Customer Reviews

Detonator

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I would have never thought that Ratt could put out another flawless release like "Dancing Undercover". I had almost completely written them off. I purchaced "81-91" and heard the song "One Step Away", after hearing that song, I immediately when out and bought "Detonator". One of the smartest musical purchaces I've ever made......

This CD is simply amazing. I think this could be the most powerful Ratt release to date. The production is incredible, and the sound is just pure Ratt&Roll at it's very best. They could not have done a better job. Everyone is in full swing on "Detonator" and the songs are all classics IMO.

Fans of old school Ratt, will love this in a big way. From start to finish, "Detonator" will hold it's place in Ratt History as one, if not their very best release ever....

RATT & ROLL FOREVER!!!

When Detonator was released, I had kinda gave up on Ratt. I didn't jump the Grunge bandwagon, I just noticed that for the last two studio albums, their songs had lost meaning and there was nothing that stuck out. The first three albums are excellent, but Reach and this one are just kinda there.

I will say however that the production is beyond excellent. It's by far their best sounding release to date, and the songs do sound like Ratt without a doubt, but it's TOO polished....WAY too polished. The "punch" that Ratt ws well known for is gone, the groove is gone, basically everything Ratt stood for is gone on Detonator. Teaming Ratt with Desmond Child on the songwriting may not have been a bad idea really, but all in all, they do not mix too well. Desmond did great with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Kiss and many others from that generation, but this is a situation where too much of a good thing can be bad. I am not knocking Desmond, he is talented with his songwriting and collaberating, but not for Ratt.

Another thing that Ratt was well known for was the DiMartini/Crosby dual guitar attack. With Detonator, It's mostly DiMartini...and there is something lacking. Crosby did play rhythm on the album, but according to sources (including Robbin himself) he didn't have much to do with the arrangeing or writing at all. By the time Detonator was made, his relationship with the rest of the band (as well as the entire band with each other) were almost null. Therefore it really wasen't much of a "team" effort.

There are a few songs that do shine. Lovin' You's a Dirty Job is probably the finest moment on the album. Hard Time is a good example of classic Ratt groove, without the punch due to over production...also, this being vocalist Stephen Pearcy's rawest vocals..and one of his best. One Step Away is a fun pop song with an excellent arrangement...only trouble is the producers (or Child, or both) obvious attempt at convincing Pearcy to imitate Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. Heads I Win, Tails You Lose begins as a typical Ratt guitar riff and demonstrates the tightness between Warren and Robbin...however, DiMartini's "overplaying" becomes irritating as well as the very cheezy, goofy lyrics that are evident. Top Secret is a bit of a departure from the rest of the album with a more hard edged simplistic, rawer riff resembling the Ratt EP from their early days. However, DiMartini's solo on Top Secret sounds almost out of place, which makes me wonder how it would have sounded with Crosby taking the lead on that track. Top Secret shows a side of Ratt that quite possibly, had they taken that route for the next release, may have salvaged their career, and their relationships between them as well. Ironically, Crosby wanted to persue that route...go back to basics, like the EP which, with the metal scene taking a nose dive within the following year, would have been an excellent choice. But, management, genre, drugs and egos prevented them from doing so.

Overall, we have an album that is produced, engineered and arranged in excellent form, but the magic is gone. The "new" track on the Ratt n Roll complation, Nobody Rides For Free only justifies my perception furthur. It's a real shame for such an excellent band like Ratt to go out on a note like this.

Detonator is a case of overindulgence and while there are a few shining moments in a near perfectly produced album, there is not "one" solo or one song that truly stands above the rest...I sure can't say the same for the first three releases.

Originally put out in 1990,as this was Ratt's fifth album.Not as good as,say their previous efforts like 'Out Of The Cellar' or 'Dancing Undercover',but still decent '80's metal.Tracks that sort of stand out are "Shame,Shame,Shame","Lovin' You's A Dirty Job","Heads I Win,Tails You Lose",the catchy "All Or Nothing" and "Giving Yourself Away".Almost sorry to have to admit,that THESE days Ratt is a band that more or less is washed-up.Ever since guitarist Robbin Crosby(R.I.P.)had exited the group after the release of this lp,it was strictly down hill from there.It was nice to have Ratt around on the arena rock touring circuit,from like 1984-89.Their current line-up is nothing to write home about.

This album was the final blow (no pun intended) to RATT's fabulous career in the 80s. Cellar, Invasion and Undercover were all fantastic albums, Reach for the Sky started to show signs of problems and by here it was all over. Desmond Child is a fantastic producer but not for Ratt, they completely lost any 'punch' or 'rawness' they had in their previous records. People would argue that Ratt had an overproduced sound already, this is partially true, but out of all the LA Metal bands, these guys had the rawest sounds, with the dual guitar attack of Crosby/Martini, the rock solid rhythm of Croucier/Blotzer and the raw, raspy vocals of Steven Pearcy. This album lost the guitar attack, with really only one guitarist remaning (and it shows), severely softened rhythm section lacking overall groove and vocals that although didnt sound horrible (apart from attempts at ballads) weren't up there with the heaviness of previous Ratt albums. It's too glossy, too overproduced. It doesn't fit into a genre properly either, with its 'metal' label, 'pop' stylings and 'hard rock' feel. I suppose Pop Metal is a good term, but I hate that because it goes against everything metal stands for. RATT were a Hard Rock band at the very least.

There is not one song on this album I rave about, 'Loving you is a dirty job' has it's moments, definately, but when I listen I hear too much of the stuff Desmond was doing with Alice Cooper and Bon Jovi at the time.

Overall, it's not the worst album I've ever heard, but for Ratt it's too glossy, too polished, and the irony is that they were aiming for more radio play with an album like that but the opposite happened with them losing the sound that got them on the radio in the first place.

Dissappointing.

Not under 13 just using this not to sign up.

It worked for Aerosmith so Ratt takes the Chevrolet into the garage for an overhaul overseen by top-flight mechanics like songwriters for hire Desmond Child and Diane Warren, DeMartini and Crosby's nimble high tech riffs curbed in favour of The Song. Power chords are tripled and quadrupled to faciliate maximum thickness, a thickness akin to molasses draped in a layer of winter fat covered with a bear skin rug, all led by the hailing battlecry of Bobby Blotzer's slicing snare drum strike. With the only thing connecting Detonator to Ratt of old being the Pearcy snarl, this radical metamorphasis alienated a devotee or two. But don't think that this rodent was going soft. Detonator has this band operating at full-on ferocity, the entire operation shaking like a [very angry] rattlesnake dripping metal-melting acid venom.

'Lovin' You's A Dirty Job' conquers nations with a massive Cecil B. DeMille epic chorus wielding a hook that pierces and rips like razor sharp great white shark fishing line.

'One Step Away' is an unashamed tablet of optimistic happy rock with angel choir backup vox and suspended fourth guitar lines invoking nostalgia for the possiblity of lost love reclaimed.

A circular, throbbing, unrelenting rhythm swirls throughout 'Hard Time'.

And 'Heads I Win Tails You Lose' brings in guest heavyweight Jon Bon Jovi for a chorus counter vocal that only serves to compliment Pearcy's range.

'All Or Nothing' grooves with a 'Way Cool Junior' slink that pulls you in and holds you under till it's good and ready to let you go. It's capped with a female backup part emerging in the final chorus that hits the high notes necessary for this killer song to find its zenith.

'Givin' Yourself Away' finds Pearcy stretching into areas we haven't heard before, starting the song off in a low register with solid control and moving forward into a loping chorus that runs forward with confident strides, keyboards and guitar lines supporting him all the way.

Album closer 'Top Secret' is where Ratt gets down to business with high octane diesel fuel furor driven by Blotzer's unceasingly firm white knuckle grip on the wheel of this all-American hard rock vehicle.

Forget all you remember about 'Out Of The Cellar', and immerse yourself in the final evolutionary stage of Ratt's tenure with the major labels.

Detonator was a very good album that was put out after the record company (Atlantic) had written the band off. It still went platinum and has five of it's 11 tracks on Ratt's Greatest Hits album. I really enjoy the attitude that comes across from singer Stephen Pearcy and guitarist Warren DeMartini, especially on Shame, Shame, Shame and Hard Time. Lovin' You Is A Dirty Job is a classic Ratt tune that I still love to crank up when I am listening to the CD. There are no weak spots on this disc. It is a must have for anyone who considers themselves a hard rock fan.

Detonator was RATT's last studio album while on the Atlantic label. The guest vocals of Jon Bon Jove on the "Head's I Win, Tails You Lose" track is also very cool. While five of these songs ended up on the 8191 Best of collection (because Atlantic had basically written off RATT and the 80s scene around the time this album was released), the other songs on the album make this a worthwhile pickup for any rocker. Scratch That Itch, Can't Wait on Love, Hard Times, and Top Secret are killer tunes that did not make the 8191 disc. The song writing depth goes deeper than on any previous albums due in no small part to the inclusion of Desmond Child in the project. A definite must for fans of the 80s rock genre!

This is it. The best one from Ratt. Some will disagree, but they are crazy. It's like Ratt took everything they do right and injected a nice, new energy into it. Add a couple kick-ass ballads and you get a near perfect album. From the opening track to the last one, there is ZERO filler here. "Lovin' You's A Dirty Job" was the first single and it was the reason I rushed out and bought this tape. It also has one of the best ways to open a song with guitar that I have ever heard. Then I listened to this whole tape and was floored. "Shame, Shame, Shame" was the 2nd single and did well. "Heads I Win, Tails You Lose" is another great cut. Jon Bon Jovi sings back-up on this one. "Scratch That Itch", "All Or Nothing" & "Can't Wait On Love" are awesome tunes. Then we come to the two ballads......I liked Ratt before this tape. But when I heard "Givin' Yourself Away", this instantly turned into one of my favorite bands. It's one of the best ballads I have ever heard. "One Step Away" is also a nice, radio friendly ballad. Great tune. I could go on and on, but I don't need to. This one is up there with, and in some ways better than, "Invasion Of Your Privacy". Go get it now. You will not regret it.

See the title. That song is the GREATEST ballad ever done by a band, in my opinion. I listen to Giv'n Yourself Away at least ONCE a week even here in 1999.

Detonator was more of the same great rock we came to expect from Ratt when it was released. The tour to support the release was one of Ratt's best. Unfortunately they broke up not long after and Collage was their next effort some 8 years later.

If you don't have this one, get it.

And to those that hated when Metallica crossed over to a more alternitive style metal, I give you Ratt's "Detonator" I had stated on my review of "Reach for the sky" that Ratt was already losing their signiture sound, but at least there were some repectable songs on it. I gave it 2 1/2 stars. When Detonator was released in 1990, and I had first heard it, I knew that Ratt had truely "sold out" as this album is some very bad hair metal. Its sounds nothing like the Ratt of old, and even gives in to some bad "electric" drums. The only song on here that is any good is "Shame, Shame, Shame", the rest is just garbage. Even though Hair Metal would die a in two years, Ratt had died and gone to hair metal heaven after this piece of junk release. If you like your hair metal cheesy such as BulletBoys, Winger, White Lion, and Ugly Kid Joe, then this is for you. If you were a die hard fan of Ratt's "out of the celler" and "Dancing Undercover" (their two best albums) then avoid this mess.