Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry review
| Band: | Twisted Sister |
| Album: | Stay Hungry |
| Style: | Glam metal, Hard rock |
| Release date: | 1984 |
| A review by: | Baz Anderson |
Disc I
01. Stay Hungry
02. We're Not Gonna Take It
03. Burn In Hell
04. Horror-Teria (The Beginning)
1 - Captain Howdy
2 - Street Justice
05. I Wanna Rock
06. The Price
07. Don't Let Me Down
08. The Beast
09. S.M.F.
Disc II [25th Anniversary Edition]
01. Death From Above
02. Prime Motivator
03. We're Not Gonna Take It [early demo]
04. Death Run
05. This One's For You
06. S.M.F. [early demo]
07. We're Coming On
08. Call My Name
09. Burn In Hell [early demo]
10. Pay The Price
11. What's Love Without You
12. Our Voice Will Be Heard
13. You've Got To Fight
14. The Price [early demo]
15. Stay Hungry [early demo]
16. Kmet Radio Spot
17. 30 [new song]
18. Untitled [hidden track]
Hard rock
USA
Length: CD1 36:59 / CD2 39:17
25th Anniversary Edition
Back in 1984, history was created for a certain cross-dressing, makeup-clad hard rock band. The album was Stay Hungry, and this year marks its 25th anniversary along with a re-mastered version of the album complete with a second disc of previously unreleased tracks written at the time. This anniversary edition also includes a booklet with the history of this monumental album describing the troubles the band had at the time, and also the successes gained off its back.
Anyone interested in purchasing this 25th anniversary edition will know the album inside out, thus the emphasis here will be on what is exclusive to this particular edition.
The new disc has seventeen tracks of previously un-issued songs, very early demos of popular songs and even a brand new song, "30", which is the first new Twisted Sister song in eleven years. Understandably the sound on these old songs isn't fantastic, but it isn't bad either, they are very listenable. Some of the un-issued songs aren't worth much attention, but some however are, such as the pounding "Death Run", and the new song "30" is also a nice reminder that the band are still around.
The re-master of the original album was much needed, and this particular re-master has done a good job of bringing the elements out without going over the top. This isn't just a clone of the much heavier 2004 complete re-recording of the album Still Hungry. Not a lot has changed with the sound from the original, but although it does generally sound better, the twang of the bass is sometimes a little too much.
The casing comes with various pictures and shots of posters from back in the 80's, and also the booklet describes the whole ordeal of getting this album out, from the difficulties of a producer who was apparently "underwhelmed" by the album's two biggest songs and wanted the band to cover Saxon's "Strong Arm Of The Law" to the glories of supporting Iron Maiden and Dio on tour and having a young Metallica open for them.
Perhaps only Twisted Sister fanatics will be interested in this celebratory release, but the second disc does make for interesting listening and a great insight into many people's favourite band from back in the 80's. The booklet, although not a full novel in itself, does make for interesting reading to get the band's point of view and experience of the times just before and after the release of Stay Hungry. If Twisted Sister are one of those bands you'll never stop rockin' and rollin' to, then this should make for interesting and enjoyable listening.
Guest review by
amerislave
amerislave
Rating:
9.6
9.6
|
Rating: 9.6 |
Twisted Sister had been touring and playing for years and years prior to the mainstream success of "Stay Hungry". "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" received massive airplay on MTV. The videos became so popular that they became synonymous with the band and their core fan base jumped ship as the masses came on board. Read more ›› |
Rating:
8.4
8.4
|
Rating: 8.4 |
It is a big shame that Twisted Sister are oft regarded as being merely a two-hit wonder with a front man who looks like he just walked off the set of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Listen to this album and you will discover a band who have been unfairly labelled and deserve to be viewed with greater respect. From the out and out classic barnstormer of an opener in "Stay Hungry", Twisted Sister run through nine tracks of hard-hitting anthems that will convert you from one of those people who think this album is just "We're Not Gonna Take it" and "I Wanna Rock" plus seven other tracks, into someone who wants to seek the rest of their catalogue out. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 3
Visited by: 153 users
| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15293  |
I still remember back when this first came out, it was the shit. picked it up about a year ago and i think the original still held up pretty well. some good songs.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| DrM DreaMutilated Posts: 131  |
My personal favorite from this band is still "Burn in Hell" - hated "We're not gonna take it" - that's just too damn pop!
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| Jason W. Razorbliss Staff Posts: 3523  |
Yes the bonus disc is worth it for longtime fans of the album, as there are, as you say, some good tracks on it even if the quaility is variable from the demos.  About the remastering though, I had quite the ordeal with this, since I ordered it before its release: upon receiving it, the mastering was so bad that I gave a vocal "wtf?!", until I promptly learned that Rhino itself had sent out thousands of improperly mastered discs. So, after Rhino sent me a new copy of disc 1, I expected something amazing, and... am not so impressed with the remastering. I continue to be baffled by remasters that do not match the volume levels of current releases, and to be honest, it's only a few decibels louder than the original CD pressing's levels. Yeah, there are some slight upgrades on the bass or vocals here and there, but strictly on a "wow" factor, the remaster is disappointing. When I compare it to discs like Queensryche's "Rage For Order"'s remastering or Poison's "Open Up and Say...Ahh!" remastering, "Stay Hungry" amounts to barely more than a volume tinkering (which I can do on my own with sound editors!).About the music, still great - "Burn In Hell" is also my favorite track on the album!
---- "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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