TWISTED SISTER "Still Hungry"
by Clifford "Junior" Newsted
Cover:
3 Aging Glam Rock Stars from the 80s out of 10
The cover shows the band shot from the original booklet, in that dull
blue gray haze. Inserted directly above is a bright and colorful shot of Twisted
Sister. The shot doesn’t appear to be a recent shot, but one from the
era of the record. The Twisted logo inserted directly above and the "Still
Hungry" title on the bottom right corner. In typical Spitfire fashion,
the cover looks dated and it really does look like it was meant to look like
1984. This would jump out at me at a record store, not because it looks extraordinary,
but because it looks like a bootleg.
Booklet:
5 Delighted Sludgeaholics out of 10
The booklet opens into various panels. To be honest, I was again disappointed,
with all the hype that Dee has been putting on this record, I assumed there
would be something special in the packaging. There’s lyrics, thank you's,
and some brief notes from Dee on the record and the bonus tracks. The print
was so tiny that I had to use a magnifying glass to read it! I don’t
understand Dee. Maybe he was having a meltdown when Spitfire issued their
back catalog. Why use Spitfire again?
Songs:
7 Ugly Guys in Makeup out of 10
What can you say? It’s all the track that were on the 1984 version
of Stay Hungry, with two tracks from the original sessions that never made
the record, plus 4 tracks recorded by the band in 2004 & the reunion track
"Heroes are Hard to Find." I was never huge on the original record,
but I figured I'd give this one a try. I will break it down like this: I have
to say the material that I haven’t heard is great, from the lost songs
to the recently recorded tracks, and "Heroes" is a fantastic track.
It was the best thing about the whole "Starngeland" fiasco. As for
playing around with a record that has been seen as a commercial success, and
their "best" record by the folks that grew up in the 80s... They
should have left it alone. While there are some reworked parts to some of
the cuts, and they do add something to them, the downfall is Dee’s lack
of a voice... he can’t nail the notes like he could in ‘84. How
could he? It’s been 20 years! Dee’s shortcomings are most eveident
on the hits "We’re not Gonna Take It," "I Wanna Rock,"
"Burn in Hell," & "The Price." As for the production?
I didn’t really see the need. Tom Werman has gotten a bad wrap by many
of the bands that he worked with. What’s that about? He helped them
sell records. The production is a little hollow sounding, so it’s not
much better than that of Werman’s.
Comments: This record would be most enjoyed by the Twisted faithful. While it isn’t bad, it isn’t the "better" version that Twisted promised. I was more impressed by the material that I hadn’t heard before. In closing, I was talking to a fellow on the 'Net about the record. He said he was impressed by the sound samples he had heard. I told him that I was talking with Pete Townsend and Jeff Beck the other night and they said the same thing...