Consisting of recordings from 1972-1982, the 13 tunes on Twisted Sister’s Club Daze, Vol. 1: The Studio Sessions present a raw and rough unit of New York-based rockers — quite different from the cartoonish band behind “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”
A solid bass and drums base grooves the growling “Come Back” to create a tight metal field, though Dee Snider’s vocals have seen better airings. “Pay The Price,” the first song Snider ever wrote, has a nice tight staccato chorus against slower verses and some low thick bass. “Rock ‘N’ Roll Saviors” has an anthem-like vibe the band would later become known for. The lyrics are a bit silly “High Steppin’” is likable for its lose, fun edge and driving drums. There is a strut to “Big Gun” (try and guess what this song’s about) with Snider belting it out.
“TV Wife” turns everything on its head — a wacky tune of suburban sex, television watching, wishes and hopes. It’s almost like two different tunes between the verse and chorus, but it works. “Can’t Stand Still” sees the Sisters strutting again (a comparison to Kiss is just too easy), while “Follow Me” fires the band up and rolling, sounding like a poor man’s Foghat during the chorus. “I’ll Never Grow Up, Now” sounds like “We’re Not Gonna Take It” simply reworked, even utilizing the same subject matter of rebellion.
“Lady’s Boy” is a nice change of pace, showing off the band’s blues chops with some great guitar work. There’s the band’s competent though not really revolutionary take on “Leader Of The Pack.” A ghoulish comment on surgery, the blistering “Under The Blade” (a song that frightened Tipper Gore so much in the 80s) is topped off with a fantastic lead. Club Daze, Vol. 1: The Studio Sessions features historical liner notes from guitarist Jay Jay French, while Snider does the honors explaining his song lyrics. When the Sister wants to be kinetic and heavy they can be just about as good as anybody else. One listen to this collection and you may well be convinced that this band is so much more than wild make-up and comical music videos.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
