well-known hits include "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock
I Wanna Rock
"I Wanna Rock" is a song from the album Stay Hungry by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister. In 2009 it was named the 17th VH1 Greatest Hard Rock Songs by VH1...
", both popularized in the USA by regular airplay on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in the 1980s. Many of the band's songs explore themes of parent vs. child conflicts and criticisms of the educational system.
History of Twisted Sister(1972–1976)
The soon to be named 'Twisted Sister' was formed after Jay Jay French was added following auditions in the 'band house' located in Ho-Ho-Kus New Jersey in late December 1972. Manhattan resident John Segall (Jay Jay French) auditioned and was asked to join the 'glitter band' Silver Star. Silver Star was the creation of the drummer Mel Anderson (Mell Star) as the "New Jersey version of the NY Dolls". At the same time as Silver Star/Twisted Sister was created, Mell Star's brother, Al Anderson, was the guitar player for Bob Marley and the Wailers. Jay Jay hated the name Silver Star and pushed to have it changed. On Valentine's Day in February 1973 Silver Star changed its name to Twisted Sister. The bands line up was; Lead singer Micheal Valentine. Guitarist Billy Diamond, drummer Mell Star, bass play Kenneth Harrisn Neill and Johnny Heartbreaker (soon to change his name to Jay jay French) The club/bar period at that time in New Jersey was unique and the band got gigs immediately and started playing 6 nights a week (mostly in the same club for the entire week). The band got a residency at the Mad hatter in East Quogue, NY for the summer of 1973 and played 105 nights from Memorial day to Labor day. by December 1974, when this first version of the band broke up, Jay Jay had already played nearly 600 nights and about 3,000 performances as the band played 5 x 40 minutes shows per night, each with costume changes, some ending as late as 8 am the following morning. The second version of the band changed lead singers (Rick Prince) and guitar player (Keith Angel) and continued for a couple of months into 1975 before singer Rick Prince failed to show up for a rehearsal. In the third line up change, Jay Jay the took over the lead vocal chores and management duties. The band split up after Labor day weekend 1975. In October 1975 the forth version of the band started to play the club circuit. Jay Jay hired a former high school friend of Eddie Ojeda, who joined as co-lead singer and second guitarist, and got drummer Kevin John Grace after reading an ad that Kevin put in the Village Voice. Bass guitarist Kenny Neill (Kenneth Harrison Neill) remained and completed the lineup. The band followed a glam rock direction, influenced by David Bowie, Slade, Mott the Hoople, Rolling Stones, and New York Dolls. It played at local clubs but floundered in relative anonymity.Club days (1976–1982)
In February 1976, at the suggestion of the bands agent, Kevin Brenner, Jay Jay was told that the band could only go so far without being able to play Led Zeppelin cover songs and urged Jay Jay to hire Danny Snider (Dee Snider). Danny changed his name to Dee at the suggestion of Jay Jay and thus began TS line up number six. This version lasted 6 weeks before version seven began on April 1, 1976 with new drummer Tony Petri, the group took a heavier musical direction, influenced by Led Zep, Slade, and Alice CooperAlice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, but without abandoning its glam image.
At this point, the bands popularity began to soar as the band, especially Dee and Jay Jay started to talk (rap) to the audience about current topics of the day between songs. These raps started to take on a life of their own and pretty soon the band could get away with playing one song per set and talk the rest of the time.
Having audience participation in the "Sweet Jane Gong Show" and the "Death to Disco" stage routines became legendary. The band broke attendance records at large halls in the Tri-State Region and its growing fan base began to take the name "S.M.F.F.O.T.S.", for Sick Motherfucking Friends Of Twisted Sister, later shortened to "S.M.F." for "Sick Mother Fuckers." NME reported that Twisted Sister had sold out the 3,000 capacity New York Palladium for a March 16 show without a recording contract or radio airplay. Fan hysteria and the seemingly "lost art of entertainment" soon became the hallmark of a TS show.
After selling out the Palladium theater in NYC without a record deal, they began aggressively pursuing a recording contract and get out of the club circuit before it would collapse due to the raising of the drinking age from 18 to 21.
The band went though 3 more line up changes between 1979 and 1982. Drummer Joey Brighton replaced Tony Petri, Former Dictator Drummer Richie Teeter replaced Brighton and finally AJ Pero replaced Teeter.
The band started its own T Shirt company and record label. They released two singles which eventually made it over to the UK and caught the attention of Martin Hooker, the president of secret records. Jay Jay remained as manager though 1981 at which time he hired Mark Puma, a local promoter, to manage the band. This lineup (Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, Mark Mendoza and A.J. Pero) is considered the "official Twisted Sister line up" because this version is responsible for almost all the studio albums, singles, videos and DVD's.Upon the suggestion of two reporters from Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
and Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazines, Twisted Sister left New York to find a label in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. There, in April 1982, it was finally signed by Secret Records, a small British label that was mainly a punk outlet.
Pre-MTV period (1982–1984)
In June 1982, the group released its first EP, Ruff Cuts, on the Secret Records label. This was followed shortly by their first studio album, Under the BladeUnder the Blade
Under the Blade is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released on Secret Records on September 18, 1982. . It featured a very brutal and rough sound which was eventually totally ignored on a remixed re-release by Atlantic Records on July 14, 1985...
, produced by Pete Way
Pete Way
Peter 'Pete' Frederick Way is a bass player.He is the bassist of UFO, Waysted and formerly, Fastway and Ozzy Osbourne....
of UFO
UFO (band)
UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
. Despite rather low production quality, the album was an underground hit in the UK, providing the band with sufficient name recognition to open for such metal acts as Motörhead. The album had an overall raw metal sound and included "Tear It Loose", a very fast speed-metal song featuring a guitar solo by "Fast" Eddie Clarke
Eddie Clarke
Edward Allan Clarke better known as "Fast" Eddie Clarke, is a guitarist who was a member of British heavy metal bands Fastway and Motörhead.-Early days:...
of Motörhead. Another single, the future hit "We're Not Gonna Take It", was planned for release, but Secret Records went out of business before Snider was able to complete the lyrics. "We're Not Gonna Take It" later became one of its top singles.
Around this time, Twisted Sister updated its feminized image with a more grotesque look that distinguished them from other glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
bands of the era. The group was now regarded more as a weird-looking heavy metal band because its look and music, although still reminiscent of pop/glam styles, were growing closer to heavy metal's leather and chains image.
After an appearance on the music TV program The Tube
The Tube (TV series)
The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...
, Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
approached the band and signed them. Atlantic was one of the labels that had turned Twisted Sister down in the Club Days period. Their first LP under Atlantic, You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll is Twisted Sister's second full-length album, released on June 27, 1983.The songs: "The Kids Are Back", "I Am " and the homonymous "You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll" were released as singles. The album was certified as a Gold Album for USA for selling over 500,000 items...
, produced by Stuart Epps
Stuart Epps
Stuart Epps is a British record producer and audio engineer. During his career, he has worked with: Kiki Dee, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Twisted Sister and Chris Rea...
, was released in 1983 and included the UK #19 hit "I Am (I'm Me)". From a production standpoint, the album sounded better than its predecessor, and it was every bit as heavy. Upon the success of the album the company decided to promote the band more heavily. A music video was made for the title track of You Can't Stop Rock'n'Roll, which was to become the first of a series of comedic videos that popularized the band.
MTV videos (1984–1985)
International fame came for Twisted Sister when the band's third LP, Stay Hungry, hit the stores on May 10, 1984. The album was a little more commercial-sounding than the first two, owing to Tom WermanTom Werman
Tom Werman was an A&R man and record producer for Epic Records from 1970 into 1982. He has produced albums by acts including Mother's Finest, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Molly Hatchet, Blue Öyster Cult, Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Stryper, Kix, LA Guns, and Poison. While in A&R at Epic Records, he...
's production, but it still included heavy songs such as the title track and "Burn in Hell". During a successful tour, a young Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
supported the band. Stay Hungry sold more than two million copies by the summer of 1985, and went on to sell more than three million in subsequent years. It remains the band's biggest success.
Videos of hit singles "We're Not Gonna Take It" (a #21 hit in the US) and "I Wanna Rock
I Wanna Rock
"I Wanna Rock" is a song from the album Stay Hungry by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister. In 2009 it was named the 17th VH1 Greatest Hard Rock Songs by VH1...
" (US #68) ran almost constantly on MTV. Their pervasive slapstick comedy proved a change of pace for the genre and gave the band a distinctive appeal. The acclaimed surreal comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his full-length debut and starring Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman. Reubens also co-wrote the script with Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol. Supporting roles are played by Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton, Diane...
took this further with the band having an appearance making a fictional video for "Burn In Hell" on the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
backlot only to be interrupted by Pee-wee Herman
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
passing through. Despite being comedic in nature, the videos featured violence against parents and teachers, which placed the band under heavy criticism by conservative organizations. They were singled out by the PMRC in 1985. Twisted Sister songs "Under the Blade" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" were specifically mentioned in the associated Senate hearings. Snider was one of the few musicians to testify before a Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
committee in these hearings on September 19, 1985. (He was addressed formally by the committee counsel as "Mr. Sister".)
In May that year Ojeda took part, on behalf of the band, in the recordings for the Hear 'n Aid
Hear 'n Aid
Hear 'n Aid was a one-off project of the heavy metal/hard rock scene of the 1980s to raise money for famine relief in Africa. According to Ronnie James Dio's MySpace profile, the project raised $1 million within a year.- Background :...
project, "Stars", although the single was not released until the following year.
Decline and fall (1985–1987)
On November 9, 1985, the band released its fourth studio album, Come Out and PlayCome Out and Play (Twisted Sister album)
Come Out and Play is the fourth album by the American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released by Atlantic Records. It was less successful than its predecessor Stay Hungry both critically and commercially.- Overview :...
, produced by Dieter Dierks
Dieter Dierks
Dieter Dierks is a German record producer mostly known for his collaboration with the rock band Scorpions.- Youth :...
. It was not nearly as successful as its predecessor, although it did earn the band a gold album for sales of 500,000 copies. Some speculate that the failure was partly due to MTV banning the video for "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" on the grounds that it was graphically offensive. The song featured such guests as Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
(who also stars in the video), Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group The Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with a jazz-oriented big band.-Career:Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York...
, Clarence Clemons
Clarence Clemons
Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. , also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985, had a hit single with "You're a...
and Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
. The tour supporting the album was a near fiasco, with low attendance and many cancelled dates. Not even Atlantic's re-release of a remixed Under the Blade helped the band recover its popularity. Come Out and Play was one of the first CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
to go out of print.
After the tour, Pero left to rejoin Cities. He was replaced by ex-Good Rats drummer Joey "Seven" Franco. The nickname "Seven" comes from his being the band's seventh drummer.
In 1987, Snider embarked on a solo project, reportedly approaching future Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
guitarist Janick Gers
Janick Gers
Janick Robert Gers is an English musician, best known for being one of the three current guitarists in Iron Maiden, along with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, as well as his earlier work with Gillan and White Spirit.-Career and Personal Life:...
, but this did not work out. He then recorded an album with Franco programming the drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
and featuring several session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s such as Reb Beach
Reb Beach
Reb Beach is an American rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake...
on guitar and Kip Winger
Kip Winger
Charles Frederick Kip Winger is an American rock musician, both a member of the hard rock band, Winger, and a solo artist.-Early days:Winger was born in Denver, Colorado to parents who were both jazz musicians....
(just before they formed Winger) and Steve Whiteman of Kix
Kix (band)
Kix is an American hard rock/heavy metal band who achieved popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Band members continue to tour, recently appearing at the Rocklahoma festival in 2008 in Oklahoma and the M3 Rock Festival in May 2011 in the band's home state of Maryland.-Formation:Kix was...
. Atlantic Records refused to release it unless it was labeled as a Twisted Sister album. So, on August 13, 1987 Love Is for Suckers
Love Is for Suckers
Love Is for Suckers is the fifth album by the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. According to the Live At Wacken DVD, the material was originally meant to be a solo album by Twisted Sister's lead singer, Dee Snider, but the label pushed for it to be released under the Twisted Sister name instead....
made its debut. Although the band had not played in the recording sessions, it was mentioned on the album cover as if they had, and they did play some of the songs in subsequent shows. Beau Hill
Beau Hill
Beau Hill is an American record producer who is best known for his work with Alice Cooper, Kix, Winger, Streets, Warrant, Fiona, Europe and Ratt....
's production gave the album a very polished pop metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
sound. The band's members had also removed the makeup that they had been wearing since their early days. Commercially, the album was a complete failure and many of their metal fans were disappointed with the pop sound.
On October 12, 1987, almost two months after the release of Love Is For Suckers, Snider left the band, the record label cancelled its contract, and Twisted Sister disbanded. The public announcement of the band's demise came in January 1988.
Separation period (1987–1997)
After the band's break-up, former members were involved in different projects:- Snider formed DesperadoDesperado (band)Desperado is a heavy metal band formed by Dee Snider in 1988, after Twisted Sister was disbanded. Besides Dee Snider Desparado Limited Edition was released on April 21, 2009, featuring eleven tracks from 'Bloodied But Unbowed'.-Past members:...
, Widowmaker, and SMFs. He also wrote and starred in the movie StrangelandStrangelandStrangeland is an American horror film released in 1998. The movie was directed by John Pieplow and written by Dee Snider. The film focuses on the body modification underground culture's rituals.-Plot:...
. A sequel, Strangeland 2, is planned. - Ojeda went on to join Scarecrow and then formed Prisoners of War. Both projects were unsuccessful. He also worked as a session guitarist and guitar instructor.
- French stopped performing except for some guest appearances. He formed French Management and produced the alternative metalAlternative metalAlternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
band SevendustSevendustSevendust is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group...
's first self-titled album. - Mendoza briefly joined BlackfootBlackfoot (band)Blackfoot is a Southern rock musical ensemble from Jacksonville, Florida organized during 1970. Though they are primarily a Southern rock band, they were known also as a hard rock act....
. Then he worked as a producer and manager. He also occasionally pursued solo projects. - Pero was involved in several projects and subsequently toured with Snider's SMFs.
- Franco worked as a session drummer and played with Snider's Widowmaker.
In 1992, Atlantic Records, released a "best of" album Big Hits and Nasty Cuts
Big Hits and Nasty Cuts
Big Hits and Nasty Cuts, The Best of Twisted Sister, is a greatest hits compilation by Twisted Sister. It was released in 1992 by Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and by WEA International Inc...
that also featured some live performances from the Under The Blade period. This album was compiled by French. A live album from the Stay Hungry era named Live At Hammersmith was released in 1994 by CMC International
CMC International
CMC International was an American independent record label founded by Tom Lipsky in 1991, focused mainly on classic rock, and classic heavy metal. The label was the haven of many hard rock, arena rock, glam metal and AOR artists in the period when all the majors were investing all their financial...
.
Reunions and reissues (1997–present)
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of Snider's movie Strangeland.
In 1999, Spitfire Records
Spitfire Records
Spitfire Records was a subdivision of Eagle Rock Entertainment located in New York, United States.In September 1998, Paul Bibeau founded, launched and rapidly developed Spitfire Records Inc. from a two-man operation located in his home bedroom in suburban Long Island, New York, to one of the...
re-issued the group's back catalog, supplemented with previously unreleased tracks. This was followed by Club Daze Volume 1: The Studio Sessions
Club Daze Volume 1: The Studio Sessions
Club Daze Volume 1: The Studio Sessions is a compilation of Twisted Sister's early studio recordings.-Track listing:All songs written by Dee Snider unless otherwise noted#Come Back - 6:30 #Pay the Price - 4:28 #Rock 'n' Roll Saviors - 4:37...
, an album containing demo recordings from the pre-Under the Blade era, which has three songs that were written by French, this was the first time someone other than Snider was writing songs, and Club Daze Volume 2: Live In The Bars, a live counterpart.
In 2001, Koch Records
Koch Records
E1 Music , the primary subsidiary of E1 Entertainment LP, is the largest independent record label in the United States. It is also distributed by the Universal Music Group in Europe under the name E1 Universal...
released a tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
under the name Twisted Forever: A Tribute To The Legendary Twisted Sister
Twisted Forever
Twisted Forever – A Tribute to the Legendary Twisted Sister is a tribute album to Twisted Sister, released in 2001. Release of the album was on both CD, and a collector's edition released on double pink vinyl records.-Track listing / Artist :...
. The album featured a wide range of artists and bands who had been influenced by Twisted Sister, including Lit, Motörhead, Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Overkill
Overkill (band)
Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax , the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal...
, Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
, Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted within Broadway plays, and leads a successful solo career.-Early life:Bach was born Sebastian...
, and HammerFall
HammerFall
HammerFall is a power metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.- Early days :...
. Oddly for a tribute album, Twisted Sister was also present with a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
's "Sin city".
In November 2001, the reunited Twisted Sister joined fellow New York metal artists Anthrax, Overkill, Sebastian Bach, and Ace Frehley
Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
to headline a benefit concert for NYPD and FDNY Widows and Orphans Fund in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. New York Steel
New York Steel
New York Steel was a benefit concert emceed by Eddie Trunk and Mike Piazza, featuring heavy metal musicians, that took place on November 28, 2001 at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks....
raised over $100,000 for the charity, and the reaction to the first Twisted Sister set in 14 years was overwhelming. The demand for more live dates was immediate, and the band took the first steps toward returning to the concert stage.
In 2002, a remastered "best of" compilation named Essentials was released. Fans generally consider this to be a better compilation than the one previously issued by Atlantic.
2002 also saw the featuring of "I Wanna Rock" as one of the gameplay radio songs on the videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
. The song features in the playlist of the fictional radio station "V Rock".
Twisted Sister, this time including Mark Mendoza, reunited again for the Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, having featured southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to death metal legends like Obituary.The first...
in June 2003. They also appeared in August of that same year at the Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
festival. Footage from that show was filmed for a DVD release, which featured former Violent Apathy
Violent Apathy
Violent Apathy is a U.S. hardcore band that formed in March 1981 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan and sparked the Kalamazoo hardcore scene. The original band was three high school friends from Jackson, Michigan along with Eliot Rachman, another WMU student who hailed from East...
and Spite
Spite (punk band)
The Hardcore punk rock band, Spite, was an essential musical hub in the Michigan hardcore scene. It was made up of members from other notable bands, who branched out to play an essential role in the musical community, both inside and outside the region...
member, Tom Fuller.
In March 2004, they entered the studio to completely re-record their Stay Hungry album for Demolition Records. They reported that they were not happy with the original album's production, so this time they produced it themselves. The re-recording was released under the name Still Hungry
Still Hungry (Twisted Sister)
Still Hungry, released in 2004, was a re-recording of the 1984 album Stay Hungry released by heavy metal band Twisted Sister.-Track listing:# "Stay Hungry" – 3:14# "We're Not Gonna Take It" – 4:36# "Burn in Hell" – 5:37...
and contained seven bonus tracks.
In July 2005, the group played a free concert in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
for the Klondike Days festival. In late 2005, Snider appeared on Numbers from the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden, performing vocals for the Iron Maiden classic "Wasted Years
Wasted Years
"Wasted Years" is the fourteenth single released by Iron Maiden and the first from their Somewhere in Time album. It's the only song on the album that features no synthesizers. Released in 1986, it was the first single solely written by guitarist Adrian Smith, who also sings backing vocals...
". Snider was joined by his contemporaries and peers George Lynch
George Lynch (musician)
George Lynch is a hard rock/heavy metal guitarist best known as a member of the band Dokken, his own bands Lynch Mob and Souls of We.-Pre Dokken:...
, formerly of Dokken
Dokken
Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band formed in 1978. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide...
, and Bob Kulick
Bob Kulick
Bob Kulick is an American guitarist and Grammy Award-winning record producer, best known for his studio work with Kiss. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is the older brother of former Kiss lead guitarist Bruce Kulick, whom he suggested Kiss hire....
. Also in 2005, the band released the 2003 Wacken
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
show on CD and DVD simply titled Live At Wacken. It also went on tour with Alice Cooper, acting as the support band but delivering a set similar to a headliner's.
In 2006, Snider and French worked with Lordi
Lordi
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics during concerts...
to produce and play on a few tracks on their new album The Arockalypse
The Arockalypse
The Arockalypse is the third studio album by the hard rock band Lordi. It features the hit single "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 for Finland. The album has sold triple platinum in Finland and gold in Sweden and Germany...
. Snider was featured on the first track, "SCG3 Special Report", as the voice of Lordi warning of the upcoming Arockalypse. French guest starred on the song "Chainsaw Buffet". In June 2006, the band announced that they had signed with the American record label Razor and Tie to release a final CD, of heavy metal Christmas music called A Twisted Christmas
A Twisted Christmas
A Twisted Christmas is a Christmas album from US heavy metal group Twisted Sister, released on October 17, 2006. The album features classic Christmas songs performed in Heavy metal versions.-Track listing:...
. The CD was released on October 17, 2006, and was a commercial success. On July 8, 2006, Twisted Sister played in front of 80,000 people in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The show also featured Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
as the headliner. It also played a small concert at the Wolverhampton Civic Center.
The group is still together and occasionally makes small tours around the world, in full makeup. Before each of these mini-tours, it performs as Bent Brother, practising its set and appearing without makeup, usually at reduced ticket prices.
Twisted Sister was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame
Long Island Music Hall of Fame
The Long Island Music Hall of Fame is an organization whose office is located in Port Jefferson, New York. It was incorporated in July 2005 under the New York State Board of Regents as a non profit organization and holds a provisional charter to operate as a museum in the state of New York...
on October 15, 2006. On December 13, 2006, Twisted Sister made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The group performed their rock version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" which is arranged in the style of "We're Not Gonna Take It". On December 22, 2006, Twisted Sister appeared on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
, performing its rock version of "O Come All Ye Faithful". On an episode of Snider's syndicated radio program "The House of Hair", he stated that due to the success of the Christmas album, and also due to the response to the tour promoting the album, that Twisted Sister might not retire, and the band's future was being discussed.
On July 15, 2007, Twisted Sister performed at glam metal festival Rocklahoma
Rocklahoma
Rocklahoma is an annual hard rock music festival held in Pryor, Oklahoma...
.
Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock" was featured in the game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s is a music video game and the third installment in the popular Guitar Hero series...
as a playable song (instead of being a cover like several songs featured in the game, it was the version from the 2004 remake of their classic album Stay Hungry, titled Still Hungry).
In 2008, Snider appeared on the CMT television show Gone Country
Gone Country (TV series)
Gone Country is an American celebrity reality television show in which contestants compete to become a country music singer. The winner gets a country single produced by John Rich. It aired on CMT, with reruns on TV Land, and VH1. On the first season finale, Julio Iglesias Jr...
. On February 25, 2008, Twisted Sister performed at "Aftermath - The Station Fire 5 years later" in Providence, Rhode Island. On May 10, 2008, Twisted Sister performed a free concert at the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n town Lovech
Lovech
Lovech is a town in north-central Bulgaria with a population of 36,296 as of February 2011. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The town is located about 150 km northeast from the capital city of Sofia...
. On July 13, 2008, Twisted Sister performed at Snatch Rock n Roll Lounge, in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. On September 1, 2008, Twisted Sister performed at the Rock The Bayou Festival in Houston, Texas.
On June 4, 2009, Twisted Sister performed 'Stay Hungry' in its entirety for the first time at the Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, having featured southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to death metal legends like Obituary.The first...
. This included never before played songs such as "Don't Let Me Down" and "Horror-Teria: Street Justice".
On July 16, 2009, in a interview on Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
, Snider said that 2009 was the last year that the band would perform with makeup and costumes.
On February 16, 2010, Twisted Sister were confirmed to play at Bloodstock Open Air 2010.
Twisted Sister has recently announced that they will be performing at Dillo Day 2011 at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
.
On July 15, 2011, Twisted Sister were confirmed to play at Masters of Rock
Masters of Rock (festival)
Masters of Rock is a large heavy metal festival in Czech Republic. The main styles represented on this festival are power, speed and heavy metal, though the production tries to make the fest more open for other rock and metal styles as progressive rock/metal, hardcore, death metal or even ska...
On October 13, 2011, the band announced a five-disk DVD set of live performences over their entire career entitled From The Bars To The Stars, with a release date of November 8.
Current members
- Dee SniderDee SniderDaniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister...
– lead vocals (1976–1987, 1997–present) - Eddie OjedaEddie OjedaEddie "Fingers" Ojeda is one of the two guitarists of the American heavy metal band Twisted Sister....
– lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1975–1987, 1997–present) - Jay Jay FrenchJay Jay FrenchJohn French Segall , better known by his stage name Jay Jay French or J.J. French, is a founding member and one of the two guitarists of the American heavy metal band, Twisted Sister....
– lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1972–1987, 1997–present) - Mark MendozaMark MendozaMark "The Animal" Mendoza is the bassist of the American heavy metal band, Twisted Sister. He joined the band on October 31, 1978, after he left The Dictators. He also briefly played in Blackfoot in early 1990s.Mendoza played the bass guitar on all of Twisted Sister's major label releases...
– bass guitar, backing vocals (1978–1987, 1997–present) - A. J. PeroA. J. PeroAnthony Jude Pero is the drummer of the American heavy metal band Twisted Sister.He went to St. Peter's Boys High School in Staten Island, but left because the faculty made him cut his hair. He then went to New Dorp High School.Pero joined the band in 1982, after he left Cities, a local New York...
– drums, percussion (1982–1986, 1997–present)
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
NOR VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
NZ |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
|||||||||
| Under the Blade Under the Blade Under the Blade is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released on Secret Records on September 18, 1982. . It featured a very brutal and rough sound which was eventually totally ignored on a remixed re-release by Atlantic Records on July 14, 1985... |
|
125 | — | 40 | — | — | 70 | |||||||
| You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll is Twisted Sister's second full-length album, released on June 27, 1983.The songs: "The Kids Are Back", "I Am " and the homonymous "You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll" were released as singles. The album was certified as a Gold Album for USA for selling over 500,000 items... |
Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... |
130 | — | — | — | — | 14 |
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... : Gold |
||||||
| Stay Hungry |
|
15 | 11 | 10 | 3 | — | 34 |
Music Canada Music Canada was a Canadian music television miniseries which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television from 1966 to 1967.-Premise:This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.-Scheduling:... : 5× Platinum |
||||||
| Come Out and Play Come Out and Play (Twisted Sister album) Come Out and Play is the fourth album by the American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released by Atlantic Records. It was less successful than its predecessor Stay Hungry both critically and commercially.- Overview :... |
|
53 | 11 | — | 10 | — | 95 |
|
||||||
| Love Is for Suckers Love Is for Suckers Love Is for Suckers is the fifth album by the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. According to the Live At Wacken DVD, the material was originally meant to be a solo album by Twisted Sister's lead singer, Dee Snider, but the label pushed for it to be released under the Twisted Sister name instead.... |
|
74 | 11 | — | 43 | 17 | 57 | |||||||
| Still Hungry |
Spitfire Records Spitfire Records was a subdivision of Eagle Rock Entertainment located in New York, United States.In September 1998, Paul Bibeau founded, launched and rapidly developed Spitfire Records Inc. from a two-man operation located in his home bedroom in suburban Long Island, New York, to one of the... Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Holiday albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Holiday |
||
| A Twisted Christmas A Twisted Christmas A Twisted Christmas is a Christmas album from US heavy metal group Twisted Sister, released on October 17, 2006. The album features classic Christmas songs performed in Heavy metal versions.-Track listing:... |
|
147 | 27 |
Compilations
- Big Hits and Nasty CutsBig Hits and Nasty CutsBig Hits and Nasty Cuts, The Best of Twisted Sister, is a greatest hits compilation by Twisted Sister. It was released in 1992 by Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and by WEA International Inc...
(Compilation, 1992) - The EssentialsThe Essentials (Twisted Sister)The Essentials by Twisted Sister is a compilation album which came out in 2002.- Track listing :# "We're Not Gonna Take It" - 3:44# "I Wanna Rock" - 3:06# "Leader of the Pack" - 3:44# "You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll" - 4:40# "Stay Hungry" - 3:03...
(Compilation, 2002) - We're Not Gonna Take It & Other Hits (Compilation, 2003)
- The Best of Twisted Sister (Compilation, 2005)
Live albums
- Live at HammersmithLive at Hammersmith (Twisted Sister album)Live at Hammersmith is a live album from Twisted Sister released 3 October 1994. It was recorded on 15th June 1984 at the famous Hammersmith Odeon.-CD 1:# "What You Don't Know " 4:43# "The Kids Are Back" 2:49# "Stay Hungry" 5:09...
(Live, 1994) - Club Daze Volume 1: The Studio SessionsClub Daze Volume 1: The Studio SessionsClub Daze Volume 1: The Studio Sessions is a compilation of Twisted Sister's early studio recordings.-Track listing:All songs written by Dee Snider unless otherwise noted#Come Back - 6:30 #Pay the Price - 4:28 #Rock 'n' Roll Saviors - 4:37...
(Live, 1999) - Club Daze Volume II: Live in the BarsClub Daze Volume II: Live in the Bars-Track listing:#Never Say Never [2001 Recording] 2:20#Blastin' Fast & Loud [2001 Recording] 3:01#Follow Me 3:30#Under the Blade 5:02#Lady's Boy 5:02#Come Back 6:55#Can't Stand Still 4:49#Honey, Look Three Times 4:12#You Know I Cry 5:52...
(Live, 2002) - Live At Wacken: The ReunionLive At Wacken: The ReunionLive at Wacken - The Runion is a live album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released on June 28, 2005....
(Live, 2006) - A Twisted Christmas - Live (Live, 2007)
- Live At The MarqueeLive at the MarqueeLive at the Marquee may refer to:*Live at the Marquee , an annual music festival in Cork, IrelandMusic*Live at the Marquee *Live at the Marquee *Live at the Marquee ...
(Live, 2011)
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Main |
NOR VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
NZ |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||||||||
| 1983 | "I Am (I'm Me)" | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll | ||||||
| "The Kids Are Back" | — | — | — | — | — | 32 | ||||||||
| "You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll" | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | ||||||||
| 1984 | "We're Not Gonna Take It" | 21 | 20 | — | 2 | 10 | 58 |
|
Stay Hungry | |||||
| "I Wanna Rock I Wanna Rock "I Wanna Rock" is a song from the album Stay Hungry by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister. In 2009 it was named the 17th VH1 Greatest Hard Rock Songs by VH1... " |
68 | 35 | 5 | 10 | — | 93 |
|
|||||||
| 1985 | "The Price" | — | 19 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Leader of the Pack" | 53 | 32 | — | 45 | — | 47 | Come Out and Play | |||||||
| 1987 | "Hot Love Hot Love (Twisted Sister song) "Hot Love" is Twisted Sister's last and only single from the album Love Is for Suckers, released in 1987. The single wasn't successful although it did peak at #31 in the U.S. Mainstream Rock charts. After the release of this single and the album, Twisted Sister split. They reformed again in 1997... " |
— | 31 | — | — | — | — | Love Is for Suckers | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
DVDs
- Live at Wacken - The Reunion (2004)
- The Video Years (2007)
- A Twisted Christmas Live: A December To Remember (2007)
- Live At Bang Your Head!!! (2008, recorded in 2005)
- Live At The Astoria (2008, recorded in 2004)
- "Double Live: Northstage 82 & Ny Steel 01"
A new DVD was recorded at the Bang Your Head!!! in Germany, on July 17, 2010
Music videos
- "I Am (I'm Me)"
- "You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll"
- "We're Not Gonna Take It"
- "I Wanna RockI Wanna Rock"I Wanna Rock" is a song from the album Stay Hungry by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister. In 2009 it was named the 17th VH1 Greatest Hard Rock Songs by VH1...
" - "The Price"
- "Leader of the PackLeader of the Pack"Leader of the Pack" is a 1964 pop song recorded by girl group The Shangri-Las. It became number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 28, 1964.-Original Shangri-Las recording:...
" - "Be Chrool to Your Scuel"
- "Hot Love"
- "Oh Come All Ye FaithfulAdeste Fideles"Adeste Fideles" is a hymn tune attributed to English hymnist John Francis Wade . The text itself has unclear beginnings, and may have been written in the 13th century by John of Reading, though it has been concluded that Wade was probably the author.The original four verses of the hymn were...
" - "Silver Bells"
- "I'll Be Home For Christmas"
- "30"