The Rattlers

The Rattlers were an American punk rock band formed by Mickey Leigh in 1979. Mickey, the younger brother of Joey Ramone of the Ramones, had a similar vocal style but incorporated a more upbeat and power pop vibe to his music. They recorded two singles (On the Beach/Livin' Alone and What Keeps Your Heart Beatin'?/Let's Move), and in 1985 released the album, Rattled!. It was hailed by Robert Christgau as one of the Top 50 albums of 1985 in his annual ?A+ List? column in the Village Voice.

Bridging the musical gap between The Who and the Sex Pistols, The Rattlers album and live shows continued to garner acclaim by the press and their peers alike. From the band's inception they were invited to play bills in New York City, and on the road, with The Clash, The B-52s, The Stranglers, The Buzzcocks, 999, The Plasmatics, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and countless other legendary bands. The group went their separate ways in 1988.