For Week Ending:
11 January 2025

Twisted Sister - You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll (1983)

[Hard Rock]

By album number two Twister Sister were still an underground band. They had signed to Atlantic by this point, so with some major label money and push, this would be the album that would truly introduce them to the rock world. It certainly wasn't a smash hit, but did position the band to break into the mainstream on follow up Stay Hungry (1984). 'The Kids Are Back' opens the album at a mid-pace, but with a real feeling of muscle, and the Dee Snider snarl cuts through the atmosphere like a knife. 'Like A Knife In The Back' follows with the same intensity. This is a band that writes more than songs - they write anthems that insist you sing along, and these songs are proof of that. 'Ride To Live, Live To Ride' is an ode to the open road, and it really feels like the wind is blowing through your hair as you barrel down the highway. The leads of Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda are perfectly crafted throughout, and take the songs to the next level, especially on this track. Snider sounds like Alice Cooper at times when he snarls the lyrics, and this is possibly heard more on this album that any other, but his raspy voice soars when he sings the big melody choruses. 'I Am (I'm Me)' unfortunately drags the album back to its time, and this suitable 1983 pop-rock song reminds the listener that the band were just as capable as being a pop band as a hard rock band when necessary. Songs like these are sprinkled across all their albums, and without them the band would have had no radio airplay exposure, so it needs to be seen as a necessary evil. 'We're Gonna Make It' opens side two with a punch to the gut, sounding like a lost song from W.A.S.P., but it is a fairly forgettable paint-by-numbers affair. In fact. The entirety of the second half of the album slumps in comparison to the first, with 'I've Had Enough' and 'I'll Take You Alive' being largely vapid songs. 'You're Not Alone (Suzette's Song)' is the obligatory big ballad of the album, and Snider's ode to his new wife. It is exactly the sort of tear-jerker you'd expect from an early 80s hard rock band. Luckily the album does end on high note, with 'You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll' - one last fist-pumper before it's all over. Twisted Sister certainly had better albums than this one (the follow up 'Stay Hungry' is considered a masterpiece by many), but the charm here is the intensity. This feels like an animal in a cage waiting to break free. The band knew they were close to fame, and played like they would stop at nothing to get there.

Arist Information
Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band formed in 1972, originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. The band evolved from a band named Silver Star, and experienced several membership changes before settling on the classic lineup in 1982. Their first two albums, 'Under The Blade' (1982) and 'You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll' (1983), were critically well-received and earned the band underground popularity, and thyey achieved mainstream success with their third album, 'Stay Hungry' (1984).

Release Information
'You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll' is the second studio album by Twisted Sister. The album was certified as a Gold Album by RIAA in November 1995, for selling over 500,000 copies in the U.S.