TWISTED SISTER: "You Can't Stop Rock 'N Roll"

Rating: *Classic Album Reissue*

Label: Eagle Rock/Armoury 2011

Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

"You Can't Stop Rock 'N Roll"- Primitive meat and potato hard rock? or simply just Twisted 'Fookin' Sister at their very best? Well, sign me up for the latter as this is what it's all about really. It's meant to be primitive, you're supposed to feel the smell of burning flesh, the insanity of dressing up like bozo the clown (if he ever came out as a psychopathtic cross-dresser), and not to mention the raw nature of the SMF's!!! In fact, there's perfect lyric to match from the track, "We're Gonna Make It" (one of their most underrated songs), and I quote: "Been fighting for so long, don't know which way up is. Been stuck and ripped and burnt 'till it feels like nothin'. Our time will come and when it's over and it's done. Those fools are gonna know that we ain't bluffin", end quote.

This classic album was originally released back in 1983 and it's now been remastered with three bonus tracks (One Man Woman, Four Barrel Heart Of Love, Feel The Power) by Eagle Rock. A previous set of reissues on the Spitfire label were of intensely dubious quality back in 1999. Unfortunately, I can't compare the two since I've only got the "original" or rather the first CD release. I must say that it's (still) lacking some punch and I'll probably continue playing the first issue. Then again, I always tend to prefer originals (unless it's a completely messy record of course).

Yep, it's pre-MTV fame, and the band had just played a stunning performance on the U.K. TV show "The Tube", so Atlantic Records in the states pretty much had to sign them to a major worldwide deal and this was their first minor break-through. Merely the U.K. loved TS enough in the past to award them with a recording contract (the debut "Under The Blade") while the U.S. labels regarded them as freaks. I'm sure they had no idea exactly what kind of freaks they were dealing with. Clever chaps, shortly afterwards the band were in possession of remote mind control of all the kids, and to the horror of Tipper Gore, transforming them into SMF's!!! From the opening stomping feets of "The Kids Are Back" to the (original) closing title track, this is just raw and prefect hard rock music.

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