Ratt had gone from the Sunset Strip to multi-platinum albums and sold-out arenas in only a few years. But as the band prepared to record its third album, Dancing Undercover, it was standing at a crossroads—and may not have realized it.

In this episode, we examine a revealing 1986 interview with guitarist Robbin Crosby and ask whether Ratt’s enormous success had already begun changing the band. While Poison, Metallica, Megadeth and Guns N’ Roses were pulling hard rock in new directions, Ratt’s answer appeared to be “business as usual.” Was Dancing Undercover simply more of what fans already loved—or evidence that the band had failed to figure out where it should go next?

We’ll also look at the work that drove Ratt’s explosive rise, Stephen Pearcy’s memories of the period, the changing concepts behind the band’s album covers and why Mötley Crüe ultimately achieved a longer cultural run. Ratt unquestionably had the talent—but did it ever learn how to reinvent itself after crawling out of the cellar?

CHAPTERS

00:00 Stephen Pearcy Wonders Where It Went Wrong
01:14 Welcome and Ratt Rock Trivia
02:50 Ratt at Its 1986 Crossroads
03:30 The Work Behind Ratt’s Success
05:01 Seeing Ratt in Denver in 1984
06:23 What Happens After You Escape Gravity?
07:02 Had Ratt Lost the Eye of the Tiger?
09:40 Plans for Dancing Undercover
10:02 Why Ratt Opened for Ozzy and Judas Priest
11:17 Where Would Ratt Go on Album Number Three?
12:14 Hearing Dancing Undercover for the First Time
14:32 What Had Ratt Learned from Its First Two Albums?
15:45 The Challenge of Evolving Without Losing Your Identity
17:02 Did Ratt Still Need a Hit Single?
19:59 “Why Would You Change Horses?”
21:06 Hard Rock Was Changing Around Ratt
22:00 Stephen Pearcy Discovers Guns N’ Roses
23:01 Had Success Come Too Quickly?
25:17 How Success Was Already Changing the Band
25:41 What Ratt’s Album Covers Reveal
28:35 Robbin Crosby on the Benefits of Success
29:02 Could Ratt Have Had a Longer Run?
31:45 Rock Trivia Answers
33:13 The AudioMover Thailand and Cambodia Adventure