As part of AXS TV’s ongoing ‘Stranded’ video series, Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy has revealed what his top five albums of all time are.
The albums that one grew up on are typically the enduring go-to favorites and that’s the case for Pearcy, who picks records exclusively from the 1970s. They each helped shape who he and Ratt would become and the singer is rather insightful when explaining each selection.
Nothing can replace the feeling of hearing an incredible band for the first time and Pearcy takes fans on a journey through his youth, where friends (who’d later become bandmates) introduced him to the greatness of Judas Priest and a certain psychedelic drug offered a unique first-time experience with Black Sabbath.
READ MORE: Motley Crue’s Vince Neil Names His Five Favorite Albums of All Time
There’s also one all-important artist that permanently altered the trajectory of rock and metal, largely giving way to the flashy guitar playing that dominated ’80s metal, alongside it’s big party time vibes and aura of fun. You can probably guess what band that is! That band had a profound impact on the Sunset Strip sound in Los Angeles, which played a huge role in the rise of hair metal.
The next decade wasn’t as kind to Ratt and many of the big ’80s bands, but Pearcy recently attributed hair metal’s downfall to more than just the arrival of grunge. The singer blamed “cookie-cutter” bands as a big contributor this downfall, telling Goldmine magazine, “The whole world was filled with mini-Motleys and mini-Ratts, and it just got to be too much. And so, things went from being amazing to being the absolute worst very quickly. When everyone is making the same music, using the same producers, and the same video directors, you’re going to have a problem.”
See the Ratt singer’s picks for his top five albums of all time below and watch the full video further down the page.
Top 30 Hair Metal Albums
The 30 best hair metal albums of all time.
Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy Names His Top Five Albums
PLAYLIST: Ultimate Metal Power Ballads
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