Ratt

Out Of The Cellar (Atlantic ’84) Rating: B
Like so many bands, Ratt never topped their first album, Out Of The Cellar, though they had some hit singles (“You’re In Love,” “Lay It Down,” “Dance,” “Way Cool Jr.”) and successful albums thereafter (until Nevermind, anyway). Really, the only reason I’m reviewing this album is because I just finished reading David Konow’s enjoyable if hardly revelatory book, Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal, which mostly chronicles the rise and fall of the ‘80s L.A. “hair metal” bands like Ratt and which got me in a nostalgic mood. That said, songs such as “Wanted Man” and “Back For More,” on which Ratt hits on good riff-based grooves and adds catchy harmonized choruses, hold up extremely well, and “Round and Round” is still perfect in its catchy simplicity and deserves its status as a definitive ‘80s hard rock hit. Elsewhere, songs such as “You’re In Trouble,” “In Your Direction,” and “I’m Insane” are hopelessly generic, and “She Wants Money” is far worse than that. After all, there’s cheesy fun (“Lack Of Communication,” “Scene Of The Crime”) and then there’s bad cheesy, and I suppose that this album has its fair share of both, though fortunately the scale more often than not tips towards the fun side. Alas, the band’s limited musical skills (guitarist Warren DeMartini being easily the most accomplished band member) and lack of range, particularly singer Steven Pearcy, wears somewhat thin over the course of these 10 same-sounding songs. Then again, there’s not a power ballad in sight (that’s a good thing), and the band’s studio polished, pop friendly (and sometimes quite moody) hard rock sound (“metal” might be pushing it) goes down easy enough when the songwriting is up to snuff. As such, I consider Out Of The Cellar to be a patchy but often enjoyable guilty pleasure, even if it likely will be remembered as little more than a period piece from a less than sincere musical scene.

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