DEE SNIDER – Sick Mutha F**kers – Live In The USA (2018)

Twisted Sister frontman DEE SNIDER‘s “Sick Mutha F**kers: Live In The USA” will be reissued via earMusic on October 5, 2018. The album was first released back via Coallier Enterainment in 1997 in limited copies..
Recorded on the SMF Tour 1995, this live album includes the musical milestones of Snider’s legendary band Twisted Sister.

After Twisted Sister split, Snider continued with various projects, such as Widowmaker. In the meantime he continued touring solo, as happened in 1995 with the S.M.F.s (Sick Mutha F*ckers, of course) playing nothing but classic Twisted Sister.
It went almost completely unnoticed, but a live album (recorded raw, straight to tape) was recorded and released as ‘Twisted Forever – SMFs Live’.

Just like the good old days at the Marquee in England, Dee opened with “What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You)”, one of the fastest tunes in the Twisted catalogue. Only the true fan will realize by listening alone that the band is not Twisted Sister. As for Dee, the year may as well be 1981 for all the ferocity he pours into every shriek and every scream. With a double shot of early Sister, “The Kids Are Back” lives up to its name, and the crowd are behind Dee 100 percent. “Stay Hungry” only gets them going more and more.

Dee Snider never changes and there is plenty of time for lightning-fast stage rants. “Yes, but I’ve mellowed with f@ckin’ age… No I haven’t!” It’s true, though his schtick is probably at least partly done because it’s expected of him. Later, he does a Cornholio impression, and rips into Al Gore. Ah, the 1990’s!
Dee even does some of the same song intros, such as “Destroyer”. “You got hands! Use ’em!” screams Dee as the riff begins. Now you can bring that tough New York street vibe into your living room.

Hit after hit, and fan favourites galore, Twisted Forever is especially desirable for some more obscure songs. 1985’s Come Out and Play was the album that more or less did Sister in. Dee can’t seem to remember when he recorded it (1987 he says). The Come Out and Play medley is an eight minute stream of tunes including parts of the title track, “Leader of the Pack”, “I Believe in Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “Be Chrool to Your Scuel”.

A little bit later in the set is the awesome “Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)” from 1987’s controversial Love Is For Suckers. Dee says they do those tunes due to relentless demand from the fans. I believe it: “Sleeping Giant” is one of those hard rock songs that should have been a classic.
All these tunes are heavier than the somewhat limp album versions, and Dee could still hit all the notes.

There is so much emotion on this album. At one point, Dee stops to tell the crowd, “I’d appreciate it, if everybody would stop smiling for the next 30 minutes or so. You’re making it very hard for me to act mean on stage.” This particular moment is from a home gig in Long Island, and it sounds like a family reunion of the twisted kind.
The climax of the CD is Twisted’s signature ballad “The Price”, and Dee didn’t even need to sing, the crowd could have done it all for him. All that’s left after a song like that is “S.M.F.”, over and out!

For my money you can’t beat a good raw live album recorded in a small club. “Sick Mutha F**kers: Live In The USA” (also known as ‘Twisted Forever’) delivers. It might not be Twisted Sister… but when I listen to it I honestly don’t care. It rocks.
The audio quality is good enough for rock n’ roll. Think of it as a great bootleg, a desk mix, now remastered and cleaned a bit. You can perfectly hear the bass, not always true in this type of recordings, and the vocals are clear as a bell.
What is also clear is that this is 100% live.

Dee played a variety of Twisted material, some of which you’ll probably never hear live again. It is a surprisingly good album originally appeared on some fly-by-night label, and an easy must-have for any Twisted fan.
Highly Recommended

01 – What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You)
02 – The Kids Are Back
03 – Stay Hungry
04 – Destroyer
05 – I Am (I’m Me)
06 – You Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll
07 – Medley; Come Out and Play / The Pack / I Believe in Rock ‘N’ Roll / Be Chrool to Your Scuel
08 – We’re Gonna Make It
09 – I Wanna Rock
10 – Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)
11 – Burn in Hell
12 – Shoot ‘Em Down
13 – Under the Blade
14 – We’re Not Gonna Take It
15 – The Price
16 – S.M.F

Dee Snider – vocals
Derek Tailor – bass, backing vocals
Keith Alexander – guitar, backing vocals
Spike – guitar, backing vocals
Charlie Mills – drums, backing vocals

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www.amazon.co.uk/S-M-F-Live-USA-Dee-Snider/dp/B07F3M1H4V
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