Big Hits and Nasty Cuts

Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister
Compilation album by
Twisted Sister
ReleasedMarch 17, 1992
Recorded1979–1984
Genres
Length69:02
LabelsAtlantic (US)
WEA International Inc. (rest of the world)
CompilersJay Jay French, Mark Mendoza
Twisted Sister chronology
Love Is for Suckers
(1987)		 Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister
(1992)		 Live at Hammersmith
(1994)

Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister is a greatest hits compilation by American heavy metal band, Twisted Sister. It was released on March 17, 1992 by Atlantic Records for the United States and on March 30 by WEA International Inc. for the rest of the world.[1] The track list consists solely of songs from their first three albums, omitting any material from Come Out and Play and Love Is for Suckers, except outside of the United States where "Bad Boys of Rock 'n' Roll" was replaced with "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" from Come Out and Play.

The album received a Parental Advisory sticker for the live tracks, which contain some profanity.

Background

Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider was against the release of the compilation, citing it as nothing more than Atlantic Records' attempt to make profit off the band's back catalogue. He told The Morning Call in 1992, "I had no control at all, I told them I didn't want it out. I said, 'Are you getting letters or something? Is there some massive demand for a Twisted Sister package?' I know exactly why they're doing it... to make a few dollars to try and bolster Atlantic's sagging sales. They've had horrendous sales the past few years, so they're releasing everything they have in best ofs. It doesn't cost anything. It's pure profit!"[2]

Guitarist Jay Jay French said that, "to the label's credit", Atlantic asked the band for their involvement; French said they agreed because a compilation helmed solely by Atlantic would be inferior in quality. Bassist Mark Mendoza said the first half of the album is an obvious selection of "what we felt were the most important songs", whereas the live material on the second half "was from a club date in England. Atlantic had owned those tapes for a quite a while, so we just used them."[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal5/10[5]
SelectStarStar[6]

While highlighting Big Hits and Nasty Cuts for containing Twisted Sister's only British hit, "I Am (I'm Me)", reviewer Marilla Blellock of Select opined that the band "made rock 'n' roll for the young school rebel" and "wrote big dumb songs which sneered at parents, growing up, and rules – and they were loud, boisterous and empty."[6] In 1992, Howard Cohen of The Miami Herald included it at number 16 in his list of 25 landmark heavy metal albums. Cohen noted how the live tracks, including the "incredibly rude" Rolling Stones cover "in which Snider manages to out-obnoxious Ted Nugent", "should continue to clear a room of unwanted pests. Or enliven a party, whatever the case may be."[7]

Retrospectively, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic believed the five live tracks "are of questionable quality", adding that they were included to entice "hardcore Sister collectors", but praised the overall album for remaining "an excellent summation of the group's career."[8]

Release history

Region Date Edition(s) Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
North America March 17, 1992 Standard Atlantic
Europe March 30, 1992
  • CD
  • cassette
  • LP
 WEA [1]
Japan April 25, 1992 CD Atlantic [9]
Europe November 8, 1993 Reissue
  • CD
  • cassette
 WEA [10]

Track listing

  1. "We're Not Gonna Take It" - 3:39
  2. "I Wanna Rock" - 3:03
  3. "I Am (I'm Me)" - 3:35
  4. "The Price" - 3:49
  5. "You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll" - 4:42
  6. "The Kids Are Back" - 3:17
  7. "Shoot 'Em Down" - 3:54
  8. "Under the Blade" - 4:40
  9. "I'll Never Grow Up, Now!" - 4:08
  10. "Bad Boys (Of Rock 'n' Roll)" - 3:19
  11. "What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You)" (live) - 5:09 (Live at the Marquee Club, London, UK - March 5th 1983)
  12. "Destroyer" (live) - 4:37 (Live at the Marquee Club, London, UK - March 5th 1983)
  13. "Tear It Loose" (live) - 3:05 (Live at the Marquee Club, London, UK - March 5th 1983)
  14. "Run for Your Life" (live) - 3:38 (US version only) (Live at the Marquee Club, London, UK - March 5th 1983)
  15. "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" (live) - 10:12 (Live at the Marquee Club, London, UK - March 5th 1983)
  16. "Let the Good Times Roll" / "Feel So Fine" (live) - 4:15 (Live at the Marquee Club, London, UK - March 5th 1983)

Credits

Twisted Sister

References

  1. 1 2 "New Releases - Album Releases for 30th March to 3rd April" (PDF). Music Week. March 28, 2026. p. 12. Retrieved April 29, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  2. ↑ Blockus, Gary R. (July 17, 1992). "Widowmaker a new twist for Dee Snider". The Morning Call. p. D1, D2. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Parks, Jon (April 30, 1992). "Twisted Outlook". Rockford Register Star: 3E. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  4. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Twisted Sister - Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  5. ↑ Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 461–462. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  6. 1 2 Blellock, Marilla (May 1992). "Sound Bites". Select: 85. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  7. ↑ Cohen, Howard (April 12, 1992). "Classic Discs: Heavy Metal Makes Lasting Impression". The Miami Herald: 1I–4I. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  8. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Twisted Sister - Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  9. ↑ "ベスト・オブ・トゥイステッド・シスター | ツイステッド・シスター". Oricon. April 25, 1992. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Album Releases from 8th November to 13th November" (PDF). Music Week. November 6, 1993. p. 22. Retrieved April 29, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.
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