The Brats ‎– Be A Man

The Brats were one of the greatest little bands who almost never were. Too late for Glam, too early for Punk and Hair Metal, and despite being championed by the likes of Alice Cooper, endless gigs at New York’s infamous Max’s Kansas City, and often found with a group called KISS opening for them, The Brats could never catch a break. If it were not for a couple of 45 rpms, with their most classic, “Quaalude Queen,” never being off the juke box of small clubs like the Hot Box in Philadelphia, to The Rat in Boston, this sparkling powerhouse formed by Rick Rivets, who dumped his position with fledgling New York Dolls might be even less than the pale ghosts music fans merely whisper about offhandedly between sets.

Heavily influenced by The Yardbirds, early Rolling Stones, and The Kinks, The Brats were loud, infectious and punchy ... yet forever coming off as an impromptu band who couldn’t keep their roster intact. While sputtering into the Punk era before flaming out, their influence was immortalized by The Ramones, who cut the song “Beat On The Brat” in tribute to this charismatic band who had all the parts, yet couldn’t manage to assemble the product in a working order well enough to earn them any serious coverage by the mainstream press, or even the local music rags of the time. Never the less, they were of their time, and one of the best $2.00 shows I’ve ever seen.