Ratt's 'Detonator': Love it or hate it?

I never understood the dislike for this album. Seems alot of reviewers rank it as among their least favorites in the Ratt catalog, though some would even say the 1999 album gets that vote. But really, it's a good record that despite some cheesy lyrics, is just as addictive as the rest of their stuff. I guess it's just like Winger's 'Pull' that came out during a time when the genre was losing popularity but nonetheless was good.

I haven't heard it in dog years... I dont remember it being particularly bad, just not particularly special either. It's the only Ratt I haven't bothered to upgrade from tape to CD.

Muckie, I think you hit the nail squarely on the head with your last comment about it coming at the tail end of the genre's popularity. It probably is a little unfairly panned by critics and fans as it's not really any different from the four that preceded it lyric wise; but musically seemed to lack a little raw energy and excitement the first few possessed. It happens/ happened to a lot of artists/ bands. After 4 or 5 albums (and drugs and alcohol, life on the road, etc.) the once raging conflagration of thoughts and ideas is now only smoldering and you dip low for awhile. Some recover (imho, Dokken and Whitesnake) and some don't.

Ratt is an all time fave for me and I like the album well enough, it's just that, like a lot people my tastes were changing in 1990 or so. I started to shy away from "hair metal" (stupid term, I know) as I began to grow weary of cringe worthy lyrics and looked for something deeper. Ratt, Kiss, Crue will always be all time fave bands, but the cheesy songs about girls and sex got to be a little too much. I started to pay more attention to Queensryche, Fates Warning, and Dream Theater. And also. started to delve deeper into Lizzy and Purple.

Love it myself. Was actually my first Ratt album so I had no prejudice going into it. While the older ones were meatier and less polished, I found them less memorable and hooky than Detonator.

I liked it when it came out and I still like it. I think it's a solid Ratt album.

I thought it was an improvement over Reach For The Sky

I don't think I ever liked it. I was into the earlier stuff when it came out, and it just seemed way too weak and cheesy. Too bad, because with a title like "Detonator" it should have been the opposite.

I am like many of you a RATT fan and i always liked this record. Still sounds good to me today. Also they released a vhs tape with a making of the video clips from this album etc...nice.
The first RATT albums are great -and i also put DETONATOR in this list BUT i also love the comeback album INFESTATION and the 1999 album. Really underrated. The production is not very good but some songs are really amazing on this cd, pure RATT.

I've always thought it was a really good release. And a definite improvement over Reach For The Sky.

Not familiar with it, really. I gave up on them at this point so it is time to give it a listen. Playing it on Spotify now.

I love it. The slicker production worked nicely for the songs on this release.

The only Ratt album I don't like is Collage but it's hardly fair to compare that one to the rest of their studio albums considering the material is pulled from the Mickey Ratt years, b-sides and alternate recordings.

I always thought it was a solid record.

I am a huge fan of RATT and I love this album...good solid album with some really great songs....

Surprised to see the love for this album here. Pleasantly surprised.

I never owned this album, but I remember it being a solid Ratt album.

Listened to it yesterday and not as bad as I remembered for the most part. I also noticed Infestation on Spotify and since it had been a while since i heard it I played it as well.

I think Detonator is great. I didn't know people didn't like it?

Putting it with Winger's Pull is a little odd...I know you mean time period wise, declining interest in the genre, etc. But I think a lot of people dislike Pull because it was more ambitious and stylistically different from the first 2 Winger records. I don't think Detonator is very different from the previous Ratt records.

I also think Pull is a great album, are the first 2 Winger records. If I had to rank them, it'd probably go debut, Pull, ITHOTY.

I briefly owned a copy that I picked up for like a buck or 2 at a Goodwill shop. Like some others have mentioned, I didn't know it wasn't liked. I don't recall it being any better or worse than any other Ratt album, although I don't consider myself that much of a fan to begin with. I wound up getting rid of it anyway. Their 81-91 Greatest hits comp is all the Ratt I need. I wouldn't mind getting a copy of their debut ep someday though. I keep hoping it'll show up in a used bin someday.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I wouldn't mind getting a copy of their debut ep someday though. I keep hoping it'll show up in a used bin someday.

That's the missing piece from my Ratt collection. I'd love to get that some day but it's always way too expensive. Hopefully it get's re-issued at some point.

I have thought it was a good album. Not my favorite Ratt album but still a good one.

007 wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I wouldn't mind getting a copy of their debut ep someday though. I keep hoping it'll show up in a used bin someday.

That's the missing piece from my Ratt collection. I'd love to get that some day but it's always way too expensive. Hopefully it get's re-issued at some point.

So many years ago I'd see that in the used shops in my travels and not even give it a second glance. "Bah, who needs a lame Ratt ep?" Oh, if I only knew!!

007 wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I wouldn't mind getting a copy of their debut ep someday though. I keep hoping it'll show up in a used bin someday.

That's the missing piece from my Ratt collection. I'd love to get that some day but it's always way too expensive. Hopefully it get's re-issued at some point.

It amazes me that the thing sells for so much money. I definitely dig the rawer sound on the EP, but I will never own it unless they reissue it or I get extremely luck in a used bin. I saw an auction end a couple weeks ago at $99. I just could never spend that amount on a CD. Maybe if I had so much money that $99 was the same to me as 99 cents is now or something.

It's a dream of mine to find that EP in the used bins for around $5.99 (which seems to be the going rate for the Ratt Cds) but I know that will never happen now. I used to have that on cassette (both sides were the exact same) but that's a dead format for me. I haven't had a cassette player in years and got rid of all my tapes.

I meant to comment on this thread a long time ago. I'm shocked to see that most feel this is a "good" album. This album sucks on so many levels! I think RATT started really going down hill with "Reach For the Sky", though that argument could be made further back with "Dancing Undercover", as their lyrics became that much more inane, and sadly both Crosby and DeMartini lost their balls as far as the riffs go. The song "Heads You Win, Tails You Lose" has the most retarded chorus of any RATT song. If I were an anthropologist and writing a dissertation on music scenes and what songs were a contributing factors in their fall from grace, I would use the aforementioned as my thesis for my paper. Outside of "Shame, Shame, Shame" and "Can't Wait On Love", I just don't see the redeeming value with this album, but even those songs aren't vintage RATT songs in my opinion.

It's funny you say that. I actually like "Givin' Yourself Away". It's a terribly cheesy power ballad but it has charm for me none the less.