80s metal/hard rock: Y&T Discography - #1 album reviewed

[Stadler]

^^^ Excepting the bands I just could not have seen - Beatles, Zeppelin, the original Floyd - I only have a couple that are my holy grails:

- Purple with the Mark II lineup (won't happen now, but I mean Gillan and Blackmore).
- Oasis (I've seen both Liam and Noel separately, though).
- Freddie Mercury (I love Queen, but I really just want Freddie to sing to ME for two hours).

[TAC]

Stadler, why didn't you see the Purple shows in the 80's.

[King Postwhore]

Got the Perfect Strangers tour blew my eardrums for 3 days.  6th row.  That was the loudest concert I ever went to.

[Stadler]

Stadler, why didn't you see the Purple shows in the 80's.

Dude, don't get me started.  I think they played Connecticut three times with Blackmore after the '84 reunion.   

I had tickets to the Perfect Strangers show, February of 1985, in New Haven, and my high school hockey team made the state tournament for the first time ever.  I was a defenseman, and we played with three defensemen the last three games of the season.  Two nights before they announced the game, one guy got caught with a bag of weed, and school rules was disqualified from the game.  So it was me and another guy and that was it.  I felt I couldn't blow off the game.

I honestly don't know why I didn't go to the House of Blue Light show, spring of 1987 in Hartford.   I was at UConn at that point, sophomore year, so I can only imagine it had to do with either broads or beers.

They played at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford on the Slaves and Masters tour in '91 and I was out of the state for work. 

I've seen the Morse era twice, and I saw Blackmore's Night once (and am going again in the fall; second row, Ritchie's side!)

[Lowdz]

Got the Perfect Strangers tour blew my eardrums for 3 days.  6th row.  That was the loudest concert I ever went to.

I saw the Slaves and Masters tour just before it imploded. I was on the front row, right in front of Ritchie, and he was all I could hear. Glover kept going over to Jon Lord and they were pissed with Ritchie for playing too loud. Glover would then go over and talk to Ritchie, who just turned it up louder 

As a huge guitar fan I loved it. Ritchie pretty much just played the intro riffs then went off into Ritchie land.

Band didn't last too long after that.

[bosk1]

Okay, here's where we maybe start to get just a little "controversial"...

7.  Mean Streak.  What???  One of the "big three" not in the top three?  How can this be?  Let me start by stating the obvious.  Being a huge fan of the band, I really like the vast majority of their material.  This album is no exception.  I like it.  I just happen to rank it lower than a lot of fans might because...well, it is just sort of a middle-tier album for me, that's all.  The title track, Mean Streak, and Hang 'Em High are true classics and are some of the best songs the band has ever written.  In fact, I would have no problem seeing either or both of these songs on some "all time greatest rock songs" lists.  Mean Streak has one of the nastiest guitar riffs ever written.  And that solo...    And Hang 'Em High in particular is a really neat song that deviated from more traditional song structures just a bit without feeling like it was deviating.  One such example is the fact that it has two very different signature "main riffs" rather than just one, and it switches between the two midway through the choruses.  And I love the instrumental bridge before the solo where they reprise a quieter variation of the second riff over that military march snare beat (see 3:19 of the live version lined above) and it keeps crescendoing as it repeats into the guitar solo.  LOVE that part.  Interestingly (and sadly), I don't think I have ever seen the song performed live as far as I can recall in all the times I have seen the band.  As I mentioned a few posts above, my first REAL exposure to the band was the S.F. Civic live video, which is where the live version of this song is taken from.   Using this song as a concert opener hooked me and never let me go.  And here I am 32 or so years later, still a fan.  I really wish they would get the rights to re-release that show.  It has been out of print far too long, and it was rare even back when it was new.  But I digress...

So for all the good things I am saying, why rank the album so low?  Well, as I said, I like the album.  But after the two songs I mentioned above, to me, there is a big dropoff in song quality.  The rest of the songs aren't bad.  But they're just kinda there, and I never revisit the album because of any other songs.  The other fan favorite, Midnight In Tokyo, is probably my third favorite on the album, but it is a distant third.  Instrumentally, it bears a lot of similarities to Forever.  And everything Midnight In Tokyo does well, Forever does better.  But more on that when we get to the Black Tiger album. 

This one doesn't have the greatest production.  But it is fairly typical of the '80s and really no worse than other '80s albums.  In fact, for the era, I would say it is pretty good. 

Final verdict:  It is a good album.  And don't get me wrong--even the deep cuts aren't bad and are fun to rock along to.  But if this was as good as it got from this band, they definitely would not have been my second favorite band of the '80s.

     Trivia:  Rena Petrucci's band, Mean Streak, took their name from this album.  But I think you all already knew that one.    John Petrucci actually made reference to it when I was talking to him after the show last month. 

6.  Contagious.  Yes, I do rank this album in front of Mean Streak.  The reason is, despite that the highs may not reach as high as the two best songs on Mean Streak, Contagious is a much more consistent album.  This was Jimmy DeGrasso's studio debut with the band, and he just KILLS it on these songs.  This was also the band's first album on Geffen and the first and only time they relied heavily on outside writers (but as co-writers vs. writers), with Taylor Rhodes contributing to three tracks, Al Pitrelli and Bruno Ravell contributing on one, and Robert White Johnson also co-writing with Rhodes on a track.  But what was also nice is that this was not simply the Dave Meniketti show with contributions from Phil Kennemore.  Looking at the writing credits, the entire band was all over this album, with even Jimmy DeGrasso contributing heavily to two of the tracks.  And the band had also been working heavily with Ronnie Montrose during the writing sessions as well, even though none of the tracks Ronnie contributed to ended up on the album.  More about that in another post.

This was an album that, to me, showed another significant step in the band's evolution of their sound.  Although there was still some blatant pandering to the hair metal scene with L.A. Rocks and The Kid Goes Crazy, the overall sound and direction of this album were much more mature and much more a return to the band's core hard rock sound than its predecessor, Down For The Count.  To me, the band here sounds a LOT like 1987 Whitesnake or the more straightforward rock songs of 5150 Van Halen in many ways, and that is a good thing.  And at the same time, this album also retains that signature Y&T sound.  This album really restored my faith in the band in a big way. 

As far as the songs, there is a lot to like.  The two I mention above, along with the instrumental, I'll Cry For You, are probably my least favorites.  But still good songs.  In fact, I believe The Kid Goes Crazy was one of the first songs they wrote for this album, and it came together by Jimmy bringing in that groovy drum beat, and Dave loving it and jamming some riffs over it until they had a song.  Armed and Dangerous, Bodily Harm, and Contagious probably make up the next tier of songs that I would consider "really, really good" (despite the cheesy video for Contagious that probably ruined the song for a lot of folks--I can sympathize).  And out of the remaining songs, Temptation, Fight For Your Life, Rhythm or Not, and Eyes of a Stranger, it is hard to pick a favorite.  They are all SO good!  And if Mean Streak has one of the nastiest riffs in hard rock, Eyes is a close cousin.  Dat riff!  Dat solo!  And Jimmy's thumping bass beat.  SUCH a great live song.  But there really isn't a bad song on the disk.  This was easily one of my most played my senior year of high school, and for good reason. 

     Side note:  Many people, whether fans of the band or not, recognize Dave Meniketti as a phenominal guitar player.  He was definitely an influence on me when I was playing.  Contagious really got me to listen closely to his vibrato, which is stellar.  I have often heard it said that getting a consistently good-sounding vibrato is on one of the most challenging aspects of learning guitar.  Oddly, that came relatively easy for me.  (there were plenty of other areas of my playing that lacked, but this was one that I did well in)  Dave has always used vibrato VERY well, IMO.  He uses it a lot in many different ways, and always manages to sound tasteful.  As I said, I began to listen to it closely on this album and to try to mimic what I was hearing, and I think I had it down pretty well when I was still playing.  Listen for it on some of these songs. 

[TAC]

Bosk, that post... 

I literally have to step away from my computer to collect my thoughts.

 

[bosk1]

Did you actually read it, or just have a knee-jerk reaction to the rankings?

[TAC]

Did you actually read it, or just have a knee-jerk reaction to the rankings?

I'm still trying to stop hyperventilating to finish reading!

[bosk1]

  Well, if you can actually get through it, I doubt there is a whole lot in the substance of the post that you would disagree with, other than the rankings themselves.

[TAC]

OK.. Not really know where to start.

Let me start with Contagious. I bought this after being generally away from Y&T for a few years. I was looking forward to it, and generally enjoyed some of it. But the formulaic late 80's hair (Hate even using the term here) metal to me was a turn off, and I felt that Y &T was once again groveling and behind the fad. I had more respect for them than that. But I can't fault them. The goal is to sell as many albums while maintaining as much of your dignity as possible.  I just felt like that scale was tipped a little in the wrong direction.


But you love Y&T and I love that. I am a huge Alice Cooper fan and someone would think I'm crazy for rating Flush The Fashion over Billion Dollar Babies.You appreciate all eras (obviously  ), and that's totally cool.

As far as Mean Streak, I think it is A+ material up through and including Hang 'Em High, but takes a nosedive from that point on. I even like Breaking Away which hits a sweet spot. I also consider Midnight In Tokyo and Lonely Side Of Town as two of their best tracks. Mean Streak is just such a huge album in my musical life. I know I have a couple of years on you, and I do know that can sometimes make a difference.

[Lowdz]

Bosk, that post... 

I literally have to step away from my computer to collect my thoughts.

 

Nooooo. I mean, it's your opinion and everything but the only consistency in Contagious is its consistently poor. No great highs, a few lows. Totally skip able as an album.
Mean streak, by comparison, is a great album.

Was so disappointed with Contagious at the time and nothing has changed that.

No lows for me on MS.

[Lowdz]

That awful Hot For Teacher rip off tho 

[bosk1]

  It is so NOT a Hot For Teacher ripoff.

Whatever you do, PLEASE don't listen to Crazy Make Love.

[bosk1]

As far as Mean Streak, I think it is A+ material up through and including Hang 'Em High, but takes a nosedive from that point on. I even like Breaking Away which hits a sweet spot. I also consider Midnight In Tokyo and Lonely Side Of Town as two of their best tracks. Mean Streak is just such a huge album in my musical life. I know I have a couple of years on you, and I do know that can sometimes make a difference.

And I know that many consider the "deep cuts" on Mean Streak to be top notch.  They just never did anything for me.  I love the two tracks I mentioned.  But the others mostly just don't really inspire any reaction. 

As far as Contagious, here's the thing:  To me, DFTC was Y&T trying hard to sound like pop "hair metal" (yeah, I hate the term too; but it is a convenient shorthand because everyone knows what we mean when we say that in this context; not that there's anything inherently wrong with liking "hair metal," even if it is a stupid term).  Contagious was, on the other hand, Y&T being who they are and incorporating some of that style into their own music.  And, to me, it worked.  ...for the most part, anyway.  The two exceptions I mentioned fall into the "do not work" category for me, where the band went too far.  But the rest of the album feels pretty solid to me.  The guitar riffs are back, and aren't drenched in syrupy keyboards that have no purpose (yeah, there are keyboards, but much more subtle).  Dave isn't singing all breathy.  And on and on.  Yeah, it sounds like a different Y&T than Earthshaker through IRWT.  But it still sounds like Y&T. 

Lastly, again to put it into perspective, we're at rank numbers 6 and 7 in a discography where I like the vast majority of it.  So ranking Mean Streak at 6 isn't a bad thing at all.  The only issue is how high I ranked Contagious.  And, hey, all I can say is, I like what I like.  It sounds good to me, and I can tell you exactly why.  I'm perfectly fine with anyone disagreeing.

[Lowdz]

  It is so NOT a Hot For Teacher ripoff.

Whatever you do, PLEASE don't listen to Crazy Make Love.

  Not familiar with that one 

But you know exactly which track I'm talking about 

[bosk1]

Find it on YouTube and listen to it.  You will know why I mentioned it.  After they wrote it, somebody played them the song in question, and they were like, "Oh, crap.  I thought that felt familiar.  Yeah, we can't release this." 

[Stadler]

Find it on YouTube and listen to it.  You will know why I mentioned it.  After they wrote it, somebody played them the song in question, and they were like, "Oh, crap.  I thought that felt familiar.  Yeah, we can't release this."

Help out a noob.  What am I looking for?

[bosk1]

Find it on YouTube and listen to it.  You will know why I mentioned it.  After they wrote it, somebody played them the song in question, and they were like, "Oh, crap.  I thought that felt familiar.  Yeah, we can't release this."

Help out a noob.  What am I looking for?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfoT4Eek9Tw  When you listen, I can pretty much guarantee you'll instantly get what I was talking about.  This was a song that ended up on the cutting room floor, for what will become obvious reasons. 

This ended up on a pair of releases from the mid 2000s where Meniketti basically did the equivalent of the Ytsejam official bootlegs for the fans and released a bunch of rarities and unreleased tracks from demos and other sources that spanned the time period of 1974 to the then-present.  I will be discussing those shortly.

[Stadler]

I just listened to that; I'll post more in a minute, but my phone is ringing, and it's David Coverdale.  I should probably take it.

[bosk1]

  Well, like I said, they realized it too and pulled it from official release.

[Lowdz]

 
I vaguely remember hearing that years ago
A slow n easy mistake to make...

[bosk1]

I vaguely remember hearing that years ago
A slow n easy mistake to make...

I can't help but wonder how often that sort of thing happens where a band writes a song that unintentionally plagiarizes something else, or at least sounds like it does, and someone realizes it so it gets pulled.  I would think it would be a fairly common occurrence, even though we never hear about it.  I thought it was actually cool that Dave put this out in the fan releases and told the story behind it in the liner notes.  Speaking of which, I guess maybe now is as good a time as any...

[bosk1]

Interlude:  Unearthed Vol. I; Unearthed Vol. II.  Through the years, a lot of fans asked Dave Meniketti questions on his forums about some of the Y&T rarities that existed and whether those would ever see the light of day.  Some of these included:
-The rare track Wild If I Wanna, a few seconds of which appears in the movie Out of Bounds.  Somehow, the song was left off the soundtrack, so a full version had never been commercially available anywhere.  Obviously, fans wanted to hear it. 
-The David Bowie-esque space rock song Rockazoid Rollaroid from 1974, written as a tribute to a particular space rock band that the band opened for in the very early days.
-Some rare early songs that were played live, but never committed to albums.
-The rare acoustic version of Hands of Time (which I believe had appeared on a charity compilation, but I do not recall which one).
-The studio version of Go For The Throat (which I believe appeared on the Hear N Aid compilation).

In 2003, Dave and the band basically said, "ask and you shall receive."  He went through boxes of old cassette tapes and other sources, cleaned them up, in some cases recorded missing vocals or guitar parts, and released them as a special treat for the diehard fans.  As mentioned above, these are like the Ytsejam releases in many respects.  Partly at my prompting, Dave even took a cue from Mike Portnoy's Ytsejam liner notes and provided detailed descriptions of each track in terms of who wrote it, what sessions it came from, and any other tidbits.  Some other band members also commented.  Some of the commentary was serious, and some was just for fun.  For example, Jimmy DeGrasso commented on Rockaziod Rolleroid along the lines of (paraphrase, to the best of my recollection), "What I remember most about this song was...nothing because I wasn't even born yet." As a whole, as with Dream Theater's Ytsejam releases, the liner notes here are just gold. 

I mention these two compilations here because, although they span the band's entire career up to 2003, the majority of material comes from the writing sessions for Down For The Count, Contagious, and Ten.  The quality is all over the board.  Some of the songs came from raw demos that were cleaned up.  Some are from incomplete songs.  Some are very polished songs that were ready for release.  But it is cool to hear the band doing lots of different things.  For instance, there is a track the band wrote while on tour with AC/DC in the early days, where they were obviously influenced by that band, and you can definitely hear the AC/DC influence.  There are tracks that Ronnie Montrose co-wrote with Dave, and you can kinda hear his sonic "fingerprint."  There are soundtrack songs.  There are songs that are goofy and make you laugh.  There are others that are right up there with the best and can only leave you scratching your head about why they never made the cut for an album.  There are still others that are alternate versions of album songs, or songs that changed and evolved into something completely different by the time album release rolled around (such as Dance, Dance, Dance, which eventually became L.A. Rocks). 

Final verdict:  As I said, the quality is all over the board.  But that is as it was intended to be.  These two releases are something incredibly cool for the band to have given the fans and are worth their weight in gold for the diehard who wants to pull the curtain back and get a glimpse of a band's writing process.  Dave had said that, although the pickings were getting slim after two releases, if he scraped, there was probably enough for a Volume III before getting into things that were so incomplete that he was not comfortable putting them out there.  Unfortunately, it never happened.  But still, two volumes and 35 songs is an incredible gift.

[Lowdz]

I have played. Both these albums but don't own them. Don't remember much about them and don't remember any standouts.

A cool thing to do for the die hards though.

[Stadler]

Interlude:  Unearthed Vol. I; Unearthed Vol. II. 

See, I love that stuff.  Maybe not all the rough demos (I mean that generally, not specific to Y&T), but certainly the tracks that were recorded and never made it, or b-sides/soundtrack songs that are hard to come by.  There are a lot of bands - Maiden, DT, Marillion, Genesis, Oasis, Noel Gallagher - that have b-sides or non-album tracks in my top ten songs list.

I think it's tre cool that Dave acknowledged the fans in that way, and made it (somewhat) interactive.   I listened to about five songs on that Unearthed Vol. II, and they were pretty decent. 

[bosk1]

Oh, and...

Trivia:  Speaking of Wild If I Wanna, who was the first band to ever play it live?  My Y&T tribute band, Earthshaker, covered the song in, I believe, 2003 before Y&T released it on Unearthed.  After being hounded by fans, Dave put up a temporary link so those lucky fans who happened to be logged onto his forum could hear it.  This was the first time anyone outside the band or those who handled the soundtrack for Out of Bounds had ever heard the complete song.  Of course, someone with tech experience knew how to download and convert it.  It circulated among a small circle of us, and we obtained a copy, learned it, and performed it live.

[Stadler]

I just listened to that song.  Excellent. Really good stuff.

(I listened on YooToob; one of the comments was funny:  "I can get wild, wild in the water... I can get wild, wild, wild, like a bad boy otter!"    I'm going to guess that the real lyric is "I can get wild, wild if I wanna... I can get wild, wild, wild, like a bad boy oughta!")

[TAC]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfoT4Eek9Tw  When you listen, I can pretty much guarantee you'll instantly get what I was talking about.  This was a song that ended up on the cutting room floor, for what will become obvious reasons. 

Wow. Never heard that.

I have never delved into the Unearthed material.

[bosk1]

Continuing on...

5.  Ten.  I really liked this album.  Part of it was the consistent goodness of the album.  Part of it was just the timing.  This album was literally the sound track of the summer of 1990 for me, and that meant lots of loud rock music and long days at various beaches in the Carolinas, whether it be the road trips to Myrtle Beach and cruising the strip with "Girl Crazy" blaring from the speakers or just letting the album roll on a lazy day while grilling some steaks in between beach volleyball matches at the private beach on base at Camp Lejeune.  That kind of nostalgia is hard to deny.  But that said, given some of the classics in the Y&T lineup, I still couldn't love this album like I do if the quality wasn't there.  To me, this album is like the recent DT albums in that there may not be many individual songs that would, say, make my top 10 list.  But it is a very consistent album that is a joy to listen to straight through without ever making me feel like tuning out for a stretch or skipping songs.  Sonically, the album is a logical continuing from Contagious.  But it takes everything Contagious did and does it a lot better.  The unfortunate thing for Y&T is that, as seemed to be happening to them for the past 5 years or so, they seemed a step or two behind, as this album could likely have lit up the charts in 1986 or 1987.  The single, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark was typical of the Y&T "power ballad," which is to say that it is a prime example of how that type of song can be excellent.  But...again...the "power ballad" was kind of played out by this point in time after bands like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard made making an art form out of making a catchy, top-10 power ballad, and virtually every hard rock band out there had one on the radio and/or MTV over the last 5 years, so this song doesn't really stand out.  It's a shame many never looked past that track and dug deeper into the album, which also had excellent non-typical "ballads" like Come In From the Rain and Ten Lovers.  Some other song notes:
-Hard Times is an excellent, mid-tempo rocker to open the album.  It has kind of a biting edge to it, as much of the album does, and it wasn't until their follow-up live album that I realized the lyrics to this song signaled the band's "farewell" to the fans, as they planned to disband after this album. 
-City:  Nice bluesy rocker that demonstrated that Dave's affinity for the blues was a real thing and not just the typical rock gimmick.  Some nice guitar work, as always. 
-She's Gone and Let It Out:  I pair these two songs together because they are a terrific one-two punch late in the album in a spot where hard rock albums often kind of start to dip in energy before ramping up with a good song or two to close out the album.  These are a couple of deep cuts that make me remember why this band is so good apart from the well-known classics.  Reminds me of other deep cuts like Life, Life, Live or Masters and Slaves. 
-Ten Lovers:  Mentioned above, but I want to give it another shout right here because it is a really neat song.  It really has a cool, aggressive drive and a nice, slow, epic build-up that are not typical of the typical "ballad."  And Dave's soloing is jaw droppingly emotional, even though probably not very technically difficult.
Overall verdict:  This album is not in the band's top-tier, but is a fine hard rock album in its own right.  I might rank it a spot or two lower if not for the nostalgia factor.  But it is still worthy of attention of any hard rock fan. 

Side note:  I am a huge Jimmy DeGrasso fan.  The guy is incredibly talented and creative, and is one of my favorite drummers.  But he did not play on this album.  For whatever reason, when they went into the studio, he just could not get it together and lay down his tracks, so they brought in Steve Smith as a session drummer on this one.  He was given a lot of freedom to do whatever he wanted, but he has gone on record as saying that he liked Jimmy's parts so much that he stayed very true to them and recorded them mostly as written.

     Interlude - Yesterday and Today Live:  The band put out this recording of their last show on the Ten tour, which was a rather small, intimate show back home in the Bay Area.  I was so excited to see that we would FINALLY have a live version of Winds of Change, which is one of my all-time favorite Y&T songs.  I have mentioned the band's live energy before, so that is one reason I was excited to have this.  But also, the one knock I have on the band's "big three" classic albums is that the production sounds a bit off, and a big part of that is the production on the vocals.  Some of that is also Dave's style.  I don't think he really began to embrace the role of lead singer until the Mean Streak album.  In fact, he has gone on record and said as much and said that he basically saw himself as a guitar player who also happened to sing vs. being the front-man and lead singer.  He really worked on his vocals during the stretch from Mean Streak onward, and it shows on the next few albums after that.  That kind of warbly style and the production values on the vocals is the one thing that, to me, makes live versions of songs from Earthshaker and Black Tiger (and, to some extent, Mean Streak as well) MUCH stronger than the studio versions.  So in addition to just being a VERY strong live performance with an incredible set, this live album really showcases better versions of a lot of the classic songs than their album counterparts.  This album is one of the few exceptions to my general rule when introducing someone to a band and going with the strongest or most accessible studio albums.  For anyone who wants to know what Y&T is all about, THIS is the album I would recommend.  The only downside to this album is that there is a sadness and a melancholy with this being their "farewell show" from their "farewell tour."  The band had now broken up indefinitely, and no one, including the members, had any idea whether they would return.  Yet, this downside somehow also ends up being one of the album's strengths, as it lends a certain atmosphere that makes it unique.  It doesn't come across as the kind of cheap "we're breaking up for good...until we need more money!" that would become typical.  It instead feels like a swan song (even if it would turn out to be a temporary one) of a band that gave it all they had, was beaten down by broken promises and changes in the industry, and just needed a break from it all, but didn't want to go out without saying a heartfelt "thank you" to the fans first.

[bl5150]

If memory serves correct Ten got an HM in my DTF Top 50.    The two rockers I played the most were Surrender and Red Hot n Ready............RHNR (I think) would be the first tune of theirs that I heard.   As a teenager there was really only one decent metal show on the radio for me and that was the Dj's  "go to track" for Y&T.     I was lucky he even played them as Y&T are totally unknown out here aside from diehards.

[bosk1]

Oh, wow.  Pretty obscure.  But at least they got played.  I remember them being played a bit on the local Jacksonville, NC station at the time Ten was released as well, which was cool. 

[TAC]

I have that live album, and while I haven't heard it in ages, I remember really liking it. I should bust it out.


Ten, to me, was Y&T going through the motions. At least that's my recollection. I couldn't discuss the album at this point.

[jjrock88]

I like Ten too, but agree with Tim.  It does seem like the band is going through the motions overall on that one.

[bosk1]

     Interlude:  Live At the Mystic:  This really belonged above up in the Facemelter era, but I somehow forgot about it.  Let's reset the timeline because the story of the band may not be clear to the non-die hards, especially since my ranking above obviously does not flow in chronological order.  The next couple of sentences before getting to the disk itself will be short summary of the history of the band's personnel for those who do not know.  Y&T first existed as a cover band without a name and with a few personnel changes, but the band became official in 1974 with a permanent lineup of Dave Meniketti, Phil Kennemore, Leonard Haze, and Joey Alves.  That lineup would exist through Down for the Count.  In 1986, Haze was replaced with Jimmy DeGrasso, due in part to substance abuse issues and in part to creative differences.  Joey Alves also had some serious substance abuse issues that, combined with serious health issues, led to him also being dismissed and replaced with Stef Burns in 1989.  The group officially disbanded in 1991 at the conclusion of the Ten tour.  Dave and Phil got together to write every now and then, and they released Musically Incorrect on a small label in 1995, calling on Jimmy and Stef to record, and played a few sporadic shows.  Similar pattern with Endangered Species in 1997.  The band officially reunited in 2001 with Leonard temporarily back on drums and John Nymann added in on guitar shortly thereafter.  From that point forward, they began playing regularly, and gradually increased the touring.  During that period, an unofficial tradition started.  They would play the Mystic Theater in Petaluma, California on a weekend in November every year, and fans from all over California (and other places) would travel there and make a weekend of it.  It wasn't planned, but was something that just fell into place over the years and has become something the band and the fans look forward to.  Mike Vanderhule, a long-time Steve Smith disciple was added on drums.  And when Phil began his short bout with cancer before it claimed his life, Brad Lang was added on bass.  Anyhow, in 2012, the band decided to capture some of the magic of a Mystic weekend by recording the two nights they played there that year, and we got Live at the Mystic.  This was considered part of the Facemelter tour, so in addition to a lot of classics and deep cuts, we also got a decent amount of songs from that disk.  While that might seem be offputting to those who are not fans of that album, the songs definitely do translate better in a live setting.  And aside from that, you still get your Y&T classics in the form of Black Tiger, Dirty Girl, Mean Streak, Hurricane, I Believe in You, Rescue Me, and Forever.  And some great deep cuts with Girl Crazy, Winds of Change, Straight Thru the Heart, Surrender, Hungry for Rock, Eyes of a Stranger, and Squeeze.  With 22 tracks, there is something here for every Y&T fan.  And performance is tight and, overall, very good, even if it understandably may not quite have the energy of something 20 years earlier.  A few of the songs are downtuned.  And Dave's voice isn't what it once was.  But it is still a solid performance and great addition to the Y&T discography.  The quality does not reach as high as Open Fire or Yesterday and Today Live, but the quantity makes up for it. 

4.  Earthshaker.  1981 was the year.  This was the band's first release on A&M and the first with what would become their official Y&T moniker.  Many fans unofficially consider this to be their first album.  Although the band would continue to evolve and refine their sound over future albums, this one to me marks the starting point of them finding that classic Y&T sound.  This album has a hunger and an energy and a creativity that set the tone for this band.  The opening riff of Hungry for Rock informs the listener at the opening bell that this will be a raw, no-frills hard rock experience for the next 45 minutes (remember when albums were that short and we didn't care?).  This album has classics galore with songs like Dirty Girl, Rescue Me, Hurricane, and I Believe In You.  But even the deep cuts frequently find their way into live sets and are a blast to listen to.  I remember reading Dave's description of Squeeze, where he said he wanted to write a song that just takes off from the start and sounds like you dropped the needle right in the middle of the record.  Very apt description.  And despite the song's rather juvenile subject matter, Phil Kennemore's rare vocal delivery and one of the fastest and most fun riffs the band has ever written somehow makes it all work.  To me, that energy is indicative of the entire album.  This is easily one of the finest hard rock albums ever written and should be staple in the CD collection of anyone who is a fan of '80s hard rock.