It's a hot summer night and you are full of county fair corn dogs, piss and vinegar. Freshly-won feathered roach clips are hanging from the mirror of your '75 Monte Carlo, and there's Schlitz and Schnapps in the trunk. There's a 60% chance of thunderstorms and a 80% chance of clumsy fingering and rough hand jobs. Who are you popping into the tape deck?

Things to consider:
When Dokken broke up, Don Dokken and George Lynch each formed a band that sounded exactly like Dokken.
Ratt is one of the proud few bands (up there with Rough Cutt and Queensrhyche) that have had two versions of the same band touring/playing at the same time.

Warren DeMartini is a helluva guitarist.

Ratt by a country mile. Great guitarist. Melodic hooks.

Saw Dokken supporting Priest and at Monsters of Rock. They blow.

kicker_of_elves wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 9:16 am Warren DeMartini is a helluva guitarist.

With one of the all time great guitar player names.

Saw them open for Motley Crue on the SATD tour when I was 13-ish, all I remember is
1. being totally deaf afterwards, and
2. DeMartini ripped one awesome solo after another

Lay It Down is about as good as hair metal riffing gets.

RATT had better songs, hands down.

I'm not an expert on this stuff (because it mostly seems like dogshit) but what's the 'connection' of these bands? That they're both kinda 2nd tier popularity wise?

Ratt had better vocals, but I don't think DeMartini was better than Lynch.

MoreSpaceEcho wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 10:11 am

kicker_of_elves wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 9:16 am Warren DeMartini is a helluva guitarist.

With one of the all time great guitar player names.

Saw them open for Motley Crue on the SATD tour when I was 13-ish, all I remember is
1. being totally deaf afterwards, and
2. DeMartini ripped one awesome solo after another

Lay It Down is about as good as hair metal riffing gets.

Agreed. It's not just some pentatonic bonehead drop C# power chord bullshit, it's a pretty intricate riff with a tasteful solo. As tasteful as hair metal gets, at any rate.

penningtron wrote: Wed Jun 18, 2025 10:51 am I'm not an expert on this stuff (because it mostly seems like dogshit) but what's the 'connection' of these bands? That they're both kinda 2nd tier popularity wise?

LA hair metal with shredder guitarists that could occasionally write a catchy song/decent riff?

Ratt was way sleazier and Stephen Pearcy's gravel sneer could have worked in a punk band. The rhythm section also had social connections to Nervous Breakdown-era Black Flag, no shit. Plus they had Milton fucking Berle in that one video of theirs. Granted, I have never heard an entire Ratt LP, nor would I care to.

Dokken's whole "rockin'" thing was pretty beige and did not leave much of an impression upon me.

Ratt.