The first lineup - which only played covers of songs by other artists - consisted of Leonard Haze on drums, Wayne Stitzer on piano, Bob Gardner on bass, and Dave Meniketti on lead vocals and lead guitar. After Stitzer quit the group, Gardner switched from bass to rhythm guitar and piano, and Phil Kennemore was brought in to play bass. In 1973, Gardner left the group; he was replaced by Joey Alves in January 1974. This 1974 lineup change was when the band began writing original material.

The band's first two studio albums under A&M, Earthshaker (1981) and Black Tiger (1982), though critically acclaimed around the globe, did not gain mainstream exposure in America. Songs off these two albums still make up a significant part of the band's live shows. Black Tiger was recorded at Ridge Farm, in Dorking, County of Surrey, England and produced by Max Norman. The classic Y&T logo made it's first appearance on the cover of this album. Part-way through recording Black Tiger, the band did their first shows outside the US-Netherlands followed by the UK.

By 1983, Y&T had started to play larger venues such as arenas, stadiums, and amphitheaters across America and Europe with a variety of acts including AC/DC, Alice Cooper, Blackfoot, Dio, Iron Maiden, Marillion, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Twisted Sister, and ZZ Top, garnering far more mainstream recognition in Europe and Japan than they did in their native United States. With their third A&M release, Mean Streak (1983), radio airplay and exposure had increased in the US despite poor promotion from the record company. This album is from the Mean Streak.