Down for the Count

Down for the Count is a record on which Y&T, while keeping its bluesy, sturdy playing, actively took in brighter melody and keyboard color. Dave Meniketti’s singing and guitar keep the band’s heat and firm core even within the flashy production of the era. Mindful of the mid-1980s melodic-hard current while not losing Y&T’s own feel, it is a record of its own. The breezy, catchy “Summertime Girls” was popular on MTV as a signature hit of the band. Meanwhile, songs like “Anytime at All,” “Hands of Time” and “In the Name of Rock” carry the hard-nosed hard-rock feel cultivated over years. Song choices like the Loggins & Messina cover “Your Mama Don't Dance” convey the band’s playfulness too. An interesting record on which poppier refinement and the band’s inherent rock soul intersect, letting you hear the breadth of Y&T in a period of change.