Stephen Pearcy photo (left) by Christopher Lee Helton, Vince Neil by Bill O'LearyIt may be hard to believe looking back at both band's careers today, but there was a point in 1984 when Ratt outsold Mötley Crüe, with Out Of The Cellar reaching Double Platinum certification before year's end (peaking at #7 on the Billboard 200), while Shout At The Devil stalled at mere Platinum (reaching #17 on the Billboard 200).
Ratt had a legit hit single - "Round and Round" hit #12 while the Crüe's "Looks That Kill" stopped rising at #54. Crüe, though, would become a Multi-Platinum act in their own right the following year with the arrival of Theatre Of Pain.
In my 2024 book World Infestation: The Ratt Story, former That Metal Show co-host and stand-up comedian Don Jamieson was willing to compare the two, and try to come to a conclusion concerning if there was a clear-cut winner between the two bands that started out on the Sunset Strip during the early '80s. Below are some excerpts for your reading pleasure.
Ratt had a legit hit single - "Round and Round" hit #12 while the Crüe's "Looks That Kill" stopped rising at #54. Crüe, though, would become a Multi-Platinum act in their own right the following year with the arrival of Theatre Of Pain.
In my 2024 book World Infestation: The Ratt Story, former That Metal Show co-host and stand-up comedian Don Jamieson was willing to compare the two, and try to come to a conclusion concerning if there was a clear-cut winner between the two bands that started out on the Sunset Strip during the early '80s. Below are some excerpts for your reading pleasure.
"I think the major difference between Ratt and Mötley Crüe at that time was Mötley Crüe pretty much made a different album one after the other," theorized Don Jamieson. "You went from their first album [Too Fast for Love] which was much more glammy, then they went pure metal with Shout At The Devil, then they went a little bluesier on Theatre Of Pain... and Ratt stuck to that similar sound on each album – with Beau Hill producing, and getting that big, '80s arena sound. The big drum sound and all that. So, I think that was the main difference – Mötley Crüe changed it up a lot more... to mixed results for some people. A lot of people didn't like Theatre Of Pain. I did. But I think Ratt stuck to their formula pretty much throughout the core of their career."Despite such stylistic descriptions as "hair metal," "glam metal," "pop metal," "melodic metal," and even good ol' "heavy metal," Jamieson still strongly feels that Ratt was a cut above most of the competition. "Some bands at that time were all image and not a lot of substance. I still think to this day that their songwriting – of that original core group – really knocked it out of the park. I always thought Ratt – in that group of Sunset Strip bands – was always a step up. I always felt like there was a certain tier, and Ratt was definitely a step over other bands. I'd put them up there with Mötley Crüe, Great White, LA Guns. All those bands I thought were a little bit better than some of the other Sunset Strip bands. Now of course, they didn't hit 'Guns N' Roses level' popularity – that was a whole other level. But again, I always thought their songwriting was really strong."
After all this time and with all the ups and downs, how does Ratt's music hold up? "To me, Ratt's music still sounds great in the modern day," says Jamieson. "I don't listen to those songs and feel like they're dated in any way. I think some of the lyrics, yes, they did write a lot about all the stuff a lot of those bands were writing about at the time. But I think Stephen always had a little bit of a better turn of phrase than some of the other lyricists at the time. So, when I listen to it now, it's not just 'party, girls, let's get drunk.' I think his lyrics were a little more clever."
Lastly, one final parting thought by Jamieson concerning the "Ratt vs. Mötley Crüe" battle. "With Ratt and Mötley, they both have a lot of hits. My first instinct if you say, 'Who was bigger?,' it's like, Mötley definitely has had staying power. But you can put Ratt's catalog right up there with Mötley – no problem."
February 6, 2024
World Infestation: The Ratt Story is available as paperback, hardcover, and Kindle versions (and soon, an audio version). Order at Amazon.
Here's our interview with Stephen Pearcy.
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