Formed 1974, U.S.A.
Albums:
1976
Yesterday & Today
1978
Struck Down
1981
Earthshaker
1982
Black Tiger
1983
Mean Streak
1984
In Rock We Trust
1985
Down For The Count
1985
Open Fire
1987
Contagious
1987
Forever
1989
Anthology
1990
Ten
1990
Best Of '81 To '85
1991
Yesterday & Today Live
1995
Musically Incorrect
1997
Endangered Species
1998
Live On The Friday Rock Show
2001
Ultimate Collection
2003
UnEarthed Vol.1
2004
UnEarthed Vol.2
2010
Facemelter
History:
One of the most underrated, yet influential of all hard rock bands. They always had
a loyal following, and influenced countless musicians, but never seemed able to
break into the mainstream in a big way over their twenty plus years.
Formed in San Francisco, California by Dave Meniketti (vocals and
guitar), Phil Kennemore (bass) and Leonard Haze (drums) and going by the
name of Yesterday & Today. They recruited a second guitarist in Joey Alves,
and began playing the bar circuit. Their first two albums were released by London
records, but failed commercially, resulting in the band being dropped.
The group revamped, shortened thir name to Y&T and signed another
major label deal. Earthshaker was an aptly titled cult classic, that was able to
capture the intensity of the band's live shows. Many feel that the band was unable
to reach the heights of this album again, but they released consistent product
throughout the early 80's. With the release of the live album Open Fire,
Y&T was dropped again.
They signed with Geffen under John Kalodner's supervision.
They changed their image to fit in with the 80's glam rock explosion but Haze
decided to walk away, being replaced by Jimmy DeGrasso. The move failed to pay
off, leading to Alves leaving the band as well (he hooked up with Haze in
1989 to form Black Tiger) with Stef Burns joining
the group for the forgotten Ten album. Shortly after the band broke up.
The last lineup would reform off and on to tour and release a couple
lackluster albums, but it was apparent their best days were behind them. DeGrasso
would resurface with Megadeth, Alice Cooper and Suicidal Tendencies
to name a few, while Meniketti pursued a solo career. 2010 saw Meniketti and Kennemore release their first studio album in 13 years, entitled Facemelter, with guitarist John Nymann and drummer Mike Vanderhule. A band that never reached
the success they deserved, but whose albums remain very influential.
Links:
The Official Y&T Page
The Official Dave Meniketti Page
The Official Joey Alves Page
The Official Jimmy DeGrasso Page
The Official Stef Burns Page
Y&T Facemelting Fan Pages
Buy Y&T CDs:
Purchase at Amazon.com
Purchase at CDUniverse.com
Purchase at eBay.com