This week on The Collection, my buddy Deke from The Distortion Den joins me to talk everything Ratt!! We start with the debut album all the way up to Stephen Pearcy’s latest release and as much as we can in between. We show off Vinyl, CDs, Cassettes, Singles and even a book. Nothing is off limits as long as it relates to Ratt. And that even includes some Stephen Pearcy side projects such as Arcade and even some of his solo albums. Sit back and join us for this hour long conversation that any Ratt fan will enjoy!!
So go check it out as it will be live tonight, September 22, 2025 at 7pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.
On June 13, 1985, Ratt released their second full length album called ‘Invasion of Your Privacy’. After the success of their debut ‘Out of the Cellar’, Ratt wasted no time in repeating that formula and delivering another solid album. The first single off that album was “Lay It Down” and released in the same month as the album. This is the 2nd 7″ Single I found while on vacation down in Florida. My copy is another standard US Version and it doesn’t use the cover of the album as the single cover. Instead, we get individual shots of each band member.
The single was the band’s second, and last, Top 40 Hit and I am honestly surprised by that fact. The band has had so many great songs and is a legend in the Hair Metal/Glam Metal scene that to have only 2 Top 40 sings is nuts. It did go to #4 on the Mainstream Rock Chart which is probably where most of their songs charted anyway.
After the success of their self-titled E.P., Ratt signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and that deal brought us the incredible debut album ‘Out of the Cellar’. On March 27th, 1984, the album was released and thanks to MTV, the band became a huge sensation. However, prior to the album release, the band’s first single, “Round and Round”, was released on February 19, 1984. And that single is what we are discussing today. I found my copy while I was digging down in Florida while on vacation at a place called D&J Records, I believe. It is a standard US pressing, but I do love the close-up of Tawny Kitaen on the cover even if it is a zoomed in look of the album cover. I actually found 2 Ratt singles, so next week we will talk the other.
A-SIDE:
“Round And Round” is the band’s biggest single. Instantly, the song pulls you in and you can tell it is something special as it reached #12 on the Hot 100. And over time has been ranked as one of the greatest Heavy Metal Songs of all time as Rolling Stone ranked it at #20 on their 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time! And that was back in 2023. I wonder if that ranking is in small part due to its heavy usage in the Geico Insurance commercials. Who knows.
Come join me as Tim and I as we discuss the new (sort of) Ratt album called ‘Rarities’. It is up on YouTube now. See below…
A new Ratt compilation? Well, new in this physical format. On this episode, John T. Snow and I discuss this recently released collection “from the ’80s metal vault”, featuring one of the most consistent hard rock bands of the mid-’80s.
Ratt aren’t making any new albums it seems, so how does a label make money off their catalog? One way is it to keep reissuing the albums. Another is to release greatest hits compilations and a third is to release a collection or rarities and unreleased versions of the band’s catalogs. And that is what we have here. Heck, the label has been doing other two constantly so this a nice change of pace. But, they definitely went cheap. No liner notes and a cheap cardboard digipack. Plus there are only 9 tracks.
Here is the promotional line they sent out that various sites have posted. Not too much in it either…
From the ’80s metal vault comes this collection of vintage demos and live recordings of one of the scenes biggest hitmakers, Ratt. Features the earliest known recording of the band’s signature hit, “Round & Round”, complete with alternate lyrics and melody, as well as vintage performances of classics like “Body Talk”, “Wanted Man” and more.
The thing is I think this was already released back in 2007 with a different album cover, but same track listing and same label. I can’t find it on Discogs which leads me to believe it was a digital only release. Interesting though.
I’m a huge Ratt fan as the first series the site ever did was a Ratt one where we reviewed every Ratt album in their discography (and my collection). A big part of that is because I like Stephen Pearcy. So when I was in Los Angeles and saw a book by Stephen Pearcy called ‘Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life in Rock’, I had to grab it. Now, Stephen didn’t write it by himself, he had the help of Sam Benjamin. But the two together crafted a book that was an easy, entertaining read and I like easy. And you will notice down below, the copy I picked up had been signed by Stephen back in 2018 which I didn’t notice until I got back home. Pretty cool!!
The story opens with birth of his daughter and him going to rehab, then quickly jumps back to his childhood. He was a typical kid, parents divorced when he was young so he didn’t now his Dad very well and raised by a single mom. He had to move from L.A. to San Diego when he was young and didn’t fit in with the scene. He found some hippie type friends and got in to drugs and drinking at a young age. He was hit by a car and both legs broken and was in rehab in the hospital for months on end and took a long time to recover.
When he finally discovered music, that became his motivation, his drive, his obsession. He knew he was going to make it and did everything in his power to make it happen. He met David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen early on when that band was getting ready to break and there are some fun stories with that. And with a book called Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll, you get all of that and then some. Most of the book is about his sex addiction and his drug addiction and after awhile that does get old because how many times can you talk about getting trim and not just sound like it is on repeat. He gets a lot and constantly. Stephen is a giant man-child who can’t commit to anything or anyone except the addictions, but his drive to be a rock star was insane.
After the extensive worldwide tour for Bon Jovi’s ‘New Jersey’ album, the band was spent. They were exhausted and I am sure they were sick of each other. Over 200 shows together would make anyone need a break. And Bon Jovi needed a break or it was going to be over. The band members stayed busy as we will see these next few reviews. Jon Bon Bovi kept busy by doing his first solo album and it wasn’t your typical solo album. After being approached by actor, Emilio Estevez, to use the Bon Jovi song “Wanted Dead or Alive” for the soundtrack to his new movie, the western ‘Young Guns II’, Jon declined the offer.
Instead of flat out declining though, Jon offered to write a new song for the movie and that one song turned in to a whole album of songs from and inspired by the movie. In fact, only 2 songs were actually in the movie, the song Jon promised to write “Blaze of Glory’ and then the song “Billy Get Your Guns” which both appeared during the end credits. The rest were only inspired by the movie. Jon was so in to the movie, he was actually in the movie where he appeared in the movie during the scene where Doc and Chavez were prisoners in the pit…Jon was one of the other prisoners.
As we know, Jon doesn’t do anything half-ass and the musician friends he brought in were top notch. There is Jeff Beck, Elton John and Little Richard to name the A-Team. But the B-Team are no slouch either with Kenny Aronoff on drums, Robbin Crosy from Ratt, American Idol’s Randy Jackson and one of my favorite artists Aldo Nova. Jon would turn around and help Aldo for his next album ‘Blood on the Bricks’ where Jon and Aldo co-wrote all the songs together. The songs were not about rock & roll and girls anymore. Jon really pushed his boundaries and wrote about more mature subject matters, this would aid his future writing as we would see on future Bon Jovi albums.
The album came out on August 7, 1990 (that date will come up again in Jon’s world). The album would spawn four singles and reach #3 on the Billboard charts. The album sold over 2 million copies reaching Double Platinum in the States. The album wasn’t that much of a departure from Bon Jovi. It has the same cowboy rock style like their songs “Wanted Dead or Alive”, “Stick To Your Guns” and “Wild is the Wind”. So no surprise it did well. Also, Jon was the first with a solo album during this little break, but is it the best? We will see won’t we. Let’s get to the music.
While at a Record Show here in Charlotte, I came across some really great singles and here is the first of 3 I found at the show that were in phenomenal shape. The first is from the band Ratt and it is the first single off their 1990 album ‘Detonator’ called “Lovin’ You’s A Dirty Job”. The song never made the Top 40 but did go to #18 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart. The song was written by Stephen Pearcy, Juan Croucier, Warren DeMartini and Desmond Child who also produced the song and the album.
My version of the single is actually the UK version with “What’s It Gonna Be” as the B-Side. It was also the B-Side of the US version as well. Both songs appear to be the album version and not the Radio edits, but honestly, “Lovin’ You’s A Dirty Job” is such a short song already at 3:14 that no edit is really needed.
For My Sunday Song #260 and the final in the 10 song set is “Round and Round” by Ratt. The song is the first single off the band’s 1984 classic album ‘Out of the Cellar’. It reached #12 on the Hot 100 propelling the album to #7 and sells over 3 million copies in the U.S. alone. It broke the band in to one of the biggest acts in the world and the top acts in that whole 80’s Rock scene. The song was written by Warren DeMartini, Robbin Crosby and Stephen Pearcy.
The song is about a girl that he is really in to and he wants to be with her. She isn’t willing to give it up yet, but he knows he will get there in the end. The two go round and round playing all the games until the end and they both get what they knew would happen right from the start.
What makes the song great are those sleazy vocals by Stephen Pearcy matched perfectly with the nasty guitar riffs by Crosby and DeMartini and the dual solo, man, don’t get me started on that. It is all pure metal sleaze! The song is heavy, yet catchy as hell. The chorus is infectious and musically it is aggressive and pure fun. You can’t help but move and the song gets stuck in your head and can’t escape. It would be the blueprint of what was to hit the scene on the Sunset Strip and MTV for years to come!
Speaking of MTV, what really put this song over the top for the band was the video they released. Their manager at the time was Marshall Berle. Marshall had a pretty famous uncle that you might have heard of named Milton Berle, the legendary comedian. With his famous Uncle Miltie character dressed in drag, he makes an appearance in the video which draws it national attention. This video sums up the 80’s nicely.
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!!
2 Loud 2 Old Music 