So what’s a hard rock band like Y&T doing in a self-confessed AOR addicts music collection? The answer is simple. Keyboards, that’s what!
Written by: Lee South Africa
ARTIST: Y&T
ALBUM: Down For The Count
LABEL: A&M
SERIAL: AMA 5101
YEAR: 1985
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Dave Meniketti – vocals, guitars * Joey Alves – guitars, vocals * Phil Kennemore – bass, vocals * Leonard Haze – drums
Additional Musicians: Randy Nichols, Claude Schnell, Steffen Presley – keyboards
TRACK LISTING: 01 Summertime Girls * 02 Looks Like Trouble * 03 Your Mama Don’t Dance * 04 Don’t Tell Me What To Wear * 05 Hands Of Time * 06 In The Name Of Rock * 07 All American Boy * 08 Anytime At All * 09 Anything For Money * 10 Face Like An Angel
Y&T Background
So what’s a hard rock band like Y&T doing in a self-confessed AOR addicts music collection? The answer is simple.
Several bands who are traditionally considered ‘hard rock’ have an abundance of AOR appeal, manifested through melody and sheer class.
Such bands would include the likes of Y&T, Legs Diamond, Whitesnake, Triumph and Starz. Even selected portions of the Kiss catalogue.
Keyboards are frequently brought in to add that extra AOR touch, resulting in a sub-genre you could call Hard AOR. You can’t get much better than Y&T for a place to start.
The Songs
‘In The Name Of Rock’ is a big slice of melodic bombast. The hook reminiscent of ‘Megaforce’ era 707, complete with matching anthem chorus. Summing up the point I was making about Hard AOR: the perfect midpoint between hard rock and AOR.
Having been helped along the way by fellow Bay Area legends Journey, the influence is apparent in ‘All American Boy’. And especially ‘Anytime At All’, both waving the AOR flag with pride and conviction in the Journey/Survivor vein. Keys are used to great effect in enhancing the hook, and the wall of cascading vocals make the Anytime chorus worth the price of admission.
‘Anything For Money’ operates in more straight ahead hard rock territory, more frenetic and lighter on melody. An obvious dip from the opening three tracks.
‘Face Like An Angel’ gets everything back onto AOR Boulevard though. It combines a stirring Schon-esque lick with an intense vocal attack at chorus time.
‘Summertime Girls’ proves to be nothing short of classic AOR. It does justice to the very best Survivor, Shooting Star or Loverboy could offer (and that’s saying plenty). The combination hook of guitar riff and keyboard proves irresistible. The chorus reminds one of the flowing milk and honey from the best of Boston‘s harmonies. As a single it reached Billboard’s top 60 but deserved better.
‘Looks Like Trouble’ is hard rock by numbers, and the cover of ‘Your Mama Don’t Dance’ (Loggins/Messina) is entertaining but no more than that. Mmm
‘Don’t Tell Me What To Wear’ is pretty ferocious hard rock, almost devoid of melody and certainly a throwaway.
However, they do close the disc in considerable style. ‘Hands Of Time’ ushers the AOR melodies and keyboards back in for a power ballad/grand epic. It’s reminiscent of Triumph or even Magnum. Needless to say, a great album closer.
In Summary
There you have it, possibly one great track short of classic status, but very close. Majestic Rock has done great work with the sound and presentation of this reissue in 2005.
The Kevin Beamish production tugs out the very best of Y&T on most of this disc. He would repeat that achievement on 1987’s Hard AOR classic ‘Contagious’.
Note also that Majestic Rock have also reissued the great 1984 ‘In Rock We Trust’ album, featuring one of the AOR classics ‘Don’t Stop Running’.
Y&T on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
