Ratt

RATT
Formed 1981, U.S.A.

Albums:
1983 Ratt
1984 Out Of The Cellar
1985 Invasion Of Your Privacy
1986 Dancing Undercover
1988 Reach For The Sky
1990 Detonator
1991 Ratt & Roll 8191
1997 Collage
1999 Ratt
2002 The Essentials
2003 Metal Hits
2007 Tell The World: The Very Best Of Ratt

History:
Ratt was a hugely successful sleaze band that emerged from the Los Angeles glam scene. Branding their music "Ratt'n'Roll", the rodent rockers had hit after hit until the bottom fell out of the movement in the early 90's.
Originally formed in Los Angeles and known as Mickey Ratt, in 1981 the name was shortened to Ratt by founding member and vocalist Stephen Pearcy. Guitarists Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby, Juan Croucier (bass) and Bobby Blotzer (drums) rounded out the band. The self titled debut EP caused people to stand up and take notice, and led to a major label deal with Atlantic.
Out Of The Cellar went on to sell over 3 million copies, and with the help of the hit single "Round And Round", Ratt became one of metal's biggest names. Future albums never matched the debut's success, however platinum albums and sold out shows were the norm for the band during the late 80's. Top 40 albums and singles like "Lay It Down" and "Dance" were commonplace, however by 1990 things were about to change. Crosby left in 1990, and the band became a four piece with the release of "Nobody Rides For Free" for the Point Break soundtrack. Pearcy walked away shortly after to form Arcade, and Ratt quickly dissolved. Blotzer would join the super group Contraband for one album.

In 1997 Ratt decided to make their return as a four piece with Robbie Crane (Vince Neil solo) on bass. The first new material in years was released in 1999 and they hit the road with several other 80's bands on a highly successful tour. But in early 2000 Pearcy left again, leaving the band in limbo and forcing them to cancel tour dates. The remaining members are currently touring with Jizzy Pearl (from Love/Hate and L.A.Guns fame) and John Corabi (ex-Motley Crue and The Scream), but are now without a record label. Ratt vows to soldier on, but their mainstream acceptance days appear to be behind them. Sadly, the legendary Robbin Crosby lost his long fight with drugs, and succumbed to AIDS on June 6, 2002.

Links:
The Official Ratt Pag

Quiet Riot

QUIET RIOT
Formed 1975, U.S.A.

Albums:
1978 Quiet Riot
1979 Quiet Riot II
1983 Metal Health
1984 Condition Critical
1986 QR III
1988 Quiet Riot
1990 Winners Take All
1993 Terrified
1993 The Randy Rhoads Years
1995 Down To The Bone
1996 Greatest Hits
1999 Super Hits
1999 Alive And Well
2000 The Collection
2001 Guilty Pleasures
2005 Live & Rare Volume 1
2006 Rehab


History:
Quiet Riot helped usher in the return of heavy metal to the music mainstream in the mid 1980's, and enjoyed slightly more than fifteen minutes of fame. The group became the first metal band to hit #1 on the Billboard charts, but things went downhill from their initial success.
Quiet Riot was formed in Burbank, California, and were a bigger draw than Van Halen during the mid seventies Hollywood club scene. However the band, Kevin DuBrow (vocals), Randy Rhoads (guitar), Kelly Garni (bass) and Drew Forsythe (drums), had trouble getting signed to a major label and their first two albums were only released in Japan only. This version of the band fell apart, with Rhoads going on to become a legend with Ozzy Osbourne (before his untimely death in 1982), and DuBrow left to pick up the pieces and start again.
For their smash 1983 album, DuBrow had recruited Carlos Cavazo (guitar), Rudy Sarzo (bass) and Frankie Banali (drums). Metal Health became a monster success, topping the pop charts and spawning a top five single in their cover of Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize", on its way to selling over five million copies. But success was short lived; due in part to DuBrow's outspokenness and verbal attacks on other bands of the genre, and public disdain for the band grew. Sarzo left (to later join Whitesnake) and was replaced by Chuck Wright for QR III, but by then few people cared anymore.
The final nail was driven into the coffin when the band fired DuBrow from his own band before recording the self-titled 1988 album. The new front man was Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino with Sean McNabb replacing Wright on bass, but the album stiffed and the band just faded away. In 1990 DuBrow, Cavazo and Banali (who had played with W.A.S.P. and Heavy Bones) regrouped with Kenny Hillery for the ignored Terrified. Hillery would later commit suicide, and it wasn't until the return of Sarzo in the late 90's that a full reunion occurred. The band continued to tour and record on a much smaller scale, even despite DuBrow claiming bankruptcy in 1999, until the band's split in late 2003. DuBrow and Banali resurrected the name for a new album called Rehab in 2006 with Neil Citron (who replaced Tracii Guns who had joined on guitar for a brief time) and Tony Franklin (bass). On November 25th, 2007, lead-singer Kevin DuBrow was found dead in his home in Las Vegas, thus leaving behind a legacy that helped bring 80s hard rock to millions of fans.

Links:
The Official Frankie Banali Pag

Lynch mob

LYNCH MOB
Formed 1988, U.S.A.

Albums:
1990 Wicked Sensation
1992 Lynch Mob
1998 Syzygy
1999 Smoke This
2003 Evil: Live
2003 REvolution


History:
With internal tensions tearing Dokken apart in the late 80s, guitar virtuoso George Lynch and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown created Lynch Mob in an attempt to recreate the platinum triumphs of their previous band. Despite some incredible music and mild success, it was obvious that Lynch Mob would never reach the huge audience Dokken had.
Lynch put the band together with bassist Anthony Esposito and unknown vocalist Oni Logan (whom he wrestled away from Marc Ferrari's upstart called simply Ferrari). The group entered the studio and produced the excellent Wicked Sensation that reached the top 50 behind the single of the same name. However during the tour for the debut Logan left the band to work with Dio's Rowan Robertson.

Lynch Mob soldiered on with new singer Robert Mason for 1992's self-titled release. The album also faired well, but sold considerably less than the debut, and by 1993 Lynch Mob disintegrated. Lynch and Brown returned to Dokken while Mason resurfaced in Cry Of Love.
By 1998 the original Lynch Mob line-up had reformed for the Syzygy EP, but the music had taken a completely different approach and alienated many fans. Logan ended up backing out of the band for a second time and John West was brought in to tour. Smoke This was released by Lynch with an entirely new band and was a huge disappointment for many. Regrouping yet again with Mason and new drummer Michael Frowein, the Lynch Mob hit the road and re-recorded some classics for REvolution. This is a band that will likely never go away, and that is a good thing.

Links:
The Official George Lynch Page