REALLY? These songs were done before Y&T.... And by Troy Luccketta before TESLA!

[Mitch Danger]

Check it out. The songs "Lipstick & Leather" and "Keep On Believing" (originally titled "Do You Know") were originally done by a band called "Bennie And The Jets" (don't love the band name) that had Troy Luccketta before he was in "The Eric Martin Band" and "Tesla". I guess you learn something new every day. 

 

 

 

 

https://www.metallicbluerecords.com/bennie-and-the-jets.html

 

[Doggy]

Metallic Blue Records all ways finding obscure bands to put on their roster.

As for this must be new one cause it's not their Discogs' page.

 

[AlphaMale]

Ill Keep On Believin'

Songwriters: Jeff Paris / Joseph L. Alves / Bernie Labarge / David Meniketti / Philip M. Kennemore / Leonard E. Haze

[Mitch Danger]

According to the bio on the Metallic Blue Records website, Y&T offered to buy the 2 songs from Ben (Bennie And The Jets), but Ben refused. Ben apparently sold 50% rights to the songs to Y&T. I can see Benjamin LaBarge (singer for Bennie And The Jets) on the writing credits on the Y&T CD. Listening to both version, there are a few lyrics that have changed between the two (hence more people with writing credits for the Y&T version).

 

Here is a quote from Dave Meniketti:  “In those early days of making a name for Y&T and playing around the East Bay, we met and became acquaintances with numerous local musicians who were playing a similar style. I remember a few musicians stood out. Bennie LaBarge was one of those. He had a great energy and presence about him and a sense of melody that made him a standout from many of the other guitarists & musicians in our local area. When writing for our In Rock We Trust album in 1984, I believe it was Joey Alves, our rhythm guitarist, who brought to the studio a cassette of several songs that Bennie had written for his own band. Two of those songs were Lipstick & Leather & Do You Know. The band, along with our co-writer for that record, felt strongly that with some changes Y&T could make them something that would fit in nicely with our style. We spent several weeks tweaking the lyrics, arranging, and composing new parts to put our Y&T stamp on those two songs. Hence Lipstick and Leather and I’ll Keep on Believing (Do You Know) were then included on our release, and have become a solid part of the tunes that Y&T fans have enjoyed over the decades.” 

[Geoff]

Very cool, very interesting. A part of history I was unaware of. I think the songs are probably a bit too early in the piece for me to get too excited about, but I'll still be interested to hear the album. 

[Mitch Danger]

I know the songs are from 1980, but it sounds a little ahead of it's time to me (that might just be due to knowing the two songs from Y&T and that makes it seem a little more like 1984 to me). Either way, the songs I've heard on YouTube are pretty damn good. I'll be grabbing this disc for sure.