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The Band – The Band
The Children Are Again
Like A Knife In The Again
Experience To Stay, Stay To Experience
I Am (I am Me)
The Energy And The Glory
We’re Gonna Make It
I’ve Had Sufficient
I will Take You Alive
You are Not Alone (Suzette’s Track)
You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll
After a decade’s value of gigs on the East Coast’s Tri-State space of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Twisted Sister’s critically acclaimed visits to the UK snagged them a take care of Atlantic, regardless of American label boss Doug Morris famously calling the band “the worst fucking piece of shit on the planet”.
A self-financed look on British TV present The Tube had sealed the deal, a modest $60,000 being allotted for them to make You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll, recorded at Jimmy Web page’s dwelling in Cookham, Berkshire. Nevertheless, when the recordings got here in at $4,500 over funds, Atlantic vowed to take a seat on report within the States till the group generated the shortfall themselves.
Within the UK it was far completely different, as I Am (I’m Me), The Children Are Again and the title observe all turned hit singles, and the band made a triumphant look at Monsters Of Rock in 1983. Greater and higher was to observe, as the next yr’s Keep Hungry and the evergreen We’re Not Gonna Take It turned the band right into a multi-platinum success, however You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll received the ball rolling.
Each week, Album of the Week Membership listens to and discusses the album in query, votes on how good it’s, and publishes our findings, with the goal of giving folks dependable opinions and the broader rock group the possibility to contribute.
Different albums launched in April 1983
- Havana Moon – Carlos Santana
- Quicker Than the Pace of Night time – Bonnie Tyler
- Let’s Dance – David Bowie
- Sirens – Savatage
- Murmur – R.E.M.
- Rock For Gentle – Unhealthy Brains
- Headhunter – Krokus
- Whammy! – The B-52s
- Hootenanny – The Replacements
- Midnight At The Misplaced And Discovered – Meat Loaf
- Fastway – Fastway
- In Outer Area – Sparks
- Info – Dave Edmunds
- Residing In Oz – Rick Springfield
- Michael Bolton – Michael Bolton
- Out Of Step – Minor Menace
- Steve Miller Band Stay! – Steve Miller Band
What they mentioned…
“A number of of Twisted Sister’s greatest anthems reside right here – the title observe (which was one of many band’s first movies to be aired on MTV), in addition to The Children Are Again, We’re Gonna Make It, and I Am (I am Me). However apart from a ballad that vocalist Dee Snider wrote particularly for his spouse, You are Not Alone (Suzette’s Track), the album is comprised of one hundred pc heavy metallic.” (AllMusic)
“Sophomore stoop? Pfft, Tornado Sister not solely leap method over that pitfall, they elevate the bar whereas they’re there. You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll is likely one of the most underrated albums of not solely the 80s however in rock/metallic; from begin to finish, it’s a masterclass dropped at you by a bunch written off as one-album wonders.” (Steel Storm)
“People who wrote off Twisted Sister primarily based on impressions of a few overplayed movies by no means took the time to see this band of troublemakers for who they actually have been, years earlier than business success arrived; an ass-kickin’ bunch of untamed rock’n’roll canine that wrote greater than their justifiable share of anthems and by no means dissatisfied an viewers… in case you actually wish to hear the spirit of Twisted Sister in all thier primal glory, then begin your journey with You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll.” (Blabbermouth)
What you mentioned…
Mike Canoe: Hi there, window. Goodbye, objectivity.
I’ve been a fan of Twisted Sister’s You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll for greater than 40 years and it was an absolute pleasure to show up the quantity on my Monday morning work commute. Whereas a faculty vacation will get the credit score for making it much less visitors than standard, factors to Dee Snider and firm for making it much more enjoyable.
Twisted Sister all the time struck me as having extra expertise and grit than their friends. I now understand that they have been about half a decade or extra older than the opposite bands they have been lumped in with which I am positive helped. Nonetheless, there’s quite a lot of muscle in these NWOBHM-informed, punk-aware songs.
Loads of that comes from Dee Snider. He is an ideal, arguably underrated, singer with a robust voice and commanding presence that sells these songs. The pummeling rhythm part of Mark “The Animal” Mendoza and A.J. Pero strikes from power to power whereas guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda maintain the riffs coming and do not overplay.
I like all of it however I will word some highlights. I Am (I am Me) sounds just like the much less foolish prototype for anthems like I Wanna Rock and We’re Not Gonna Take It. The Children Are Again and Like A Knife In The Again repurpose Alice Cooper’s angle for a brand new technology whereas You are Not Alone (Suzette’s Track) is likely one of the nice misplaced energy ballads of all time – and once more exhibits the band’s comparative maturity to their contemporaries; exaggerated make-up, stage garments and all. Then there’s the triumphant chestbeater of a title observe that brings all the things to a triumphant, sweaty shut.
Keep Hungry, which might be rather a lot heavier than you keep in mind, could also be their best-selling album by a large margin however You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll will all the time be one of the best on this everlasting teenager’s coronary heart.
Gary Claydon: Some bands/albums do not want dissecting. It is Twisted Sister. I desire the grittier Below The Blade to You Cannot Cease Rock and Roll’, which is a transparent bridge to the extra commercially savvy, MTV-friendly Keep Hungry.
Dumb? You betcha. Enjoyable? Completely.
Chris Downie: A curious footnote in rock and metallic historical past, Twisted Sister are a band deservedly lauded for his or her high-octane reside exhibits (each within the 80s and their sporadic post-millennium reunions) and for taking a stand towards the hated PMRC. It’s all too simple to neglect that, among the many controversy they garnered (significantly their Marmite lead singer Dee Snider) their catalogue is one worthy of crucial examination, being as notable for its head-scratching lows as for its spectacular highs.
Whereas the band themselves disowned their fifth album and subsequent swansong Love Is For Suckers (I battle to recall any cuts being dusted off from it on their many reunion excursions) and acknowledge the divisiveness of its predecessor Come Out And Play, the primary three albums characterize the band’s all-too-brief recorded legacy.
Sandwiched between the fiery debut and multi-platinum Keep Hungry, this opus falls musically between the 2, hanging a high quality stability between boisterous, glam-tinged 80s Heavy Steel and basic exhausting rock, evidenced by the high quality title observe. It’s the sound of a band who lower their tooth in golf equipment, honing their reside craft over a number of years within the late 70’s, amidst native fanfare however report label indifference.
Trying again on their legacy, it is all too simple to pigeonhole them amongst their 80’s friends – and their refusal to even try a brand new album through the post-1999 reunions lends credence to that – and it is also true their total catalogue’s 3/5 success fee sees them fall simply wanting the true greats. Nevertheless, their self-styled “SMF” fanbase can level to this all-too-brief interval the place they fired on all cylinders and delivered a strong three-album run that spoke to rebellious teenagers and discerning metalheads alike. 8/10.
Brian Carr: Whereas there are many “huge, dumb rock bands” that I completely dislike, however the critically lambasted Twisted Sister isn’t one in every of them. At this level, We’re Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock definitely exist within the “by no means want to listen to these songs once more in my life” class, however the movies have been enjoyable and possibly performed a small half in making Animal Home one in every of my all-time favorite motion pictures. Even supposing I most likely heard the title observe of You Can’t Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll earlier than the Keep Hungry juggernaut (thanks, Ok-Tel compilations!), I don’t assume I ever listened to the album.
As anticipated, YCSR’N’R is simple exhausting rock/metallic with crunchy riffs and first rate lead guitar work. I all the time thought Dee Snider was a relatively underrated singer, although the bonus reside content material wasn’t very flattering (his energetic efficiency had him shouting relatively than singing). What did shock me was some spectacular bass enjoying from Mark Mendoza. There’s nothing groundbreaking right here, however for rock with angle, I’d a lot relatively take heed to Twisted Sister than punk. They’re like a greasy burger and fries, or a well-worn, comfy pair of denims. I’ll depart the ladies’s garments to them, although.
Chris Layton: There are some pretty first rate Twisted Sister albums. This isn’t one in every of them. I very a lot dig the hair metallic bands from the 80s, however the lack of songwriting expertise glares at me after I take heed to this. The drums, no intense grooving and even spectacular fills. The bass… once more, no attention-grabbing riffs to be discovered. No fashion within the guitar enjoying. There have been a couple of songs that the principle factor occurring is a generic drum half with a generic bass line behind, after which vocals over high (no guitar thoughts you, till simply in regards to the refrain) whereas Dee Snider sings (with not one of the depth you discover in later works) forgettable lyrics.
If there have been guitars through the verse, you get energy chord, root word x 7 and the identical energy chord and root notes once more. Then bounce up a string and do the very same factor once more. As a guitarist, I am unable to think about how bored Jay Jay should have been whereas enjoying on this album. There are not any guitar riffs which can be immediately recognizable and iconic like Poison or Motley have. Solely the title observe is midway notable. Swing and a miss for me. They do get higher later of their profession, however sadly, a weak album right here.
John Davidson: 38 minutes of straightforward get together rock.
The manufacturing’s a bit tough n’ prepared, and the rhythm part do not do a lot past lay down a platform for the lead guitar and vocals, however you possibly can’t assist however nod alongside .
The lyrics are designed purely round singing alongside together with your fist within the air, however Snider delivers them with sufficient gusto to hold you with him.
I used to be at college by the point this got here out and thought I used to be too subtle for this kind of factor, but when it had come out in 1979 or 1980 I would have performed it to demise. 7/10.
Greg Schwepe: For this week’s number of Twisted Sister’s You Can’t Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll I needed to squint actual exhausting, make a face and one way or the other neglect their cartoonish make-up, wardrobe, and the primary impression it made on me. The place make-up and outlandish costumes actually labored on different bands/artists I appreciated (Bowie, Elton John, Kiss), for Twisted Sister it simply led to me considering they have been extra of a parody band. Throw within the MTV movies (sure, tongue-in-cheek humorous) and I wasn’t positive what Twisted Sister was making an attempt to be.
Nevertheless it’s all in regards to the music, proper? So whereas listening to this I needed to strategy this prefer it was the very first thing I had heard from the Dee Snider-fronted band. And hey, you’ve gotten a good album filled with second-tier metallic that’s received some nice guitar riffs. Very Crue-ish guitar tone.
Lyrics not as tacky as I might have anticipated. And Snider has a gritty “get all the way down to it” voice. 7 out of 10 on this one for me. File this underneath “Pleasantly Stunned” or “You Can’t Choose A E book By It’s Cowl.”
Henry Martinez: To cite Niedermeyer, “Twisted Sister?!?” Sure, in fact! In case you have been 15 years previous in 1983 (like me), this was the bomb. This LP hasn’t precisely aged properly, however you possibly can’t deny the power of You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll. Probably the greatest mission statements in rock historical past. (6.0)
Adam McCann: High album, the closest Twisted Sister got here to the NWOBHM sound and a real heavy metallic basic. At all times keep in mind you could’t cease rock’n’roll!
Philip Qvist: Whereas I am extra accustomed to their follow-up album, Keep Hungry, I’ve heard a few songs from You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll, primarily the title observe and The Children Are Again – so it is a nice time to revisit a few of the band’s earlier releases.
Let’s be trustworthy; Dee Snider and co have been by no means going to reinvent rock music, however I do not assume that it was ever going to be a problem when you find yourself delivering enjoyable, entertaining and sing-along songs that will get the group going. On that rating, Twisted Sister and this album delivers – after which some. This may by no means seem on many individuals’s important albums record however that is not actually the purpose. That is enjoyable, loud and entertaining and for that, You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll will get a 7 from me.
Chris Elliott: Which facet of the Atlantic you sit on impacts the way you view Twisted Sister. The US remembers Keep Hungry and the MTV hit – within the UK this and the singles have been their business excessive level. My recollections are a tough heavy uncooked power reside relatively than MTV.
They have been a New York membership band adopted by the NWOBHM and for 3 years higher recognized right here than again within the US. Their debut is uncooked and quick – however produced on a tiny funds – Pete Method produced and Quick Eddie contributed – minor challenge is it sounds prefer it was recorded in a cabinet. At 17 I forgave all that.
You Cannot Cease Rock ‘N’ Roll is the midway home between the uncooked metallic of Below the Blade and the over-produced Keep Hungry – the singles have been heavier prototypes for the MTV hit. It is simply enjoyable – nope, it will not change the world – however it makes it happier for 37 minutes.
I nonetheless have a love for Twisted Sister – heavy metallic solely is smart when it is loud and dumb – this defines loud dumb and catchy. They have been additionally a very nice reside band on this period – packing out golf equipment in the entire once they actually have been a pressure of nature.
They have been the plain hyperlink between NWOBHM and the glam that adopted.
Andrew Cumming: An underestimated pressure within the rise of glam metallic, Twisted Sister had all of the substances that made Motley Crue and Ratt and many others profitable – makeup-wearing, riff-driven, anthemic, dumb-lyriced metallic. Their trump card was Dee Snider – a giant and fascinating character, however with a genuinely nice voice. After they’re good they’re nice.
Songs like The Children Are Again are up there with one of the best of the style. Sadly, there is a irritating mixture of nice and bit boring on this album. Too many songs aren’t dangerous, however they’re simply not nice. That mentioned, The Children Are Again, I Am (I’m Me) and the title observe are improbable songs and should be thought-about amongst one of the best of the style. And a pair I didn’t know – We’re Gonna Make It, I’ve Had Sufficient – have been nice surprises. Good not nice. However proves the purpose that dumb accomplished properly is numerous enjoyable.
Ultimate rating: 7.44 (58 votes solid, whole rating 432)
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