𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗧 — 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘆 (1985)

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

On this day (June 13) in 1985, RATT released their second full-length studio album, “Invasion of Your Privacy” via Atlantic Records.

(Lay It Down, Japan single, 1985)

(Lay It Down, US single, 1985)

Beau Hill produced the album, and it featured the singles "Lay It Down", "You're in Love" and "What You Give Is What You Get".

(You're In Love single, 1985)

(What You Give Is What You Get, Japan single, 1985)

(What You Give Is What You Get, US 12" promo, 1985)

Background:

Featuring the classic line-up of Stephen Pearcy on lead vocals, Robbin “King” Crosby on lead and rhythm guitar, Warren DeMartini on lead and rhythm guitar, Juan Croucier on bass guitar, and Bobby Blotzer on drums. DeMartini and Crosby's impressive guitar solos and Pearcy's sexual lyrics helped to further define the RATT sound. Although it did not achieve the sales figures or the status of their debut, “Invasion of Your Privacy” nonetheless was certified double platinum (selling over two million copies only in the U.S.).

The model on “Invasion's” cover is Playboy Playmate Marianne Gravatte, who also made an appearance in the "Lay It Down" music video.

(Stephen Pearcy & Marianne Gravatte in the "Lay It Down" video)

Using a female model on an album cover later became a trend copied by many Glam Metal bands of the 1980s, including Great White and Slaughter. “Invasion of Your Privacy” was displayed by Parents Music Resource Center at a congressional hearing dealing with parental advisory labels.

(Stephen Pearcy & Marianne Gravatte)

The songs "You're in Love" (No. 99 Hot 100) and "Lay It Down" were fan favorites (which made No. 40 on the Hot 100) that assured the band a presence on radio and MTV.

Footage from the band's performances at Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana and the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi were featured in the video to "You're In Love".

The band toured extensively in the United States and Japan, playing a total of 112 shows. In August 1985, the band played on the Monsters Of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England.

Overview:

After their impressive debut album "Out Of The Cellar", Ratt hit the studio and pumped out the riff-tastic and raunchy, "Invasion Of Your Privacy". And, if the guitar riffs and wizardry weren’t enough to grab the attention of the hormonal teenaged males (or females), the erotic cover featuring Playboy Playmate Marianne Gravatte was sure to do the trick.

This time around, the songs are stronger, packed full of the tasty guitar licks and syncopated rhythms of Crosby & DeMartini, along with the nasty backbeat of Blitz & thundering groove of Croucier that was sure to get the ladies dancing, and gritty swagger of Stephen Pearcy that made all the girls swoon (Let’s face it, the girls wanted to be with him and the guys wanted to be him). The production is top notch, with renowned producer Beau Hill at the controls, making RATT’s sleazy songs like “You’re In Love” and “Lay It Down” sound even dirtier and more evocative than ever before. — E.N. Wells

Critical Reception:

“Invasion of Your Privacy” peaked at No. 7 (which is the same peak position that “Out of the Cellar” attained). The album met with mostly positive reactions from fans and critics. AllMusic has called it "another batch of solid Pop-Metal tunes".

In 2015, Loudwire ranked the album as the 8th best Metal album of 1985.

Noteworthy:

A couple of months after the album release, the band released a home video entitled “Ratt: The Video”. The video featured the music videos from the Ratt EP, “Out of the Cellar” and “Invasion of Your Privacy”. The video was the first commercially available video to achieve gold sales status in the USA; it eventually reached platinum.

Jackson Guitars King V model was named after Robbin “King” Crosby.

Sadly, Crosby passed away in Los Angeles on June 6, 2002. Reported cause of death was complications from AIDS. In 2006, when Ratt's Behind the Music episode finally aired, Crosby stated, "When I die, nobody cry at my funeral, in fact let's all have a party; I've lived the life of ten men. I lived all my dreams and more."

R.I.P. to the KING, Robin Crosby (August 4, 1959 – June 6, 2002).

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “Invasion of Your Privacy” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/invasion-of-your-privacy/321974851

Click this link to watch the official music video for “You’re In Love”: https://youtu.be/n1sFCszjBoc

Click this link to watch the official music video for “Lay It Down”: https://youtu.be/27NMF6u14DU

Click this link to follow RATT on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therattpack

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells