Tuesday Two-Fer, VI: RATT
From our friend HIM.
Where would we be without Ratt and the constant drama? I like to think we would be doing fine, reminiscing about how damn great these fellows were in their day. It wasn’t complicated. It wasn’t fancy. It was rock, stuffed with socks and amazing riffs and whatever it was that Croucier was doing.
First Pick: “Lack of Communication,” Out Of The Cellar (1984):
It would be so easy to pick the low-hanging fruit. But I won’t. Nope. I go with a song that just screams, from the first static-filled sound, “this is gonna melt your skull and you will smile while it does.” And I did. And I still do. Sure, they were talking about our inability to truly communicate with each . . . really? Was that what you wanted from them? Nah.
Second Pick: “Wanted Man,” Out Of The Cellar (1984):
Give Blotz his due. For as much of a liquor-inspired buffoon as he can be nowadays, this song is his to set up and he nails it. That is his sound. Full stop. We know it. So does he. He might not have contributed much else. But we know the Blotz when he drums and when he, well, shares with his fans. But this song is a straight-ahead dose of gun-slinging metal. The idea that these guys would last a day in the old West is laughable. Here is a test though: tell that to Crosby. I dare you.
Questionable-ish Mention: “Lovin’ You Is A Dirty Job,” Detonator (1990):
Not a bad late career (pre-Infestation and implosion) song from them. But “I’ve got the glue to glue it”? Really? That is all you guys could twist into a lyrical knot? What? Was Desmond Child sniffing glue when you penned that nugget? For some reason, that horrid line always trips me up.