Love Is for Suckers

Love Is for Suckers is the fifth studio album by the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. It was released by Atlantic Records on August 13, 1987, with the single "Hot Love" being released on August 1. It was also the band's last album before their breakup and subsequent reunion and release of Still Hungry in 2004.

Love Is for Suckers
Studio album by
Twisted Sister
ReleasedAugust 13, 1987
RecordedAtlantic Studios, New York City
Genre
Length38:07
LabelAtlantic
ProducerBeau Hill
Twisted Sister chronology
Come Out and Play
(1985)		 Love Is for Suckers
(1987)		 Big Hits and Nasty Cuts
(1992)
Singles from Love Is for Suckers
  1. "Hot Love" / "Tonight"
    Released: 1 August 1987

Overview

The sound of the album was strongly influenced by glam metal, and was one of the causes of conflict which led to the band splitting after its release.[1][2] According to interviews contained in the Live at Wacken DVD and in Snider's autobiography, the material was originally meant to be a solo album by Twisted Sister's lead singer, Dee Snider, but the label pushed for it to be released under the Twisted Sister name instead. The tour for the album lasted just over one month and ended in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 10, 1987. Two days later, on October 12, 1987, vocalist Dee Snider announced his departure from the band.

No songs from this album appeared on the band's 1992 greatest hits album Big Hits and Nasty Cuts. It would be Twisted Sister's final studio album of original material, as all albums since have been compilations, live albums or re-recordings of already written material.

Seven of the album's songs were played live during the brief 1987 tour.[3] Snider has stated that he likes many of the songs on the album, vocally. However he feels that if they play any of them live, it may bring back bad memories for the band. In 2012, the band introduced "Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)" into their set, following demands from fans for material to be included from all of the band's studio albums.[4]

In a 2009 interview by Ruben Mosqueda, Snider spoke of his thoughts on the album:

"There's some great stuff on there man! The thing is, that was supposed to be my first solo album. The thing was the record company and management pressured me into making it a Twisted Sister record. There's some stuff that was in the Twisted Sister vein but it was supposed to be a solo record, that album was meant to give the band the break we needed. I felt that by releasing a solo album I could put that out there, get it out my system, and then after a short break we could regroup and work on a new album. The recording, the promotion and touring of Love Is for Suckers went on to kill the band. Management and the record company in their infinite wisdom know best. Oh let's put five guys who can't stand each other in a studio for three months!"[2]

In 2012, Dee Snider commented to an audience at the annual concert festival in Dessel Belgium, known as the Graspop Metal Meeting, "Now we have been accused in the past of not playing stuff from all of our albums, so this year we added one song from the Love Is for Suckers record to the set [...] for those who know in the 80s, there was a little problem in Washington with censorship and this one was a big middle finger to Washington D.C. It's called "Wake Up (the Sleeping Giant)"", which the band then performed.[4]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal4/10[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
The Record[7]

Upon its release, Billboard wrote: "Longtime New York-based rockers stumbled with last release but have managed to catch their balance on this one, with a new producer and new attitude. Album is chock-full of sturdy, straightforward cuts."[8] Sharon Liveten of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "On its fifth album, Twisted Sister doesn't tromp off into uncharted territory. It's anthemic, occasionally repetitive and self-derivative. That said, Love Is for Suckers is a darned good album. The guitar work is flashy but doesn't resort to cliched posturing and Dee Snider's vocals are in fine, sneering form."[9]

Robin Welles of The Press-Courier described Love Is for Suckers as "a screamer of an album".[10] Pete Bishop of the Pittsburgh Press commented: "This is cliche-cluttered, "commercial" heavy metal designed for instant acceptance. Seven of the cuts are the same wham-bam-party-hearty stuff Twisted Sister and so many others have defrosted and reheated ad nauseam." He selected "Hot Love", "One Bad Habit" and "You Are All That I Need" as "the class of the disc because they dare to differ from the formula and because Twisted Sister performs them well."[11]

Michael Dowding of The Boston Globe wrote: "Unfortunately, this album sounds like a band in decline. There's still enough thump and screech to keep the Saturday night party going, but don't look for any development or innovation. For fans, the best cuts include "Wake Up" and "One Bad Habit". For many other listeners, though, this is an album to avoid."[12] Barbara Jaeger of The Record wrote: "The 10 songs on this collection sound like every other song the band has done. Underscoring the overwrought vocals of Dee Snider are screechy guitars and thunderous drums. The songs, with their sophomoric lyrics, cover the usual heavy-metal topics. So, if you're looking for something new, forget about this one."[13]

Track listing

All songs written by Dee Snider, except where noted.

Side 1
  1. "Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)" – 4:19
  2. "Hot Love" – 3:28
  3. "Love Is for Suckers" (Marky Carter, Dee Snider) – 3:25
  4. "I'm So Hot for You" – 4:05
  5. "Tonight" – 3:51
Side 2
  1. "Me and the Boys" – 3:52
  2. "One Bad Habit" – 3:18
  3. "I Want This Night (To Last Forever)" (Mark Tanner, Marty Wagner, Dee Snider) – 4:18
  4. "You Are All That I Need" – 4:17
  5. "Yeah Right" – 3:14

1999 Spitfire Records reissue bonus tracks
  1. "Feel Appeal" – 3:19
  2. "Statutory Date" – 3:11
  3. "If That's What You Want" – 4:25
  4. "I Will Win" – 3:29

Personnel

Twisted Sister

Additional musicians
  • Reb Beach – additional guitars, additional shouts
  • Beau Hill – keyboards, backing vocals
  • The New West Horns – horns
  • Jimmy Chalfant, Steve Whiteman, Kip Winger – backing vocals
  • Bob Gamm, Gary Kris, B. Smith, Chris Cintron, Joe Gerber, Jodie Segall, Peter Love, Luke Perry - additional shouts

Production
  • Beau Hill - producer, engineer
  • Twisted Sister, Beau Hill, Reb Beach, Ronni Le Tekrø - arrangements
  • Stephen Benben - engineer
  • Ira McLaughlin - assistant engineer
  • Ted Jensen - mastering at Sterling Sound, New York
  • Bob Defrin - art direction
  • Frank Moscati - photography
  • Dee Snider - cover concept

Charts

References
  1. Prato, Greg. "Twisted Sister - Love I for Suckers review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  2. Mosqueda, Ruben (1 July 2009). "Dee Snider Interview". Sleaze Roxx.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  3. "Twisted Sister Tour Statistics: Love Is For Suckers | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  4. "Twisted Sister, Wake Up (the Sleeping Giant) - Live at Graspop 2012". YouTube. 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  5. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 369–370. ISBN 978-1894959315.
  6. Liveten, Sharon (September 20, 1987). "* * * * Great Balls of Fire * * * Good Vibrations * * Maybe Baby * Running on Empty : : Hard-Rock Clowns". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  7. Jaeger, Barbara (August 27, 1987). "Hard times for hard rockers: Def Leppard's run of luck". The Record.
  8. "Album reviews". Billboard. July 11, 1987.
  9. Liveten, Sharon (September 20, 1987). "* * * * Great Balls of Fire * * * Good Vibrations * * Maybe Baby * Running on Empty : : Hard-Rock Clowns". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  10. Welles, Robin (6 September 1987). "Twisted Sister - "Love Is for Suckers" (Atlantic)". The Press-Courier. 51 (62): 14. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  11. Bishop, Pete (23 August 1987). "Twisted Sister - "Love Is for Suckers"". Pittsburgh Press. 104 (60): J6. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  12. Dowding, Michael (October 8, 1987). "Records". The Boston Globe.
  13. Jaeger, Barbara (August 27, 1987). "Hard times for hard rockers: Def Leppard's run of luck". The Record.
  14. "Twisted Sister – Love Is for Suckers (Album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  15. "Twisted Sister – Love Is for Suckers". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  16. "Twisted Sister – Love Is for Suckers (Album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  17. "Twisted Sister Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  18. "Album – Twisted Sister, Love Is for Suckers". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  19. "Twisted Sister Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  20. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 46, No. 21, August 29, 1987". Library and Archives Canada. 29 August 1987. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  21. "Twisted Sister Chart History – Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
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