Whilst a whole host of other Eighties bands seem content to flog their wares these days with one or two original members in their line up, or as in some cases exist as multiple entities, it quite frankly warms the cockles of my heart to see the mighty Twisted Sister still standing tall and crushing all before them with their original (for that read 'most successful') line up still intact.  In fact if reports are to be believed Dee Snider and co not only went and stole the show at this year's Download festival here in the UK, they also made it nigh on impossible for anyone to watch another band that weekend without mentioning their name.  Such is the colossal impact this band from New York City still has on the live stage.

Even back in 1982 things weren't really that different though, as it was word of the band's live reputation making its way into the UK that made Martin Hooker and his punk label Secret Records take the brave step and release not only Twisted Sister's fearsome 'Ruff Cuts' EP but also their full length Pete Way produced debut album 'Under The Blade'. Both of which are brought together here on the CD of this fantastic mid price reissue.

Now some thirty years on from when this twisted gang of freaks first came to my life via some rave reviews in Sounds magazine, I suppose you might be wondering, "Do these 'Bad Boys of Rock N Roll' still make me want to 'Tear It Loose'?"

Well the simple answer to that is "too fucking right they do."

'Under The Blade' the album thankfully still sounds as raw and essential as it did back in 1982, largely I think due to the basic approach the band took into the studio, making what was essentially their best songs sound like the only songs you had to hear that year and putting everything into the performance.  This was something that they certainly had in common with the Punk label mates they had at the time like The Exploited or Infa Riot and perhaps more household names like Slade and Motorhead.

You know I can still remember the buzz I got when I first dropped the needle into the menacing intro of "What You Don't Know" as the track literally exploded into a tale of streetwise suss and bravado and I was left sitting there slack jawed thinking "Wow, what the fuck was that?"  If there is one defining Twisted Sister track for me it has always been this one, and I guess that is why they still open their shows with it to this very day.

Of the eight other tracks that make up the 'Under The Blade' album there really isn't a duff one amongst them.  OK I may still have my faves (the aforementioned 'Bad Boys' and 'Tear It Loose' along with 'Run For Your Life' and 'Shoot Em Down') but this is an album to be listened to as a whole and not on shuffle on your fucking iPod.  Add in the 'Ruff Cuts' EP (with what I think was their best ever recording of 'Leader Of The Pack') and a live version of 'Shoot Em Down' from Reading 1982 and you can be sure that if this reissue will make you do one thing it will certainly make you dig out your old vinyl copies and play them muthas loud!!!!!

But wait that's not all... even if at this point still happy to own just the Atlantic 1985 version of this album (the one Mark 'The Animal' Mendoza remixed) you really do have to get this reissue as this package also comes with a feature length DVD of Twisted Sister's legendary performance at Reading Festival in 1982, and this is easily the best Twisted Sister live DVD I have ever seen.

Tacky dubbed crowd noises aside, the band's eight song set is a massive middle finger to the creaking aristocracy of British Rock in the early Eighties, the band's in your face attitude scaring the fuck out of the people ignorant enough to throw bottles at what they did not understand.  This slice of classic concert footage is uncut and filmed from what looks like 3 camera angles, making it perhaps not the most visually exciting, but musically it is a shot of pure adrenalin delivered straight to the heart of rock 'n' roll.  Visual highlights from the set include Lemmy, Fast Eddie and Pete Way joining Dee and the boys for a riotous ramble through 'It's Only Rock 'n' Roll', Dee firing a semi automatic replica into the crowd to liven things up a bit, oh and during a close up of guitarist Jay Jay French mid set watch out for a bloke in the distance using a phone box.... yup an old school red box in a festival field...Ah those were the days.

Speaking of reminiscing you also get a forty odd minute documentary as the DVD's only extra feature where Dee, Jay Jay, Eddie, Mark and A.J. all get their chance to tell you why 'Under The Blade' and the Reading Festival in particular were such important parts of the band's career.  Me I never actually got to see Twisted Sister in 1982 as the Diamond Head support tour I had tickets for never happened, due to Secret Records going bankrupt not long after 'Under The Blade' was released.  The band's appearance on the UK TV show 'The Tube' came next in December 1982 and gave the band the leg up they needed to jump into bed with a major label (Atlantic Records), and I finally got to experience my one and only Twisted Sister live show (before they reformed in 2001) at 1983's Monsters Of Rock Festival at Castle Donington.

'Under The Blade' is the album that made me the sick muthafucker I am today, and this awesome release is not just the reissue of the year it's quite possibly the best reissue I've ever purchased. 

Essential stuff!!!!

http://www.twistedsister.com/