Album Review - Y&T - Down For the Count

The controversial "Down for the Count" is the Y&T album that begin their transition from 70s guitar helmed arena rock to a more mainstream (for the time) direction. This means bigger choruses, waves of melody, tons of keyboards and a few cutesy songs. Sure, not everything is excellent, but they managed to catch the fever of mid 80s rock and the sweet freedom (and sexy not-so innocence) of the decade of decadence. Dave Meniketti's vocals still cut emotional swaths through the music, completely masculine and smooth as river rocks, he elevates the music to a higher status just on his vocals alone. Guitars (also mostly by Meniketti) are cutting, soaring, running six string rings around itself. The rhythm section is thumping, the keyboards are typical pumping synthesizer fare that embellishes the music with just the right lightening touch.

Then there are the songs. Leading the charge for the good stuff from the album is "Summertime Girls", Y&T's most notable grasp at fame. A breezy overall feel, chorus that is instantly infectious and memorable, hordes of keyboards, and Meniketti's voyeuristic commentary come together perfectly. A song that is all about milking the most from summer's hazy heat wave, mainly bikini watching at the beach.

"In the Name of the Rock" has a big arena rocking feel and kicks the disc off in a mild but energetic manner. A catchy confection, "Anytime At All" is one superb melodic moment after another. An instant chorus and beautiful execution.

"Hands of Time" the disc's captivating closer is a dramatic slower track that unravels at a careful mid pacing. Keyboards dance in a manner that is positively ominous. Guitars are blazing coming to a string bending head around the three and a half minute mark. Their solo is halted by showers of crystal key sounds and a guitar rhythm riff that mimics the ticking of a clock. Dave pulls out all the stops on the vocals, becoming one with the song. It's interesting to hear his sharp intakes of breath between the more taxing verses. This becomes a vital part of the song, and quite genius how they managed to seamlessly mesh that along with the music on the track.

"Face Like an Angel" comes along in the lower range of the mid paced tempo, and like "Anytime At All", just keeps the melody flowing like a fine wine from an excellent vintage. Highly melodic, masterful melodies and heart melting vocals. The face of an angel could really hide a demon inside, you know. These are the songs that make up the bulk of the album's premium material.

The remainder is hit and miss, sometimes doing both in the same song. From the summer fun-in-the-sun department of things, comes "Looks Like Trouble". This is a throwback to early Y&T, kicking into motion with a thick and dirty guitar riff. Meniketti is roaring and the bluesy themes are laid on thick. A huge chorus tumbles through, a blunt massive thing. Screaming guitars answer Dave's questions in a straight forward, string melting, squealing fashion. The off-the-cuff vocals are straight from David Lee Roth's repertoire but this Dave pulls it off too. His wicked laughs compliment the relaxed rock'n'roll atmosphere.

Continuing the David Lee Roth/Twisted Sister high school silliness is "Don't Tell Me What to Wear". This surely resonated strongly in the rebelling rocker teenagers of the time. There are memorable lyrical pieces here such as: "I went to my cousin's wedding with my black leather jacket on, (ha ha) the girl tried to tell me I was dressed *wrong*". Quaint, cute and completely trapped in the 1980s time capsule. "All American Boy" is super pop, all hair and sweet attitude. Girls, more girls and cars. It has more style and hairspray than substance, but is a quickly devoured tune that is instant sing-a-long radio fodder.

"Anything For Money" is a dash of Van Halen, a sprinkling of Ratt and a whole lot of 80s cheese. "Your Mama Don't Dance" is the same track that Poison rocked up later on, with a ton more energy to boot. This one seems fizzly limp in comparison, even though it did precede the Poison cover-version by several years. These songs are reliant on your current state of mind to fully enjoy, since they are little more than fluff to pad out an album that was likely rushed to the recording studio by an anxious record company trying to capitalize on the group's "In Rock We Trust" success.

"Down For the Count" was Y&T's 8th album and it lost a good chunk of their old fans and gained a slew of new ones that were drunk on the excess of the 80s and craved this keyboard enriched sound. This was a bridge between the two worlds. "Contagious" would further refine and slick up the "hair" style while the previous "In Rock We Trust" contains more meaty tracks and less cheddar. There are a handful of real Y&T gems here however, including "Anytime At All" and "Face Like An Angel".

It's not an album you may remember for the strength of its songs, but one that is fondly revisited due to its overall "feel" and high fun factor. An album to throw on as you are headed for your beach destination. Whether you are driving out to ogle the wet swimsuited female population or just to soak up some rays, this is a light rock disc that will set the mood perfectly.

Written by Alanna
Monday, July 7, 2008
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