In the History of Hard Rock 'N' Roll, many artists come and go but rarely leave a mark. We are proud to say that Y&T left a musical mark that will withstand the test of time. Formed in the late 70's under the moniker of "Yesterday and Today," it wasn't until the band shortened its name to simply "Y&T" and released the critically acclaimed album Earthshaker, that people started to notice. Earthshaker is a bona fide classic, listed as one of the Top 100 Metal albums of all time in KERRANG and METAL FORCES. Represented here from that release are "Hurricane," "Rescue Me," "Dirty Girl," and the ultimate power ballad, "I Believe in you."
Y&T would never look back after that album. Dave Meniketti (Lead Guitar and Lead Vocals), Joey Alves (Guitar), Leonard Haze (Drums), and Phil Kennemore (Bass Guitar and Vocals) created a sound that incorporated dynamics that few have mastered. Meniketti's voice and guitar could slice you open to your inner soul and put you back together again, all before the needle played the last groove. ''Black Tiger'', released in 1982, is a perfect example. We have taken the liberty of including four songs from that album: "From The Moon," "Open Fire," "Forever," and "Black Tiger."
''Meanstreak'', released in 1983, would complete what we refer to as the trilogy (Earthshaker, Black Tiger and Meanstreak). The title track, "Midnight in Tokyo" and "Hang 'em High" represent the best overview of that record. These three records would later become textbooks for aspiring young bands.
This compilation is rounded out by tracks from the albums ''In Rock We Trust'', ''Open Fire'' (recorded live), and ''Down for the Count.'' Included from these records are "Summertime Girls" (Y&T's first big single and video), "Lipstick & Leather" and "25 Hours A Day" (a crowd favorite from their very first album, presented here Live). We have also included two unreleased tracks, "Beautiful Dreamer" (different studio recording from the song that appeared on the first Yesterday and Today album) and "Barroom Boogie" (from the MTV live concert), for the Y&T connoisseur.
When asked to put together a compilation of the essential Y&T songs, we sat down and pondered what songs a novice and a rabid fan would want to hear. Hopefully we have done justice to both them and to Y&T.
''Michael Faley & Brian Slagel (Metal Blade Records)''