Bonus content!!!
Y&T - Black Tiger
Songs:
-From the Moon
-Open Fire
-Don't Wanna Lose
-Hell or High Water
-Forever
-Black Tiger
-Barroom Boogie
-My Way or the Highway
-Winds of Change
If you like '70s and '80s hard rock and you aren't familiar, do yourself a favor and listen to this album from start to finish. And if you are familiar, but haven't listened in awhile, do yourself a favor and listen to this album from start to finish. There is a reason guys like Halford and Dio praised this as one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time, and Forever as the greatest rock anthem of all time. Maybe they were right. Maybe not. But it is a great album.
Y&T were one of those bands that was always just on the cusp of hitting it big, but never had things break their way. The list of bands that were discovered/signed opening up for them in the clubs of SF and LA is staggering, from Motley Crue, to Van Halen, to Metallica...and on and on. These guys were a lot like King's X in that they never amassed that huge fanbase, but were very well known and respected among musicians.
They started out in the '70s, and toured all over California and other states with another fledgling '70s band by the name of Journey, which was also managed by Herbie Herbert. They were all about that '70s rock sound, like Montrose, for example. But in the mid-'80s, after several albums going gold, but missing platinum and that BIG break, they kinda lost their way trying to follow trends to make something happen.
Black Tiger kind of captures them in their prime. The album is in some ways like Dark Side of the Moon, with some common musical themes and structuring appearing throughout the album to kind of loosely tie it together, even though it isn't a concept album and does not have an obvious theme. Most of the songs are pretty tight. The lyrics are all over the place. Some are hard-hitting. Others are just frivolous and fun.
Highlight songs:
-From the Moon/Open Fire: What a fantastic 1-2 punch to open the album. This has been their go-to concert opener off and on through the years and there is a reason why.
-Hell or High Water: Groovy, chunky, nasty riff. Was the first song that jumped out at me when I first got the album.
-Forever: If Halford praises it so highly, it must be good, right? Probably THE song people think of when they think of this band.
-Black Tiger: Some awesome guitar work all around.
-Winds of Change: Perhaps my favorite power ballad of all time. A couple of live renditions of this song that I witnessed were life-changing.
The only real downsides to this album are the vocal mix and production. To me, their best sound was on the run from In Rock We Trust through Ten. But this album showcases some incredible songwriting, especially for a relatively young band.