Offstage, RATT may have been a band that delved into countless excesses, but the group's album's -- like many heavy metal records of the time period -- were to-the-point and refreshingly easy to grasp. Made for the masses, albums like Out of the Cellar (1984) and Dancing Undercover (1986) were chunky 10-song gems that little rockers like me could grasp right away, rife with clean-sounding riffs, exuberant solos by Warren DeMartini, swinging bass, booming drums and of course Stephen Pearcy's scratchy vocals, which may have defined RATT most of all. These guys were backstage sinners and proud of it, with sexually laden lyrics that bordered on the ridiculous. But RATT were also top-notch songwriters who proved to be a fun and worthwhile band to keep track of during the 1980s.
RATT's third record, "Reach for the Sky" (1988) displayed the band clicking on all cylinders. It begins with the rousing "City to City, one of my favorite RATT tunes ever. In it, you seem to hear a band running at full throttle, touring hard but not tired; musically jacked up but not yet jaded. Pearcy sounds as fierce as ever, and the song perfectly leads off an album that showcases RATT's ability to expand its sound just a bit. Mixed with pop elements ("I Want a Woman," "What's it Gonna Be"), a touch of vibrant blues-rock ("Way Cool Jr."), a mandatory ballad ("I Want to Love You Tonight") and some good -- if a bit formulaic -- hard rockers ("Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds You," "Chain Reaction," "No Surprise," "Bottom Line"), "Reach for the Sky" sticks close to the tried and true formula while tepidly branching out into other realms. Through it all, the impressive and underrated backing vocals of DeMartini, the late Robbin Crosby and Juan Croucier enhance each song and offer further depth behind Pearcy's equally large wails. Also of note is the album's mid-tempo closer, "What I'm After," which may have made a good radio single.
Far from earthy, RATT albums were usually always so cleanly produced by Beau Hill that they were impossible not to be drawn into, at least for me. Of course, it takes good songs to keep people engaged, and RATT had those in spades, too.
August 3, 2008 |  | 2 1/2, This is where Ratt starts to lose some steam |  |
Ratt was one of my favorite west coast metal bands of the 1980's. Even with the pop hits such as Round and Round, Slip of the Lip, Dance, and Lay it Down, they still had a certain edge to them, which sorted them from the cheesey hair metal bands such as Winger, Poison, and White Lion, just to name a few. The Hair metal scene was beginning just starting to peak in 1988, and this is where Ratt seemed to cross over to a more toned down, and much more corney sound. Gone where the edge of such songs as "I'm Insane, "Between the Eyes", and "7th Avenue", Ratt begins to lose their signiture sound. There are some bright spots on this album such as "City to City", "Way Cool Jr." "Chain Reaction" and "Bottom Line" but the rest is nothing more then listening to a glorified Poison or White Lion album. But then again its not "Detonator" ENjoy
January 31, 2008 | | Good Ratt N Roll, yes it's worth owning | |
Reach For The Sky is a good Ratt album. If you like this band, or are into other similar bands like Dokken or Motley Crue, Poison or Quiet Riot, this should be right up your alley. While I don't think this is Ratt's best album, it does contain some of Warren DeMartini's best guitar solos. Warren flat-out RIPS on a lot of these guitar lines, very cool stuff. If you own the first three Ratts (EP, OOTC, and IOYP) this would be a good purchase, especially if you can get it used for just a few bucks. Standout tracks: City To City, I Want A Woman, Way Cool Jr, Chain Reaction, No Surprise, What I'm After.
October 9, 2007 | | Reach For The Sky-Classic Ratt Rock! | |
If you like Ratt then you'll love this classic Ratt album.One of the first six albums by the original Ratt. All tracks are pure Ratt-N-Roll.
June 23, 2007| | | This is where they lost me | |
I had been a fan of this band from the EP, but this release changed my attitude. The pop overtones that began to leak from Dancing Undercover really come to the forefront. Perhaps it was the polished production, or the poppy chorus to 'I Want a Woman.' And although their musicianship became clear with the bluesy 'Way Cool Jr' that song was just too much of a departure for my taste. Otherwise, nothing stands out on this album- all the other songs had the same tone and there was no variation to Pearcy's vocal range- not that he ever had range. Same old, same old. I longed for the heavy stuff like "Wanted Man" or "You're In Love", but there is none of that on this album. They were clearly out for radio play here, and it shows badly. More Warrant than Megadeth- a bad move.
May 31, 2006More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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