A Twisted Christmas Live

Last year, Twisted Sister gave us a brand new holiday CD called A Twisted Christmas. This year, we get A Twisted Christmas: Live (Razor & Tie, 2007). Filmed at New Jersey's Starland Ballroom, the high energy show is from the band's 2006 Christmas tour.

The track listing looks like this:

 


Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Shoot 'Em Down
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
The Fire Still Burns
You Can't Stop Rock n' Roll
White Christmas
The Price
Oh Come All Ye Faithful
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Burn In Hell
Silver Bells
I Wanna Rock
Heavy Metal Christmas (The Twelve Days of Christmas)
We're Not Gonna Take It

Many readers know that "Burn In Hell" is my favorite Twisted Sister song and I think it's a great compliment to a holiday performance. After all, retailers might think it's the most wonderful time of the year, but those of us in the real world know the holidays are usually a hassle, so a song called "Burn in Hell" is appropriate. The performance of "Burn In Hell" is definitely a highlight of this disc, but the best part of the show is the band's version of "Heavy Metal Christmas." To the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" Twisted Sister recount the top 12 gifts for any Metal fan, including a tattoo of Ozzy, two pairs of leather pants and four quarts of Jack Daniels, five skull earrings and more!

Other highlights include "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It." On the former, Snider gives a little story about seeing Santa and telling him (naturally) "I Wanna Rock!" On the former, the crowd is frenzied and happy to sing along to Twisted Sister's biggest hit. In both instances the crowd and band interaction are top notch, proving the live ability of New York's favorite glam sons.

There are a few problems with this really fun release, namely with editing. If you've ever seen Twisted Sister live, then you know that lead singer Dee Snider likes to swear - a lot. This release has awkward cuts and bleeps that cut out Snider's colorful stage banter. The bleeps aren't nearly as glaring as the edits where entire conversations are noticeably slashed. Multiple cut cameras usually help when trying to edit for lewd content, but perhaps there was a budge or venue issue.  Even with the family-friendly edits, this is a fun DVD that's good for the holiday season.

www.myspace.com/twistedsister

Two Videos...Same Song

What is the deal with bands making two videos for the same song?

I never noticed Firehouse has two videos for their hit "Don't Treat Me Bad" until last night. For Christmas, Heather gave Eric a guitar book filled with music for all the songs we love. One of those songs is "Don't Treat Me Bad." He was having trouble with the rhythm so I popped the song up on YouTube. That's when I saw the two versions of the video.

Metal Mania typically only features the video with the girl going nuts, destroying all of guitarist Bill Leverty's stuff. Here's that version.

The other video reminds me of Whitesnake. It's very dark and takes place in an alley. Things (naturally) catch fire and a beautiful woman (naturally) is the antagonist. Watch for yourself.

So, what's the deal? This was during the time that labels would still spend a little money on signed bands to ensure success, so perhaps Epic executives thought two videos would equal twice the album sales. Whatever the case, it seems a little superfluous to me.

Hanoi Rocks: Street Poetry

Legendary glam rockers Hanoi Rocks are back with Street Poetry. The Hanoi Rocks of today is a lot different the early 1980s incarnation. These days, the only two original members are singer Michael Monroe and guitarist Andy McCoy. Despite a tumultuous recording career, Monroe and McCoy are surprisingly able to make some great music together and Street Poetry is a strong release that pays tribute to the past, while still sounding modern.

Monroe’s voice is still glammy and strong. The tongue-in-cheek single “Fashion” features great guitar riffs and interesting percussion. Fans took this song to the top of the Finnish record charts. It seems fitting for flamboyant Monroe to sing about clothes and catwalks. Other high points on Street Poetry include the album’s title track and “Power of Persuasion.” On the latter, Monroe bends his voice, meowing like a cat. Monroe’s amazing range on this song easily makes it the best track on Street Poetry. In fact, it’s pretty clear the band knows this song is so good, because their confidence seems unmatched. Plus, “Power of Persuasion” features female back-up singers and a horn section. Horns are cool.

Even though Hanoi Rocks isn’t reinventing the wheel here, Street Poetry feels fresh. “Walkin’ Away” is great, with an amazing build-up to a chorus that’s sure to get stuck in your head. Yes, it’s just that catchy. In fact, every song on Street Poetry can – and probably will – get stuck in your head. That’s fine. Just whip out the CD and give it another spin.

Talk about an upbeat release. Nearly every song on Street Poetry is a stone cold rocker. “This One’s For Rock n’ Roll” is just what the title suggests: a tribute to great, classic rock. “Highwired” demands everyone to “get up and dance.” The song is so fast, so cheerful, it isn’t hard to resist Monroe’s invitation to cut a rug.

Is Street Poetry better than Two Steps From the Move? In a word, no. Still, Street Poetry is one consistent effort, mostly thanks to the quality songwriting. Someone forgot to tell Hanoi Rocks that glam went out of “Fashion” a few years ago. Lucky for us, Monroe and company are staying true to their musical roots and continue to influence young musicians. After all, Hanoi Rocks is bringing back glam!

For more information, please visit:
HanoiRocks.com

Monster Ballads: Xmas

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hate Christmas music. Still, I agreed to give Monster Ballads: Xmas (2007, Razor & Tie) a fair shot and I have to admit I actually enjoy most of the songs included on the compilation.

The track list looks like this: 

Jingle Bells - Skid Row
Happy Christmas  (War is Over)  -  Winger
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Jani Lane
I'll Be Home for Christmas - Twisted Sister and Lita Ford
White Christmas - Queensryche
Run Rudolph Run - L.A. Guns
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Firehouse
Naughty Naughty Christmas - Danger Danger
Blue Christmas - Tom Keifer of Cinderella
Jingle Bell Rock - Nelson
Silent Night - Faster Pussycat
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Dokken
Happy Holiday - Enuff Z'Nuff
Winter Wonderland - Stryper
Christmas Love - Billy Idol

Winger, L.A. Guns and Danger Danger provide the three stand-out performances on this release. To be clear, the L.A. Guns featured on this album is fronted by Phil Lewis. His voice still sounds great, but a little older than the "Ballad of Jayne" days.

Danger Danger pay homage to their hit "Naughty Naughty" with a fun Christmas tune that I might actually want to give a spin, in say, July. Not many Christmas songs are glam, but leave it to Danger Danger to improve upon the genre. Check out these lyrics:

“My babies always been the given kind but when she tells me she's my present and she blows my mind/
I can't wait but I'm gonna' unwrap her slow/
Oh yeah we're gonna have a ball/
And we'd like to wish you all/
A naughty naughty Christmas and a dirty dirty new year.”

See, I told you "Naughty Naughty Christmas" is one hell of a glam tune.

Kip Winger's voice is amazing on the John Lennon remake. The version is pretty true to the original with a few glam tweaks here and there.

According to iTunes, Skid Row's "Jingle Bells" is the most downloaded track on this album. I'm not sure when the song was recorded, but I can tell you it features Johnny Solinger on vocals. The version is good, but definitely not the best on the album. Perhaps it's the universal appeal of "Jingle Bells" that is helping Skid Row?

Faster Pussycat wins the award for the most unique Christmas carol. Taime Downe sings "Silent Night" with a glam/industrial bent. I suppose it's the only way "Silent Night" will be ever be played in a dance club.

The other song I really enjoy on Monster Ballads: Xmas is "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Firehouse.  The band who brought you "Don't Treat Me Bad" takes a lot of crap from music snobs but continue to make some really great music. On "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," the band sound like they are having a great time.They even change the lyrics toward the end of the track to fit a Metal theme. There's nothing better than a head banging holiday I suppose.

Here's the video for Dokken performing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Monster Ballads on Myspace

Happy Holidays In Hell

If you're trying to go green this holiday season and opted against mailing Christmas cards...SIXX: AM has a solution.

Click the image below to view and send a lovely holiday card to all your friends and family.

Also, SIXX: AM just released their new video for "Accidents Can Happen." This is my favorite song on the Heroin Diaries soundtrack.

SIXX:AM on Myspace

You Wanted the Best...Honorable Mention

If you're favorite band didn't make my top ten best glam list, no worries. We all have opinions and this is an open forum to debate music and all things glam.

During this countdown, I reevaluated my band selections every single night. It got to the point where my husband was begging me to just write all the articles at one sitting so I wouldn't continually change my mind every five minutes. While music is a pastime and hobby for most, it's also my passion. I take what I do here very seriously and try very hard to make informed recommendations for my readers. To that end, there were three bands I kept taking in and out of the countdown for various reasons. They are (in no order):

Faster Pussycat
Cinderella
RATT

While I didn't weight the band's ranking solely on album sales, I did let this factor into my higher placement on the list. That said, all three bands on this honorable mention list had major hits. I also happen to like these three bands more than some of those on my top ten list, but I felt their impact wasn't as big on newer bands or were too similar to other bands of the glam heyday.

I love Faster Pussycat so much I want a cat named Taime. Their self-titled debut is killer and a must own for every glam fan. I still believe "Bathroom Wall" is one of the best songs of the genre. Unfortunately for Faster Pussycat, they were overshadowed by Guns n' Roses and Appetite for Destruction.

Cinderella remains an underrated band. Lead singer Tom Keifer has a very raspy voice that gives the band an interesting sound. Cinderella reminds me of Aerosmith, so it's no surprise I love this band, too. Night Songs is a great debut album. The song of the same name might very well have been written with me in mind:

"Workin' this job ain't payin' the bills/
Sick and tired rat race takin' my thrills/
Kickin' down a road, not a dollar in my pocket/
Nighttime falls and I'm ready to rock it/"

*Fun fact: Eric, Heather and I flew to Rocklahoma out of Columbus, Ohio. It's about a 90 minute drive from Dayton, so we listened to Rocked, Wired & Bluesed: The Greatest Hits the entire trip.

There isn't much to say about RATT, other than they really rock. In fact, I gave up my opportunity to be in the Rocklahoma pit during Poison to see all of RATT's set. Warren DeMartini is a great guitar player and the band produced some really fun tunes. Odds are you already know this, or you wouldn't be reading a website called Bring Back Glam! in the first place.

You Wanted the Best...Number One

Our top ten glam band countdown continues. Here’s what we’ve got so far:

10) Badlands
09) Winger
08) Twisted Sister
07) L.A. Guns
06) Bon Jovi
05) Poison
04) Guns n' Roses
03) Hanoi Rocks
02) Def Leppard

In the top spot...Motley Crue.

It should be noted I had Hanoi Rocks at number one until Sunday night when I had a last second change of heart.  Last night, I flipped a coin over Motley Crue and Def Leppard because both have enjoyed enormous success. Still, I think it’s fitting Motley Crue reign supreme at number one. After all, Nikki Sixx created the ultimate glam band.  In the 1980s, they were a hit – and terror – machine.

When Motley Crue started they were all Metal, but their sound evolved over time. In addition to being a phenomenal songwriter, Nikki Sixx is also a shrewd businessman and knows how to work image. For many years, Motley Crue stayed one step ahead of their peers, changing their logo – and look – with every album. There was Metal with Too Fast for Love, shock with Shout at the Devil, Sunset Strip Glam with Theatre of Pain…well, you get the idea.

When Sixx joined up with drummer Tommy Lee, singer Vince Neil and vastly underrated guitarist Mick Mars, the planets aligned to create something truly special. While people argue Motley’s importance to modern music, there’s simply no denying the quality – or impact – of early Crue. If this were a countdown of the ten best glam albums of all time, Shout at the Devil would be in the top spot. While Too Fast For Love is amazingly gritty, Motley’s sophomore release would become their calling card. Videos for “Too Young to Fall In Love” and “Looks That Kill” played in heavy rotation on MTV. Suddenly, everyone wanted to be Motley.

A lot of people say “Home Sweet Home” is the first power ballad. I don’t agree with this, but Motley probably made it fashionable for 80s bands to show a softer side of Metal. That’s both and good bad I suppose.

There’s no denying that today’s crop of modern sleaze bands channel their inner Motley. If you visit the Myspace pages of any Swedish glam band, I bet you’ll find “Motley Crue” listed as an influence. After all, young bands would be silly not to look up to Sixx and Company. Not only is Motley still really popular among various generations, they’ve made a lot of smart business decisions (drug abuse, jail time and divorces notwithstanding). Motley Crue are one of the very few major bands that own their master recordings. This means more money for band members because they are the label. In addition to making some of the most important music in my life, the band also produced the best rock biography of all time. I’ve read a lot of true rock history, and nothing comes close to The Dirt. If you don’t agree with me, then you’ve clearly never read the book.

While many slag Nikki Sixx for being a big talker or a crappy bass player, no one can deny his creative drive. Even in Motley’s downtime, Nikki has an urge to create new music and it’s not like he needs the cash. Both Brides of Destruction and 58 are underrated, but SIXX: AM might be Nikki’s best side project yet. While the Heroin Diaries is an interesting and entertaining read, the accompanying soundtrack is one of the best albums of 2007.

The current state of Motley Crue is unclear. No one seems to know if Tommy Lee is still in the band, or if there will be a new album or tour anytime soon. Nikki seems content with SIXX:AM and Vince does solo shows all year long. Whatever the case, no glam list is complete without Motley Crue and I hope you agree they deserve to be number one.

Here's Motley Crue performing "Home Sweet Home" live in 1985.

Tomorrow, I'll give you my list of honorable mentions.