Metal Blade Records has just released an expanded edition of Yesterday and Today Live from hard rock legends Y&T.
Yesterday and Today Live features 15 songs and more than 84 minutes of live Y&T recorded in 1990, with never-before-seen photos and two bonus tracks, Earthshaker and Rescue Me. Earthshaker was originally on the first Yesterday and Today (self-titled) album in 1976, and Earthshaker was also the title of Y&T‘s 1981 third studio album; Rescue Me appears on the Earthshaker album. Both bonus tracks appear on all versions / variants of Yesterday and Today Live and are available at: metalblade.com/yandt
The iconic songs on Yesterday and Today Live (initially released in 1991) were written by the classic lineup of Dave Meniketti, drummer Leonard Haze, bassist Phil Kennemore, and guitarist Joseph Alves.
Singer/songwriter and guitarist Dave Meniketti says of the album, “Very happy to have this vinyl re-release of Yesterday and Today Live come together. This was recorded at a time when the band had decided to disband–however temporary that was–and these tracks were taken from what we considered were to be the last shows Y&T would perform. Because of our state of mind at the time, songs like Hard Times were especially poignant. Even though the changing music industry had us in turmoil, the band was at the top of our game and these tracks give a good window into that time of our lives. I believe this is truly one of our finest Y&T live recordings.”
Yesterday and Today Live (Expanded Edition) Tracklisting:
1. Mean Streak
2. Hurricane
3. Don’t Stop Runnin’
4. Struck Down
5. Winds of Change
6. Black Tiger
7. Midnight in Tokyo
8. Beautiful Dreamer
9. Hard Times
10. I’ll Cry
11. I Believe in You
12. Squeeze
13. Forever
14. Earth Shaker (Bonus Track)
15. Rescue Me (Bonus Track)
Before Mötley Crüe, before Ratt, even before Metallica, Y&T was slogging away in sweaty rock clubs around America. When the band formed in the early 1970s, little did they know they would set the standard for hard rock bands that trailed. Many of the biggest acts of the ’80s became popular opening for headliners Y&T-and cut their teeth on the band, as evidenced by the Y&T mentions in tell-all books by acts such as Metallica and Mötley Crüe.
Born in Oakland, California, Y&T is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s own innovators of the hard rock sound. Whether performing to a festival crowd of fifty-thousand or in an intimate nightclub, Y&T‘s high-energy set and passionate performances still captivate legions of fans around the globe, proving Y&T‘s music timeless.
Originally formed as Yesterday and Today, the initial powerhouse quartet-featuring Dave Meniketti (lead guitar/lead vocals), Phil Kennemore (bass), Leonard Haze (drums), and Joey Alves (rhythm guitar)-tore through the ’70s and ’80s with their own brand of hard rock. After two ’70s albums on London Records, they shortened their name to Y&T and released eight albums on A&M in the ’80s. Two more albums with Geffen Records marked an era of change with Jimmy DeGrasso (Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Megadeth) on drums and Stef Burns (Alice Cooper, Berlin, Huey Lewis) on guitar.
With a discography of 18 albums, three greatest hits collections, plus a boxed set, Y&T has sold over four million albums since their 1974 inception. The band’s most recent single I’m Coming Home has climbed to roughly 1.5 million views on YouTube. Y&T received extensive airplay with hits such as Forever, Rescue Me, Mean Streak, Don’t Stop Runnin’, and Summertime Girls-which played in heavy rotation on MTV. Y&T songs have been featured in a multitude of movies and television shows, including Real Genius, Out of Bounds, Baywatch, and Hunter. After five top 100 albums, songs that tipped into the 40s, two Bammie Awards, and many international television appearances, Y&T’s hits are still played on VH1 Classic and classic rock radio stations worldwide.
With the passing of Kennemore, Haze, and Alves, it’s Meniketti who carries on the legacy that is Y&T. Y&T continues to tour the world, featuring the dynamic original frontman Dave Meniketti (lead guitar/lead vocals), John Nymann (guitar/vocals), Aaron Leigh (bass/vocals), and Mike Vanderhule (drums/vocals), playing songs that span the band’s five-decade career and including all the hits and fan favorites. Prepare to have your face melted.
Follow Y&T at: Official Website, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.
4 Responses
Great band I saw live a few times back in the day. IMO, Dave Meniketti is one of the best lead guitarist/lead vocalist rock artist out there…
I remember buying this in the bargain bin on cassette way back in the day. Great live act. They went a little too commercial for me in the mid 80s but those first few albums are classics.
Jeff, I concur with your comment. All their releases through “Mean Streak” are awesome. After that, their sound got really “watered down”.
I really need to watch the documentary which may put everything into perspective. I do know that many of the tracks from Earthshaker, Black Tiger and Meanstreak were on regular radio rotation. I know they were signed to A&M Records which seemed like a pretty decent label. Does anybody have any perspective on this?