The recent discovery of superconductivity in the 90- 160 K range in Y-Ba-Cu-O type of compounds has provoked an intense experimental and theoretical activity. Fundamental problems concern the type of interaction responsible for the observed superconductivity, the stability of the superconducting phases, and how to reach Tc≈300 K. These questions have stimulated a large number of experimental investigations of the electronic structure and dynamics of these compounds using different types of high-energy spectroscopies like XAS, UPS, XPS, AES, XES, BIS, and EELS. This paper will discuss interpretations of recent experimental results from high-energy spectroscopies, and comment on the implications for theories of mechanisms for the superconductivity