Twisted Sister
| Twisted Sister | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Twisted Sister 2007 |
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| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Hard rock , heavy metal , hair metal , glam rock |
| founding | 1973 |
| resolution | 2016 |
| Website | http://www.twistedsister.com/ |
| Last occupation | |
| Daniel "Dee" Snider (since 1976) | |
| John "Jay Jay" French (since 1973) | |
guitar |
Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda (since 1975) |
| Mark "The Animal" Mendoza (since 1978) | |
Drums |
Mike Portnoy (since 2015) |
| former members | |
singing |
Michael "Valentine" O'Neill (1973–1974) |
singing |
Frank "Rick Prince" Karuba (1975) |
guitar |
Billy "Diamond" Stiger (1973–1974) |
guitar |
Keith "Angel" Angelino (1975) |
bass |
Kenneth Harrison-Neill (1973-1978) |
| Anthony Jude "AJ" Pero (1982–1987, 1997– † 2015) | |
Drums |
Mell "Starr" Anderson (1973–1974) |
Drums |
Kevin John Grace (1975-1976) |
Drums |
Toni Petri (1976–1980) |
Drums |
Richard "Ritchie" Teeter (1980–1981) |
Drums |
Joey Brighton (1981-1982) |
Drums |
Joey Franco (1987) |
Twisted Sister was an American hard rock - or hair metal - band that had its greatest success in the first half of the 1980s. With their glam / drag queen image and catchy songs, Twisted Sister were among the most dazzling music groups of their time and achieved gold and platinum status in the USA. Her best-known songs include the rock anthems We're Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock , which are often used in film soundtracks .
history
The early years
Twisted Sister was founded in February 1973 in New York . They went into action as a cover band from March 1973 and performed songs by the Rolling Stones , David Bowie and Mott the Hoople at concerts . In addition to John "Jay Jay" French, who at that time still called himself Johnny Heartbreaker, Twisted Sister consisted of singer Michael "Valentine" O'Neill, second guitarist Billy "Diamond" Stiger, bassist Kenneth Harrison-Neill and drummer Mell "Starr" Anderson. In 1974 the band got the offer to record their song "To Serve a Man" for the soundtrack of a Twilight Zone TV episode. Since singer O'Neill did not show up for the recording sessions, nothing came of it.
In January 1975, singer Frank "Rick Prince" Karuba and guitarist Keith "Angel" Angelino were two new musicians in the group, with whom the band recorded some demos. Karuba didn't stay with the group for long, Jay Jay French was responsible for the singing himself from April. At the end of the year, Eddie Ojeda replaced Keith Angelino on guitar. For drummer Mell Anderson came Kevin John Grace. The cast carousel spun again in early 1976 when Grace was replaced by drummer Tony Petri and Dee Snider joined the band as singer. From this point on, the image of Twisted Sister slowly changed to an optical cross between the New York Dolls and Kiss . In December, former Dictators bassist Mark Mendoza joined the band as a new member. With this line-up, Twisted Sister recorded the two singles I'll Never Grow Up Now (1979) and Bad Boys (Of Rock & Roll) (1980). Also, We're Not Gonna Take It should have been at that time as the second single for debate. But according to legend, Dee Snider did not manage to finish the text of the stanzas in time. The song was then initially forgotten. After these two singles Toni Petri left the group and joined the band Plasmatics . He was first replaced by Richard "Ritchie" Teeter , who later had to make way for Joey Brighton before the classic Twisted Sister line-up with AJ Pero was finally completed in 1982 .
On May 28, 1982, the first EP Ruff Cuts was released. In addition to three own songs, it also contains a cover version of the Shangri-Las song Leader of the Pack . The EP was released by the British company Secret Records . From then on, the band caused a stir internationally.
The breakthrough
After the EP was released, the band caused a sensation in England. Two sold-out shows at London's Marquee Club as well as the role of the opener at the traditional Reading Festival caught the interest of Atlantic Records , who signed the band. The debut album Under the Blade was released on September 18, 1982 and reached number 70 on the English album charts. Hardly six months later, on June 27th, the second album You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll was released . The record made it to number 14 in the UK charts. A US tour supporting Blackfoot and Krokus followed in the same year, as well as an appearance at the legendary Monsters of Rock Festival in Castle Donington.
The band was not idle during this period and on May 10, 1984, album number three, Stay Hungry, was released . The album is named after an early film by Arnold Schwarzenegger . Twisted Sisters were superstars in the USA by now. The singles The Price , I Wanna Rock and above all We're Not Gonna Take It brought the band a resounding success, not least with the help of MTV . By the summer of 1985 alone, Stay Hungry had sold four million copies . We're Not Gonna Take It quickly turned out to be the ultimate party song that speaks for a whole generation of young people through its rebellious lyrics. The song also reached a wide audience through its use in a global commercial. Even today, the song belongs in the repertoire of many cover rock and party bands. Arnold Schwarzenegger also used the song as background music for the official briefing for his gubernatorial election in 2003. The band toured Europe with Metallica as the opening act before accompanying Iron Maiden on an extensive tour of the United States.
The fourth album Come Out and Play was released on November 9, 1985. With Leader of the Pack, it contains a new version of the song of the same name from the Ruff-Cuts- EP. In the studio they were also welcomed by some guests such B. Alice Cooper , Billy Joel , Don Dokken or the Stray Cats singer Brian Setzer . With this record, they also put their glam image off. In the press photos, the band appeared in jeans and without make-up. The album could not build on the success of its predecessor. AJ Pero left the band in 1986 and returned to the band he came from, the Cities . His replacement was Joey Franco. The next album was tackled with producer Beau Hill. Love Is for Suckers was released on August 13th and represented a mature band to the outside world. Internally, however, there was a crisis. Rumors later came true that session guitarist Reb Beach (later Winger , Dokken and Whitesnake ) should have recorded most of the guitar parts on the album. A US tour with Great White and TNT as support bands followed before Twisted Sister gave their last concert in Minneapolis on October 10, 1987. The band announced their breakup in January 1988.
The time after
Franco and Mendoza toured America in 1987 with Leslie West's band , Mendoza joined Blackfoot in 1989 . Dee Snider formed a new band called Desperado, who tried unsuccessfully in the following years to get a record deal. This band eventually resulted in Widowmaker , with whom Snider released two albums in 1992 and 1994. Joe Franco was also involved in this band. Other projects by Snider were the Sick Muthafuckers, which include Marilyn Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez and Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Fink, and the Dee Snider solo band, with whom he released an album in 2000. Ojeda, however, released albums with his band Scarecrow. Twisted Sister released a best-of album called Big Hits and Nasty Cuts (1992) and a live CD called Live at Hammersmith (1994).
After the reunion
In July 1997, Twisted Sister played three songs for the anniversary of the legendary New York club Speaks with the line-up Snider, French, Ojeda and Pero. Mark Mendoza continued to refuse any collaboration with Dee Snider. In 1998 the band recorded the song Heroes Are Hard to Find for the soundtrack of Dee Snider's Strangeland . In the studio, however, there were never more than two members present at the same time. A joint autograph session followed on October 3rd of that year. Twisted Sister made their first full reunion appearance in 2000, when the entire band first appeared at a charity dinner. In 2001 the tribute album Twisted Forever was released , in which scene greats such as Motörhead , Joan Jett , Lit , Fu Manchu , Overkill , Sebastian Bach , Anthrax , rapper Chuck D from Public Enemy , Nashville Pussy, Hammerfall , Sevendust and a few others participate. The cover version of the song We're Not Gonna Take It by the Donots was released in 2002 and climbed to number 33 in the German single charts.
On November 28th of the same year, Twisted Sister gave their first official concert in 14 years at New York Steel, a fundraiser for the victims of September 11th . For reasons of piety they do without the usual garish costumes. The band has officially reunited since 2003. In addition to concerts at US air force and naval bases, the band played in Korea, Japan, at the Bang Your Head Festival in Balingen and at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg . In March 2004, Twisted Sister went into the studio to record their 1984 hit album Stay Hungry from scratch and with seven bonus tracks. The album, produced by bassist Mark Mendoza, was released with a new artwork under the title Still Hungry on October 18th of the same year. In summer 2004 the band toured Brazil, Spain, Italy, Germany, England, Switzerland, Hungary and the Netherlands. In 2005 the DVD Live at Wacken - The Reunion was released . In June 2005 the band toured South America with Hammerfall as support. A tour of England followed in November, where they appeared as a special guest for rock legend Alice Cooper , whom they had helped to make a comeback almost 20 years earlier .
With the Christmas album A Twisted Christmas released in October 2006, Twisted Sister wanted to end their career. On the album, the band covered well-known rock-style Christmas carols, including a duet with Lita Ford . Surprisingly, the album made it to number 149 on the Billboard charts. In an interview on February 7, 2008, Dee Snider stated that the band would continue to perform, but would not release a new album. Former drummer Richard "Ritchie" Teeter died on April 6, 2012 at the age of 61 from esophageal cancer .
On March 20, 2015, the band announced the death of their drummer AJ Pero. She wrote: “The members of Twisted Sister are profoundly saddened to announce the untimely passing of our brother, AJ Pero [drums]. The band, crew and most importantly the family of AJ Pero thank you for your thoughts and prayers at this time. "(The members of Twisted Sister are deeply sad to announce the far too early death of our brother, AJ Pero. The band, Crew and most importantly his family thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this time). A cause of death or effects on future plans of the band were not named. AJ Pero was 55 years old and died in his sleep on the tour bus of his band Adrenaline Mob . Then the American website TMZ.com announced in an article that the band would go on a farewell tour with Mike Portnoy (including ex-Adrenaline Mob and ex- Dream Theater ) in 2016. But first the band would give two concerts in 2015 in honor of AJ Pero. The band verified the article on their Facebook page.
A farewell tour followed in 2016. After the band had already played 2 songs at an awards ceremony in Las Vegas in May, a total of 18 concerts followed between June 10 and November 12, 2016, including at Wacken Open Air , Bang Your Head , Sweden Rock Festival , Graspop Metal Meeting and Hellfest . The band gave their last concert near Monterrey , Mexico.
Bent Brother
Before every concert tour since the reunion, the band played concerts under the name Bent Brother , where they rehearsed their set and performed without make-up. Tickets were usually cheaper than regular Twisted Sister shows.
Discography
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Studio albums
- 1982: Under the Blade
- 1983: You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
- 1984: Stay Hungry
- 1985: Come Out and Play
- 1987: Love Is for Suckers
- 2004: Still Hungry (new recording of the album Stay Hungry )
- 2006: A Twisted Christmas
Live albums
- 1994: Live at Hammersmith (recorded 1984)
- 2005: Live at Wacken - The Reunion (was released as DualDisc; contains Wacken recordings from 2003 and live recordings from 1980 and 1983)
- 2008: Live at the Astoria (recorded 2004)
- 2011: Live at the Marquee Club (recorded 1983)
- 2012: A Twisted X-Mas - Live in Las Vegas (recorded 2006)
- 2016: Metal Meltdown - Live from the Hard Rock Casino Las Vegas
- 2016: Rock 'n' Roll Saviors - The Early Years (contains live recordings from 1979, 1980 and 1983)
Best of compilations
- 1992: Big Hits and Nasty Cuts - The Best of Twisted Sister
- 1999: We're not Gonna Take It
- 2001: We're not Gonna Take It and Other Hits
- 2002: The Essentials
- 2005: Twisted Sister
- 2005: I Wanna Rock - The Ultimate Twisted Sister Collection
- 2016: The Best of the Atlantic Years
More compilations
- 1999: Club Daze Volume I - The Studio Sessions
- 2001: Club Daze Volume II - Live in the Bars
EPs
- 1982: Ruff Cuts
Singles
- 1979: I'll Never Grow Up, Now!
- 1980: Bad Boys (of Rock 'n' Roll)
- 1983: I Am (I'm Me)
- 1983: The Kids Are Back
- 1983: You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
- 1984: We're Not Gonna Take It
- 1984: I Wanna Rock
- 1984: The Price
- 1985: Leader of the Pack
- 1985: King of the Fools
- 1986: Be Chrool to Your Scuel
- 1986: You Want What We Got
- 1987: Hot Love
Promo singles
- 1985: Shoot 'em Down
- 1987: Love Is for Suckers
- 1998: Heroes Are Hard to Find
- 2001: Sin City
Tribute albums
- 2001: Twisted Forever
- 2001: Destroyer - Tribute to Twisted Sister
Videos
VHS
- 1984: Stay Hungry (also released as LD )
- 1985: Come Out and Play
DVDs
- 2005: Live at Wacken - The Reunion (also released on CD)
- 2007: The Video Years
- 2007: A Twisted Christmas Live (was also released in 2007 under the name A Twisted Christmas Live - A Decemeber to Remember and in 2011 under the name A Twisted X-Mas: Live in Las Vegas including CD)
- 2008: Live at the Astoria (released on CD)
- 2011: Double Live
- 2011: From the Bars to the Stars - Three Decades Live (box set consisting of the DVDs Live at Wacken - The Reunion , A Twisted Christmas Live , Double Live and Live At Reading 1982 )
- 2015: We Are Twisted Fucking Sister (also released as Blu-Ray )
- 2016: Metal Meltdown - Live from the Hard Rock Casino Las Vegas (released with CD and Blu-Ray)
literature
- Stambler, Irwin: The Encyclopedia Of Pop, Rock And Soul . 3rd Revised Edition, New York City, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, pp. 704-706 - ISBN 0-312-02573-4 .
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Twisted Sister at laut.de
- Detailed biography (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ RockHard, April 11, 2012 , accessed April 11, 2012
- ^ In Appreciation of Richie Teeter , accessed April 11, 2012
- ↑ http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/twisted-sister-drummer-aj-pero-dies-at-55/
- ↑ http://www.tmz.com/2015/04/07/twisted-sister-breaks-up-split-farewell-tour
- ↑ [1] , last accessed on November 15, 2016 at 00:51
- ↑ a b c Chart sources: DE CH UK US
- ↑ a b US singles: Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Billboard Books, New York 2007, ISBN 0-89820-172-1 . / US albums: The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
- ↑ a b Awards: US