Tag: Bobby Blotzer

My Sunday Song – “Shame, Shame, Shame” by Ratt

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For My Sunday Song #259, we are going to talk about “Shame, Shame, Shame” from Ratt’s 1990 album ‘Detonator’. The song was written by Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini and Desmond Child who also produced the album. The song was a Japan Only single and therefore never charted in the US since it wasn’t released here. The album didn’t do that well either only going Gold in the U.S. and hitting #23 on the charts. This surprises me as this to me is one of their best albums, if not THE BEST album they had done.

Lyrically, the song is about catching your girlfriend cheating and telling them they should have known better as now it is over. It is a big F.U. to the girlfriend that they screwed up and now they need to pack their bags and get the hell out. Since the girlfriend instigated the affair, he has no remorse or doubt that she needs to go. Really no other interpretation for this one. It is pretty straight-forward and simple.

The songs opens with a little Warren DeMartini penned instrumental piece called “Intro to Shame” with its slow detuned guitar solo which then slams into the blistering opening track “Shame Shame Shame”.  The song comes at you full force and the guitar work is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!! There is even a guest appearance by the super talented Michael Schenker.  What more could you want in an opening track.  It is hard, heavy, catchy and starts off the album better than probably any of their other albums.  Stephen’s vocals are spot on with that gritty, smoked too many cigarettes, drank too much whiskey edge it screams a bluesy vibe matched with Warren’s bluesy guitar tone. It is legendary!!

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My Sunday Song – “Best of Me” by Ratt

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For My Sunday Song #258, we are going to talk about “Best of Me” by Ratt. The song was the first single off their 2010 comeback album ‘Infestation’ and was the first signs that Ratt was back and back with a vengeance. When I first saw the video and heard the song, I was so pumped for this album. I hadn’t felt that way for a Ratt album in almost 20 years. This was the Ratt I knew and loved.  ‘Infestation’ was a beast of an album, but sadly, the band didn’t capitalize on it and ended up fighting and suing each other, it was a mess. But the song was great.

The song was written by Stephen Pearcy, Carlos Cavazo and Michael “Elvis” Baskette. “Best of Me” is about Stephen’s wife at the time, Melissa Pearcy.  He realized that she was the best part of him, but it took him to look elsewhere to realize what he had. He made the mistake and thought the grass might be greener on the other side and found out he already had the best thing in life he needed. Guys are stupid and get caught in this thinking all the time…they always want something newer or better…at least what they think is better…WRONG!! I think the band Cinderella summed it up nicely, “You don’t know what you got, ’til its gone”…that is the right saying for this.

That opening guitar riff by Warren DeMartini was pure Ratt magic. It immediately takes you back to the 80’s to when Ratt was in their prime. It sounds like it could’ve been on ‘Out of the Cellar’ or ‘Invasion of Your Privacy’. Bobby Blotzer’s drums sound great and he and bass player Robbie Crane are the driving force behind the song. Carlos Cavazo’s rhythm guitar is there is highlight Warren’s magical fingers. I mean his solo even sounds like it was ripped from the 80’s. And don’t forget Stephen Pearcy. His vocals are in great shape and still have that bluesy, gravely vocal he did back in the day. The song screams Ratt & Roll!! Yes, I went there!!

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My Sunday Song – “Nobody Rides For Free” by Ratt

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For My Sunday Song #257, we are going to discuss the single “Nobody Rides For Free” off the Soundtrack to the movie ‘Point Break’ from 1991. The song was never on a studio album of Ratt, but has been on their Greatest Hits compilations. The song was played during the end credits of the movie and was sadly, the first single the band recorded without founding member Robbin Crosby who had been left the band due to drug problems.

The song was written by songwriter, Steven Carlton who was in the band Climate of Crisis. The band had performed the song many times so I guess that makes it a cover song which I didn’t know. The song was presented to the band for use in the movie, so Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini and Juan Croucier took the song and tweaked it fit the band. Mostly they played with the lyrics but there were some musical tweaks as well.

The song seems to be about how people hang on to the star as the star is trying to reach for his success. These people cling on and are only there because the person is famous. The singer is fed up with it and is telling people to get put up or shut up and get out of my life if you are going to get in my way. Nobody rides for free on his coattails so either help him achieve his goal or get the F#&@ out of his way.

The song sounds like classic Ratt with Stephen’s gravely vocals that are heavily blues influenced. Bobby Blotzer’s drums drive the song forward along with Juan Croucier’s thumping bass. But the star of the song next to Stephen is Warren DeMartini and that blazing guitar. He has a great simple riff, but that solo he lays down is the money shot of the song. It would’ve been nice to have him playing off Robbin, but Warren is talented enough to handle it on his own. The song rocks out in all the right places.

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My Sunday Song – “Tell the World” by Ratt

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For My Sunday Song #256, we will tell the world about the song “Tell The World” by Ratt off their 1983 debut E.P. simply called “Ratt”. The song was written by Robbin Crosby and Stephen Pearcy and would later wind up on the band’s greatest hits album ‘Ratt & Roll 81-91’ which was probably when I first heard it as I didn’t get in to the band until their debut album. The song was never released as a single but was one of the better songs on the E.P. and therefore worth making the greatest hits cut.

Lyrically, the song seems to be about a girl that was using the singer and he was starting to catch on so she told him to leave. He has realized her games and is moving on. He is growing stronger and ready to take on the world and keep her out of his life. As he gets more famous he knows he will get used, but he is ready so tell the world that he won’t be played for a fool. I don’t really know what it means exactly, but that is what I get out of it. You can get out of it what you want.

“Tell the World” is the opening song on Side Two of the E.P. and is very raw and rough track which is the very reason I like it.  It isn’t over-produced and left for what it is.  The guitars and sound feel like Ratt that you know from “Out of the Cellar”. It has some pounding drums from Bobby Blotzer and the guitar work of Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby sound both gritty and hungry. I also like Stephen’s scream during the song which is followed by the guitar solo.  It is a great little rock track and shows the real potential of what was to come with the band.

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My Sunday Song – “Lay It Down” by Ratt

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For My Sunday Song #254, we are going to explore the song “Lay It Down” by Ratt off the band’s 1985 album ‘Invasion of Your Privacy’. The song broke the Top 40 and landed at #40 on the Hot 100. This helped the album sell over 2,000,000 copies and push the band to super stardom after they massively successful debut album. The song is one of the few that is credited to every member of the band except for Bobby Blotzer. He doesn’t have any writing credits on this album.

The song is not very deep lyrically. It basically sums up to trying to getting some female action. It does talk about how she doesn’t really know him and that she might not even care. They play the game of romance but she won’t get to see the real him until they are in the sheets having some fun and letting themselves go completely. I’m sorry there isn’t much more to it than that, but Ratt never claimed to be Bob Dylan now did they.

Musically though, it is a fantastic song. That opening guitar riff from Warren DeMartini is one of the best they’ve ever done. Bobby Blotzer’s drums are hard and heavy and he lays down a cool groove along with Juan Croucier on bass. The song is typical 80’s rock, but Ratt has a way of putting a blues edge to it with both Robbin Crosby and Warren’s playing. It helped set Ratt apart from some of the other bands. The song is also a little on the sleazy side which fits well with the lyrics. Stephen Pearcy’s gritty vocals bring the sleaze to the forefront, but when he whispers that last verse, he shows a softer, sexier side that helps catapult the song to the next level.

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My Sunday Song – “Luv Sick” by Ratt

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For My Sunday Song #253, we are going to dissect “Luv Sick” off the band’s 1999 album ‘Ratt’. Don’t remember this album? Well, not many people probably do. It isn’t their best. In fact, I don’t think I spoke very kindly about it. However, this song was the highlight for me. The album didn’t chart, I don’t think it had any singles and I think I didn’t hear it until I wrote the review on it back a few years ago.

But the song is what we want to talk about and not that album. “Luv Sick” was written by Warren DeMartini, Stephen Pearcy and Taylor Rhodes (who has worked with Aerosmith). The lyrics are a little pedestrian and nothing that Shakespeare is going to drool over. The song is basically about a guy who is obsessed with a woman. He tries to walk away and move on but he can’t. He wants her too much. I am not sure if he crosses any kind of line to hurt her or anything, but I am a little worried for her. Stalking laws might have been written for this guy!!

It is the guitar playing on here that is really what I love. Warren gets flat out down and dirty laying down some nasty Blues licks. I love how when they sing the “Luv Sick”, part in the chorus, Warren rips into this little riff that is a great little combo with the lyrics.  It is really cool sounding.  Towards the end, the guitar gets even more bluesy and it is just Warren jamming.  This the first album the band has with bass player Robbie Crane and he lays down a great bass line and drives the song home with Bobby Blotzer banging heavy on those drums. The real drawback is Stephen Pearcy as his vocals aren’t what they used to be. If there was a negative to the song, it would be that.

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My Sunday Song – “Way Cool Jr.” by Ratt

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For My Sunday Song #252, we are going to go through “Way Cool Jr.” by Ratt. The song is off their 1988 album ‘Reach for the Sky” which was produced by legendary Beau Hill. The song was the first single off the album and didn’t really light the world on fire. It only went to #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 so no Top 40 for this one. The band was on the downslope of their career but it was songs like this that still kept me interested in the band.

The song was written by Stephen Pearcy, William DeMartini and Beau Hill. It seems to be about a handsome fella that was living his best life and thought he was so cool and that all the women loved him. He was slick, charismatic and probably wore sunglasses inside. He wasn’t a good guy though as he was a drug dealer and getting everyone high. The lyrics make you think he is a blues guitarist, but he is serving something else. It shows the glamours side and the seedy side and is full of contradictions. There has even rumors that the song is about Robbin Crosby who was deep in to the throes of heroin by this point.

Now there is also a possibility this song is about Elvis as he came from Memphis and was really cool guy hanging with the blues crowd that is where he got that sound. He is good-looking and the women love him. Either way, it is pretty cool.

Musically, the song is pure blues rock and roll from the gritty slide guitars by Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby and Bobby Blotzer playing the harmonica and cleaning things with his washboard. Juan Croucier is laying down a funky rhythm on bass and Steven Pearcy struts around on the vocals laying out his coolness for the world to hear. It is a cheesy, over the top song and for me this wasn’t your typical 80’s glam song, it had a little more style and depth musically.

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My Sunday Song – “Body Talk” by Ratt

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For My Sunday Song #251, we are kicking off a 10 song set of Ratt songs. And to shake it up, I am going to pick one song from each release (they had 9) and soundtrack song not on any studio album. First up will be “Body Talk” off the band’s 1986 album ‘Dancing Undercover’. The song was released as a single in Japan only but it had a video on MTV in the US because it was used in the Eddie Murphy movie ‘Golden Child’ (Note, this is not the soundtrack song I mentioned earlier). I don’t believe the song charted, but it was in very heavy rotation on MTV which was all I was listening to any way at this point in my life.

The song is credited to Warren DeMartini, Stephen Pearcy and Juan Croucier as each had a part to play. Warren had the cool ass riff, Stephen who maybe came up with the title and Juan who really did all the heavy lifting. No one was able to do anything with the song and under a one day turnaround due date, Juan took the song and came up with all the vocal melodies and basically all the lyric as well. I guess he works well under pressure.

The song is about sex, what else, but it is that driving guitar riff by Warren that is killer. It is almost speed metal fast. Bobby Blotzer’s drum beat is super fast and the driving force behind the song. With the dynamic duo of Warren and Robbin Crosby on guitar you get some wonderful guitar work as well. Stephen’s raspy vocals sound great here. He is the emotion and the heart of the song as delivers the lyrics quick and effortlessly. The band captured some massive energy and gave one of their best performances captured on an album.

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Ratt – The Albums Ranked Worst to First

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For most of 2018, I have been reviewing all the Ratt albums from the Ratt E.P. in 1983 all the way to 2010’s Infestation. It has been an enjoyable ride walking through the history of the band, all the ups and the downs, the good and the bad and loving every minute of it (wait that is Loverboy)…and loving watching the wax or cd spinning round and round (much better).

Ratt has been a love/hate relationship.  While I love most of what they do, they don’t always deliver the goods and I tried to be as honest as I could be throughout the review processes.  I believe I was brutal where I needed to be and kissed their ass when it deserved it as well.  I hear they band is planning a new album in 2019 and when it comes I will review it in detail like the others and I will update this list and put it where it belongs among the classics or the crap.

You can go back and read each review in detail by just clicking on the album title.  This ranking will be just a summary of the good and bad of each album.  I hope you enjoy.

THE WORST – RATT (1999):

The hardest review of them all to write. I couldn’t connect to this album when it came out or even now.  The production quality was horrible; Stephen’s vocals needed some cleanup and weren’t always up to par; the double guitar of Ratt of old was gone and so the songs were missing that punch; and overall it was just bad.

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Ratt – ‘Infestation’ – Album Review

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After the album ‘Ratt (1999), the band had a very troubled time.  Stephen Pearcy left the band (again) and started his own band that eventually tried to use the Ratt name, but the other members sued and won.  The remaining Ratt members continued on as a band…or at least made several attempts with many line-up changes.

In 2000, the current Ratt was Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer, Robbie Crane, John Corabi (Motley Crue) and Robert Mason.  Robert was brought on as lead singer, but left shortly after when the band couldn’t get a major label deal.  That brought on Jizzy Pearl at lead vocals.  This would remain the band until at least 2006.

In 2002, the band and fans were delivered some bad news.  Original guitarist, Robbin Crosby, passed away from a Heroin overdose.  He had long battled  with addiction and it finally grabbed hold for good.  Robbin has also been battling HIV, but the drugs got to him first.  Any hopes of the original band getting back together were quickly dashed.

In 2006, Jizzy would leave and Stephen Pearcy rejoined the band.  Then 2 years later, John Corabi would leave and he was replaced by Carlos Carvazo from Quiet Riot.  The line-up was now complete for the next album…whew, that was exhausting.  Wait, where is Juan Croucier?  He was out doing his own thing.  He comes back to the band, but not for many years.

Finally, in April 2010, Ratt released their seventh studio album called ‘Infestation’.  It had been over 10 years since the last album and with all the line-up changes and the fact the last album was so bad, my expectations for this release were pretty low.

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