4 out of 5 Stars!
Back when I joined my first professional band as a lead vocalist in the second half of the exciting ’70s, I was told to hurriedly learn a cover tune by Yesterday And Today for an upcoming show (my first gig with the band). I distinctly recall asking them, “Who the hell is that?”
Well, with smirks of amusement on their ever-knowing faces, the band members promptly slipped this platter into my hands and declared, “Trust us, learn the damned song, and you’ll end up loving the album and the band itself.”
And who knew, but I did indeed do just that. The song was “25 Hours a Day,” and that tune—and this then-unknown band from San Francisco led by horribly underrated guitarist/vocalist Dave Meniketti—has forever held a special place in my heart since those early days.
Sure, in subsequent years, Yesterday and Today went through numerous changes in style and personnel (not to mention an “official” abbreviated version of its name—Y & T—after its second album), but also to this day, the band has done nothing to diminish my utmost respect for this driving and slamming and totally riotous debut album. “Animal Woman,” “Earthshaker,” “My Heart Plays Too,” “Beautiful Dreamer,” “Fast Ladies (Very Slow Gin),” and “Game Playing Woman”—wow, so many great tunes in one collection, making this an out-and-out classic. At the heart of the matter, this is no-frills Rock ‘n’ Roll at its ripping and roaring finest, both catchy and hell-raising, like a heavenly cross between Starz and Kiss and Slade and Humble Pie and Robin Trower that showcased a shredding guitarist with a recognizable voice that refused to be tamed.
Yes, I still LOVE this boisterous album, and I probably always will!
Get The Album Now!
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