When I saw this used LP at my neighborhood record store it didn't ring any bells: I couldn't remember ever coming accross this album cover before, and the band name was also unfamiliar. So I took it to the store's listening station and gave it a listen, which was satisfactory enough for me to buy the record. I left the shop convinced that I had discovered an obscure 70's band, one of many that disappeared after a promising debut. As you can imagine, I felt rather stupid when I realized that Yesterday And Today were actually Y & T, a band I've known since my teens. I was never a fan, but I had seen their videos on MTV during its classic 80's hair metal period. Well, apparently this is how it all began: with a bunch of friends in California, naming their covers band after a Beatles LP lying around. After some personnel changes, they started writing their own songs, supported stars like Journey and Queen, and finally got a recording contract from London Records. This was their first album, released in 1976. My first impression on hearing it was that these guys sounded a lot like early Van Halen. Both bands had very talented and extremely fast guitarists - in this case, Dave Meniketti, who is also the lead singer, and a pretty decent one too. If there any downsides to this record, they'd have to do with the lyrics and somewhat generic hard rock compositions. Well, even if they aren't always original, the best of them are upbeat and catchy, perfect material to be performed live: "Alcohol" is a humorist boogie that reminded me of Alex Harvey, especially the lead vocal (by drummer Leonard Haze). "Earthshaker" is a turbo-charged rocker with propulsive drumming, and "25 Hours a Day" an ultra-catchy boogie that rightfully remained in the band's setlists for decades. Also interesting are blues ballad "My Heart Plays Too" which gives Meniketti the chance to show his emotional side, and "Game Playing Woman" which features an experimental psychedelic bridge a la "Whole Lotta Love". The album closes with its arguably most accomplished track, "Beautiful Dreamer". Great song, with a soaring guitar solo. The band would record another LP for London Records, which subsequently dropped them. Undaunted, they'd bounce back in the 80's under the shortened moniker Y & T, and slowly work their way to international success. Their first couple of albums seem to be forgotten - which is a gross injustice, judging from this sample. For my part, this makes for a much better listening than their 80's hits like "Summertime Girls".
**** for 25 Hours a Day, Game Playing Woman, Earthshaker, Alcohol, Beautiful Dreamer
*** for Animal Woman, My Heart Plays Too, Come on Over, Fast Ladies (Very Slow Gin)
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