The trademark sound of the California band Ratt made the band incredibly popular in the mid-80s. Charismatic performers conquered the listeners with the very first song released into rotation.
The history of the appearance of the Ratt team
San Diego native Stephen Pearcy took the first step towards creating a team. In the late 70s, he put together a small team called Mickey Ratt. Having existed for only a year, the team could not work together. All the musicians of the group left Stephen and decided to organize another creative project - "Rough Cutt".
The collapse of the original composition did not stop the vocalist's impulses. By 1982, the leader of the group had assembled a legendary line-up.
The original team included:
- Stephen Pearcy - vocals
- Juan Croucier - bass guitar
- Robbin Crosby - guitarist, songwriter
- Justin DeMartini - lead guitar
- Bobby Blotzer - drums
The trial demo-album of the classic line-up had a stunning response from the listeners. Thanks to the lead single "You Think You're Tough", the musicians were noticed by a major recording studio. The band's talent was appreciated by representatives of Atlantic Records. And already under their leadership, the team began to record subsequent hits.
The performance style of the Rhett group
The fresh, dynamic and melodic style of "heavy metal" fell in love with the extraordinary youth of that time. It was Ratt who popularized this progressive musical genre among listeners around the world. The youth liked the extravagant image of these impudent musicians.
Men with long voluminous hairstyles and bright eyeliner personified the depravity that so attracted listeners in the 80s. The harmoniously played parts of the guitarists, the rolling ringing of the drums and the hoarse vocals of the soloist are ideally embodied in the songs of the group. The so-called "hairy metal" is still associated among rock fans with the energetic members of the Ratt team.
Rise of Ratt's career
The band's debut album Out Of The Cellar, released in 1984, sold three million copies in the United States. Ratt's biggest hit is the single "Round and Round". It reached number 12 on the Billboard charts. The video for the song is firmly entrenched on all music TV channels. Then MTV aired it almost every hour.
The second disc of 1985 "Invasion Of Your Privacy" also entered the national top and received the title of "multi-platinum".
The collection became popular thanks to the compositions:
- "Lay It Down";
- "You're in Love";
- What You Give Is What You Get.
At the height of their fame, the band embarked on a long successful tour. The concerts were full house. The musicians performed with the legendary Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi and Ozzy Osbourne.
The group's third experimental album, Dancing Undercover, received mixed reviews from music critics. Despite this, the love of the fans allowed the record to keep the platinum status. The fourth collection "Reach For The Sky" was the last successful in the career of musicians.
For the entire period of existence, the group managed to release 8 albums. Of all the records that were written, only the first two enjoyed real success. The last discs written after the breakup could no longer boast of great demand.
The compositions from the last four albums seemed outdated to the public. At the same time, new young bands began to crowd out the group in the music market. Ballad singles became popular, which Ratt tried to avoid in his work.
Creative crisis
Not only the appearance of competitors caused discord in the team. The influence of alcohol and narcotic drugs significantly affected the creative activity. Dependence on illegal substances has led the musicians into a swamp of creative stagnation. After the criticism of the fourth album, Ratt changed the producer. This decision did not affect their expected takeoff. The next recorded album "Detonator" could only receive the "gold" status.
At the same time, main songwriter and lead guitarist Robbin Crosby was addicted to drugs. In the future, this led to the reduction of the original line-up to a quartet. Against the backdrop of the emergence of Nirvana, Ratt's records were not commercially successful.
Since 1991, the band's affairs have gone very badly - the band's founder Stephen Pearcy left the band. Following him, the rest of the team scattered in different groups. The last aggravating event that negatively affected the revival of the ensemble was the death of the lead guitarist in 2002.
Retirement of the members of Ratt
Despite periodic attempts to reunite the team, it was not possible to resurrect the once legendary group. The once successful team fell apart due to internal upheavals and changing musical trends. The group ceased its active development more than 20 years ago. Since 2007, Ratt's concert activity has been limited to occasional performances in small venues.
Today, only the vocalist of a popular group is actively involved in music. Stephen Pearcy continues solo work, as close as possible to the style of the group. Despite the lack of popularity of Ratt, their loyal fans do not forget. Even the crisis and termination of a career did not prevent the group from selling more than 1983 million albums worldwide since 20.
