TWISTED SISTER: "Love Is For Suckers"

Rating: Re-issue

Label: Eagle Rock/Armoury 2011

Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

"Love is for dreamers - Love is for believers. Love is for losers - Love is for suckers". Also known as the "MTV commercial" and radio friendly album in the back catalogue of Twisted Sister. Not as raw and primitive as in their early days and definitely intended to please the album buying masses of U.S. Top-100. Sure, it's not as groundbreaking and "original" as their early albums, but I've always enjoyed this sucker. The songs are once again "catchy" and more fun than the rather uninspiring "Come Out And Play" (see review elsewhere). The band decided to bring in outside help from guitarists and songwriters Ronnie LeTekro (TNT), Reb Beach (Fiona), and there's obviously the slick and utterly commerical production by Beau "Posh" Hill.

Simply wave goodbye to the smell of burning flesh and say hello to a close to nice and polite Twisted Sister. Well, they still got one bad habit (one bad habit) they like to rock n' roll!!! The sing-a-long friendly single, "Hot Love", doesn't have too much in common with past material as it's a rather typical (but darn catchy) hair-metal anthem with a refrain that reeks of "1987" (well, duh!). The title track is another fun and catchy number that will instantly have you thinking about the Alice Cooper material of the era ('ala Constrictor and Raise Your Fist and Yell). It's not every man's poison, but I like it a lot and me thinks "Love Is For Suckers" is a underrated album. Their record label came up with a different conclusion and with Atlantic dropping them the band split.

There's a total of four bonustracks on this re-issue (Feel Appeal, Statutory date, If That's What You Want, I Will Win) and the latter is actually quite similar to the Quiet Riot sound of III. The others are all okay, but hardly the stuff that hits are made of. It's still a pretty essential platter if you enjoy the typical (catchy) eighties rock. Play It Loud, Mutha!

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