Recorded in upstate New York in Rochester, with a show that featured Ratt and Mama's Boys as the opening acts, this King Biscuit Flower Hour recording of Long Island glam-metal rockers Twisted Sister was made in 1984, during the band’s Stay Hungry world tour. Twisted Sister is one of those 1980s bands that were greatly aided by the rise of MTV. A hybrid cross between the mid-‘70s glam punk of The New York Dolls and the theatrical hard rock of classic …entire summary
Dee Snider - vocals
Jay Jay French - guitar, vocals
Eddie Ojeda - guitar, vocals
Mark Mendoza - bass, vocals
A.J. Pero - drums
Recorded in upstate New York in Rochester, with a show that featured Ratt and Mama's Boys as the opening acts, this King Biscuit Flower Hour recording of Long Island glam-metal rockers Twisted Sister was made in 1984, during the band’s Stay Hungry world tour. Twisted Sister is one of those 1980s bands that were greatly aided by the rise of MTV. A hybrid cross between the mid-‘70s glam punk of The New York Dolls and the theatrical hard rock of classic Alice Cooper and Kiss, Twisted Sister began in Long Island in 1972 by guitarist Jay Jay French.
The group contained a different lead vocalist at the time (Michael O’Neill) and did little more than play the New York/New Jersey club circuit. A major change came in 1976, when Dee Snyder, a tall and loud New Yorker joined as the band’s new vocalist and main songwriter. Together with French, Snyder helped build and shape the version of the band that the world has come to know. The glam rock movement of David Bowie and T. Rex was already out of fashion when Snider and company decided to launch Twisted Sister in the late 1970s. Several years and a few independently released albums would pass before they were spotted on a TV program called The Tube by Atlantic Records, who signed the band shortly thereafter. Twisted Sister, with the promotional muscle of Atlantic Records, was able to then capture the hearts and minds of the MTV audience, who quickly embraced the band’s hysterical anti-parent/teacher videos and its anathematic theme songs, such as "You Can’t Stop Rock & Roll," "Burn In Hell,” "We’re Not Gonna Take It,” and "I Wanna Rock.”
The band’s popularity peaked during this time with the release of their Stay Hungry record, but faded quickly thereafter. Subsequent albums sold less and less than the ones prior, and eventually Snider left the band and they broke up in 1987. A decade later, younger bands started listing Twisted Sister as an influence, and in 2001, a tribute album to the band was released featuring Overkill, Anthrax, Joan Jett, Motorhead and others. The same year, Spitfire Records release the band’s past catalog. They remain together today, recording and touring on occasion.
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