In 1969, the band released their first album, the self-titled The Good Rats. In 1972, the lineup changed, with guitarist John “The Cat” Gatto, bass player Lenny Kotke and drummer Joe Franco joining the Marchello brothers. The Good Rats continued to build a following, playing Long Island’s thriving club scene, along with other notable names such as Twisted Sister, Zebra, and Rat Race Choir.
In 1974, the Good Rats released their best-known and most popular album, Tasty. It featured a blend of hard and progressive rock with subtle jazz influences, highlighted by Marchello’s powerful and raspy vocals. Various songs from this record, including “Injun Joe”, “Papa Poppa”, a rock ode about cults, the autobiographical numbers “Back to My Music” and “The Songwriter”, and the jazzy title track, received airplay around the country on FM radio.
During the following years, the Rats performed at venues such as Madison Square Garden, The Philadelphia Spectrum, The Nassau Coliseum, The Hammersmith Odeon in England, and New York’s Central Park, as well as showcase rooms such as The Bottom Line in Manhattan, My Father’s Place in Roslyn, NY, Whiskey a Go Go in Los Angeles and The Paradise Room in Boston. They headlined or opened for bands such as Rush, Journey, Kiss, Meat Loaf, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, The Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, and Styx. Live shows were famous for the band’s stage antics, as Peppi would play air guitar on his baseball bat, throw rubber rats into the crowd, and beat the daylights out of a battered garbage can as he sang.
On a nationally syndicated radio interview, a member of the band Journey called them "the greatest rock band in the world."
Between 1976 and 1980, The Good Rats released a series of albums, including Ratcity in Blue, From Rats to Riches, Birth Comes to Us All, and Live At Last, all of which were well received by the band’s fan base, and received some airplay on FM radio, without actually putting the band over the top. In 1981, Gatto and Kotke left the band, and were replaced by future Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick and bass player Schuyler Deale, (who later played with Billy Joel and Michael Bolton), for the album Great American Music. Shortly thereafter, the band broke up.
Throughout the 1980s, Peppi Marchello continued to write and produce recordings with his son Gene. They toured locally for a while under the name "Popzarocca" until the song "First Love" became a minor hit for the band (now renamed "Marchello"), with the music video receiving minor airplay on MTV's "Headbanger's Ballroom". This band featured Gene on guitar and lead vocals and also included drummer John Miceli (Meatloaf, Rainbow, "We Will Rock You"). The band recorded two albums (only one which was released).
In the mid-1990s, Marchello and sons Gene Marchello and Stefan Marchello began playing out locally under “The Good Rats” name. They released three new studio CDs with this lineup, Tasty Seconds (1996), Let's Have Another Beer (2000), and Play Dum (2002). Marchello also released a live recording of a 1979 appearance on a Rochester radio show, Rats, The Way You Like ’Em.
In 1998, Marchello wrote "A Tale of Two Balls," the introduction to the book Conflicts of Disinterest (Aardwolf Publishing) by sometimes controversial author Clifford Meth.[1]
In the 2000s, the band continues to play in local venues throughout New York, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut, as well as playing annually in their own summer weekend outdoor festival aptly named "Ratstock". At one point, the "new" Good Rats (Peppi and his sons) performed as the opening act for a reunion performance by the "old" Good Rats. Billed as "The Original Good Rats" Peppi was joined by Mickey, Kotke, Franco, and Gatto on October 4, 2008 in a small venue on Long Island, and for a pair of sold-out shows at B.B. King's in Manhattan.
In 2008, Gene Marchello left the band to go out on his own. Nevertheless, The Good Rats, featuring Peppi and Stefan Marchello continued playing weekend club dates around Long Island into 2009. Meanwhile, the "original" lineup of Peppi and Mickey Marchello plus Gatto, Kotke and Franco are scheduled to play at least two more shows at B.B. King's in April 2009.
They were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (www.limusichalloffame.org) in 2008.
Let Me
Good Rats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me, let me show you the way that I feel
Let me, let me do all the things I’ve been dreaming about
Bring to life everything I’ve been scheming about
Darling won’t you please let me.
Let me, let me show ya’ how much I can love you
Let me, let me knock you right off of your feet
Could be yours, could be mine, could be any old place,
Darling won’t you please let me.
It’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright,
C’mon and let me love you, let me love you, tonight.
(guitar solo)
Ahhh, Let me, love you into Sunday morning,
Let me, let me show you the way that I feel,
Darling let me, let me take you away to a magical place,
Could be yours, could be mine, could be any old place,
Darling won’t you please let me.
(two guitar solo)
Good Rats's song Let Me in is a romantic plea to a lover. The singer desperately yearns for their affection and pleads with them to allow him the opportunity to show them how much he can love them. He asks to be granted the chance to bring his dreams to life and make a reality all the fantasies he’s been imagining about the object of his desire. The song is filled with passion and emotion as the singer is willing to go to any extent to win over his beloved’s heart. The lyric “Let me love you into Sunday morning” suggests that he’s willing to love her all through the night and see her off to the morning with tenderness and care. Overall, the song is a sweet and earnest tribute to love and the magic it can bring into our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Let Me, Let me love you into Sunday morning
Allow me to make love to you and express my affection until Sunday morning comes.
Let me, let me show you the way that I feel
Allow me to display my emotions and communicate my feelings to you.
Let me, let me do all the things I’ve been dreaming about
Allow me to fulfill all the fantasies and desires that I have been daydreaming about.
Bring to life everything I’ve been scheming about
Enable me to execute and bring to fruition all the plans and schemes I have been devising in my mind.
Darling won’t you please let me.
Kindly allow me to do all these things for you and express my love.
Let me, let me show ya’ how much I can love you
Let me prove or demonstrate to you the extent of my love towards you.
Let me, let me knock you right off of your feet
Allow me to overwhelm or surprise you with my love to the point of leaving you stunned or speechless.
Let me, let me take you away to a magical place
Allow me to transport you to a wondrous or enchanted place or state of mind through my love.
Could be yours, could be mine, could be any old place,
This magical place could be anywhere, personal or not, that we both choose or imagine.
Darling won’t you please let me.
Please let me take you there and show you this aspect of my love.
It’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright,
Trust that everything will be alright, and there is nothing to worry about in this situation.
C’mon and let me love you, let me love you, tonight.
Give in to my love and let me show you how much I care tonight.
Ahhh, Let me, love you into Sunday morning,
Reiteration of the desire to make love and express affection until Sunday morning arrives.
Let me, let me show you the way that I feel,
Reiteration of the desire to communicate emotions and feelings towards the loved one.
Darling let me, let me take you away to a magical place,
Reiteration of the desire to transport the loved one to a magical place through love.
Could be yours, could be mine, could be any old place,
Reaffirmation that this magical place could be anywhere both parties desire or imagine.
Darling won’t you please let me.
Reiteration of the plea or request to be allowed to express love and affection.
(two guitar solo)
Instrumental section with no lyrical meaning.
Contributed by Jason R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jakedaniels4891
born and raised in Rochester NY. the guys were a staple and u can still hear them on CMF every once in while. I was born a little late but my dad got me into them. saw them live in 2009 and peppi still had a set up could saw the muffler off your car with. a true gentleman too. rip and rock on
@snapswivel
RIP Peppi ! one of THE most underrated Vocalists, & Frontmen, EVER!
@DavesFitLife
Absolutely. Undeniable!!
@daytonapeach
Awesome band from back in the day; Thanks for sharing! R.I.P. Peppi ❣️
@Annalea421
RIP Peppi... so many great memories. This was one of my all time favs... a yellow flower to you.
@stuartzen5055
Used to see these guys all the time back in the day. Speaks (Island Park) was probably the biggest venue, but saw them at Rum Bottoms, OBI East, Solomon Grundy's...blast from the past!
@kcjagger
Best song ever ❤
@natmetalgirl710
Sure I'm years late here but I was lucky enough to see the original band in Commack in the late 80's.
Awesome show, Mayfair Shopping Center. Forget the Club Name.
I've traveled the U.S. and turned everyone I could onto the Good Rats.
A great band that never received the recognition they deserved....Let Me!!!!!!!!!
@timothysmith4269
My Fathers Place in Roslyn NY...many a wasted night with the Rats....Good Times.......God Bless.
@frankbellomo8140
I saw them at rum runners on Long Island that was a great place and a great band