After years of beating their collective head against the post of hard rock stardom,
Y&T finally succumbed to the commercial conventions of the '80s and bowed to the synthesizer gods with 1985's
Down for the Count. Under the guidance of new producer
Kevin Beamish (
REO Speedwagon,
Saxon),
Y&T joined the perm-haired masses then issuing like dandruff out of the California dust to redefine the meaning of the word "dumb." Not exactly a smash hit, the record is littered with faceless, going-nowhere-fast rockers like "Anything for Money" and "Looks Like Trouble." Even the relatively amusing "Don't Tell Me What to Wear" sounds completely forced when coming from a bunch of supposedly grown men. Out of this mucky muck, "Hands of Time" stands out as a fine, dramatic power ballad in the
Y&T tradition -- anthemic and cheesy in all the right quantities. Following
Down for the Count,
Y&T's long-running relationship with A&M would finally come to and end, but the band would find small comfort at their new home, Geffen. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia