Out of the Cellar

Ratt's debut album Out of the Cellar is often referred to as Glam and Hair Metal but truth is, Out of the Cellar was very much what would be considered a metal album during the 1980's, and at that point in 1984 it certainly was metal. Ratt is in fact a little edgier than many of the other glam bands and had more in common with Motley Crue than Poison. The band is one of the better Glam bands, one of those that really are worth listening to as they had a certain attitude that made them interesting and less of a "soft" band than other Glam bands. Out of the Cellar is very much a masterpiece of Glam Metal just like Led Zeppelin IV is an essential Hard-rock album, just like British Steel is an iconic Metal album, just like Master of Puppets is a masterpiece of Thrash Metal. OOTC is one of the best of its kind is what I mean, it's one of the best Glam AND 1980's rock albums.

When people think of Ratt the first song that usually comes to mind is Round and Round and it's definitely the band's signature song. The band had the right timing with this song and its video which MTV aired quite a lot back then. However, there is a lot more to Ratt than this great song. Opening track Wanted Man is an excellent opener, very edgy and heavy, one of the album's best songs. You're In Trouble is very enjoyable, a good catchy song that has all the right elements which makes OOTC a strong album. I quite like Lack of Communication, Pearcy sounds very energetic and angry on this one, lots of attitude. Back For More is an amazing rocking ballad, it rocks and it's not a power ballad, it just has a soft chorus and it's one of the album's strongest tracks. Morning After and I'm Insane are good rockers. I'm not a huge fan of She Wants Money but those 10 tracks rock and together make a very good album. Point is, although I have not gone through all the album's songs, that there is more to Ratt and Out of the Cellar than Round and Round.

Stephen Pearcy's vocals are effective, he has a good strong voice with a certain uniqueness to it. His vocals are different in that they're not as high pitched or soft as many of the Glam band frontmans. Robbin Crosby and Warren Demartini are excellent guitarist providing great riffs and neat solos. I like the tight and dirty rhythm section of Juan Croucier and Bobby Blotzer (Blotzer especially is an underrated drummer, just listen to the time changes he makes and his constant, solid drumming). I just love the overall feeling, there's a certain youthful innocence to Out of the Cellar that was captured on record and that's very representative of the scene at time in L.A.

Unfortunately for Ratt it doesn't get any better than this. They could never outdo their debut album although they have released some good albums afterwards such as Invasion of Your Privacy and Dancing Undercover. With respect to the bands other albums (I really like IOYP and the more recent Infestation), Out of the Cellar remains the best Ratt album and the only one that would be considered essential for a hard rock/metal collection. I know I've spent more than my share of time spinning this album "Round and Round"! If you're a fan of 1980's metal and Glam then this one is not to be missed. Not perfect but then again, Ratt never aimed to be. 4.5/5 stars for this one, very recommended.

I'm glad that I have this album in my collection. I really do like this album. There are about two songs in which I'm not too crazy for, but besides that, a very good debut album. I will be getting another Ratt album in the future because I know it's going to live up to the debut release.

This is one of my all-time favorite CDs. It is the example of 80's hair metal in a nutshell: the makeup and the hairspray, the catchy chorus, the pink Epiphone Explorers. The album kicks off with the heavy Wanted Man, then comes the best hair metal song ever, Your'e In Trouble. Every inch of that song is all hair metal should be. It also has one of the best choruses known to man. Then comes Ratt's only Top Twenty hit, Round And Round. Then all the other songs in their hairsprayed, spandexed glory. The album closes with the cool but rather repetitive Scene Of The Crime. This is one of the greatest albums ever.