RATT's new single 'Best of Me' is Basically Awesome
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 12:01AM
There's no mistaking Warren DeMartini's guitar tone. From the first five seconds of the song, you know you're listening to RATT. "Best of Me" is very slick, and there are polished sing-along choruses, but don't worry: this is still RATT. Stephen Pearcy's voice sounds great on the track and makes me look forward to hearing the song live. It was time for RATT to release new music and changing up the set list will be welcomed by fans like me. Like many, I was also curious how Carlos Cavazo's guitar work would blend with Warren's. Hearing the old songs live versus new stuff is totally different. I gotta say, I'm loving Carlos in RATT. Bottom line: April needs to hurry up and get here because I need Infestation now! What say you? Listen below.
Reader Comments (31)
Funny, I really wasn't aware that this was about to be released and I have been jamming on "Out of the Cellar" and "Invasion" lately = my two fav. RATT LP's by far.
Mixed emotions on my part after hearing this single.
Being a drummer + producer,it's hard for me to get over sound quality sometimes (VS the actual "song").
I am not a fan of Bobby's snare drum sound and the whole kit is way over-compressed and therefore the cymbals sound harsh as hell.
I am not sure it's RATT's fault but it's the usual digital production for 2010 unfortunately and has absolutely no headroom at all.
Believe it or not, the vox are good, which is what I was frettin' over the most prior to hearing this.
The hooks are still there and this def. sounds like it could be from the "Cellar" days or that influence.
the break right after the solo, is classic RATT and they do a good job of driving' the hook home.
Overall slightly above average IMO. I won't count them out yet, but I kinda' expected more out of the band.
Kudos to Pearcy!
Curt King
Demolish Mag.
I hear a Counsel for the Cauldron brewing on this topic right now, boyz!
Obviously Al and Chuck are ardent Ratt supporters with nary a bad thing to say about this, which is cool.
Tommy's right... Absolute Cheeze lyrically, for sure! But, I must say, they were generally never known for their lyrics. Don't even get me started on how hilariously inane and throw-away most of 'em are. Most of their songs could have been written by a third grader, at least as far as the words are concerned.
Peter's also right. Ratt have become little more than a nostalgia act. People, come on, it's time to check out new stuff like some of the bands Peter mentions here. Any Vains of Jenna tune just runs circles around this new Ratt cut.
And as far as Curt's review goes, what a wonderful run down and analysis he's written here. What a pleasure to read something so thoughtful and accurate, in my book.
Curt's right. The drums sound harsh and too tinny. This whole thing kinda sounds like a demo to me. Obviously Robert Mutt Lange did not produce this and that may not be such a bad thing.
But this thing does need a little refinement, seriously.
Granted, as Mr. King points out, the vocals are surprisingly quite good. The problem lies really with the background vocals in my mind. They just don't sound at all mixed into the track.
They would serve the song better and could probably actually save the song if the background vocals were more feathered in and out throughout than they are now and layered into the mix more. This all just sounds a tad bit unfinished.
Though the guitars generally sound awesome, it's the song structure itself that seems relatively uninspired.
Here's the short version...
Look it ain't "Round And Round", simply the best Glam Metal song of all time, bar none.
But I'll take it!
And it IS nice to see Ratt back with something new after all this time. :)
There's plenty of room in my life for the 80s bands (old & new music) along with Vains, Dirty Penny, The Last Vegas, Charm City devils, etc.
Long Live Ratt 'N' Roll!
Bill
Dudez, Dudez, Dudez! And One Dudette!
Well, two, if Al decides to come in from the wooded perimeter...
Hello?!
You guyz are pretty much killin' me, xcept Kari, and not just cuz she'z a beautiful blonde, but cuz she just plain lovez the cute little rodents (well, Warren, xcepted - he ain't a shorty like Pearcy and Cavaso) and duzn't make any stupid comments like us, well not yet, anyway! Sorry I sound patronizingly chauvenistic, but I probably subconsciously am, I admit it.
Okay, so let's examine what you guyz have said, straight up...
Kiki Chrome! Great name, by the way. Right up Metalboys! alley. I want to be your friend not only cuz I luv your name, but cuz I like what you say. You've made me actually think that this could be a ruff mix, but I doubt it, why would Roadrunner release something that duzn't sound right unless people don't know what production is supposed to sound like anymore, which obviously isn't the case, when we listen to the latest production value on so much of the new music out there.
I'm dancing on a Metal pinhead, obviously, but it just seems to me you would think theze guyz would have all the polish and sheen on their new record that they had on all their recordz of yore. You'd think they'd be doin' it in their sleep at this point. Is someone gonna tell me theze catz don't know what a rekkid is supposed to sound like anymore? As much as I love the song, it just plain soundz unfinished, which really kinda suxx as it has all the potential in the world to be the best damned Metal Song to come out in yearz!
Well, nothin' beats "Can't Get Enough" by Miss Crazy as far as I'm concerned but that's another argument and I'm sure I'll be havin' it with more than one of you clownz before the day iz out. But that's what Metalboy! flies the globe for anyway, to fight for all that'z right in the Metal world!
But properly produced, maybe some of this new Ratt'n'Roll could come close! At least come closer to rivaling Ratt's weaker recordz of yore.
So, yeah, where'z Beau Hill when you need him? Or Tom Werman! Or the latest version at a discount price. These dirty Ratts need some real help in the production department. I mean, otherwise, what is the point?
DiMartini should just hop back on the Shiprocked cruizeship and start breaking the sanitizer dispensers again cuz so far if he's not going to get obsessive compulsive about the production. It just seemz like how Pearcy has been coming off of late. Lackadazical.
Thus far, this single is no indication Ratt is breakin' any real ground here, though I do still somewhat like it.
It just seemz like they are not giving a sh*t about every last nuance, the way they should be. It's true Crosby was kinda their Brian Jones and became difficult and hostile because of his addiction and demons, but it makes you wonder if his downhill slippery slide was also enhanced by Pearcy's notorious passive aggressive attitude and that maybe their obvious "selling out" made them half - a*sed the way over half of their output soundz.
Maybe part of what killed Crosby is what is showing up here. A general lack of excellence that became more and more obvious as time went on.
And look, you characterz can get your Glam Metal Hair all up over what I'm sayin' but your earz don't lie. I've listened to everything in chronology more than once and it all goes down hill right along with Crosby's demise.
It just makes you wonder if Crosby, who's hand I had the pleasure of slapping down front at Hammerjack's during the original line-up's last performance there, one of the chief architects of the greatest Glam Metal song of all time, bar none, "Round and Round", would think of this record. He'd probably think it was a demo and that they should go back in and do a remix with new background vocals and a better miked re-record of Blotzer.
I'm afraid this is another example of the latest recording studio technology pulling the wool over these guyz eyez, makin' 'em think they can do it all, including the mediocre production of this mediocre single! Not that I don't still like it, boyz!
By the way, before I proceed ripping Ratt and almost everyone here to shredz, let it be known, I have every Ratt album and CD including some CD singles and original mint condition unplayed Picture Sleeve 45rpm vinyl singles from back in the day plus 2 mint condition record company in-store large format posters of the famous "Lips" photo from the inside cover of "Dancing Undercover" and a super large format official poster of the album cover of "Reach For The Sky", which is actually just okay graphically, but nevertheless somewhat of a collector's item.
In other wordz, as much as I'm dissin' with a harsh dose of reality, I do love 'em.
I'm just not going to gush blindly the way most of you sheep are (hmmm... lamb stew, anyone?)...
Okay, ranting lulls...
Next!
Pat, so you are saying it's perfectly "fine" in your world that Ratt has a lot of lamo lyrics?
Too bad, because I have the mental infortitude to realize that if Ratt wrote some lyrics at least half as good as the poetry of "Round and Round", they might have made some very mediocre filler that was par for the course for each and every album they made into much better songs.
Is that how you spend your life, dude, settling for less on it all, xcepting it cuz that's what the rekkid company and th e DJ told ya to xcept! Or the waitress... Or the dry cleaning dude... etc... etc... etc....
May the Rock Godz help you, son!
Tho, I do like Detonator... but not as much as "Out Of The Cellar", etc.
JT! Good to see ya gathered 'round, boy. But you're allowed to expect better! Metalboy! will protect you!
Glenn! Dude! Tipster extraordinaire! Trust me, they should get a little more experimental, even 2% woulda made this better. Hello, "Round and Round" and "Way Cool, Jr" were somewhat experimental, among others, at least for Ratt, when you look at the overall catalogue. They need a little more time spent in the songwriting phase with a couple more breaks and refrains thrown in to keep things more interesting.
Gotta agree with ya, a little here, Shadow...
after all...
"Only The Shadow knows"...
Well, on most here, at any rate, hahaha!!! Just kiddin' bro. You're pretty accurate.
Ratt can be nostalgic while still moving forward, which I am sensing here a little bit. You're right on. Bands can keep their old flava while continuing to progress.
And I wholeheartedly agree with ya on Cavaso. Apparently he contributed some song to this new album, which I can't wait to hear. If you had a shred battle between him and DiMartini, not only would they both whittle their fingernailz off, but you'd be hard pressed to tell which one was better, as I've seen 'em both live more than once. Probably DiMartini by thread. Otherwise, he'd never let him in the band, more than likely, unless he's like songwriting genius, Steve Clarke, (which he's not -- talkin' songwriting and ideas, folks, not shredability!) who hired Phil Collen to do the heavy lifting for him in Def Leppard, which is a luxury you can take if your Steve and the band is Def Leppard, who's songs are vastly superior, overall, than Ratt's to begin with.
Ramzilla Bill! Dead on! But check out "Can't Get Enough" by Miss Crazy, if you don't have it.
Kari, have you heard "Can't Get Enough" by Miss Crazy?! So killer! So... Go, Saints! And I mean it! Both my 94 year old Dad and I are rootin' for 'em, bigtime! Sorry, I'm not feelin' much love for your fave son, Manning. He's almost as annoying as me but of course, a helluva lot more talented, both qualities that really p*ss me off.
So, if this Counsel duzn't reconvene for another round or we don't have another one comin' up in the semi-distant future, I'll be seein' y'all at M3, where you guyz can try and beat me up. Just remember, I'll have thoze biker freax from Mad Max and Road Warrior with me!
Ratt'n'Roll! Let's crank it up and get the rust off!
P.S. Sorry for the typoz, Metalkiddoz!