Episode 13: Ya Ya - II (1988)

Melodic AOR

Ya Ya remains as an obscure British AOR group you may not be familiar of but you definitely should! The band centered around Guitarist and Vocalist Lea Heart (Fastway, Lea Hart), Ray Calcutt on Guitars, Graham Garrett on Drums and Terry Stevens the band iself began under The Lea Hart Band and reinvented themselves under a new name Ya Ya. That eventually led the group to being signed to Rock N Roll Records which got eventually picked up by Scotti Brothers Records - Famous for the band Survivor. The band with their new identity, released their first LP in 1984 called "Scarred". The album had a dancy AOR, pop infusion of sounds and Lea Hart vocals and guitar picking style is clearly evident throughout. With two songs featured on the film "Revenge Of The Nerds" the band had more exposure in addition to the music video for "Don't Talk" in 1984 but lacked a ballad which was instrumental in success at this time. The interest in the band did not suffice where as Warner Brothers quickly signed the group and influenced the band to move musically in a different, softer direction in the likes of British groups such as Strangeways, Cutting Crew and Canadian bands like Platinum Blonde (later years). This change led to the hiring of Sam Blue (Samson, Univox) firing of Lea Hart who went on to sing for Fastway and to a series of solo albums. The Second album entitled "II" was released in 1988 with the right production, marketing and sound. Recruiting the engineering help of Tony Taverner (Cutting Crew, DiAnno) and session musician Nick Coler (Alice Cooper) the band had access to some successful individuals to assist with the production. Songs like "When The World Cried" (accompanying music video) and "Caught In A Lie" are a fantastic ballad and pop song that should of been way more successful even though Warner Brothers actively made a significant effort to promote the group in many markets worldwide. The song "Julia" remains as the best song on the album that if released as a single could of been a smash hit for the band further enhancing their musical profile. While recorded with Sam Blue on vocals, the song will reappear in a different form in 1995 with Lea Hart and Ray Calcutt working together on one song on Lea Hart's project D-Rox. The album "II" by Ya Ya remains as a gem within the British AOR scene and should have a place in your collection!