There were very few, if any, hard rock bands of the '80s that could rock like Ratt could. I enjoy their style of hard rock moreso than that of any other band. It's simple, but very hard and fast -somewhat similar to music produced by "The Scorpions" and "Motley Crue" though I like only a few songs of the latter. The only way to describe Ratt is that "they abso-fraggin'-lutely rock."

"Ratt & Roll 81-91," as the title implies, is a compilation of Ratt's best from '81-'91. The CD is a great value as it includes 19 tracks. Included is their most noteworthy song ever (and my favorite) "Round And Round" which was a huge radio hit for several years in the early '80s. Less popular, but just as good songs as Round And Round are: "Lay It Down," "Lack Of Communication," "You're In Love," and "One Step Away."

There are several songs which aren't very good or memorable but as far as hard rock goes one would be hard-pressed to find badder, faster, and harder music than Ratt's best.

Back in the 1980's when glam/rock-metal ruled the world, my friends and I stayed away from that scene because the big teased hair and make-up seemed kind of gay and it's seemed like a parody of itself, but still I secretly did get into a handful of songs by those kind of bands. It seemed like most of them sounded almost exactly the same. All my friends liked the progressive and classic rock groups like Jethro Tull, Kansas, Old Genesis, Yes, Moody Blues, Foreigner, Journey, Alan Parsons Project, and the real metal groups like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Judas Priest. I did like some of the hits of Ratt (some of my friends did like a couple of their hits too) but liking a few of their songs wasn't enough for me to really fully become a Ratt fan. I thought the songs "Round and Round", "Lay It Down", "You're In Love", "Back For More", and "Way Cool Jr." were basically good but nothing that I thought was great enough to go out and fork out the dough for. But in the early 90's, I bought this greatest hits compilation RATT AND ROLL '81 to '91. Until about a week ago, I don't recall ever playing it before, but last week I dusted it off and played it on my car cd deck and really enjoyed most of the 19 tracks on it. There are a few songs that I don't like but I really liked about 14 or 15 of the tracks. I think I played "Lay It Down" about 7 times in one day. Man that's a rocking tune. The guitars sound great at the start of it and all the way throughout. I know everyone (including me) thinks that De Martini is really great but I don't think Robbin Crosby was too shabby either. I think they should have respected Crosby a little more because I heard some interviews with him and I think he was pretty soured by the way they treated him. I think that might have contributed to his heavy drinking and heroin addiction, but on the other hand, Crosby shouldn't have been jealous if someone like De Martini came along to outshine him. There's always someone who will come along that will be a better guitarist than you, and basically, life's too short to let that ruin your life. It's too bad about his fatal overdose a few years back but that happens a lot in the rock world because drug use is like breathing to a lot of rock stars. Of the glam scene I do think looking back on it, that Ratt was one of the top bands of that period. Now that those days are over with, for some reason, I'm checking into the hair bands that I hated in the mid to late 80's, and kind of wish that I would have hung around the glam rock crowd because they did seem to have a fun time back in the day. I would wholeheartedly recommend this because almost all of the tracks are very good to great, and being that it's close to 78 minutes in length, it's worth buying at least from one of the used Amazon sellers. They have a used copy in very good condition that's selling for $4.44 at this present time of September 1st 2006. If you just are looking for a single cd best of compilation, this is one of the best I've ever found. Just buy it!!!

No doubt about it,Ratt was one of the best '80's metal bands.I recall several fans always comparing them to the likes of Aerosmith.Thought it was great that for a half-a-dozen or so years,you could go see like maybe both those acts on tour within the same six months time-frame.No more,though.I saw Ratt play a club without guitarist Robin Crosby(R.I.P.)before he had passed on and they were disappointing,to say the least.Their gig did however improve by it's second half.Ratt was a great band to see in their heyday.Nineteen songs total,many of their prime material to be found here,like "Tell The World","Round And Round","Wanted Man","Lack Of Communication","You're In Love","Slip Of The Lip","Dance","Body Talk","Way Cool Jr.",you know,I've really lost count of all their killer videos that MTV and other music channels used to play.Highly recommended.

RATT is my all time favorite band. They have songs on this album from top to bottom that are smash hits. The best songs on this include, 'Round and Round' 'Loving you is a dirty job' 'Shame Shame Shame' 'Dance' and 'Way Cool Jr.' plus tons more.. the whole cd is stacked. If you don't own a ratt cd shame shame shame on you! you better pick this one up! its unreal! you will not b dissapointed! i have the cd on repeat in my car. its been that way for 8 months. i never get sick of RATT. its one of those cd's that you can listen to the whole thing over and over and you won't skip a single song. pick this one up for sure!

This is a great, but not "perfect" introduction to Ratt's legacy. If you ask me, hair spray, glam shots and slick videos really were not as vital to Ratt's success as it was to other acts of the era. The music sold the band and man these crazy cats could play! They had a really fresh and sleazy sound that made them stand out from the other rockers and wannabes.

The only reason I didn't give this cd 5 stars is that it focuses heavily on the original lineup's final album 1990's "Detonator." This was a totally airbrushed attempt to sound like Bon Jovi. I think the band in hindsight would agree with this observation. Needless to say, the album only reached gold status in sales and like a giant red "STOP" sign, Ratt's world domination would go no further.

I feel that better albums from the glory years were for the most part ignored just to save face with the disappointment that was "Detonator." It's too bad because there are only 2 cuts given from the excellent "Invasion of Your Privacy" and the underrated gem "Reach for the Sky." Both of these albums were certified platinum and sound like Ratt just being Ratt which is fine with me.

You really need to experience Ratt by listening to their entire back catalogue. Songs for instance like "Sweet Cheater," "Between the Eyes," "The Morning After," and "I Want Love You Tonight" show you how vastly rich the soundscapes of Ratt could be. There was a lot more to this band than just "Round and Round."

Record company people please re-master all of Ratt's classic albums!!! Right now, wouldn't be soon enough!