Ratt
If you ever wanted a quick reference to where your favorite hair metal band got their start, check out this Hair Metal History Map put together by Phil D.
Phil writes… “I spent dozens of hours putting it together and now, I’m trying to share it with those who would appreciate it! It is a work in progress and I would love any suggestions or input!”
Band choices were made based on the look, subject matter, attitude, lifestyle, time period, influence, affiliated bands, radio/TV play, and Phil’s memory.
Click on any band photo to see where they are from. You can also click the ‘Timeline’ tab that will show the hair metal movement origins in 1977 and where it grew across the U.S. and Europe through 1994.
Thanks for the great work Phil!
Welcome to a Monday. We’re those old fuckers that play those old heavy metal songs. METAL SHOP rolls out kick ass 80’s metal and hard rock 24/7.
All your favorites are always in the mix, including IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, METALLICA, DIO, MÖTLEY CRÜE, MEGADETH, QUEENSRŸCHE, SCORPIONS, RATT, SLAYER, and more.
Listen also for the new ANTHRAX… ‘Evil Twin’ is coming up soon. The new album ‘For All Kings’ is excellent and cracked the U.S. Top 10 in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart.
In a recent interview with vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS, he said “we’re not considered one of the [so-called] “Big Four” [of 1980s thrash metal, which consists of METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX], and I hate that phrase. METALLICA is by far the biggest band in the world, so to put the other three in that category? No disrespect to MEGADETH, ANTHRAX or SLAYER; I love all of those bands, but I lived in the Bay Area when metal was being born, and everybody wanted to be like EXODUS. That goes from POSSESSED, LEGACY, DEATH ANGEL. It was not necessarily METALLICA, it was EXODUS. So, to me, that was the band that innovated and started it out.”
Checkout this video an IRON MAIDEN fan uploaded of the official and bootleg merchandise stands at the band’s March 3rd concert at Palacio De Los Deportes in Mexico City. METAL SHOP’s Ralph Cartel noted that in Las Vegas, the official merchandise booth was out of control. In Mexico though, not a soul is buying a t-shirt inside the venue but if you go outside it’s a whole different story.
Former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider is currently on tour where he is performing ACCEPT songs one last time before he closes the chapter for good, saying “I wanna close, like a book, and say, ‘Okay, that’s it. I read it.’ Sometimes you have to come to an end with something. I wanna close up everything with ACCEPT. Click Here to read more and see video footage from Friday’s show in Jyväskylä, Finland.
Happy Birthday to Linda Jarota listening to METAL SHOP in Pennsylvania, Chris Hiles listening in Washington State, Tony Nicholl listening in the U.K., and Jorge Zorrilla Diaz listening in Peru.
Have a good one all and stay dry out there.
Oh, it’s good to be back from the dead. Less than 24 hours ago, a major Internet outage knocked thousands of radio stations off the air, including METAL SHOP and HAIR BAND RADIO. All are back now, so your days and nights can again be filled with 80’s metal and hard rock.
It appears the outage may have effected everything else as well because it’s been a slow news day. However, I did come across this interesting interview from last month with SLAYER and EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt, who was asked about how he previously admitted he was a fan of RATT with thrash and glam metal being enemies in the ’80s. When asked why Ratt in particular stood out as opposed to other bands from the genre, Holt said: “The talent! Warren DeMartini is one of the best guitar players on Earth, with some of the best riffs. His solos are incredible. So I mean, I think that’s where it starts. A guy like me, who was raised since the birth of thrash metal and hair bands were like our common mutual enemies, we all secretly coveted all of George Lynch and Warren’s licks! They’re both phenomenal guitar players. And the bands are great because they had those guys writing such awesome stuff and they had the chops to play it. And you know, the guitar tone…everything like that was just killer. it was some super good stuff that I didn’t appreciate till later in life. I always appreciated the soloing aspect. But you know, now, you listen to the opening riff of ‘Lay It Down’, and it’s just brilliant.”
Regarding his current gig with Slayer, Holt says, “I Still Come Out On Stage Trying To Make Jeff Hanneman Proud; It’s Still His Band Now”.
Happy Birthday to Anvil singer and guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow. He turns 60 today. The band’s documentary film ‘Anvil! The Story of Anvil’ revealed “Lips” often had other jobs during Anvil’s career due to the band’s continual lack of success since the late eighties and the lack of income it had produced. He has worked as a truck driver for a catering business and despite it being often physically demanding and ‘backbreaking’ work, he has spoken positively of his job and lifestyle, saying “I’ve raised a family, I own a home, I’ve lead a great, “normal” life, which is something that you just can’t do if you’re a monster star your entire life. Working the other jobs allowed me to go out and play across the world and do whatever I like, but when I come home, I get to be normal again.”
Former AC/DC Bassist Mark Evans is also turning 60 today. He quit the band in 1977 after becoming tired of touring.
On this date in 1981, IRON MAIDEN released the single “Twilight Zone” from the album “Killers” and today in 1984, the classic mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” was released. Probably no surprise that much of the dialouge in that film was ad libbed.
That’s all for now. The metal is flowing on a Wednesday, so it’s off to a good start. Rock on brothers and sisters.
Metal Monday is on and it’s Leap Day, which means we get an extra day of February this year. It also means most of us are essentially working an extra day for free. If you look at it that way, we also get a free day of cable, internet and electricity, so there’s that.
IRON MAIDEN played Las Vegas last Night (Feb. 28th). METAL SHOP’s Ralph Cartel was there and was able to get only a few photos before his phone died, but he had killer seats – see photo below. Stay tuned for his recap coming later today or tomorrow.
It was a great weekend for live 80’s metal and hard rock from many of our favorites… MEGADETH performed in L.A. last night, former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was in San Antonio on Saturday (Feb. 27), and BLACK SABBATH played its last-ever concert in New York City at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Checkout fan-filmed video footage at this location – Click Here
In a recent interview, MEGADETH’s Dave Mustaine was asked what it would take for another ‘Big Four’ concert to happen? He responded, “if it happens again, that would be great. If it doesn’t, the people who got to see it got to see something really remarkable. Am I supposed to doing it? You know, it would have to be the right thing. I think that, you know, Megadeth is at a place right now where we’re successful to a degree where we would be happy continuing to do what we do on our own. So if we’re gonna do another ‘Big Four’ thing, I would want it to be something where we walk away as content as METALLICA does from something like that. It’s not Metallica and three other dudes.”
You may have heard there are competing touring versions of RATT out there. Former bassist Juan Croucier fronts RATT’S JUAN CROUCIER and former drummer Bobby Blotzer is touring as RATT, but he is the only original member in that group. This has obviously created a lot of tension for everyone, including former Ratt guitarist Warren DeMartini, who in September filed a lawsuit against Blotzer, claiming that the drummer was falsely advertising his “tribute band” as the real thing… you think? Stephen Pearcy has checked out of all of this and is performing some solo shows. Croucier was quoted last week saying “There is no single person in the band Ratt who’s by themselves Ratt.’
I didn’t watch the Academy Awards last night but PANTERA was mentioned in the short clip introducing each of the nominated films in the category before the winner was announced. Actor Christian Bale learned to play double-bass drums for a short scene in “The Big Short” where his character, the hedge fund manager Michael Burry, bangs on his kit in his basement to Pantera’s ‘By Demons Be Driven.’ https://t.co/pbMJu6N6r3
Any Leaplings out there? Happy birthday! If you turned 50 today, you would actually still not be a teenager, so act your age and headbang all day while you work. You’re not getting paid anyway 🙂
Here we go Monday Monday and Happy Birthday to former OZZY OSBOURNE and RATT Guitarist Jake E. Lee, who turns 59 today. Here is some wild 80’s metal history for you… Did you know Ronnie James Dio invited Lee to join his new solo band DIO in 1982 before Vivian Campbell got the job? Lee had accepted, though his time in Dio’s band was short-lived. According to drummer Vinny Appice, there were rehearsals with Lee and Dio and recordings of those rehearsals still exist. Lee claims to have written the main riff to “Don’t Talk to Strangers” (which would later appear on the Holy Diver album) and that Dio wanted him to play “simple block chords that wouldn’t trample on his vocals”.
When Ozzy sought a permanent replacement for the deceased Randy Rhoads, he came to Los Angeles to audition lead guitarists. Bassist Dana Strum, who had recommended Rhoads to Osbourne in 1979, this time recommended Lee for the job. Osbourne was torn between Lee and DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch. Though Osbourne is said to have initially chosen Lynch, he soon changed his mind and Lee became his full-time guitarist for the next five years.
LITA FORD is releasing a tell-all-book next week and opens up about her wild life on the ’80s music scene, including dalliances with Jon Bon Jovi, Eddie Van Halen and BLACK SABBATH guitar legend Tony Iommi. Her relationship with Iommi allegedly began with a failed attempt at sex as he was “too high” on cocaine. “He was impotent from his constant drug use, and he was very embarrassed. I felt bad for him and didn’t really know what to do. Eventually, I got him off.” Ford also alleges the relationship with Iommi was abusive. You can read more at this location – Click Here
Well, it’s time to put the fun back in funeral my friends and celebrate a bunch of dead presidents. Maybe you have the day off for President’s Day in the U.S. If you do, “Cheers!” If not, “Cheers!” to you too.
Time to kick Tuesday’s ass with 80’s metal and hard rock… Maiden, Priest, Metallica, DIO, Crue, Scorps, RATT, Megadeth, W.A.S.P., Dokken and more spin 24/7 on METAL SHOP.
Happy Birthday to SKID ROW founder and bassist Rachel Bolan (real name: James Richard Southworth). His stage name ‘Bolan’ is a tribute to one of his childhood idols, T. Rex frontman, Marc Bolan. Did you know Rachel Bolan sang back-up vocals on Mötley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood album?
Late MOTÖRHEAD frontman, Lemmy Kilmister was a regular at The Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA. A memorial was held there on the day of Lemmy’s funeral on January 9th and a mural was painted on the bar’s wall as a mark of respect. Now, a life-size bronze statue of Lemmy will be erected outside the venue.
From the WTF file, former QUEENSRŸCHE Singer Geoff Tate Is Working On Jazz Album.
Dave Mustaine has discussed the possibility of re-recording MEGADETH’s debut ‘Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!’ with the band’s current lineup, saying “If I did go back and record any old songs, it would probably be like a brand new interpretation of our greatest hits, because I think that focusing on any one record and showing an interpretation of all of our great songs by a new lineup would be more exciting. You never know. We might do that.”
Really excited for IRON MAIDEN’s return to the states in two weeks. The Book Of Souls World Tour starts Feb. 24th in Sunrise, FL. Maiden posted the photo below on the band’s Facebook page yesterday with the caption “We’re still packing!! Glad it’s a big plane…”
Have a rockin’ day!
RATT singer Stephen Pearcy’s long-awaited book, “Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock“, will be released on May 7, 2013 via Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. The 288-page hardcover is described in a press release as “a jaw-dropping tell-all from the lead singer of the 1980s supergroup RATT: the groupies, the trashed hotel rooms, the drugs — and just how much you can get away with when you’re one of the biggest hair metal stars of all time.”
In the mid-1980s, RATT, alongside MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and QUIET RIOT, were laying down the riffs and unleashing the scissor kicks that would herald the arrival of music’s most flamboyantly debauched era. Now with “Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll”, RATT frontman and chief rabble-rouser Stephen Pearcy divulges all the dirty details of the era when big-haired bands ruled the world.
Stephen was primed for a life of excess from an early age — his father died of a heroin overdose when he was twelve, and by the age of fifteen, Stephen was himself a drug addict. When Stephen met the thrill-seeking Robbin Crosby, he knew he’d found his perfect partner in crime — both in music and partying. RATT’s 1984 debut single, “Round And Round”, became one of the top-selling metal songs of all time, but it was the band’s off-stage escapades that were the stuff of legend.
“Our tour bus is like our pirate ship, it’s where we rape and pillage,” said Pearcy in 1987. Now Pearcy’s memoir reveals all the rock star excess — the partying, the women, the $2,000-a-day drug habits — letting fans see into this harrowing hair-metal lifestyle and what it’s really like behind the scenes when you’re a rock star.
Famed book editor Jeremie Ruby-Strauss, editor at Gallery Books stated about what fans can expect from Stephen Pearcy’s forthcoming book: “There will be a ton of sex, mind-boggling amounts of drugs, and, of course, a whole lot of RATT and roll. There’s also stuff about him breaking both legs as a kid and whatnot, but are you seriously not more intrigued by the sex and drugs?”
In a 2011 interview, Pearcy stated about “Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock” — which has been in the works for more than three years: “[It will include] so many stories. The good, the bad (real bad) and the ugly.” He added, “It’s a big wakeup call to remember some things, but have to share. Some might learn something from my experiences and get something positive in the end. There are bright moments; it’s not all about Ratt ‘n’ Roll.”
Pearcy told the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner in a separate interview: “There’s lots of tales in there that people need to know or haven’t known. You know, to get the real opinion. . . It’s a real honest book. The kitchen sink is in there. It’s time to share because nobody knows what we’re about or how you got there or what you went through. I got into music by accident — realistically by accident (laughs).
When asked if his book be a rebuttal to RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer’s “Tales Of A Ratt – Things You Shouldn’t Know” autobiography or if it will be more autobiographical in nature, Pearcy said, “Both. Because when I started that band, people got the wrong perspective on so many things. That’s why we’re on the level we don’t wish to be on, by default and admission. But everything I say is going to be honest. Bob took his own side on his book. But it’s his own. It’s like when I read the Keith Richards and [Steven] Tyler books, I thought, ‘That’s how I want my book to read.'” Blabbermouth.net
Culture Brats: A good portion of the book focuses on Robbin Crosby, your relationship with him, and his contribution to RATT. Was it important to you to make everyone know his role in the band?
Pearcy: Definitely. 100%. Because as the first incarnation of RATT after MICKEY RATT had imploded, Robbin had been jamming with Jake E. Lee and myself. We were actually opening up a lot of club shows for MÖTLEY [CRÜE]. His band imploded and he was very important in the direction and the look we created and where we were going musically. I don’t want him forgotten. I want him to forever be associated as an integral part. Granted, what made RATT RATT as we know it are the surviving members and thank God we’re together doing what we do to this day. But if it wasn’t for Robbin, we could’ve had a totally different direction.
Culture Brats: There’s a reason the book’s called “Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock”: there are tons of pages devoted to sexual conquests and drug usage. You have any estimate on how many women you’ve been with?
Pearcy: Oh God, no. I don’t. I actually had a quota of three a day, but I did have normal relationships that did last awhile. I told myself until I was married I would just be me. It’s like a kid in a candy store. I didn’t keep track, I just knew I was going for that grab bag every day.
Huffington Post: Stephen Pearcy’s New Memoir Is Awesome. Period. Rock memoirs are a dime-a-dozen these days, and my expectations of this one were not high. But Pearcy delivers big, and if you like the rock ‘n roll debauchery kind of thing, you’ll love this thing. That said, there’s some truly moving and heartfelt moments throughout, particularly when it comes to Pearcy’s discussion of his late ‘partner in crime’ RATT guitarist Robbin Crosby, his own battle with addictions, and his daughter, Jewel.
Q: On a more serious note, you speak very warmly of the late guitarist Robbin Crosby throughout the book, but I feel like you hold back a little as his problems increase and he ultimately loses his battle with addiction. Not saying you gloss over it, but you don’t dive very deep. Tough subject, I imagine?
A: Well no, I could write 10 books and not fully cover what went down. We (the band) all went thru our own trip with the partying. I didn’t feel I had to make the negatives into a positive. Robbin was so important to the band, he was my right hand man starting RATT, as we knew and know it. I was on my own and his band imploded around the same time. Thats when we became partners in crime.
Q: Conversely, you’re frank throughout on the difficult relationship you and drummer Bobby Blotzer have always had. How are things between the two of you today? Has he read the book? He pissed? He comes off as a huge dick, which surprised me as a fan. He kind of always seemed like the chill one…
A: We (in the band) have a saying: Bob is Bob. We are brothers, and sometimes brothers fight. He hasn’t read it but I’m sure he’ll have something to say. Matters not. Bobby is a great drummer, take it as you may.
Q: I was surprised to find that you are a Duran Duran fan, but looking back on how you dressed around the time of the first album in particular, I can totally see it. I love Duran, so I was bummed to read that Simon LeBon was a dick to you at Limelight. Was that as soul-crushing as it sounds?
A: I was a bigger fan of Adam and the Ants, that’s where the pirate image came from. I wasn’t that pissed off at LeBon, it wouldn’t have bothered me if he said hello or not. We had the picture taken just to piss him off, LOL.
RATT N Roll was in full force at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on Sunday, March 24 2013, as NASCAR made its yearly visit to my backyard. 
Going to a race and concert means waking up at 5am to get to the track for the pre-race concert. For this year’s concert was L.A. Rockers RATT took the stage at 10am and kicked ass through an 11-song set.
Even though that’s early for Angelinos, over 80,000 fans showed up for the race and concert. The race itself had plenty of excitement with two drivers wrecking each other on the last lap on turn 4 heading to the checkered flag. Unfortunately, Driver Denny Hamlin hit the wall very hard and had to be taken to the hospital… he suffered a broken back.
Below are some additional photos of the concert and race. -Enjoy, Ralph
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Blabbermouth.net: Bob Nalbandian, founder and publisher of the esteemed early ’80s heavy metal music fanzine The Headbanger, has struck a deal with Tokyo-based company Japanime Publishing to release all 11 issues of the Xeroxed ‘zine as ebooks. Never before has the fanzine — which featured early interviews of local and international heavy metal bands, including the very first profiles of then-unsigned Los Angeles bands METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH — been available for mass distribution until now.
The first ebook will include an all-new introduction and reminiscence by Nalbandian, along with the entire contents of The Headbanger issue #1, which was released in May/June 1982. The issue features now-legendary all-female New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band GIRLSCHOOL on its cover and a review of the group’s debut U.S. show at the Whisky on April 25, 1982; colorful recaps of live performances by then-local L.A. bands RATT and STEELER; and no-holds-barred commentary on “new” albums by MOTÖRHEAD, IRON MAIDEN, RAINBOW, and the first “Metal Massacre” compilation. As a bonus, the ebook also includes the original full-page “Los Angeles Metal Report” that Nalbandian and his Huntington Beach metal comrade Pat Scott wrote for the March 1982 issue of Ron Quintana’s nationally distributed fanzine Metal Mania. It was through this “Report” that headbangers living beyond the smog of the Sunset Strip were to read the first words ever published about a then-unknown Orange County/L.A. garage band … named METALLICA!
Issue #1 of The Headbanger is now available worldwide in the Apple iBookstore and the Amazon Kindle store.
Noisecreep: Among the many mighty metal milestones of 2012, the 30th birthday of Metal Blade Records stands as an amazing testament to the strength of metal devotion. Label founder Brian Slagel became a businessman almost by accident. He was a die-hard fan first, and editor of the fanzine New Heavy Metal Revue. Scraping together funding from money he saved while working at Sears, and a loan from his aunt, Slagel in 1982 created Metal Massacre, a Southern California-centered compilation to answer the countless label showcase collections of Britain’s NWOBHM.
From that first release, which introduced the world to Metallica and Ratt, Metal Blade Records was born. Over most of the next decade, the next installments of the Metal Massacre compilation series unveiled some of the greatest names in metal, including Slayer, Trouble, Voivod, Fates Warning, and Hellhammer.
METALLICA: The band that had the least going for it at the time of this record’s release has gone onto become the biggest rock band in the world. When Mötley Crüe bailed on Slagel’s compilation project, he offered his tape trader pal Lars Ulrich the slot if he could scrape together a band in time. Ulrich persuaded James Hetfield to join him, and for the initial release, Jamaican guitarist Lloyd Grant appeared as a guest soloist patched into the mix to play the leads. Future pressings included a different recording of the song with Dave Mustaine handling the trademark over-the-top trills.
RATT: A much more typical Southern California metal act than Metallica, Ratt were San Diego transplants to the Sunset Strip. Awestruck by Van Halen but chained down with a lean and relentlessly melodic double-guitar sound, Ratt cruised through a string of multi-platinum, platinum, and gold records and remain a musical and commercial highlight of the glam metal era.
ARMORED SAINT: Like many bands on the L.A. club circuit, Armored Saint relied heavily on image, but their studded leather armor was a far cry from the spandex and mascara of Mötley Crüe. Singer John Bush was openly courted by young Metallica, but he refused to leave his boyhood pals in this band. After Armored Saint’s early record deal with Chrysalis Records went South, Bush joined Anthrax for over a decade, and has since returned to his original armored homies.
This is a fascinating read. Check out more reviews of those auspicious debuts, in honor of three decades of Metal Blade, plus hear audio from these early recordings at Noisecreep.com.