Atlantic Records - 1987
8/10
By this time in Twisted Sister's career, the band was in shambles over personal matters, if the un-sturdiness of Come Out And Play was anything to predict things off of. 1987's Love Is For Suckers was intended to be a Dee Snider solo work, but wound up with the Twisted Sister name due to record label obligations, and mixed participation from Jay Jay, Eddie, and the rest. Despite being the least well-received record from the band's classic run, I'll take the bold path and say that I still think it's a step up from its predecessor. Sure, it's about as campy and predictable as it looks, but sometimes that works well.
My personal guess is that because Dee Snider more or less wound up as the mastermind behind this, there was less room for awkwardness and a better path for a straight vision. Said vision is what we'll call the most obvious pop-friendly record in the band's discography. I wouldn't go as far as calling it soft, but considering the band's reputation as one of the meaner and heavier bands in the glam metal field, this is very clearly the most fitting of that title. Harder structures aren't absent, but they're sharing a lot of space with emphasis on melody, emotion, and commercial accessibility.
And it's a shame that Love Is For Suckers didn't really land the hits like it could have, because I think they're the most standout tunes here. Leading single "Hot Love" still holds Dee's booming delivery and big drum-kicks the band became known for, but the softer backing licks that ride beside the verses tap into some vibrance rare even for the genre. To the opposite end, the power ballad "You Are All That I Need" is criminally overlooked, as its pre-chorus and build into the gang-chorus lets it be one of my favorite hair band ballads of the time. Admittedly, "Me And The Boys" may be one of the more obvious cheese-fillers here, but I'm not about to pretend that it doesn't scratch the fun itch really nicely.
Still, within the cracks of the standout tunes still lies some grittier songs than you'd expect. The reimagining of Gary Private's "Love Is For Suckers" that wound up taking the album title rides on some muscular riffs and snarling attitude that we're all familiar with. I even dig the closing "Yeah Right!" with its pummeling rhythms and heavy energy, despite its silliness. Conversely, you will have to get through a few glaring fillers that aren't even accidently good, like the embarrassingly generic "I'm So Hot For You," or the cartoonish "One Bad Habit," but I suppose they at least fits the overall vibe nicely?
I'm not here to pretend that Twisted Sister's final classic outing is a hidden gem that got unfair criticism, as there are certainly some laughable aspects to this (starting with the album art). But that aside, I do think it's a little over-hated, is far more linear and thought-out than its predecessor, and has some material worth seeking out. After all, it's not like thirty-eight minutes is that demanding of one's time. Take away what you will, but I think this aged like wine.
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