Cast in the same mould as Montrose, Van Halen, Quite Riot, Aerosmith, and so forth, Ratt were part of what is now called Hair Metal; that was so huge in the 80s, and so well parodied by Steel Panther.
Ratt’s origins go back to the 1970s, but it wasn’t until 1984 that the classic line-up of Robbin Crosby (two ‘Rs’- well, it was acceptable in the ‘80s) on guitar, Stephen Pearcy on vocals, Warren DeMartini (possibly not his real name, it has a touch of the Steel Panthers about it!) on guitar, Juan Croucier on bass and Bobby Blotzer on drums (that’s a great drummer name; it makes you think of Animal from The Muppets crossed with The Incredible Hulk!
Releasing their full length debut in 1984, ‘Out of the Cellar’, which reached triple platinum status, Ratt were in the big leagues, four more albums, ‘Invasion Of Your Privacy’ (1985), ‘Dancing Undercover’ (1986), ‘Reach For The Sky’ (1988), and Detonator (1990).
All five albums are featured here, with bonus tracks, making it superb value.
What strikes me most is the sense of fun this album has, the songs and playing are great, and it’s the perfect antidote to the grim reality of 2020!
Cherry red Records
Seven out of Ten
Reviewed by Steve Earles
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/ratt-the-atlantic-years-1984-1990-5cd-boxset
