by Ed Rivadavia
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.