Ratt was one of the big names of the 1980s glam metal scene; the band enjoyed significant commercial success during the decade with hits including “Round and Round” and “Wanted Man”. They shifted an estimated 18 million units worldwide and feature in the VH1 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. The rise of grunge dented their sales but with only a brief break from 1992-1996 they have continued to record and tour to the present day.
The band formed in 1976 as Mickey Ratt and released one single before changing their name to Ratt in 1981. With the line-up settled by 1982 the band was in a position to release their debut EP, Ratt EP in 1983 which went on to sell over a million copies. Out of the Cellar, the debut long player, was released in 1984 and became a multi-platinum seller, spawning several hits in the singles charts. The follow-up, Invasion of Your Privacy, was similarly well received though it sold comparatively badly - “only” two million copies. The Playboy-themed cover art attracted the venom of anti-sleaze campaigner Tipper Gore, though this may actually have improved sales.
Subsequent albums fared less well with Reach for the Sky (1988) proving to be particularly unloved by the critics - but the album had been recorded against a backdrop of spiralling substance abuse. When Detonator hit the stores in 1990, it was the first of their releases not to achieve a platinum certification, and nor has any Ratt album released since.
