Tales Of A Ratt – Bobby Blotzer

Author: Bobby Blotzer

Released: 2010

Rating: ***

I read rock star auto bios like some women read trashy romance novels. I can’t get enough of them. Like those romance novels, these self-indulgent books often sound the same and share similar themes. The timelines are probably the best example I can think of. The stories usually start out by briefly describing the author’s childhood (some good, some bad). There is a lot of time spent detailing the star’s struggle to get a band together and that band’s quest for the big time. Eventually (or in some cases, inevitably) the band gets signed and their ride to super stardom soon follows. Of course, what goes up, must come down and in nearly every one of these stories, the band’s plummet from the top is nothing short of devastating. Most of the books end with the author and band proclaiming that they are beginning or embarking on a new “chapter” in their career. In most cases, this new “chapter” involves a renewed interest in the band’s music. More than likely, nostalgia has given the band a second chance at life, albeit a less spectacular version of their heyday. Throughout this somewhat predictable time line there’s plenty of booze, drugs, women and infighting.

When I heard that Bobby Blotzer (drummer for 80′s hair band, Ratt) was releasing an auto biography I was somewhat stunned, yet also very curious. Ratt was the first band that I fell in love with. Their debut album, Out Of The Cellar, was the one that got me hooked. Not only on Ratt, but on a genre of music. That being said, drummers usually aren’t the ones writing these tell all tales. Often times, you get the story from a lead singer, a lead guitarist or the entire band itself. Still, a part of me was dying to read this book. Ratt never made it as big as counterparts like Motley Crue or Poison and they were a lot more private about their story.

When I logged onto Amazon to order the book, I read a review that further increased my interest. I also noticed that this was not being released by a major publisher. Within a week the book had arrived and a few days later I finished reading it. Must have been a good read, right? Not necessarily.

On some levels the book was very good. Blotzer does a good job of detailing his early years on the Sunset Strip music scene. If you are a fan of the 80′s hair bands then you will recognize almost all of the names of bands and players that Blotzer talks about. He also does a good job of describing Ratt’s early years, including their eventual rise to fame. It doesn’t take long for the reader to discover that Blotzer feels he is better than most people, including nearly every one of his band mates. Throughout the entire book he offers back-handed compliments and insults about Warren De Martini, Stephen Pearcy and Juan Croucier as well as other L.A. musicians. Some I happen to agree with, others I tend to question. He manages to steer clear of insulting Robin Crosby, probably because he’s dead.

Blotzer would have the reader believe that in some ways, he was the glue that held the band together. He also reminds the reader numerous times throughout the book that he is a businessman and a damn good one. Not sure I agree. He boasts (on more than one occasion) about his ability to drive well while intoxicated and defends that he never should have received a DUI because he drives better  when he is drunk. He also makes it clear that Ratt was not a “drug” band, but points out that Pearcy smokes weed almost constantly and, oh yeah, Crosby died from a heroin overdose.

And Blotzer? Well, in almost every one of his stories he confesses to doing “blow”. He somehow defends this and feels it’s not a habit or addiction because, as he says, “never carries the stuff.” He discusses an evening that occurred in recent years where his then girlfriend interrupted a get together he was having with friends. It was a week night and she was upset about the noise when she was trying to sleep. Blotzer describes the situation by stating that they were just drinking and listening to music and he was doing some blow, “You know, so I could keep drinking.” I am by no means a prude. I wouldn’t read these books if drug use offended me. I just find it completely absurd that he spends half the book defending that he does not have a problem with booze or drugs and the other half talking about doing both.

Toward the very end of the book, after he had described several failed relationships with women half his age, he proclaims that the majority of women in this world have a “princess syndrome”. He just alienated half of his possible audience, which, to me, is very bad business.

Am I being incredibly harsh? Perhaps, but I have read a lot of these type of books and understand why the work. Most of these books describe behavior that the average person would view as unacceptable and in some cases downright repulsive. The way a book like this succeeds is getting the reader to somehow feel empathy for the author, which allows them to forgive them for the things they’ve done. This never happens in Tales Of A Ratt. Honestly, by the end of the book I had determined that Bobby Blotzer seems like a somewhat unlikable person. He manages to point out how unlikable many of his contemporaries are including; Don Dokken, Marq Torien, Blackie Lawless and Tracii Guns, to name a few. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard such things about this cast of characters, but I’d also heard some choice comments made about Mr. Blotzer.

The story of Ratt itself is a heartbreaking one. I’d always known that Ratt was a band that struggled to get along over the years. I wasn’t truly aware how much these guys really don’t like each other. Most shocking is that they were struggling to get along while recording their first album, Out Of The Cellar. Blotzer manages to point out that bassist and Motley Crue mastermind Nikki Sixx is an “ego maniac”. At the same time, he seems genuinely regretful that Ratt never achieved Motley’s level of success, pointing out that the band’s 1990 album Detonator was supposed to be their Dr. Feelgood. Typically, for a band to attain Motley style success they need some sort of vision and a monster sized ego doesn’t hurt either. After completing this book, it became clear to me that Ratt never really had a vision for their career beyond “making it” and that no one in the band every really took control and tried to steer the ship. Blotzer often refers to them as “rock’s underachievers” or “rock’s unluckiest band”. I couldn’t agree more.

This was a low-budget project that at times seems to have skipped the editing process. Portions of the story are repeated unnecessarily and there are some blatant mistakes. Take for example, this excerpt: “First, let me stipulate the ages, so you can get an understanding. When I met Traci, she was 22 and I was 38; 14 year gap. Misty was 21 when I was 41; 19 year gap.” Clearly, this must be new math. There is one moment in the book that is extremely honest, where the reader actually feels bad for Bobby Blotzer and Ratt. After the band broke up (the first time) Blotzer embarked on several business ventures, including a steam cleaning business. He was cleaning a hole-in-the-wall apartment when he looked out the window and saw the L.A. Forum. It was a humbling moment for Blotzer realizing that just a few years earlier his band was selling out arenas like the Forum all over the country and now he was cleaning carpets. Overall, Tales Of A Ratt is interesting enough and diehard Ratt fans will enjoy the book. If you’ve never heard of Bobby Blotzer (which is very likely) and want to read this sort of book, there are better ones to start with.

Detonator – Ratt

Producer: Sir Arthur Payson

Released: August 21, 1990

Rating: *** 1/2

Following up the Reach For The Sky debacle with a better album wouldn’t have been a difficult task for Ratt. By 1990 the band was definitely in trouble, but they still had enough left in the tank to knock out one last decent album. Fitting that it was released as hair metal was gasping for its last breath.

Liner notes and credits often tell the true story of an album. A quick look at the liner notes for Detonator reveal that nine songs were co-written by Desmond Child and the tenth was co-written by Diane Warren. I don’t have a problem with song writers like Desmond Child, but I do understand their purpose. Desmond Child writes formulaic, familiar sounding songs and he does it very, very well. He’s worked with KISS, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and Ricky Martin. Yes, THAT, Ricky Martin. Some of hits include; Angel, Poison, Livin’ On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name, Bad Medicine, I Hate Myself For Loving You, I Was Made For Loving You, Hide Your Heart, Living La Vida Loca, She Bangs and many others. Yes, he’s THAT good.

Clearly Child is capable of getting an artist massive airplay. And that is precisely what record labels are counting on. I’ve always believed that a song writer like Desmond Child is brought in at a point when a band is creatively bankrupt. Again, I have nothing against the guy. When you’re talking about an “artist” like Ricky Martin, having Desmond Child pen a bunch of mega-hits makes complete sense. Ricky is an entertainer (and a good one). He’s not known for his ability to write a hit song (and there is nothing wrong with that). On the other hand, a band like Ratt made a name for themselves playing their songs on The Sunset Strip. Songs they wrote, not songs written by a “hit maker”.

Let’s take a few steps back. Ratt was one of the original hair bands. Along with Motley Crue, Quiet Riot and W.A.S.P. Ratt helped blaze an Aqua Net trail in the early 80′s. They were hair metal long before the label had ever been created. Their success was based on scorching live performances of songs written solely by the band. Good songs. By the late 80′s, Ratt was imploding. Drug abuse, internal conflicts and pressure from their label were tearing the band apart. Rock’s biggest cliché. The solution? Call in the hit makers. The results? Not terrible, to be honest.

On paper I should hate this album. The problem is, the production and, quite honestly, Warren De Martini’s playing make this an extremely listenable album, from start to finish. Warren’s sound and style on Detonator is extremely bluesy. While not the blistering style that made him famous, De Martini’s playing actually elevates these lackluster, by the book tunes to another level. I’ll always prefer that a band write their own tunes, but rock n’ roll cliché’s can make this a challenge, at times.

Lucky for Ratt, there are more than a few good tracks on Detonator, including; Shame, Shame, Shame, Lovin’ You’s A Dirty Job, Scratch That Itch, Hard Time, Heads I Win, Tail You Lose, Can’t Wait On Love and Top Secret. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but that is quite alright. The album and songs work.

Reach For The Sky was a disaster. The band needed to regain their focus. Detonator helped them do that. Unfortunately, it was also the last album that the original line-up would record. I would have preferred that they continue on after this album. Unfortunately, it’d be almost a decade before Ratt released their next album of original material and the songs weren’t nearly as impressive as those found on Detonator.

Hardly the bands best effort, Detonator serves as a guilty pleasure for fans of the genre. Don’t  pass it up.

Reach For The Sky – Ratt

Producer: Beau Hill and Mike Stone

Released: November 1, 1988

Rating: * 1/2

This is the first time I recall having to try and convince myself to like an album. I was 14 years old when this album was released and my loyalties still ran pretty deep when it came to the bands I listened to. I was incapable of acknowledging a failure when I heard one. When Reach For The Sky was released I told myself (and others) that it was “awesome”, but found myself skipping a lot of tunes (most of them actually) to get to the few I enjoyed.

Truth be told, this album is a mess. In retrospect, the album cover should have been the first indicator that Reach For The Sky was going to fall short of the bands previous efforts. Way short. I’ve spent 21 years trying discern what this album cover could possibly represent and I simply can’t get past the wicker chair. As they say, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, or in this case an album. Fact is, if the songs kicked ass I probably wouldn’t have bothered mentioning piss poor album artwork.

Unfortunately, the songs are the real problem here. The albums only real highlights are the two singles, I Want A Woman and Way Cool Jr. Classic Ratt tunes that have remained fan favorites for the last two decades. The eight other tracks? Don’t Bite The Hand That Feeds and No Surprise are pretty decent songs, but the rest of the album is totally forgettable. I’ve asked myself if this is simply a bad Ratt album or if it indeed sucks. Unfortunately, Reach For The Sky would be a bad album, no matter who recorded it.

One look at the album notes reveals that producer Beau Hill is credited with co-writing six of the ten songs. This isn’t necessarily bad unless the band was having trouble writing their own tunes (they were). As the story goes, Mike Stone was initially asked to produce the album until an album exec from Atlantic heard some preliminary recordings. He was not impressed and recruited Beau Hill as a “cleaner” to come in and fix the problem. He’d worked with the band on their previous three albums, yielding platinum results. On paper it was a good idea, but the results were less than impressive.

By the time 1988 had rolled around, Ratt had earned a vacation and that probably would have yielded better results than studio time. Some bands pour their heart and souls into albums that are never meant to be. The album might be a train wreck, but you can tell they had a vision and tried. Reach For The Sky sounds completely uninspired. As if they didn’t give a shit. I’m guessing they didn’t. Neither did the record buying public.

Dancing Undercover – Ratt

Producer: Beau Hill

Released: August 9, 1986

Rating: *** 1/2

I had a very difficult time not giving this album a **** rating. At the end of the day, I didn’t think it was appropriate to give Dancing Undercover the same rating as Out Of The Cellar. It’s a good album, but not that good. That being said, Dancing Undercover was probably the last great album Ratt recorded (although I happen to like Detonator).

Dancing Undercover was Ratt’s third album and tour in as many years. The band enjoyed immediate success with Out Of The Cellar and their label (Atlantic) made sure to keep them on the road or in the studio at all times. It’s the way many labels used to operate and it’s a classic recipe for burn-out. If you listen closely to Dancing Undercover you can hear a band starting to crumble. It’s not obvious, but at the end of the somewhat short 35 minutes, the listener is left feeling as if the album falls a tad short.

Is the album bad? Absolutely not. There are some classic Ratt gems on Dancing Undercover including Dance, One Good Lover, Body Talk, Looking For Love and 7th Avenue. It doesn’t stop there. It Doesn’t Matter is a kick ass, rarely mentioned track, but the albums highlight is, without a doubt, Slip Of The Lip. This tune has an impossible-to-forget riff and catchy-as-hell chorus. These are actually my favorite Pearcy lyrics.

After nearly a quarter century, Dancing Undercover has aged surprisingly well. I always felt that the band was aiming for a more mature, “classier” sound on this album compared to their first two efforts. In retrospect, I’m not sure if they succeeded, so much as it sounds different than Out Of The Cellar and Invasion Of Your Privacy. It’s all here. Warren De Martini’s licks might be a tad more laid back (Robin Crosby actually played lead on Drive Me Crazy and Looking For Love), but Pearcy’s signature snarl won’t let you forget that this is pure Ratt.

Ditching the scantily clad babes in favor of individual shots of the band, the cover, for whatever reason, seems pure 80′s to me. Perhaps it just reminds me of a moment in my own history. As I write this review, Ratt is preparing the release of a new album in 2010, their first in 10 years. Warren De Martini has described the new album as a combination of Dancing Undercover and their self titled EP. If that’s true, than the new album should kick ass. If either one of those albums were released in 2010 I’d say, “Job well done, boys.”

Invasion Of Your Privacy – Ratt

 

Producer: Beau Hill

Released: June 13, 1985

Rating: *****

For whatever reason, time hasn’t been as kind to Ratt as it has to other hair bands. By that, I mean they are primarily remembered for their song Round And Round (from their debut album, Out Of The Cellar) when in fact they were more than relevant throughout the duration of the entire genre. Invasion Of Your Privacy is proof positive that Ratt was one of hair metal’s heavy hitters.

Following up their explosive debut was no easy task. Out Of The Cellar was an enormous success and helped break the doors wide open for all the hair bands that would follow. By 1985 hair metal was set to explode, so the stage was set for multi-platinum success. Ratt probably could have written a hit single, surrounded it with filler and the album would have, at the very least, sold moderately well. Fortunately for Ratt fans, they wrote an album that was all killer and no filler.

The album opens up with three classic hair metal tracks. With its staccato riff, You’re In Love picks up where Out Of The Cellar left off. With a killer guitar solo, the uptempo Never Use Love is without a doubt one of hair metals most underrated songs. Lay It Down was the albums first single and is a guitar player’s wet dream. As if the opening riff isn’t enough, the guitar solo is probably my favorite of all time. The muted run that Warren De Martini plays toward the end sends chills up my spine every time I hear it. This is the solo I wish I’d written. With a killer chorus, laid back rhythm and another top notch guitar solo Give It All is up next followed by the pseudo-ballad Closer To My Heart.

If there’s any doubt that Stephen Pearcy is capable of delivering first class performances, check out his opening vocal to Between The Eyes. One of his best tunes, this is signature Pearcy. What You Give Is What You Get contains another killer riff following both of the chorus sections. The solo ain’t bad either. This is one of those albums that is loaded with so many killer riffs that it makes it seem easy. Got Me On The Line is perhaps the albums only weak track, but even at that it the song has great background vocals. Closing the album are two of the bands best tracks, one of which is my all time favorite Ratt song. You Should Know By Now is classic Ratt. With its gang style vocals, the section immediately following the solo (another killer) is textbook hair metal. Dangerous But Worth The Risk is not only my favorite Ratt tune, but it’s also one of the genre’s least talked about gems. A great vocal track, a couple of kick ass riffs and an extremely catchy chorus help make this the album’s best track.

Invasion Of Your Privacy succeeds on many levels. All the songs were written by the bands five members, without the help of outside song writers. The album is superbly produced by Beau Hill. When you hear terms like slickly produced or very polished this is the type of album they are referring to. The album’s sound is “bright” and that lends itself well to the overall upbeat mood of the album. Invasion Of Your Privacy also showcases Warren De Martini’s best work. This album is a virtual clinic in hair metal guitar.  I guess if you haven’t given it a spin in a long time it might sound dated, but since I listen to it on a regular basis (a couple times a month) Invasion Of Your Privacy is one of those timeless hair metal classics.

Out Of The Cellar – Ratt

 

Producer: Beau Hill

Released: March 27, 1984

Rating: ****

If you are a music geek like me (and if you are reading my blog, I assume you are), you can certainly recall the first few albums that ignited the flame. Growing up, almost all of my heroes pointed to seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan as the moment that changed their lives. For me, it was a similar moment, although not career defining moment (I can’t play the guitar to save my life). I’ll never forget the “debut” of Ratt’s Round And Round on Chicago’s WLS. Keep in mind, I was 10 years old when this album was released and this was all the kids in school were talking about the next day.

Sure, up to that point I had a few albums of the day that were popular. Michael Jackson’s Thriller was an absolute sensation that every kid with a pulse owned in 1982. I was smart enough to realize and understand that Thriller was hugely popular. I think even back then, though, I accepted the fact that I owned the album because everyone else did (that being said, it is a good album). By 1983 and 1984 the musical landscape was beginning to change. Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister and Def Leppard were all charting hits. Van Halen released 1984, a mega-successful album and Motley Crue would release their breakthrough album, Shout At The Devil.

For some reason, it was Out Of The Cellar that changed things for me. I owned Metal Health, Stay Hungry, Pyromania and 1984 (Crue’s Shout The Devil didn’t come until a few years later), but it was this album that made me appreciate why the other albums were as awesome as they are. I knew that Thriller was popular, but the minute I heard Ratt’s Round And Round I learned what “cool” was. I had to have the album. Despite a rather risqué cover, my mother bought the album for me. To this day, I’ve owned at least three copies of Out Of The Cellar.

I was immediately drawn in by the sound and (even if I didn’t know what it was at the time) production of the album. The first copy of Out Of The Cellar that I owned was a cassette and I can remember not being able to fast forward and flip the tape fast enough as each side ended. I listened to this album non-stop. Upon hearing Ratt, I wanted to absorb as much of them as I could. Once I discovered what the band looked like, I began buying every metal magazine on the rack I could find. My walls were immediately plastered with pictures of Stephen Pearcy, Warren De Martini, Robin Crosby, Juan Croucier and Bobby Blotzer. Ratt became my first drug. As cool as the songs were, the band looked even better and added and entirely new dimension to the music.

The question is, 25 years later does the music hold up? Obviously, the song Round And Round has stood the test of time, but in 2009 the rest of the album sounds pretty damn good as well. Wanted Man and Back For More have always been and remain fan favorites. The hair metal genre, for whatever reason, had a fascination with the cowboy/outlaw lifestyle and Wanted Man is one of the best example you’ll find. Singles aside, the album also boasts several other hair metal masterpieces including In Your Direction (my favorite cut from the album and one of my favorite Ratt tunes), She Wants Money, Morning After and Scene Of The Crime. Ratt’s sound was slick and precise. As much as this genre became a cliche by the end of the decade, in 1984 this sound was unlike anything anyone had ever heard.

Out Of The Cellar wasn’t just Ratt’s breakthrough album, but it also introduced the world to one of the premier axe slingers of the day, Warren De Martini. Out Of The Cellar showcased some awesome licks from De Martini, but his best was yet to come. Helping Out Of The Cellar stand out in a crowd was a unforgetable album cover featuring, then unknown, Tawny Kitaen.

Ratt helped pave the way for a lot of hair bands, many of which experienced more success than they did. I never quite understood why Ratt is largely (solely?) remembered for Round And Round when the band had several hit albums and a slew of hit singles throughout their heyday. Regardless, there is no denying that Out Of The Cellar was not only a groundbreaking album for the genre, but in 2009 remains a kick ass album from start to finish. This is one of those moments where everything came together at the right time. If Round And Round is all you remember, I encourage you to rediscover why Ratt was so much more than a one hit wonder.