DESCRIPTION:
Long Island's own legendary Goods Rats live at the Bottom Line In NYC. This is the late show from 3/31/78.
A stellar set list, this was part of a series of shows that was recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour. In 1982, a three-alarm fire damaged the Manhattan office tower that housed D.I.R. Broadcasting. Reportedly, many of the King Biscuit Flower Hour recordings were lost in the fire.
Although closely associated with classic rock in its later years, the King Biscuit Flower Hour dedicated much air time to new and emerging artists, including new wave and modern rock artists in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Set List:
Takin It To Detroit
Does It Make You Feel Good
Don't Hate The Ones Who Bring You Rock And Roll
Ratcity In Blue
Beat Up Rambler
Let Me
Injun Joe
Mr Mechanic
Victory In Space
Reason To Kill
Local Zero
Tasty
Klash Ka Bob
Fireball Express
300 Boys
Songwriter

Peppi Marchello - Vocals
Mickey Marchello - Guitar
John Gatto - Guitar
Joe Franco - Drums
Lenny Kotke - Bass

The Good Rats were an institution in Long Island and the five boroughs of New York, and remained a popular musical export with a fiercely loyal fan-base. The Good Rats were fronted by brothers Mickey and Peppi Marchello (on guitar and vocals, respectively), and although they did score a record deal with Warner Brothers Records in the '70s, they remained a cult band that toured constantly on the Northeast club circuit. The Rats were a great live band with exceptional musicianship. One listen to this show and that will become apparent.

As with the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band and Jimmy Buffett, their fans would follow the group from gig to gig, sing along with every lyric and cheer them on each night. But The Good Rats were not an easy listen. The music is eclectic and slips in and out of different styles, tempos, and even keys. They never made the transition to mainstream crossover act, and the closest they saw to a hit was a few tracks that became FM radio faves in the Northeast. With songs like the creepy "Reason To Kill" and the jazz-flavored rocker, "Rat City In Blue" it's easy to see how the mainstream masses might have felt alienated from their music.

None of that seemed to matter when The Good Rats performed. The band had already built up a sizeable core audience, when this show was one of five recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour during a run at New York's Bottom Line club in the heart of Manhattan. When listening to these recordings one thing will quickly become apparent: the audience loved this band and they loved their fans back equally. A Good Rats show wasn't a rock concert. It was a gathering of the tribes.

This concert captured in the heart of New York City is an excellent testament to the type of show The Good Rats presented for years in clubs up and down the East Coast.