When
Twisted Sister issued their 1985 album, Come Out and Play, the members were convinced they'd created their best work yet. But ultimately, the record was met with a very cool response by their fans -- a major disappointment after the double platinum success of their preceding album, 1984's
Stay Hungry. For their next album,
Love Is for Suckers (issued in 1987), the band attempted returning to more straight-ahead, hard rock-based songwriting. Long-time drummer
A.J. Pero left the band prior to the album (replaced by session drummer Joey Franco), and the raw approach of their early work was noticeably absent -- producer
Beau Hill (
Ratt, Winger) gave the album a very '80s pop-metal sound. Standouts included "Hot Love," the title track, and "Tonight," but like the album before it,
Love Is for Suckers died quickly on the charts. Having been together for over ten years,
Twisted Sister decided to call it a day shortly after the album's release. The 1999 CD re-issue included four bonus tracks not included on the original -- "Feel Appeal," "Statutory Date," "If That's What You Want," and "I Will Win." ~ Greg Prato