Y & T

Facemelter

Price: 12.95

Review / Notes: Predating the American metal revolution that shot to worldwide notoriety in the early 1980’s on the back of the then fledgling MTV; the San Francisco based Y&T may never have been one of the biggest acts in terms of sales, but in terms of the trail they blazed they’re second to none. Originally known as Yesterday and Today – under which epithet they released a brace of albums for London Records (‘Yesterday & Today’ and ‘Struck Down’ in ’76 and ’78 respectively) – the band can trace its history all the way back to 1974. However, it was following the shortening of their name to Y&T and the release of the seminal ‘Earthshaker’ in 1981 that their career really took off. For the next couple of years the band was absolutely unbeatable, albums such as ‘Black Tiger’ and ‘Mean Streak’ solidifying their reputation as one of the hottest acts around. On stage they’ve always delivered 110%, be at as headliners in their own right, or opening for some of the biggest names in rock. Ironically, as their popularity grew in the mid 80’s, the quality of their studio albums dipped noticeably, and whilst it improved again towards the end of the decade, the Y&T that released ‘Contagious’ and ‘Ten’ was a much changed musical beast from the one had wowed with ‘Earthshaker’ a few short years earlier. Since originally splitting in the early 90’s, their career has been somewhat stop start, both in terms of live appearances and recorded output. In recent years at least the live side of things has been addressed satisfactorily, and the band can be seen doing the club circuit rounds on a regular basis; on record however it’s a different story. Y&T released a pair of so-so albums in the mid 90’s – ‘Musically Incorrect’ in ’95, and ‘Endangered Species’ some two years later – but since then it’s just been a series of live efforts and compilations … at least until now. After a break of 13 years, Y&T are finally back in the saddle once more with their brand new studio offering ‘Facemelter’. Taking the raw energy they still seem to have in abundance on stage, the band – now consisting of original members Dave Meniketti (guitars / vocals) and Phil Kennemore (bass), plus long term players John Nymann (guitars) and Mike Vanderhule (drums) – have crafted an album very much in keeping with the band’s classic early 80’s sound. Now, at this early stage I’m not gonna suggest this is in the same league as either ‘Black Tiger’ or ‘Earthshaker’ (two of my favourite albums of all time), but the sound is unmistakably that of the Y&T I remember from back then. Ok, Meniketti’s voice is a little deeper and a little gruffer but the sentiment is undeniably still there. Add to that some fine guitar playing, some at times suitably tongue in cheek lyrics (check out ‘Gonna Go Blind’) and hooks that grow bigger each time you play them, and ‘Facemelter’ certainly has the potential to leave a lasting imprint on the ever more illustrious history of this most extraordinary of bands. From heart melting ballads to punchy crowd anthems, tracks like ‘Blind Patriot’, ‘Wild Child’, ‘On With The Show’, ‘Shine On’ and ‘If You Want Me’ all do the Y&T name proud. As a fan of some 30 years standing I may be a tad partisan, but right now I just can’t stop playing the damn thing! Oh, and the cover art is just brilliant! (D.Cockett)