Y & T - Summertime Girls

Y&T was a band that was playing the right kind of music at the right time, but somehow never really broke through.  The band formed in Oakland in 1974, and were named after the Beatles LP, Yesterday and Today.  After they signed to A&M in 1980, they shortened their name to Y&T, probably because it sounded more metal.  They would go on to release six radio-friendly hard rock albums in the 1980s, but somehow never found their audience, in spite of the fact that their high energy live shows were legendary.  In retrospect, much of the blame likely lies with the label, as A&M had few hard rock bands (and seemingly had no idea how to promote them).

"Summertime Girls," from the 1985 album Down for the Count was the closest thing to a genuine hit that Y&T had, but it peaked at #55 on the Billboard charts, so the band does not even count as an official one hit wonder.  The video is a cheesy masterpiece of 1980s fun, complete with lots of girls in bikinis, a few metal babes, and roller skates.  And, we found a version that includes the somewhat rare 30 second intro.

While the band broke up in 1991, they reformed in 2001 and are still performing, although we believe that the only original member left is singer/guitarist Dave Maniketti.