But the real gold is to be found on Disc 2 of the 25th Anniversary Edition with 17 previously unissued tracks. Among these lost gems are early demo recordings of “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” “S.M.F.,” “Burn In Hell,” “The Price,” and “Stay Hungry.” Comparing these to their final cuts is a blast, as the keen listener will notice many changes in the lyrics, drums, guitars, and even length (“Stay Hungry” for example, has no third verse and simply fades out). Other tracks to be found on Disc 2 include of note include “Death From Above,” “We’re Coming On,” and a retro radio spot promoting the band’s Los Angeles appearance for station KMET, which parodies the band’s “S.M.F.” song (“We want M-E-T!”). The double-disc album concludes with a recent recording of an all-new song entitled “30.” In addition to being a fine song, “30” may also finally prove to our .jpg)
now-aged parents (and maybe even Tipper Gore) that Twisted Sister can in fact play a tune. For the historical enthusiast, the CD insert contains an article by journalist Bryan Reesman as well as some classic classy photo of the group.
Although I find it hard to believe it’s been 25 years since "Captain Howdy" first crept into my dark little world, the years have done no damage to the sounds of Stay Hungry whatsoever. In fact, some of these songs may be more relevant now than ever. I predict it’s only a matter of time before some anti-government group somewhere adopts “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as their theme song.
Oh, wait — I think that has already happened. On second thought, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” would make a much better national anthem.
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