Customer Reviews

Ultimate Collection

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I can think of three hard rock/metal performers from the 80's that never received their due: Gary Moore, Accept and Y&T. Like Moore ("Victims of the Future") and Accept ("Restless & Wild", "Metal Heart"), Y&T bring at least two great things to the hard rock game. First, the songs are very melodic, solid rock pieces with memorable hooks. Second, the lead guitar work is amazing.

It's a shame that the band didn't get the widespread love it deserved, because Y&T lead guitarist (and singer) Dave Meniketti should have a place in the pantheon of guitar gods. He shreds, but does so with great precision and invention. It makes me want to pick up my guitar and jam every time I hear him. And his singing is very competent... perhaps not as stylized or strong as some, but nonetheless solid. And the band around him is tight and talented.

For some reason, Y&T didn't hit as big as other bands with amazing guitarists (Dokken, Dio, Ozzy, Scorpions) or mediocre guitarists (Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister). Timing? I know it's not because of content... the songs on this cd can stand right up there with all those bands.

For me, "Mean Streak" justifies purchase of the cd on its own... great riff, solo, and memorable chorus. Other highlights are "Hurricane," "Midnight in Tokyo," and "Black Tiger". If you've come this far in viewing this page, chances are you'll love this cd... so buy it! And then pick up "Mean Streak", "Earthshaker" and the exceptional "Yesterday & Today Live"... great stuff.

I like Y & T. While they earned the respect of their peers, they never achived the same commercial success. Maybe it was because there was a glut of metal bands on the market at the time: Ratt, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, etc... Each was very good in their own right and achieved fantastic commercial success. These bands had their own style and appearance, but catered to a common audience. While they were the headliners, Y & T always seemed to remain the perpetual opening band.

Dave Meniketti was the band's lead vocalist, songwriter and guitarist. He's got a bit of a deeper voice, but it grows on you after awhile. He's still at it today, releasing an album every few years under his own name, and playing live. Y & T was a very tight group. To use a worn out cliche, they were all about the music. They had some great riffs!

Now that the heyday of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal is gone, it's interesting to go back and look at all of these groups again to see if there was any "staying power" to the music. I find myself coming back to only a few of them -- one of them being Y & T.

This album is a great starting to point to get an idea of the band's sound. This collection gives you the highlights from their 25+ year career, from 1976's "Yesterday and Today" to 1997's "Endangered Species." You get a mix of ballads (I Believe in You) and good 80's hard rock (Forever).

If you loved the hard rock music scene from the 80's and haven't heard of these guys, do yourself a favor and pick this album up. It's a great starting point to redsicover a great, sadly neglected band.

I'm surprised that Y&T (originally called Yesterday and Today) didn't achieve the huge success that they deserved but they were fairly big back in their prime and they earned alot of respect from their fans and they got strong reviews by the press as well, the singer's voice reminds me of Sammy Hagar back when he was in Montrose.

My only gripe about this CD is that they didn't put Lipstick 'N' Leather on this compilation but it's no big deal cause this CD, but if you're a casual fan of Y&T or a casual fan of hard rock/metal music then this CD is a must have but I would recommend their other hits compilation Best of '81-'85 which contains their best songs from their prime period and this CD has most of their songs from the late 70's stuff to the mid 90's.

While not as well know in the MTV mainstream as bands Like Ratt & Motley Crue, Y & T was more talented and put out better albums than any other metal band of the era (maybe with the exception of early Van Halen). This is a excellent place to jump start your Y&T collection, 'cause once you hear this you'll be off to grab "Black Tiger" & "Mean Streak" ASAP.
If you love hard rock and metal the way it should be played, get this album and it will not disappoint you.

Heralded in the San Fransisco Bay Area as the kings of the classic heavy metal/hard rock sound, Y&T is a band that will forever remain in the minds of headbangers and casual rockers alike. This Ultimate Collection CD is an assortment of tunes from their 20+ year career, all of which will make you wish for "real" rock to return to the mainstream. I highly recommend Y&T's Ultimate Collection for anyone looking for that adrenaline rush of musical power that only Y&T can deliver!

Only to die-hard rockers left over from the days when metal ruled the world will the name "Y&T" mean anything. This group from the San Francisco Bay Area started rocking in the early '70's and kept pumping out great hard rock songs into the mid-'90's.
This collection has songs pulled off of just about every Y&T album, and even includes some live tracks. Why these guys never made it to the top of the hard rock/heavy metal genre is beyond me, because their sound is absolutely incredible!
I think this CD is a great collection of tracks from an American Band that is so often overlooked. A must have for any hair-metal fan, and great bang for the buck as well!

Early rockers from the mid '70s, a new release from Hip-O Records ~ "Yesterday & Today Ultimate Collection"...hard rock & heavy metal is the theme...seventeen tracks sends you reeling...must mention the stand out ~ "MIDNIGHT IN TOKYO", will knock your socks off (if you're wearing any)...with carefree-power unlimited. Great job by Hip-O and of course our hosts of this "rambunctious party" ~ Y & T!

Total Time: 77:38 on 17 Tracks ~ Hip-O Records 069-490-889-2 ~ (2001)

The band's biggest failing was that they came along a little bit too early - they were just great; talented, great songwriting and great performers, only 'under-rated'. Y&T would have been a worldwide success, like many Metal bands in the '80s only if they had better timing. I highly recommend this album, as well as their live album: Open Fire.

simply put...I cannot say enough good things about Y&T. One of my favorite bands ever. I agree wholeheartedly with reviewer John Wright when he said Gary Moore, Accept and Y&T never received their due. I've seen Y&T about 5 times and they never failed to deliver high quality hard rock played with conviction and chops. Guitarist Dave Meniketti is in a dying breed of what can be called 'dinosaur rock guitarists'. No offense to bands like the Foo Fighters but their kind of guitar playing ain't my cup of tea. Unfortunately there's way too much of that around these days. You can have it! In any event, Y&T was/is way underrated and under appreciated. You can't go wrong getting this disc. Excellent bands like this are fading fast, sadly enough.
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Mean Streak, Rescue Me, Don't Stop Runnin' and Summertime Girls are holding up real well as forgotten gems from the 80's metal era in my opinion. Never understood why these guys didn't make it big. From the comments on this page, it seems i'm not the only one who wonders that. anyhow, if you are looking to run down some fun metal from the 80's after you've listened to the usual suspects for the umpteenth time, start here!