6. Dave's vocals were NOT the problem. They were soulful and thoughtful. A lot of bands tried to play the game back then. Y&T sure did and failed miserably. They should've just kept doing what they were doing. But I'm sure the carrot was there. Look WTF Kix had to go through for some attention. No wonder why Gary Moore started doing blues albums. He actually told the music industry to go f##k itself, and ended up being more succesful than ever.
That's why not going to Europe also played into their defeat. Europe wasn't spitting out bands like they were in the US.
Yeah, aside from the inner-band stuff that is mentioned above, they had a few other issues working against them, unfortunately. I would sum it up this way:
1. Their first label that put out their first two albums, London, did nothing for them. It was not a rock label and had no idea how to put out a rock album and how to market a rock band. Keep in mind that Herbie Herbert had also abandoned them during this time so that he could pursue managing Journey full-time (in the early days, he managed Journey and Yesterday & Today and toured both bands around extensively, often times together). So they had a weak, inexperienced label
and weak, inexperienced management during the Yesterday & Today and Struck Down album cycles. And some bad luck as well, such as having the producer burn the original masters for Struck Down while he was stoned, and have the only thing left being the overprocessed, effects-laden tapes he had created. There was no production, and album sales and airplay were almost nothing, despite the fact that the band become one of the hottest, most renowned live acts around, and bands like Van Halen, for example, were discovered and signed by record execs who had come to see Y&T's shows.
2. They finally get out from under London and get to A&M for that 3-album run you mentioned. This is an improvement, but not by much as they are still under a label that does not know
rock bands and completely fails to deliver on its promises to promote the band. Some of the best rock albums ever made. Some of the most renowned live shows ever played. And still, no album sales, no air play, etc. because no one in a position to push for any of that does so. The band actually
was selling pretty well in Europe and Japan at this time, so it really is a shame the label pulled the plug on international touring.
So, yeah, five albums later, the band is understandably frustrated and can't understand why virtually every band that has opened for them has taken off while they are still struggling to build a following. And it's tough to right the ship once you are that far in if you haven't really broke. They were always just a step or two a way from being huge, but always just fell short because they didn't have the label and management push they needed.