Band:	Twisted Sister
Album:	Come Out And Play
Style:	Glam metal, Hard rock
Release date:	November 09, 1985
Guest review by:	omne metallum

01. Come Out And Play
02. Leader Of The Pack
03. You Want What We Got
04. I Believe In Rock'n'Roll
05. The Fire Still Burns
06. Be Chrool To Your Scuel
07. I Believe In You
08. Out On The Streets
09. Lookin' Out For #1
10. Kill Or Be Killed
11. King Of The Fools

For an album that garnered a reputation as being one that pulled the emergency brake on all the momentum Twisted Sister had built up with Stay Hungry, Come Out And Play gets one hell of a raw deal. While not a flawless album, it is by far much better than its reputation would lead you to believe. The last album proper by Snider and co., Come Out And Play will make you think twice before writing the band off.

For a nigh-on career-killing album, Come Out And Play is fun as hell; five songs of borderline classic material, two skippable (though not awful) tracks and three middle-of-the-road tracks, it is better than some other bands manage. I would happily listen to the title track, "You Want What We Got", "I Believe In Rock And Roll", "The Fire Still Burns" and "Be Chrool To Your Scuel" any day of the week. They are among some of the best of the band's career and well worth salvaging from the depths of this album's reputation. If you were to add these songs to a playlist of the band's best songs I bet no one would bat an eyelid other than wondering where these songs had been hiding.

If all you remember of this album is lead single "Leader Of The Pack" then I can see how it would colour your perception of the record; it's just... there. I would recommend powering through because this album offers far more than that one song (which is an awful representation of the album). "I Believe In You" is the only other song that comes close to "Leader Of The Pack" in terms of poor quality; but hey, that's why skip buttons were invented.

So where does the album garner its reputation? Well the biggest issue with the record is its production, Dieter Dierks may have done a stellar job with the Scorpions but he pulls this album down several pegs. Snider is the only person on the album (except Pero who gets to breathe a bit on some songs) who doesn't sound flat and lost in the mix. French throws out some great solos on "Kill Or Be Killed" but you really have to strain to hear him. For a band that made its name off of anthems, Dierks goes a long way to undercutting the band's biggest weapon.

Snider being the only member who shines on this record is a blow softened by the fact he puts in one hell of a performance. Snider is an underrated vocalist in rock for sure; look no further than "You Want What We Got" for a great example of his voice that stands tall and strong. The rest of the band are no slouches, but their performances are heavily handicapped by the production; Usain Bolt maybe a fast runner, but even he would look amateur if you got him to run with several Kg of weights tied to him. French does shine in points but they're too far and too inconsistent to fairly judge him or the rest of the band.

Alas, aside from a solo album turned Twisted Sister record in Love Is For Suckers, this would be the last original album by the band. This record more than deserves a second chance. Listen, learn and repent; this is why we can't have nice things.