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UNAUTHORZIED '80S WITH DAVID S. GRANT PRESENTS: RATT 
The band Ratt actually started under the name Mickey Rat in the late '70s. During this time they may have been most known for a revolving door of musicians in the band. It was 1982 when the lineup of Stephen Pearcy (vocals), Robbin Crosby (guitar), Warren DeMartini (guitar), Juan Croucier (bass), and Bobby Blotzer (drums) would be established. Their first recording was an EP, then released as the self titled Ratt LP. The first album contained songs like "You Think You're Tough" and "Back for More" which immediately connected to a rising number of eighties heavy metal fans. The cover featured the legs of Tawny Kitaen who would help establish this band with a connection to models, hookers, and sex that would carry them through their next several albums.
After their debut, Ratt was quickly hailed as heroes on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles but it wasn't until the release of their 1984 album, Out Of The Cellar, that Ratt blew up across the country and world. Out Of The Cellar kicked off with Stephen Pearcy telling us about 'a lone dealer, with snake eyes' in "Wanted Man". Track three provided us with one of the biggest hits of the decade in "Round And Round", a song that will stick in your head for days and was also a glimpse into Ratt's musical inspiration (fast women and hookers) which would be continuously detailed during their next three albums. Side 2 begins with the guitar heavy "Lack Of Communication", and continues strong through an updated version of "Back For More". 
For the video "Round And Round", Ratt stepped it up, using Milton Berle in drag and an over the top dinner party where guitar solos fell through the ceiling and (predictably) rat was served as the main course -- think average night at Charlie Sheen's house. The video for "Back For More' displayed Pearcy sporting armbands way before this was made popular by WWF wrestler, The Ultimate Warrior. Given their radio friendly hits, Ratt set themselves apart from some of the other acts (see: Motley Crue) and were enjoying a large piece of the glam metal pie. Out Of The Cellar again featured Tawny Kitaen on the cover, this time crawling out of a sewer. Where was she crawling to? Let's assume she saw David Coverdale's Jaguar parked on the street and wanted to go fuck it.
In 1985 the boys from Ratt released Invasion Of Your Privacy, an approved follow-up from their last album; again the focus of the songs was pretty much about getting laid. The question still stands regarding the "Lay It Down" video: More shocking... the clown, Robin Crosby's hair, or the five year old boy wishing to bang the little five year old girl? Let's play it safe and call this one a tie. 1986 brought the album Dancing Undercover, a non-stop rock opera of lust, models, and yes, hookers. If this truly is meant to be a rock opera, I'm assuming the story is about a girl and the girl is a whore. This was essentially the third consecutive album where the band, although it resonated well with the fans, was now beginning to lose their MTV appeal compared to Motley Crue, a band that had found ways to change their image and also create a sweet ballad named "Home Sweet Home". Was it possibly that Pearcy had the choice of writing a ballad or appearing in an issue of Playgirl (May 1986)? I say yes. 
Dancing Undercover contained the song "Body Talk" which was featured in Eddie Murphy's movie The Golden Child. This was Eddie's first movie since the pantheon trifecta of 48 Hours, Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop where he failed to make people laugh. Is this related to the soundtrack? Probably more to do with the PG-13 rating, but its worth noting.
Finally, Ratt's 1988 album, Reach For The Sky attempted a ballad named "Way Cool Jr.", but instead created a great blues song vs. a wet the panties ballad -- ironically this song holds up quite well today. The video followed a mystery man whose life revolves around champagne and bathroom blow jobs. Who is this mystery man? We will never know. My guess is John Stamos. This was during the time he was killing it as a mullet wearing Uncle Jesse on Full House. He seems like a champagne, bathroom blow job kind of guy. In 1990 Detonator was released and never got a chance. It was a new decade where the glam metal scene was saturated and Robbin Crosby was falling into drug addiction. After this the band released the song "Nobody Rides For Free" for the Point Break soundtrack. There is an accompanying video that accentuates the powerful acting of Keanu Reeves and Gary Busey in this classic surfing thriller. 
As with most glam metal bands from the eighties, the next five years (92-96) were not good for Ratt and the band eventaully went on hiatus. During this time Pearcy sang with several bands including Arcade, VD, and Vertex. Crosby played in Secret Service and then was diagnosed with HIV turning quickly into AIDS. DeMartini played with Whitesnake and then some solo projects. At the end of the decade the band reunited for the album Ratt -- with Robbie Crane on bass they went for a new type of music, turning out a more blues rock feel. For a band known for strip club anthems, this was a disaster and they again broke up shortly after. In 2002 Robbin Crosby died from a heroin overdose while DeMartini, Blotzer, Keri Kelli on guitar (to soon be replaced by John Corabi), and singer Jizzy Pearl toured as Ratt, while Stephen Pearcy toured as both Ratt featuring Stephen Pearcy and then Rat Bastards.
In 2009, Stephen Pearcy, Robbie Crane, Bobby Blotzer, Warren DeMartini and former Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo reunited and began working on a new album, Infestation. The album was a critical success, bringing back the sound and nostalgia from Ratt's earlier work. The album was released in 2010 and followed by a tour, but reports have stated that the band is again on hiatus. Looking back on the eighties you would be hard pressed to find three consecutive albums (Out Of The Cellar, Invasion Of Your Privacy, and Dancing Undercover) that deliver as well as Ratt did during the height of the glam metal rise. Today it's hard to say what is next, or if there is a next for this band. Will there be another album? Solo projects? Or, will the band continue on, searching for that elusive ballad? About the Author: David S. Grant is the author of several books including Rock Stars (Oak Tree Press), Corporate Porn (Silverthought Press), The Last Breakfast (Brown Paper Publishing), and Happy Hour (SynergEbooks). David lives and works in New York City. For more information go to www.rockstarbooks.net follow David on Twitter: @david_s_grant. |
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