I took a chance on this 45 at a downtown used-book store years ago… The cover photo was goofy, the 15¢ price tag was ridiculous, and I needed to break a $20 for the Metro ride home. Once I had the smaller bills I needed, I almost tossed the record in the trash at the bottom of the Dupont station escalator, but curiosity won out and I decided to see just how bad a 15¢ song could be. What a pleasant surprise when I finally got around to giving the record a spin and it turned out to be a true, punky, power-pop gem with ’60’s garage band overtones. Years later the record’s value multiplied exponentially when I learned that The Rattlers were a late ’70’s New York City band fronted by Mickey Leigh — Joey Ramone’s little brother. In 1985 Joey and his band, The Ramones were celebrating their 10th anniversary with a return to their punk origins entitled Too Tough to Die. That same year, The Rattlers released their one-and-only LP, Rattled!, which included today’s Happy Medium Song of the Day: “What Keeps Your Heart Beatin’?” It’s the kind of song that would make a big brother proud.
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