TWISTED SISTER
I’m probably going to be seen as a Scrooge, Grinch or even something else for that matter with this review. I like a good Christmas laugh as much as the next person but I have become more cynical over the years when it comes to these sorts of releases, especially as money is tight these days. I also wanted to say that I am a big fan of Twisted Sister and have been since a school friend played me the ‘I Am (I’m Me)’ 12” single back in 1983. I first saw them live in 1983/84 and have been lucky enough to see them several times since and they always put on a fantastic show. In recent years their releases and live appearances have become few and far between and I’m sure there are many fans out there who will appreciate this DVD/CD release of their Christmas show in Las Vegas from several years ago. I’m not terribly convinced though!
This was originally released last year as part of the ‘Bars To The Stars’ five DVD box set but Eagle Vision are giving it a separate release in time for the festivities. The DVD portion of this set certainly delivers. Set wise the band crank out some classic Twisted Sister songs mixed up with tracks from their ‘A Twisted Christmas’ album such as metal versions of ‘White Christmas’, ‘12 Days of Christmas’ and ‘Come All Ye Faithful’ etc. Let’s face it, anyone who can follow that song with ‘Burn In Hell’ (my favourite Twisted Sister track) deserves a round of applause. It’s all as tight as you would expect, sound quality is excellent, the stage set looks something akin to a Spinal Tap concert (especially when the band emerge at the beginning of the gig) and to see Dee dressed up as a kind of nightmare Santa joking with a sometimes perplexed looking audience is very funny. In fact, had I actually been at the gig I think I would probably have seen it as a complete triumph.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the CD. Whilst it’s essentially the same gig as the DVD minus a couple of things due to time constraints, once the visuals are gone so is the humour, and it feels rather flat by comparison. I also wonder what the replay value on this is as well. The DVD is certainly good Christmas fun and would be superb at a party or get together with friends when you’ve had a few too many and you want to sing along loudly to ‘I Wanna Rock’ and ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’, but at any other time of the year...perhaps not, unless you really are a ‘die hard’ fan. There are also no extras on the DVD. Zilch, zero, nothing! A short interview with the band, a little back stage footage about how the stage was constructed or even a commentary might have added to the experience. I’m not completely sure what Twisted Sister’s stance is on releasing new material but I would much prefer a new studio album. They seem content, however, to remain a ‘nostalgia’ band, play a few gigs and troll out releases like this every couple of years to tide things over.
This was originally released last year as part of the ‘Bars To The Stars’ five DVD box set but Eagle Vision are giving it a separate release in time for the festivities. The DVD portion of this set certainly delivers. Set wise the band crank out some classic Twisted Sister songs mixed up with tracks from their ‘A Twisted Christmas’ album such as metal versions of ‘White Christmas’, ‘12 Days of Christmas’ and ‘Come All Ye Faithful’ etc. Let’s face it, anyone who can follow that song with ‘Burn In Hell’ (my favourite Twisted Sister track) deserves a round of applause. It’s all as tight as you would expect, sound quality is excellent, the stage set looks something akin to a Spinal Tap concert (especially when the band emerge at the beginning of the gig) and to see Dee dressed up as a kind of nightmare Santa joking with a sometimes perplexed looking audience is very funny. In fact, had I actually been at the gig I think I would probably have seen it as a complete triumph.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the CD. Whilst it’s essentially the same gig as the DVD minus a couple of things due to time constraints, once the visuals are gone so is the humour, and it feels rather flat by comparison. I also wonder what the replay value on this is as well. The DVD is certainly good Christmas fun and would be superb at a party or get together with friends when you’ve had a few too many and you want to sing along loudly to ‘I Wanna Rock’ and ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’, but at any other time of the year...perhaps not, unless you really are a ‘die hard’ fan. There are also no extras on the DVD. Zilch, zero, nothing! A short interview with the band, a little back stage footage about how the stage was constructed or even a commentary might have added to the experience. I’m not completely sure what Twisted Sister’s stance is on releasing new material but I would much prefer a new studio album. They seem content, however, to remain a ‘nostalgia’ band, play a few gigs and troll out releases like this every couple of years to tide things over.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Eagle Rock Entertainment
DVD/CD
A TWISTED XMAS - LIVE IN LAS VEGAS
Review by Rick Tilley
RUNNING TIME:
104:00 (DVD); 71:11 (CD)
RELEASE DATE:
29th Oct 2012
TRACK LISTING
1) Intro; 2) Have Yourself a Merry Christmas; 3) White Christmas; 4) Shoot 'Em Down; 5) I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus; 6) You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll; 7) Deck the Halls; 8) The Price; 9) Come All Ye Faithful; 10) Burn in Hell; 11) Drum Solo; 12) Silver Bells; 13) I'll Be Home for Christmas; 14) Satan Claus!; 15) I Wanna Rock; 16) 12 Days of Christmas; 17) We're Not Gonna Take It
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
USA
"...the stage set looks something akin to a Spinal Tap concert (especially when the band emerge at the beginning of the gig) and to see Dee dressed up as a kind of nightmare Santa joking with a sometimes perplexed looking audience is very funny."
