The Kids Are Back
Like A Knife In The Back
Ride To Live, Live To Ride
I Am (I'm Me)
The Power And The Glory
We're Gonna Make It
I've Had Enough
I'll Take You Alive
You're Not Alone (Suzette's Song)
You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll
After a decade’s worth of gigs on the East Coast’s Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Twisted Sister's critically acclaimed visits to the UK snagged them a deal with Atlantic, despite American label boss Doug Morris famously calling the band “the worst fucking piece of shit in the world”.
A self-financed appearance on British TV show The Tube had sealed the deal, a modest $60,000 being allocated for them to make You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll, recorded at Jimmy Page’s home in Cookham, Berkshire. However, when the recordings came in at $4,500 over budget, Atlantic vowed to sit on record in the States until the group generated the shortfall themselves.
In the UK it was far different, as I Am (I’m Me), The Kids Are Back and the title track all became hit singles, and the band made a triumphant appearance at Monsters Of Rock in 1983. Bigger and better was to follow, as the following year's Stay Hungry and the evergreen We're Not Gonna Take It turned the band into a multi-platinum success, but You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll got the ball rolling.
Every week, Album of the Week Club listens to and discusses the album in question, votes on how good it is, and publishes our findings, with the aim of giving people reliable reviews and the wider rock community the chance to contribute.
Other albums released in April 1983
- Havana Moon - Carlos Santana
- Faster Than the Speed of Night - Bonnie Tyler
- Let's Dance - David Bowie
- Sirens – Savatage
- Murmur - R.E.M.
- Rock For Light - Bad Brains
- Headhunter - Krokus
- Whammy! - The B-52s
- Hootenanny - The Replacements
- Midnight At The Lost And Found - Meat Loaf
- Fastway - Fastway
- In Outer Space - Sparks
- Information - Dave Edmunds
- Living In Oz - Rick Springfield
- Michael Bolton - Michael Bolton
- Out Of Step - Minor Threat
- Steve Miller Band Live! - Steve Miller Band
What they said...
"Several of Twisted Sister's best anthems reside here – the title track (which was one of the band's first videos to be aired on MTV), as well as The Kids Are Back, We're Gonna Make It, and I Am (I'm Me). But besides a ballad that vocalist Dee Snider wrote especially for his wife, You're Not Alone (Suzette's Song), the album is comprised of 100 percent heavy metal." (AllMusic)
"Sophomore slump? Pfft, Twister Sister not only leap way over that pitfall, they raise the bar while they are there. You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll is one of the most underrated albums of not only the 80s but in rock/metal; from start to end, it is a masterclass brought to you by a group written off as one-album wonders." (Metal Storm)
"Those that wrote off Twisted Sister based on impressions of a couple of overplayed videos never took the time to see this band of troublemakers for who they really were, years before commercial success arrived; an ass-kickin' bunch of wild rock'n'roll dogs that wrote more than their fair share of anthems and never disappointed an audience... if you really want to hear the spirit of Twisted Sister in all thier primal glory, then start your journey with You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll." (Blabbermouth)
What you said...
Mike Canoe: Hello, window. Goodbye, objectivity.
I have been a fan of Twisted Sister's You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll for more than 40 years and it was an absolute pleasure to turn up the volume on my Monday morning work commute. While a school holiday gets the credit for making it less traffic than usual, points to Dee Snider and company for making it a lot more fun.
Twisted Sister always struck me as having more experience and grit than their peers. I now realize that they were about half a decade or more older than the other bands they were lumped in with which I'm sure helped. Still, there's a lot of muscle in these NWOBHM-informed, punk-aware songs.
A lot of that comes from Dee Snider. He's a great, arguably underrated, singer with a powerful voice and commanding presence that sells these songs. The pummeling rhythm section of Mark "The Animal" Mendoza and A.J. Pero moves from strength to strength while guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda keep the riffs coming and don't overplay.
I like all of it but I'll note some highlights. I Am (I'm Me) sounds like the less silly prototype for anthems like I Wanna Rock and We're Not Gonna Take It. The Kids Are Back and Like A Knife In The Back repurpose Alice Cooper's attitude for a new generation while You're Not Alone (Suzette's Song) is one of the great lost power ballads of all time - and again shows the band's comparative maturity to their contemporaries; exaggerated makeup, stage clothes and all. Then there's the triumphant chestbeater of a title track that brings everything to a triumphant, sweaty close.
Stay Hungry, which is probably a lot heavier than you remember, may be their best-selling album by a wide margin but You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll will always be the best in this eternal teenager's heart.
Gary Claydon: Some bands/albums don't need dissecting. It's Twisted Sister. I prefer the grittier Under The Blade to You Can't Stop Rock and Roll', which is a clear bridge to the more commercially savvy, MTV-friendly Stay Hungry.
Dumb? You betcha. Fun? Absolutely.
Chris Downie: A curious footnote in rock and metal history, Twisted Sister are a band deservedly lauded for their high-octane live shows (both in the 80s and their sporadic post-millennium reunions) and for taking a stand against the hated PMRC. It is all too easy to forget that, among the controversy they garnered (particularly their Marmite lead singer Dee Snider) their catalogue is one worthy of critical examination, being as notable for its head-scratching lows as for its impressive highs.
While the band themselves disowned their fifth album and subsequent swansong Love Is For Suckers (I struggle to recall any cuts being dusted off from it on their many reunion tours) and acknowledge the divisiveness of its predecessor Come Out And Play, the first three albums represent the band's all-too-brief recorded legacy.
Sandwiched between the fiery debut and multi-platinum Stay Hungry, this opus falls musically between the two, striking a fine balance between boisterous, glam-tinged 80s Heavy Metal and classic hard rock, evidenced by the fine title track. It is the sound of a band who cut their teeth in clubs, honing their live craft over several years in the late 70's, amidst local fanfare but record label indifference.
Looking back on their legacy, it's all too easy to pigeonhole them among their 80's peers - and their refusal to even attempt a new album during the post-1999 reunions lends credence to that - and it's also true their overall catalogue's 3/5 success rate sees them fall just short of the true greats. However, their self-styled "SMF" fanbase can point to this all-too-brief period where they fired on all cylinders and delivered a solid three-album run that spoke to rebellious teens and discerning metalheads alike. 8/10.
Brian Carr: While there are plenty of “big, dumb rock bands” that I thoroughly dislike, but the critically lambasted Twisted Sister isn’t one of them. At this point, We’re Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock certainly exist in the “never need to hear these songs again in my life” category, but the videos were fun and probably played a small part in making Animal House one of my all-time favourite movies. Despite the fact that I probably heard the title track of You Can’t Stop Rock 'N' Roll before the Stay Hungry juggernaut (thanks, K-Tel compilations!), I don’t think I ever listened to the album.
As expected, YCSR'N'R is straightforward hard rock/metal with crunchy riffs and decent lead guitar work. I always thought Dee Snider was a rather underrated singer, though the bonus live content wasn’t very flattering (his energetic performance had him shouting rather than singing). What did surprise me was some impressive bass playing from Mark Mendoza. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but for rock with attitude, I’d much rather listen to Twisted Sister than punk. They’re like a greasy burger and fries, or a well-worn, comfortable pair of jeans. I’ll leave the women’s clothes to them, though.
Chris Layton: There are some fairly decent Twisted Sister albums. This is not one of them. I very much dig the hair metal bands from the 80s, but the lack of songwriting skills glares at me when I listen to this. The drums, no intense grooving or even impressive fills. The bass... again, no interesting riffs to be found. No style in the guitar playing. There were a few songs that the main thing going on is a generic drum part with a generic bass line behind, and then vocals over top (no guitar mind you, until just about the chorus) while Dee Snider sings (with none of the intensity you find in later works) forgettable lyrics.
If there were guitars during the verse, you get power chord, root note x 7 and the same power chord and root notes again. Then jump up a string and do the exact same thing again. As a guitarist, I can't imagine how bored Jay Jay must have been while playing on this album. There are no guitar riffs that are instantly recognizable and iconic like Poison or Motley have. Only the title track is halfway notable. Swing and a miss for me. They do get better later in their career, but sadly, a weak album here.
John Davidson: 38 minutes of simple party rock.
The production's a bit rough n' ready, and the rhythm section don't do much beyond lay down a platform for the lead guitar and vocals, but you can't help but nod along .
The lyrics are designed purely around singing along with your fist in the air, but Snider delivers them with enough gusto to carry you with him.
I was at university by the time this came out and thought I was too sophisticated for this sort of thing, but if it had come out in 1979 or 1980 I'd have played it to death. 7/10.
Greg Schwepe: For this week’s selection of Twisted Sister’s You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll I had to squint real hard, make a face and somehow forget their cartoonish makeup, wardrobe, and the first impression it made on me. Where makeup and outlandish costumes really worked on other bands/artists I liked (Bowie, Elton John, Kiss), for Twisted Sister it just led to me thinking they were more of a parody band. Throw in the MTV videos (yes, tongue-in-cheek funny) and I wasn’t sure what Twisted Sister was trying to be.
But it’s all about the music, right? So while listening to this I had to approach this like it was the first thing I had heard from the Dee Snider-fronted band. And hey, you have a decent album full of second-tier metal that’s got some great guitar riffs. Very Crue-ish guitar tone.
Lyrics not as cheesy as I would have expected. And Snider has a gritty “get down to it” voice. 7 out of 10 on this one for me. File this under “Pleasantly Surprised” or “You Can’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover.”
Henry Martinez: To quote Niedermeyer, "Twisted Sister?!?" Yes, of course! If you were 15 years old in 1983 (like me), this was the bomb. This LP hasn't exactly aged well, but you can't deny the energy of You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll. One of the best mission statements in rock history. (6.0)
Adam McCann: Top album, the closest Twisted Sister came to the NWOBHM sound and a genuine heavy metal classic. Always remember that you can't stop rock'n'roll!
Philip Qvist: While I'm more familiar with their follow-up album, Stay Hungry, I have heard a couple of songs from You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll, mainly the title track and The Kids Are Back - so this is a great time to revisit some of the band's earlier releases.
Let's be honest; Dee Snider and co were never going to reinvent rock music, but I don't think that it was ever going to be an issue when you are delivering fun, entertaining and sing-along songs that gets the crowd going. On that score, Twisted Sister and this album delivers - and then some. This will never appear on many people's essential albums list but that isn't really the point. This is fun, loud and entertaining and for that, You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll gets a 7 from me.
Chris Elliott: Which side of the Atlantic you sit on affects how you view Twisted Sister. The US remembers Stay Hungry and the MTV hit - in the UK this and the singles were their commercial high point. My memories are a hard heavy raw energy live rather than MTV.
They were a New York club band adopted by the NWOBHM and for three years better known here than back in the US. Their debut is raw and fast - but produced on a tiny budget - Pete Way produced and Fast Eddie contributed - minor issue is it sounds like it was recorded in a cupboard. At 17 I forgave all that.
You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll is the halfway house between the raw metal of Under the Blade and the over-produced Stay Hungry - the singles were heavier prototypes for the MTV hit. It's just fun - nope, it won't change the world - but it makes it happier for 37 minutes.
I still have a love for Twisted Sister - heavy metal only makes sense when it's loud and dumb - this defines loud dumb and catchy. They were also a truly great live band in this era - packing out clubs in the whole when they really were a force of nature.
They were the obvious link between NWOBHM and the glam that followed.
Andrew Cumming: An underestimated force in the rise of glam metal, Twisted Sister had all the ingredients that made Motley Crue and Ratt etc successful - makeup-wearing, riff-driven, anthemic, dumb-lyriced metal. Their trump card was Dee Snider - a big and engaging personality, but with a genuinely great voice. When they’re good they’re great.
Songs like The Kids Are Back are up there with the best of the genre. Unfortunately, there's a frustrating mix of great and bit dull on this album. Too many songs aren’t bad, but they’re just not great. That said, The Kids Are Back, I Am (I’m Me) and the title track are fantastic songs and deserve to be considered amongst the best of the genre. And a couple I didn’t know - We’re Gonna Make It, I’ve Had Enough - were pleasant surprises. Good not great. But proves the point that dumb done well is lots of fun.
Final score: 7.44 (58 votes cast, total score 432)
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