RATT – Reach For The Sky [remastered SHM-CD] [Limited Release]

Many readers praised the high quality of several Japanese SHM-CD remasters presented here, and asked for more RATT. Let’s go with “Reach For The Sky“.

After the commercial and melodic Dancing Undercover
Ratt returned in 1988 with “Reach For The Sky” and this was a rocking effort in the vein of their debut album yet really polished.
This one marked the last Ratt album to be produced by Beau Hill. The band originally intended for the record to be produced entirely by Mike “Clay” Stone. However, substandard DAT tape recordings of Stone’s production efforts prompted Atlantic Records to bring in Hill to assist Stone and more than that, also re-write half of the songs.

Not only “Reach For The Sky” is a solid album but also sports one of Ratt’s greatest songs ever; “Way Cool Jr.”, where they truly captured lightning in a bottle. The single prompted the record sales to over a million.
There are some other really great songs on this album such as “I Want A Woman” and the awesome “City to City”. Also “Don’t Bite The Hand That Feeds”, “Chain Reaction”, “Bottom Line” and “What I’m After” got fire, some of them pretty elaborated.
And Ratt even did their first ballad for this one; the cool “I Want To Love You Tonight”.
This is often deemed Ratt’s weakest album but I find it to be of equal quality to the previous, just more rockin’ and expansive.

Sadly now out of print, this “Reach For The Sky” Japanese remaster on SHM-CD is excellent, respecting the punchy sound of the original vinyl (at least compared to mine) but of course richer on dynamics.
On par with any ’80s Ratt album, “Reach For The Sky” delivers catchy balls-to-the-wall glam hard rock.
Highly Recommended.

Warner Music Japan ~ WPCR-13569

01. City To City
02. I Want A Woman
03. Way Cool Jr.
04. Don’t Bite The Hand That Feeds
05. I Want To Love You Tonight
06. Chain Reaction
07. No Surprise
08. Bottom Line
09. What’s It Gonna Be
10. What I’m After

Stephen Pearcy – vocals
Warren DeMartini – guitar and vocals
Robbin Crosby – guitar and vocals
Juan Croucier – bass and vocals
Bobby Blotzer – drums, harmonica, percussion

Try here:
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/WPCR-13569
.