Twisted Sister - Live at Wacken: The Reunion (CD)

Twisted Sister, one of Long Island’s loudest and most successful metal bands has recently added to their already voluminous catalog of reissues with a combined CD/DVD set of Live at Wacken: The Reunion.

The CD offers a brief look at Twisted Sister’s history with several pre-Stay Hungry live recordings. The first 5 tracks were recorded before these Long Islanders had achieved the pinnacle of their commercial success. The recordings from 1980 feature drummer Tony Petri, along with the remainder of the lineup that we have come to know over the years.

The quality of these live recordings is surprisingly high, given the equipment that was available at the time as well as the fact that the band didn’t have a record deal with a major label. Dee Snider’s vocal performance is dead on, while guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda can be heard playing their signature dual part harmonies. Mark Mendoza’s moving bass lines are hard to miss, as he definitely took an active role in production of these early live recordings.

I was a bit disappointed that Twisted Sister’s late 80s recordings aren’t included on this CD, which has the subtitle “Live..Past and Present.” After the 1982 recording of “You Can’t Stop Rock & Roll” the abridged version of the 2003 Wacken show begins.

The energy of this reunion show is unmistakable. Dee Snider’s “How ya doing Wacken?” at the opening of “What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You)” reminds fans of 2 things: what we’ve been missing out on since 1987, and the energy that this band still has. The live tracks featured on the CD portion of this box set are proof that Twisted Sister can stll cut it live. Dee Snider’s voice has not degraded at all over the years, while it could be argued that A.J. Pero’s drumming has improved with age- his performance is beastly.
Mark Mendoza’s moving bass lines are once again easily audible throughout the tracks from this groundbreaking reunion show, while the guitar work Eddie Ojeda and Jay Jay French is flawless as well, although guitar levels are not high enough, especially during solo breaks. Although the solos in “Stay Hungry” and “Like a Knife in the Back” are audible, Twisted Sister has earned a reputation for being a loud band (see their video for “I Wanna Rock”). Prominent guitar leads in live recordings are a must for a band of this caliber.

I also noticed a few instances of feedback in this recording, the most noticeable of which occurring during “I Am, I’m Me,” which was surprising. There’s no need to focus on minutia, though. Mark Mendoza’s mixing skills are praiseworthy, as always.

I was not 100% sure why only 6 songs of the 2003 reunion show were included on the CD. This CD was originally released by Detonator Records as a live CD of Twisted Sister’s reunion show, hence the title, Live at Wacken: The Reunion. Why, then, are only 20 or so minutes of this CD devoted toward that show? I have yet to encounter another live album configured as such. I suspect it has something to do with legal matters.

The CD portion of this box set is a highly enjoyable journey from Twisted Sister’s early years all the way to their reunion. The band’s musical acumen and overall energy are stable over the course of the 23 year time span represented on this CD. This release definitely proves that these guys still “Wanna Rock”.

Re-release Date: October 25, 2010
Label: Eagle Vision/
Rebellion Entertainment

TRACK LISTING

Detroit & Portchester 1980:
1.  Bad Boys Of Rock ’n’ Roll
2.  Born to be Wild
3.  I’ll Never Grow Up, Now!
4.  You Know I Cry

London 1982:
5.  You Can’t Stop Rock ’n’ Roll

Wacken 2003:
6.  What You Don’t Know
     (Sure Can Hurt You)
7.  The Kids are Back
8.  Stay Hungry
9.  Like a Knife in the Back
10.  I Am, I’m Me
11.  The Fire Still Burns

Total playing time:  42:49

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*Comments:

Reviewer: The Stream

February 28, 2011