Classic Albums: Ratt - Out of the Cellar

After a well-received, self-titled independent EP, Ratt signed with Atlantic Records and immediately started writing and recording what would be its first proper album Out of the Cellar. Released in March 1984, the breakthrough album was critically praised by both fans and critics alike at the time of its release. Milton Berle's guest appearance, dressed in his Uncle Miltie drag character, in the video for "Round and Round" helped draw even more attention to the band.
Out of the Cellar combined the then-prevalent Van Halen and Aerosmith influenced bravado elements with the then-novel muted, staccato guitar-picking style of Judas Priest.
The album scored much radio and MTV play with the blockbuster anthem "Round and Round" (which peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100), "Wanted Man", "Back for More", and "Lack of Communication". Pearcy's raspy yet bluesy vocals melded well with the pyrotechnic guitar playing of twin leads Robbin Crosby and Warren DeMartini. Their music videos, especially for that of "Round and Round", exposed them to an impressionable teen audience first tuning into the then fledgling MTV cable network.

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Out of the Cellar became a commercial success, going platinum many times over in the United States as well as making them stars in the Far East. The album catapulted the band to the top, capped off by an incredibly successful world tour that saw the band sell out countless stadiums and arenas worldwide. Out of the Cellar is today widely regarded as the band's best work and a definitive moment in 80s heavy metal.
Legendary 80's Redhead Sex Bomb Tawny Kitaen,, who'd graced the cover of the band's EP from the previous year, agreed to appear on the cover of their debut full-length album. She also appeared in their video for "Back For More". Video also features a cameo appereance by Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee of Mötley Crue.



This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Out of the Cellar and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.