Home » Music » 80s Music » Glam Rock : RATT

Glam Rock : RATT

© Michele Morabito

RATT were one of the most prolific bands in the mid-80s.

Here is the current news of RATT via their Official Site: 

• RATT signed with SONY Records Wednesday, June 24, 1998!!
• The band is currently finishing up new songs with producer, Richie Zito. The current release date is January 1999. New songs include: "Ain't It So Good"; "Luv Sick"; "Tug Of War".
• RATT will be doing selected shows in the mid-summer [1998]. U.S. only. Set to include new songs.
• RATT records will be re-issuing "RATT the E.P." sometime late in summer '98.
• It also seems the band is also busy constructing a brand new, state-of-the-art, "RATT Central" in LA LA Land, California.

Back to the beginning, the band still is Warren DeMartini, Stephen Pearcy (vocals), and Bobby Blotzer (drums/percussion). Juan Couchier is now longer part of the band but Robbie Crane now is.

Their first album was the self-titled RATT in 1983; It had an "ugly cover album" with lady leg with rats crawling up them. The next year came Out of the Cellar with a hit of "Round and Round." This album had a slightly better cover with a lady crawling toward fire in a cellar.

In 1985, RATT released Invasion of Your Privacy with - guess what - a lady in her bedroom as the cover. Next up was Dancing Undercover in 1986. Surprisingly, this one had their mugs on the cover. This albums hits included "Dance", "Slip of the Lip" and "Body Talk." The band had a bit of a break which seems to be common amongst the glamrockers.

Reach for the Sky didn't come out until 1988 and the only song off that was "Way Cool Jr." The cover was light in color with mythical figures in the sky. Detonator came out in 1990 without much fanfare.

It seems that RATT was also lost in the grunge explosion in the early '90s. The cover seems to have been an omen; it was of a city being destroyed. However, they did do an MTV Unplugged with Vixen in 1990.

A greatest hits CD called Ratt-n-Roll 8191 (get it? 1981-91) had a red cover with their images on it. After this came out, it seems there was a very extended vacation for the band for another album did not come out until 1997's Collage with a corresponding purple album cover.

According to the official site, they have wrapped up a tour supporting this CD. It seems RATT is also making a comeback!