The signing of the band to Atlantic Records on the surface appeared as though it would give them the ability to make headway in their home country of the US, and though there was a better distribution deal for their sophomore effort than their debut, it was still a hard road for the band to make the break away from being a New York band and spreading the word across the states. The album could only reach 130 on the US charts, while again in the UK they were seen to be a much better prospect, eventually rising to 14 on the UK charts.
“You Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll” saw the band begin to move in the direction that saw their success, with short sharp anthems that could be sung and chanted, along with great guitar licks and solos led by the indomitable vocals of Dee Snider. Looking back in retrospect, it appears to be the perfect album for the times, and the direction that hair metal music in particular was heading.
The anthemic qualities of the album are immediately obvious with "The Kids Are Back", and "Like a Knife in the Back". Both are short and sharp, with a thumping drum beat from AJ Pero driving you to pump your fist in the air singing the choruses. Great stuff. “The Kids Are back” in particular in written and performed like a youth anthem in the same way Alice Cooper did a decade earlier. In fact, every song on this album is almost purpose-written to be played live, sung loud, and banged along with. And that is a pertinent point about this album, that it feels as though it is a live album, without the crowd noise. "Ride to Live, Live to Ride" fits this category perfectly, and is followed by the equally excellent "I Am (I'm Me)", which was the first single from the album.
"We're Gonna Make It" is another brilliant anthem, designed to turn up loud with your air guitar and sing at the top of your voice. It is still beyond comprehension that this song was not released as one of the singles from the album. Indeed, Dee Snider had been writing it for release not long after their debut album had been released, but their previous record company had gone bust before it could be completed. It’s a terrific song, with great guitars from both Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda leading the way. “I’ve Had Enough” continues in this vein, with Mark Mendoza’s bass and AJ’s hard hitting drums driving the beat of the song. "I'll Take You Alive" brings in a faster tempo to pick things up again. “You’re Not Alone” is the one song here that drags out a little, that for me doesn’t quite fit the template that had been set by the rest of the album, before the closing title track completes and complements the album perfectly.
There's nothing terribly extravagant or difficult about the songs on “You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll”. They follow the tried-and-trusted formula of simple drum beat, equally kicked-in bass line, Eddie Ojeda's wonderful lead licks and Dee Snider's proudly up front vocals, encouraging the teenager within to sing along with him. But it works! And this is how Twisted Sister had built themselves up to be over their decade in the business, playing the clubs of New York. The energy of the band from the live shows probably isn’t transferred to vinyl here, but you can understand exactly how it would translate once the shows began.
Like most people, my real initiation into Twisted Sister came with their follow up album “Stay Hungry”, and the worldwide phenomenon that it became. But once I got a copy of this album, I often wondered how this didn’t get more exposure, how it didn’t get more love, and how it didn’t have the same kind of dominance that that album eventually had. Because the ingredients are all here. The anthemic tracks which are the youth anthems are all great, especially as they are short and punchy, and the tracks that surround them are also fun. Hindsight shows that this album was the forerunner to their next album, and was indeed the set up for what came next.
40 years on, and “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll” is still an underrated and to be honest forgotten and unknown album that deserves a lot more respect than it has received in the past. It had some pretty hot competition when it was released in 1982, as regular listeners to this podcast would be well aware of. But it is well worth your time to go back and find this album, and give it a spin from start to finish, because it still packs a punch.
40 years on, and “You Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll” is still an underrated and to be honest forgotten and unknown album that deserves a lot more respect than it has received in the past. It had some pretty hot competition when it was released in 1982, as regular listeners to this podcast would be well aware of. But it is well worth your time to go back and find this album, and give it a spin from start to finish, because it still packs a punch.
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