Ratt not only opened my mind to Hard Rock – the poser, the cheesy, the Hair Metal. It helped me accept what was previously almost “forbidden.” It was like getting out of prison. I was free.”
By Ricardo Batalha (*)
Nowadays, when I think about trading five AC/DC vinyl records for one Dark Angel album at Woodstock Discos, I realize I didn't get a good deal. Not that Dark Angel is bad, especially since I still have that record, but I miss my albums by "normal" bands, the classics, those releases I call "cheap stuff." However, at the height of my radicalism and discovery of the most extreme and "hard-hitting" bands, there was no room for me to enjoy lighter music. It was ten hours of Slayer a day and some time for others like Celtic Frost, Voivod, Sodom, Venom, Bathory, Possessed, and so on.
Back in the days of the "Battle Slayer" era, I went so far as to call several bands that I now really enjoy "Fake Metal," something my brother, Frederico, will surely tease me about until my last days. Albums with keyboards, saxophone, brass instruments, and electronic drums I would discard without even listening – I'd read the information on the back cover or liner notes and wouldn't buy them. I know, you've also heard the most idiotic "maxim" in the world: "I haven't heard it and I don't like it.".
Life went on like that, but every time I heard riffs from a certain American band that was very successful in Hard Rock, I would stop to pay attention. But it didn't go beyond that. Some other friends, much less radical or who hadn't even delved deeply into Thrash/Black/Death Metal, already enjoyed that band enthusiastically. They always said the same thing: "Batalha, it's impossible that you don't like those guitar riffs!" Since I was in a group full of people who were waiting for a "slip-up" to make fun of me in front of everyone, I never gave in. You'd have a month of annoyance if someone found out that, even at the very end of a cassette tape compilation, you recorded a song "out of the ordinary.".
So, one time, I went to the house of another friend who listened to Slayer like me, Marco Antonio Nogueira, to record some concert videos and music videos, another fairly common practice in the 80s. Combining two videos to record was something that brought fans closer and, invariably, created friendships. The more purist might think it was a form of piracy. Yes, it was, but tell me any Brazilian who had a collection of official VHS videos. Yeah, nobody did. Not even the shopkeepers. Well, I was there recording live pirate videos – one of them was that Slayer concert in Holland during the “Show No Mercy” era – and then another friend who played guitar arrived, Eduardo. The guy only talked about that band. It was Ratt this, Ratt that. And he talked about one of the guitarists, Warren DeMartini. And he talked about the vocalist, Stephen Pearcy…
When people asked me if I was "liking posers," I would reply, "Yes, but only Ratt."
When I was getting fed up, I told him, "Okay, man, put that tape on!" And then we heard the opening riffs of "You're In Love," the opening track from the album "Invasion Of Your Privacy," something that had been playing on TV for ages on programs like Realce on TV Gazeta. Once again I thought to myself, "Cool!" And no wonder, the opening trio of songs on that album is phenomenal, followed by "Never Use Love" and "Lay It Down.".
All I know is that from one "cool" to another, I ended up recording that tape a few days later. The following week, I bought the album "Invasion Of Your Privacy," and in the weeks after that, the others that had been released in the national market. When people asked me if I was "liking posers," I would answer: "Yes, but only Ratt." Even my friend Claudio Fortuna, who listened to the same more extreme bands but had a more open mind, gave in: "What irritates me is that they keep saying 'love' this, 'love' that, but I liked it too. This album is cool, you can record it for me."
As always, one thing leads to another, and I realized I was finding it really cool, so I started catching up on lost time. Since I'd also been introduced to Dokken, the answer to that question kept adding bands each week: "Yes, I'm listening to Hard Rock, but only Ratt and Dokken." Just imagine my brother's ironic face, teasing me daily, coming into my room and saying: "Hmm, enjoying some fake Metal rock, huh?"..
Ratt not only opened my mind to Hard Rock – the poser, the over-the-top, the Hair Metal – and what are now called 'hair bands', but indirectly led me to rediscover bands I had "abandoned," like Triumph (a crime!), for example. And more, it helped me accept what was previously almost "forbidden." It was like getting out of prison. I was free.
Many years later, when I had already given up hope of seeing them live in person, came the news that Ratt would be one of the acts at the 2013 "Monsters Of Rock" festival
I started listening to, enjoying, reading, and studying the great and obscure bands of the 60s and 70s again, and even Pink Floyd, despite their heavy use of keyboards, piano, and saxophone (!). I embraced The Doors, whom I previously hated because the keyboard sounded like an "old man's organ"... So, besides exploring other new Thrash and extreme music, I continued discovering bands and getting excited again by sounds I once considered "too light." I recorded dozens of copies of Coroner's "Death Cult" demo tape for my friends – the one with Tom Warrior from Celtic Frost on vocals. On the other hand, nobody wanted to listen to my compilations anymore when we went for a drive or traveled. Everyone would comment: "Hey, Batalha, you're crazy! How can you record Ratt, Sodom, Bad Company, Foghat, Kiss, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, and Kreator on the same tape?"
Unfortunately, I never had a Hard Rock or Thrash Metal band, but although Cizania played original compositions rooted in Traditional Heavy Metal, we once performed at the closing of the music festival at the Professor Alberto Levy state school, located on Indianópolis Avenue, the place where former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso votes.
The festival was another great meeting point for friends from the region, and where groups that hung out with the bands Centúrias, Vírus, and Cérbero would gather. Well, that was the only time I ever played Ratt in my life, because our setlist included the song "What You Give Is What You Get," a track from the album "Invasion Of Your Privacy." I know my friends Marcelo Macarrão and Leão Marcicano, and everyone who hung out with them, were thrilled during the performance. It was a big surprise for everyone, because even today it's not very common for a band to play a Ratt cover.
Many years later, when I had already given up hope of seeing them live in front of me, came the news that Ratt would be one of the attractions at the 2013 "Monsters Of Rock" festival. Almost "nobody" remembered me. It would be the return of the festival and I would see the band for the first time, thirty years after the release of the EP "Ratt" (1983). I knew it wasn't the original Ratt, that Pearcy never sang anything, that Robbin Crosby is missed, but…
Ultimately, you know (or will know one day): everyone has their own "Ratt" in their musical journey
I locked myself in my own world and waited. In the interview with bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Bobby Blotzer, I tried to be as professional as possible. And I was, but inside there was a huge whirlwind of emotions. I shut myself off from the spotlight and vibrated internally like never before. I managed to exchange a few words with Stephen Pearcy and saw several people backstage looking at me. Never at a show have I spoken to so many people who were thrilled to see me happy. The Roadie Crew photographer, Ricardo Ferreira, couldn't contain himself and said: “I've never seen you like this, Batalha. You don't show anything, man. Today is your day!” Truly, the professional rock had a partial fan moment.
I watched all the acts that came before with the same attention, but when Ratt came on, I made sure to see the first songs near the photographers, up front. It was interesting to hear several people in the crowd shouting, “Hey, Batalha, you’re going to see Ratt, huh?!” That was like a cleansing of my soul. Of course, I was emotional throughout the entire show. Edu Falaschi, the vocalist of Almah, was next to me, vibing near the sound booth. José Muniz Neto, the businessman responsible for organizing “Monsters Of Rock,” was also there. At the end of the show, I could only turn to him and say, “Thank you very much, Muniz.”.
The “Monsters Of Rock” festival is coming, and who knows, maybe you'll see a band that makes you feel the same way. After all, you know (or will know one day): everyone has their own “Ratt” in their musical journey. And I confess that if it weren't for this band, I might not be able to work writing about music. For all this, I can only say: THANK YOU, RATT!
(*) Ricardo Batalha is editor-in-chief of Roadie Crew magazine (roadiecrew.com) and director of ASE Assessoria e Consultoria (asepress.com.br).
Recommended views:
Ratt – Invasion Of Your Privacy:
(*) Ricardo Batalha is the editor-in-chief of Roadie Crew and director of ASE Assessoria e Consultoria..
Check out other articles from the Battlefield column.
