Out of the Cellar

Out of the Cellar is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Ratt. Released in 1984, it was an immediate success, with wide airplay on radio and heavy rotation on MTV of its singles, especially the hit "Round and Round". The album is certified as triple platinum by the RIAA.^[9] The album brought Ratt to the top of the glam metal scene in Los Angeles. Ratt's later work would never surpass the success of Out of the Cellar.^[4][10][11]

Out of the Cellar
Studio album by Ratt
Released	February 17, 1984^[1]
Recorded	1983–1984
Studio	Village Recorder and Sound City Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre	Heavy metal^[2]^[3] glam metal^[4]^[5]
Length	36:41
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Beau Hill
Ratt chronology
Ratt (1983) Out of the Cellar (1984) Invasion of Your Privacy (1985)
Singles from Out of the Cellar
"Round and Round" Released: February 1984 (US) ^[6] "Wanted Man" Released: September 1984 (US) ^[7] "Lack of Communication" Released: November 1984 ^[8]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]
Collector's Guide to Hevy Metal	9/10^[5]

According to interviews with Beau Hill that were shot for the film Hair I Go Again, Tom Allom was originally slated to produce the record before the novice Hill was brought in.

Songs

Produced by Beau Hill, Out of the Cellar features Ratt's best-known hit, "Round and Round." It also contains other popular songs such as "Wanted Man," "Lack of Communication," and a re-recorded version of "Back for More." The latter song originally appeared on the EP Ratt. "In Your Direction" was a song that Pearcy wrote when the band was still called Mickey Ratt; "I'm Insane" and "Scene of the Crime" were songs Crosby had co-written and performed with his pre-Ratt band, Mac Meda, featuring future Riverdogs vocalist Rob Lamothe. In 2008, "Round and Round" and "I'm Insane" were featured in The Wrestler.

"Wanted Man" was co-written by bassist Joey Cristofanilli, who had briefly substituted for Juan Croucier. There are original lyrics on Juan Croucier's website for "She Wants Money" and "Lack Of Communication."^{[citation needed]}

Cover art

The model on the album cover is Tawny Kitaen, better known for her appearances in Whitesnake music videos, and the same year's teen-aimed film Bachelor Party. The long-time girlfriend of Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby at the time, Kitaen also appeared in the "Back for More" music video.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Wanted Man"	Robbin Crosby, Stephen Pearcy, Joey Cristofanilli	3:37
2.	"You're in Trouble"	Crosby, Warren DeMartini, Juan Croucier, Pearcy	3:16
3.	"Round and Round"	DeMartini, Crosby, Pearcy	4:22
4.	"In Your Direction"	Pearcy	3:30
5.	"She Wants Money"	Croucier	3:04

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Lack of Communication"	Croucier, Pearcy	3:52
7.	"Back for More"	Crosby, Pearcy	3:42
8.	"The Morning After"	DeMartini, Crosby, Pearcy	3:30
9.	"I'm Insane"	Crosby	2:54
10.	"Scene of the Crime"	Crosby, Croucier	4:54

Personnel

Ratt

• Stephen Pearcy – lead vocals
• Robbin Crosby – lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Warren DeMartini – lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Juan Croucier – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Bobby Blotzer – drums, percussion

Production

• Beau Hill – producer, engineer
• Jim Faraci – engineer
• Dave Clark, Clif Smith, Robin Laine, Ray Leonard – assistant engineers
• Dennis King – mastering
• Bob Defrin – art direction

Charts

Chart (1984)	Peak position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[12]	12
US Billboard 200^[13]	7

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[14]	Gold	50,000^^
United States (RIAA)^[15]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of glam metal albums and songs

References

1. "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America.
2. "The 40 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Spin. October 30, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
3. DiVita, Joe (February 12, 2014). "10 Best Metal Albums of 1984". Loudwire. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
4. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Ratt - Out of the Cellar review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
5. Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 282. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
6. Hung, Steffen. "Ratt - Round And Round". hitparade.ch.
7. Hung, Steffen. "Ratt - Wanted Man". hitparade.ch.
8. Hung, Steffen. "Ratt - Lack Of Communication". hitparade.ch.
9. "RIAA Searchable Database: search for Ratt". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
10. Phillips, William; Cogan, Brian (2009). Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music. ABC-CLIO. p. 197. ISBN 9780313348013.
11. Konow, David (2009). Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal. Crown/Archetype. p. 181. ISBN 9780307565600. ...a pop metal classic.
12. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
13. "Ratt Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
14. "Canadian album certifications – Ratt – Out of the Cellar". Music Canada. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
15. "American album certifications – Ratt – Out of the Cellar". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 23, 2021.