Ratt - Dancing Undercover

Confident `RATT Gang' was peaking in 1986

The central themes to RATT's "Dancing Undercover" are mostly these: Have a good time, be sure to have an even better time and, by the way, just have the best time of your life. And all things considered, I suppose there's something a little off kilter with a bunch of macho heavy metal dudes dancing the night away, so perhaps the band was right on target when it named this CD. Thankfully, though, "Dancing Undercover" is a happy median of sorts for RATT, halfway between the gritty metal pop blast of Out of the Cellar but also showing signs of a more commercial direction that would be overly evident on future records. This is the third of RATT's six studio records, and it really does display the band in fine fighting form and nicely hitting its stride.

Stephen Pearcy and the "RATT Gang" always started their CDs off in a fiery, loud, in-your-face manner, and this album is no exception. "Dance," "One Good Lover," "Drive Me Crazy" and "Body Talk" are all sex-crazed, chorus-heavy and self-explanatory tunes just itching to be played in the nearest 16,000-seat arena. The single "Slip of the Lip," meanwhile, is one of RATT's best-ever songs, a slickly worded, truly catchy song that contains honest-to-God groove -- this band's specialty.

Rather than coming off as a letdown, "Side 2" of this CD also boasts great tunes and is, in some ways, a little more musically diverse and interesting. The vibe on the back half of the album is a little less pumped up but the songs are every bit as grabbing -- to the point that they may even exceed the first five songs. Of particular note is another great groover, "7th Avenue," but the screw-`em-all attitude heard on "It Doesn't Matter" is cool, too. "Enough is Enough," the final tune, starts off with Pearcy's stark lone voice coupled with an equally isolated guitar. The song, due to its pleading, slightly desperate tone from Pearcy, is oddly touching despite simple lyrics. It's the closest thing to a ballad on this rock-heavy album, and it may just be, surprisingly, the best song within a slew of 10 greats from the mighty RATT.


August 14, 2008

ratt n roll, right on

Generally, in my opinion Ratt's albums follow a decline from the beginning of their career to the end (when Robbin died, that was "the end" of Ratt in my opinion). Now, that's not to say that the albums from the tail end of Ratt's catalog are bad, because they're not. If you like Ratt, all of their CDs are pretty good, but I'd say Dancing Undercover is about their 3rd or 4th best effort, behind the Ratt EP, Out of the Cellar, and Invasion of Your Privacy. Dancing Undercover and Reach For The Sky are both solid CDs, and Detonator is kind of a small step down from those. Crosby was still contributing to the material during this one, and Warren DeMartini's guitar solos are breathtaking as usual. Even Ratt's "4th best album" is better than most mainstream rock music and worthy of admiration from rockers of any age. If you like the music from the LA glam scene of the 1980s, or are into bands like Motley Crue, Skid Row, Kiss... Ratt's Dancing Undercover is a CD worth checking out. Standout tracks: Dance, Body Talk, Slip of the Lip. October 23, 2007

Killer Album

"Dancing Undercover" is one of Ratts best albums. It's definitely worth the the money. Nearly every song is killer... September 16, 2007

I really

enjoy this..It's got very (even if some women don't eNjoy dancing to this..)sexy riffs..I know it's not the choice perhaps of (but their sisters look like rockers..)real estate agentS..(I like nice looking women..They may not understand..)but they shouldn't rUle out the power of sex and young thinking..(even if it's just with husbands..)leather rules..It's not like the guys in ratt are bad looking either!Creative riffing in "Slip of the Lip" rules..(God her kids so cute..squeeze those cheeks!) July 27, 2007

RATT's most underrated album

RATT's third album "Dancing Undercover" (1986) sounds a lot like the first two; Van Halen/KISS derivative hard-rock with a lot of impressive, screeching solos, songs concerning sexual escapades and melodic, sing-along choruses. This time around, however, while the writing is still strong, the songs have a certain looseness to them. The album's hit singles "Dance," "Slip of the Lip" and "Body Talk" have a certain swagger, a groove that makes them utterly irresistible. The rest of the album is also quite good, if not as strong as the singles.

"Dancing Undercover" is probably RATT's most underrated album, and I would rank it my second favorite of theirs right after the classic debut "Out of the Cellar." This isn't mold-breaking profound stuff here, but it is good, solid 80s rock. There isn't a lot of filler or obligatory generic power ballads on "Dancing Undercover;" in fact, there are no ballads at all. This album is ten songs worth of dated but totally fun, infectious pop-metal that fans of the genre will love.

"Dancing Undercover" has the advantage of not having any of its singles played to death on 80s comps or "retro-lunch" radio programs, so for those that love 80s melodic hard-rock, listening to this album will be a fresh and rewarding experience. June 29, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...