EP: 50 - Now 40 Years Later: RATT, Black 'n Blue and Vinnie Vincent Invasion (August 1986)

August 1986 dropped three very different hard rock records within weeks of each other. Forty years on, we put them back on the turntable and ask the only question that matters: do they still hold up?

RATT – Dancing Undercover
Album number three in three years, with producer Beau Hill back at the board. The band put themselves on the cover instead of a model and went for a heavier sound with no power ballad in sight. "Dance" showed up on Miami Vice and "Body Talk" landed in The Golden Child, while "Slip of the Lip" kept the video rotation going. It went platinum but got a lukewarm reception from critics. Was the album underrated or just rushed?

Black 'n Blue – Nasty Nasty
Gene Simmons produced this one, with Tommy Thayer (who later joined Kiss) on guitar and Jaime St. James out front. Jonathan Cain has a credit on "I'll Be There for You" and Peter Criss and Ron Keel guest on "Best in the West". It's a record with a big personality. Does it still deliver or is it more of a curiosity?

Vinnie Vincent Invasion – Vinnie Vincent Invasion
Fresh off his run in Kiss, Vincent put together his own band with Robert Fleischman on vocals, Dana Strum on bass and Bobby Rock on drums. The songs came out of demos Vincent had been sitting on for years. The guitar playing got the attention, but the album never found the audience it seemed built for. Was it ahead of its time or stuck in the middle?

Three albums and forty years of hindsight. Give it a listen and tell us where you land.

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