Originally called Mickey Ratt before threatened litigation from the folks at Disney, Los Angeles' Ratt arrived with their major label debut Out Of The Cellar in 1984 - just as hard rock was beginning to gain acceptance and airplay on pop radio stations. Guitar-heavy, but possessing pop hooks, the band helped pioneer the pop-metal sound that would dominate radio later in the decade with acts like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard.

Already immensely popular in Southern California, Ratt quickly gained national attention with the single "Round And Round." The infectious song had a chorus that was ready-made for summer nights and was an immediate smash on album rock stations. MTV helped fuel the song's crossover to mainstream pop stations with heavy play of the accompanying video, which added a dose of humor through its featuring Milton Berle, the uncle of the Ratt's manager.

By early summer, "Round And Round" was rocketing up the charts and cracked the US Top 40 in July. By September, the song had crept to within a whisker of the Top Ten, but stalled just short, peaking at #12 for two weeks. The song's success helped propel Out Of The Cellar into the Top Ten on the album charts, made Ratt the toast of the hard rock world, and set up a successful run of albums that would last until the end of the decade.

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