Ratt “The Atlantic Years” box set includes all five of the band’s studio albums, plus expected extras. We caught up with the voice of Ratt, singer Stephen Pearcy, to discuss the release. Stephen wasted no time in pointing out that it “was about time.” Stephen was more than happy to show us exactly what is included in the vinyl version of the box set.

Included in the vinyl box set is the 45 for “Nobody Rides For Free.” The song was originally called “Reach For The Sky” when they recorded it for their “Out Of The Cellar” album, but it didn’t make it on the record. There is also a tour book which included lots of personal photos. Stephen was happy to let us get a peek inside the book.

The first few albums were only spaced out by a year each, “Out Of The Cellar” in 1984, “Invasion Of Your Privacy” in 1985, and “Dancing Undercover” in 1986. When asked if the band was firing on all cylinders, feeling beat up or both at the time, Stephen quickly responded with “Let’s go with both.” He said that was “The beginning of a lot of things that were not too positive.” Stephen did say that primarily Ratt were a live band and that if the box set is missing anything, it’d be some live tracks.

I took the time to inquire about Stephen recently saying Ratt is done. He did say that was accurate. That was when Stephen mentioned how important the late guitarist Robbin Crosby was to the group. Stephen spoke about trying to organize the band after losing Robbin. He commented how they’re not the most dysfunctional band, “But pretty close.” Next year will mark 40 years of the band and the debut album “Out Of The Cellar.” Stephen did say he’d like to put a nail in that but also said “Never say never.” But he seemed to be leaning away from anything because “Without Robbin, I can’t see going through the motions again.”

Stephen did speak about how well he got along writing songs with guitarist Warren DeMartini from the band. He said they wrote some great songs. He also mentioned that he wants to release at least one of those songs they co-wrote. When asked if there were songs he worked on with Ratt that remained unreleased, Stephen said he has “A huge archive of material.”

Watch our conversation below and check out the box set Ratt “The Atlantic Years.”

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