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| | XYZ | | | Music Artist : | | XYZ | | Music Style : | | Glam | | Record Label : | | Capitol | | Release Date : | | 1989-10-17 | | Store Price : | | $13.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $13.98 | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Maggy
2. Inside Out
3. What Keeps Me Loving You
4. Take What You Can
5. Follow the Night
6. Come on N' Love Me
7. Souvenirs
8. Tied Up
9. Nice Day to Die
10. After the Rain
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 Great debut
Submitted on: 2007-12-05 |
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I've long since given up trying to figure out why some bands make it and others fail to do so, but you really have to wonder why XYZ never really reached the same level of success as bands like Steelheart or Firehouse. They had a great sound that should have gone over quite well in the late 80s, and yet I don't recall ever hearing their music or seeing any MTV videos back then, and I was a total junkie for this kind of music.
The band released their self-titled debut in 1989. The album was produced by Don Dokken, so you definitely catch bits of Dokken in XYZ's sound, though it is closer to the typical hair metal sound than Dokken was. The band stuck pretty close to the hair metal formula in terms of musical style and songwriting, but they managed not to sound overly clichéd or cheesy - no mean feat. What makes the album really stand out is Terry Ilous's powerful vocal performance. His voice is like a lower-pitched Mike Matijevic (of Steelheart), and gives the album a slightly bluesy feel that adds some depth to the songs.
I hate that so may people (myself included) overlooked XYZ when they were originally active, because they were one of the scene's better bands. Instead, while Slaughter and the Bulletboys were selling albums by the truckload, XYZ's 1991 follow-up album Hungry went largely unnoticed and the band members went their separate ways.
If you're still into hair metal and 80's rock, you'd do well to add some XYZ albums to your collection. The Axe Killer remasters of this album and Hungry are your best bets, but if you run across the original discs used you'll definitely want to grab them.
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 A good album
Submitted on: 2007-09-18 |
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| Having come out in 1989, this is XYZ's self-titled debut studio album. Sporting ten tracks, the album's material is in a straight-ahead hard rock musical direction. There is worthy songwriting, tight musicianship, and satisfying sound quality. Terry Ilous is a worthwhile, meat-and-potatoes singer. Marc Richard Diglio's guitar work is pleasant, too. "What Keeps Me Loving You," "Souvenirs," and "After the Rain" are my favorite cuts. "What Keeps Me Loving You" is an elegant, warm, mellow composition with a pretty refrain and a nice guitar solo from Diglio. "Souvenirs" is an attractive tune that has a memorable chorus. Ilous provides touching, passionate singing on the serene "After the Rain." Another song that I like is the lively "Tie Me Up," which contains a section of nice, smooth harmony vocals. Regarding the CD booklet, it includes the song lyrics and a nicely done black-and-white photo of the band that is spread over two pages. I also like the album cover illustration--it is creative and interesting. The CD itself exhibits a cool graphics display, too. The CD is just over 41 minutes. I recommend this album. |
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