Of all the great acts the ‘80s gave us, I have a particular soft spot in my heart for those that never really made it. Everybody has a favorite "wannabe" band, whether they want to admit it or not - you know, those third-tier talents that put out ragged little releases that were wholly ignored. Yet the heart and soul those maligned acts poured into their music lives on long after their chances at commercial success have died. Many bands fit this bill, but one of my personal favorites is YLD (pronounced “wild,” their name is written with a line over the “Y”).
In 1989, the quartet released its debut (and only?) album, Window Shopping in Fools Paradise, on the Absolute Records imprint. If you look closely at the cover, you’ll see that at least two of the band’s members are clearly wearing bolo ties – could it be that they hail from the Southwestern United States? We may never know. Here’s another brainteaser: While bands like Motörhead, Mötley Crüe, Queensrÿche and others used the umlaut to signify a menacing, Germanic quality, what are we to make of YLD’s diacritical mark of choice? Is it intended as a sort of Anglicized tilda to give the band’s name a vaguely Hispanic feel while still remaining firmly Anglo?Enough about the album cover – let’s get down to YLD’s unique brand of bolo boogie. “Wild Girls” starts the album off in raucous style with frontman Kevin Mier Mellenbruch turning in a love-it-or-leave-it vocal performance that falls somewhere between Accept’s Udo Dirkschneider and Britny Fox’s “Dizzy” Dean Davidson. The band’s lumbering yet oddly invigorating stab at Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times” follows, but Window Shopping doesn’t really get cooking until “The Distance.” This track is marked by vocal-driven, pop-indebted songwriting and guitarist James Bengston’s eager soloing, which conjures up shades of early Vito Bratta.
The album’s centerpiece is an uplifting cut called “Music Music” that pays tribute to the hardships and victories of life in a struggling band. Opening with a Bengston lead that sounds like an outtake from a lost ‘80s teenage flick, “Music Music” is saturated with tasty six-string escapades and heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics. When Mellenbruch sings, “On a skeleton crew, doing the graveyard shift/I was going nowhere/I took my MDR/of rock and roll/My radio blast/Guitar in hand/I lose control,” you just know he’s lived those lyrics. Call it cheesy if you must, but you can’t take the man’s honesty away from him.
Could YLD ever have made it big under different circumstances? Probably not. But I maintain that it's the C-list talents who really make the ‘80s metal world go round. After all, where would the megastars be without all the wannabes clamoring at their feet?
8 comments:
Theo, I have this album, same cover too. I believe there is another album cover and release on another label.
I am going to spin this right now and then post some comments.
OK, its playing right now, I'm at 'Writing In The Sand', so its almost done.
Straight up '80s Hard Rock, like a cross between Bon Jovi, White Lion, and mellow Keel. The Led Zep cover is bad and breaks the album up at song 2. I remember picking this up and hearing it and not wanting to continue.
Anyway, I'll agree that 'Wild Girls' is a fine start. Take away 'I Need' and 'Simple But True' (awful chorus) and the album truly starts at 'The Distance', I agree.
There is some great guitar here, especially on 'Let It Go'. That's a rocker! Favorite here is 'Music Music', it has a Bon Jovi vibe but better, great guitar solo and definitely a "sing-a-long" song This should have been a monster single. 7 out of 10 songs are great so I'll definitely agree this is a good lost album. I might not reach for it often but I'm putting it on my Dell DJ for further exploration.
There is another version on Music For Nations with a different album cover and the title is just Fool's Paradise.
Wow! Very cool that you're also into it. I really wish I knew more about the band and its members. I can't seem to track down much information. To me it's such a passionate album that I've never been able to forget it, despite some of its obvious shortcomings.
Never heard of these guys.
Forgot to mention "Let It Go." I agree, it's a massive rocker and provides a great conclusion to the disc.
Go to Heavy Harmonies.com
Click on letter Y
The band name is there and there are some comments from people that have the album. HH is a great site.
I can't imagine what you guys are hearing here. The musicians are not to bad but the singer Kevin Mellenbruch sucks. I remember this band from the 80's and the singer was never any good. come on now be honest.
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