Y&T – Earthquake The A&M Years 81-85; Down For The Count [remastered] (2013)

At the very end of 2013 and almost unnoticed, there was a box-set release from one of the essential bands from the first half of the ’80s: Y&T, entitled “Earthquake: The A&M Years 1981-1985”.
You will get 7 albums spread over 4 discs, a terrific collection with all the material Remastered for an exceptional value for money.

Yes, many would prefer every album in one single disc, but this way you have a glossy edition packaged in the old style ‘fat’ box, an extensive booklet in exceptional print quality with detailed info, and the most important; a superb sound remastered by Andy Pearce, all for less than 25 U$D it’s a steal.
Additionally, there’s a ‘new’ album entitled ‘Live On The Friday Rock Show’, a selection of live tracks from Donnington and Reading festivals including previously unreleased material.

From the the bunch, I have chosen Y&T’s last recording for A&M, the criminally underrated “Down For The Count” (1986), a must have for any Melodic Rock / mid-’80s AOR fan.

The album features Y&T’s biggest hit “Summertime Girls”, a keyboard driven catchy AOR song to die for, which charted at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song had initially appeared as the lone studio track on the band’s previous live album, Open Fire.
But all tracks into “Down For The Count” are great: the killer, scorching hard rock opener “In The Name Of Rock” about a young guitar player who broke through heck or high water, the AOR heaven of “Anytime At All” (with some Journey on it), the Melodic Rock gold of “Face Like An Angel”, and one of my Y&T favorite songs ever: the bluesy and hot “Looks Like Trouble”.

There’s more ass kickers on the melting “Don’t Tell Me What To Wear” and “Anything For Money”, and the mid-tempo AOR ballad “Hands Of Time” has an intensity few times seen in this type of songs.

As said, “Down For The Count” is A-Must-Have. But also this awesome box “Earthquake: The A&M Years 1981-1985”, including 7 albums for the price of two, with a monster remastering work and a fantastic packaging.
Go and buy it!

01 – In The Name Of Rock
02 – All American Boy
03 – Anytime At All
04 – Anything For Money
05 – Face Like An Angel
06 – Summertime Girls (Studio Version)
07 – Looks Like Trouble
08 – Your Mama Don’t Dance
09 – Don’t Tell Me What To Wear
10 – Hands Of Time

Dave Meniketti – vocals, guitar
Joey Alves – guitar, vocals
Phil Kennemore – bass, vocals
Leonard Haze – drums, percussion, cymbals
Randy Nichols, Claude Schnell – add. keyboards
John Nymann, Bill Costa – backing vocals

BUY IT !
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