Y&T's difficulties in the recording studio continued with their sixth album, 1984's
In Rock We Trust. You'd think the San Francisco quartet could have figured this out by now, but despite experimenting with a number of different approaches, recording techniques, and big-name producers,
Y&T had yet to successfully capture their scorching live energy on vinyl. With
Judas Priest producer Tom (Colonel) Allom on board this time around, they did manage to sound a little looser and more relaxed than on recent efforts, but to be quite honest,
In Rock We Trust still paled in comparison to the freewheeling intensity of 1981's landmark
Earthshaker album. "Masters and Slaves" and the driving "Break Out Tonight!" are among the highlights contained here, but the patriotic opener, "Rock & Roll's Gonna Save the World," pushes the cheese meter to the max. Making matters worse, on the ensuing tour the band would perform it in the company of their new mascot, the silver android depicted on the album's cover (aka Rock). The textbook power ballad "This Time" isn't half-bad and no doubt served its purpose as perfect "end of the prom" fodder, but consumers remained unimpressed and
Y&T's slump continued unabated. [A&M's 2007 reissue featured one bonus track.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia