Aerosmith are an American mainstream rawk band that are much bigger in America than elsewhere in the world. I was aware of them during the 70s, but they were always a little too mainstream for my taste, and too derivative of the Stones to be interesting. During the 80s they became more popular when Run-DMC covered "Walk This Way", which I found attractive, and I later became aware of "Love In An Elevator". And I became aware that in the 90s they were doing rock ballads. I think "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" is the song I was aware of. On the whole the derivative Spinal Tap pop-rawk aspects of the band have not appealed to me, and - other than the Run-DMC version of "Walk This Way" - the band's music hasn't interested me. But when looking at Wikipedia's list of
Best selling music artists, and seeing Aerosmith on the list, I thought I'd explore them a bit more, to see what I'm missing.
Aerosmith is the best-selling American hard rock band of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide, including over 69.5 million records in the United States.[19][20] With 25 gold, 18 platinum, and 12 multi-platinum albums, they hold the record for the most total certifications by an American group and are tied for the most multi-platinum albums by an American group. They have achieved twenty-one Top 40 hits on the US Hot 100, nine number-one Mainstream Rock hits, four Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, and ten MTV Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and were ranked number 57 and 30, respectively, on Rolling Stone's and VH1's lists of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[21] In 2013, Tyler and Perry were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2020, the band received the MusiCares Person of the Year award.
Specializing in raunchy, sleazy boogie and melodramatic ballads, Aerosmith were one of the biggest hard rock bands to emerge in the 1970s, shaping the sound and style of hard rock and metal in the decades to come. The Boston-based quintet found the middle ground between the menace of the Rolling Stones and the campy, sleazy flamboyance of the New York Dolls, developing a lean, dirty riff-oriented boogie that was loose and swinging and as hard as a diamond. In the meantime, they developed a prototype for power ballads with "Dream On" using a piano orchestrated with strings and distorted guitars. Aerosmith's ability to pull off both ballads and rock & roll made them extremely popular during the mid-'70s, when they had a string of gold and platinum albums. By the early '80s, the group's audience had declined as the band fell prey to drug and alcohol abuse, setting the stage for one of the most remarkable comebacks in rock history. A cleaned-up Aerosmith happily adapted to an era of MTV and corporate rock without losing their cheerfully trashy essence, giving them a series of smashes in the late '80s and '90s that helped sustain their popularity into the 2020s, when they launched a farewell tour on their 50th anniversary.
Basic boogie blues and rock, but actually quite decent and attractive. They actually sound less like the Stones than I thought they would. They come across as fairly American with tones of Alice Cooper (
Schools Out, 1972) and Lynyrd Skynyrd (
debut album 1973). Having said that, the Stones influence is apparent in all three bands.
None of the songs stand out, and there's little here to encourage repeated listening or to explore the band further. Cooper and Skynyrd's albums are more attractive. But it's actually not a bad album. Better than I expected. And I like it more with each listen. Critics like "
Dream On", as they perceive it to be the first power ballad, but UK bands, especially Led Zeppelin, had been exploring heavy and light before that. Zeppelin examples: "
Stairway to Heaven" (1971), "
Tangerine" (1970), "
What Is And Should Never Be" (1969), "
Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" (1969). Barclay James Harvest's "
Mocking Bird" (1971). Not to say that "Dream On" is to be dismissed - it's actually an OK song, but it is far, far from the first power ballad, and is no better than those I've mentioned, certainly not the Zeppelin songs, particularly "Stairway".
"
Mama Kin" is a Stones influenced rocky little number, and is the one I like the most. On a survey of Best Song lists, "Mama Kin" is ranked 11th. On my random survey of Stones influenced songs, it ranks last after "
Rocks" by Primal Scream, "
Rebel Rebel" by Bowie, "
Hot Legs" by Rod Stewart/Faces, "
Hard To Handle" by The Black Crowes, "
Raw Power" by Iggy Pop/The Stooges, "
Keith Can't Read" by Green On Red, "
Go Amanda" by Steve Earle, "
Let's Shake Hands" by The White Stripes, "
Blow At High Dough" by The Tragically Hip, and "
Jet Boy" by the New York Dolls. Not a great song, but still, it's one of the band's best, and it does what it does.
On a survey of Aerosmith Best Album lists, Aerosmith is ranked fifth.
I'm not liking this on first listen as much as the debut album. But critics seem to like it more. "
Train Kept A Rollin'", the cover of
The Yardbirds version of the song, is probably the best track. But
the original by Johnny Burnette is by far the better version, though
The Yardbirds live with Jimmy Page is also hot. The song puts me in mind of "
Locomotive Breath" by Jethro Tull.
Album opens with a simple, though moderately attractive boogie number, "Same Old Song And Dance", where Tyler has a quiver in his voice like Marc Bolan. It is of course drenched in simple rock cliché guitar screeching. "Lord of The Thighs" starts with elements that will be repeated to good effect on "Walk This Way".
Opens with the title track, a straight ahead rocker with a 70s flavour, and a good embrace of commercial melodies. Chugs along predictably with cliched rock guitar riffs. It's rather soft and indifferent, though superficially likeable. The track is clearly popular - it is their fifth most played song live. "Walk This Way" is their most popular track, and "Sweet Emotion", the side two opener, is their third most popular song, so this album has three of the band's top five most popular songs - no wonder it's their most respected album by fans and critics alike.
The songs are well played, and varied. "Walk This Way" is, of course, the stand out track, but there's really nothing duff here. I'm not blown away by the album, on the whole I find it fairly ordinary and derivative, but it is varied, listenable, and well made. For me it lacks some of the excitement of the rockier Aerosmith albums. But it's an OK album.
- Steven Tyler – vocals, keyboards, harmonica, percussion
- Joe Perry – lead, rhythm, acoustic, and slide guitars, backing vocals, talk box, percussion
- Brad Whitford – rhythm and lead guitar
- Tom Hamilton – bass guitar, rhythm guitar on "Uncle Salty"
- Joey Kramer – drums, percussion
There's an AC/DC feel to the opening track. This is more rocky and earthy than some of the other Aerosmith albums, and, for me, is closer in feel to the debut.
Side two| Title | Writer(s) |
|---|
| 1. | "Sick as a Dog" | Tyler, Tom Hamilton | 4:25 |
|---|
| 2. | "Nobody's Fault" | Tyler, Whitford | 4:40 |
|---|
| 3. | "Get the Lead Out" | Tyler, Perry | 3:42 |
|---|
| 4. | "Lick and a Promise" | Tyler, Perry | 3:04 |
|---|
| 5. | "Home Tonight" | Tyler | 3:15 |
|---|
| Total length: | 19:06 |
|---|
- Steven Tyler – lead vocals, keyboards, harmonica, bass guitar on "Sick as a Dog"
- Joe Perry – lead guitar on track 3, 4, 7, 8; six-string bass on "Back in the Saddle", bass guitar on "Sick as a Dog", pedal steel guitar on "Home Tonight", percussion and outro solo on "Sick as a Dog", backing vocals, harmony vocal on "Combination"
- Brad Whitford – lead guitars on track 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and rhythm guitar (3, 4, 7, 8)
- Tom Hamilton – bass guitar, rhythm guitar on "Sick as a Dog"
- Joey Kramer – drums, percussion, backing vocals on "Home Tonight"
Mooches along mostly unnoticed. Neither good nor bad.
Side two| Title | Writer(s) |
|---|
| 1. | "Kings and Queens" | Tyler, Brad Whitford, Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Douglas | 4:55 |
|---|
| 2. | "The Hand That Feeds" | Tyler, Whitford, Hamilton, Kramer, Douglas | 4:23 |
|---|
| 3. | "Sight for Sore Eyes" | Tyler, Perry, Douglas, David Johansen | 3:56 |
|---|
| 4. | "Milk Cow Blues" | Kokomo Arnold | 4:14 |
|---|
| Total length: | 35:14 |
|---|
It's kinda rocky, but mostly going through the motions. I like the title - a
spoonerism of "right in the nuts" (I assume).
A timely and useful compilation of the band's 70s period, which later got expanded to include 80s albums. I wouldn't have chosen this selection. Ho hum.
Side one| Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s)[1] |
|---|
| 1. | "Dream On" (from Aerosmith, 1973) | Steven Tyler | Adrian Barber | 4:24 |
|---|
| 2. | "Same Old Song and Dance" (Get Your Wings, 1974) | Tyler, Joe Perry | Jack Douglas, Ray Colcord | 3:02 |
|---|
| 3. | "Sweet Emotion"(Toys in the Attic, 1975) | Tyler, Tom Hamilton | Douglas | 3:12 |
|---|
| 4. | "Walk This Way" (Toys in the Attic) | Tyler, Perry | Douglas | 3:30 |
|---|
| 5. | "Last Child" (from Rocks, 1976) | Tyler, Brad Whitford | Douglas, Aerosmith | 3:26 |
|---|
Side two| Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s)[1] |
|---|
| 1. | "Back in the Saddle" (from Rocks) | Tyler, Perry | Douglas, Aerosmith | 4:39 |
|---|
| 2. | "Draw the Line" (from Draw the Line, 1977) | Tyler, Perry | Douglas, Aerosmith | 3:21 |
|---|
| 3. | "Kings and Queens" (Draw the Line) | Tyler, Whitford, Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Jack Douglas | Douglas, Aerosmith | 3:46 |
|---|
| 4. | "Come Together" (from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: The Original Soundtrack, 1978) | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | Douglas, George Martin | 3:44 |
|---|
| 5. | "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" (from Night in the Ruts, 1979) | George Morton | Gary Lyons, Aerosmith | 4:03 |
|---|
| Total length: | 37:32 |
|---|
AllMusic:
Score: 3.5
There is something of the speed and directness (basic rock) of Deep Purple In Rock about this album. Lead guitarist and co-writer Perry had briefly left the band during the period while this album was recorded, and Whitfield briefly left shortly after the recording started, so only plays rhythm guitar on one track. Both musicians returned for the next album.
It has life and energy in the first half, but is mostly fairly so-so. It fades a bit after a while, from "Cry Me A River" onwards. Production is quite cluttered and noisy.
Side two| Title | Writer(s) |
|---|
| 6. | "Prelude to Joanie" | Tyler | 1:21 |
|---|
| 7. | "Joanie's Butterfly" | Tyler, Crespo, Jack Douglas | 5:35 |
|---|
| 8. | "Rock in a Hard Place (Cheshire Cat)" | Tyler, Crespo, Douglas | 4:46 |
|---|
| 9. | "Jig Is Up" | Tyler, Crespo | 3:10 |
|---|
| 10. | "Push Comes to Shove" | Tyler | 4:28 |
|---|
| Total length: | 40:16 |
|---|
The two guitarists are back, and the band put down a regular rocking album. It's predictable and lacks interest, though has energy, straight ahead drums, and screeching guitars and vocals so much of what people like about Aerosmith and related bands is here, but while critics were and remain fairly positive, as all the boxes are ticked, the public were not so interested. I understand that, as its difficult to get excited about it.
This is a simple straight ahead rocker, kinda in the style of AC/DC, though with elements of other rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and the Stones present in the mix. It's listenable and attractive, though isn't doing anything different or better than other rock bands. However it is breathless and exciting and very melodic and commercial. Contrary to the 70s image of Aerosmith as a raucous and raw band, this comes across as very slick and corporate and listenable. This is the sort of hard rock my grandmother would have liked. All too often they remind me more of
Bette Midler than
The Kingsmen or
The Stooges. I really like the album, but it doesn't get me in the nuts - it feels cliched and redundant and old fashioned and over-produced. But, yeah, I can certainly see why the album sold, especially to the instant gratification MTV generation. There's some good songs on here, and "
Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" is great fun - a poppy, tongue-in-cheek, 80's Rolling Stones pastiche. The album has a number of popular and radio friendly songs.
Powerful and hugely commercial, this captures both aspects of the band - their exciting rawk, and their melodic commercial appeal, at its peak. This is one of the best selling Aerosmith albums, and with "Love In An Elevator" contains one of their best known songs outside of the Run DMC version of "Walk This Way". Fans and critics like "Janie's Got A Gun", a sort of right-wing slasher revenge song. And "What It Takes" a rock infused country ballad, is also popular.
| Title | Writer(s) |
|---|
| 1. | "Young Lust" | Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Jim Vallance | 4:19 |
|---|
| 2. | "F.I.N.E.*" | Tyler, Perry, Desmond Child | 4:08 |
|---|
| 3. | "Going Down/Love in an Elevator" | Tyler, Perry | 5:38 |
|---|
| 4. | "Monkey on My Back" | Tyler, Perry | 3:56 |
|---|
| 5. | "Water Song/Janie's Got a Gun" | Tyler, Tom Hamilton | 5:40 |
|---|
| 6. | "Dulcimer Stomp/The Other Side" | Tyler, Vallance, Holland, Dozier, Holland | 4:56 |
|---|
| 7. | "My Girl" | Tyler, Perry | 3:10 |
|---|
| 8. | "Don't Get Mad, Get Even" | Tyler, Perry | 4:48 |
|---|
| 9. | "Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man" | Tyler, Brad Whitford | 4:41 |
|---|
| 10. | "What It Takes" | Tyler, Perry, Child | 6:28 |
|---|
| Total length: | 47:44 |
|---|
This is the band's biggest seller worldwide. Perhaps as a result of a build up of expectation after the last of the 80's albums. I'm not finding the songs as good, nor the general ambiance. It feels like the band are trying hard, but have lost their edge, or whatever it was that made them a step above the average mainstream pop-rock band in the 80's. Hmm.
| Title | Writer(s) |
|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Jim Vallance | 0:24 |
|---|
| 2. | "Eat the Rich" | Tyler, Perry, Vallance | 4:11 |
|---|
| 3. | "Get a Grip" | Tyler, Perry, Vallance | 3:59 |
|---|
| 4. | "Fever" | Tyler, Perry | 4:15 |
|---|
| 5. | "Livin' on the Edge" | Tyler, Perry, Mark Hudson | 6:07 |
|---|
| 6. | "Flesh" | Tyler, Perry, Desmond Child | 5:57 |
|---|
| 7. | "Walk On Down" | Perry | 3:39 |
|---|
| 8. | "Shut Up and Dance" | Tyler, Perry, Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw | 4:56 |
|---|
| 9. | "Cryin'" | Tyler, Perry, Taylor Rhodes | 5:09 |
|---|
| 10. | "Gotta Love It" | Tyler, Perry, Hudson | 5:58 |
|---|
| 11. | "Crazy" | Tyler, Perry, Child | 5:14 |
|---|
| 12. | "Line Up" | Tyler, Perry, Lenny Kravitz | 4:03 |
|---|
| 13. | "Amazing" | Tyler, Richard Supa | 5:57 |
|---|
| 14. | "Boogie Man" (Instrumental) | Tyler, Perry, Vallance | 2:17 |
|---|
| Total length: | 1:02:06 |
|---|
A return to Columbia Records. A tired and uninspired album. It sold well across the world, and is
the band's 7th bestseller, including best-of compilations. It's quite noisy with some sense of Aerosmith hard rock excitement, but at the same time it is quite muddy, predicable, and boring, with a lack of genuine fun and danger. A band going through the motions and sounding lumpen and stretched. "Pink" is OK, and is probably the best song. At times the band a bit like Guns 'n Roses. They feel somewhat mature and grown up, with elements of widescreen country music in the mix.
| Title | Writer(s) |
|---|
| 1. | "Nine Lives" | Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Marti Frederiksen | 4:01 |
|---|
| 2. | "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" | Tyler, Perry, Glen Ballard | 3:26 |
|---|
| 3. | "Hole in My Soul" | Tyler, Perry, Desmond Child | 6:10 |
|---|
| 4. | "Taste of India" | Tyler, Perry, Ballard | 5:53 |
|---|
| 5. | "Full Circle" | Tyler, Taylor Rhodes | 5:01 |
|---|
| 6. | "Something's Gotta Give" | Tyler, Perry, Frederiksen | 3:37 |
|---|
| 7. | "Ain't That a Bitch" | Tyler, Perry, Child | 5:25 |
|---|
| 8. | "The Farm" | Tyler, Perry, Mark Hudson, Steve Dudas | 4:27 |
|---|
| 9. | "Crash" | Tyler, Perry, Hudson, Dominic Miller | 4:26 |
|---|
| 10. | "Kiss Your Past Good-Bye" | Tyler, Hudson | 4:32 |
|---|
| 11. | "Pink" | Tyler, Richard Supa, Ballard | 3:55 |
|---|
| 12. | "Attitude Adjustment" | Tyler, Perry, Frederiksen | 3:45 |
|---|
| 13. | "Fallen Angels" | Tyler, Perry, Supa | 8:16 |
|---|
| Total length: | 62:54 |
|---|
There's a sprinkle of glam and energy about this, but it's not Aerosmith at their peak, and it shows. It's like an overweight Gary Glitter pumping hard in stretched and splitting lycra, and with his makeup melting down his face.
| Title | Writer(s) |
|---|
| 1. | "Beyond Beautiful" | | 4:45 |
|---|
| 2. | "Just Push Play" | | 3:51 |
|---|
| 3. | "Jaded" | | 3:34 |
|---|
| 4. | "Fly Away from Here" | | 5:01 |
|---|
| 5. | "Trip Hoppin'" | - Tyler
- Perry
- Frederiksen
- Hudson
| 4:27 |
|---|
| 6. | "Sunshine" | | 3:37 |
|---|
| 7. | "Under My Skin" | - Tyler
- Perry
- Frederiksen
- Hudson
| 3:45 |
|---|
| 8. | "Luv Lies" | - Tyler
- Perry
- Frederiksen
- Hudson
| 4:26 |
|---|
| 9. | "Outta Your Head" | | 3:22 |
|---|
| 10. | "Drop Dead Gorgeous" | | 3:42 |
|---|
| 11. | "Light Inside" | | 3:34 |
|---|
| 12. | "Avant Garden" | - Tyler
- Perry
- Frederiksen
- Hudson
| 4:52 |
|---|
| Total length: | 48:56 |
|---|
An album of old school electric blues covers. I love the opening track, a Bo Diddly cover. Tongue-in-cheek good rocking blues. Impossible to listen to without some part of the body moving and dancing! And the album keeps rocking! Some covers are better than others but throughout there is a sense of joy and enthusiasm. Crackin' little album! Their most entertaining - and, after all, Aerosmith are not so much about the music, they are more about the entertainment.
| 1. | "Road Runner" (Bo Diddley cover) | Ellas McDaniel a.k.a. Bo Diddley | 3:46 |
|---|
| 2. | "Shame, Shame, Shame" (Billy Williams cover) | Ruby Fisher, Kenyon Hopkins | 2:15 |
|---|
| 3. | "Eyesight to the Blind" (Sonny Boy Williamson II cover) | Sonny Boy Williamson II | 3:09 |
|---|
| 4. | "Baby, Please Don't Go" (Joe Williams cover) | Joe Williams | 3:24 |
|---|
| 5. | "Never Loved a Girl" (Aretha Franklin cover) | Ronny Shannon | 3:12 |
|---|
| 6. | "Back Back Train" (Mississippi Fred McDowell cover) | Fred McDowell | 4:23 |
|---|
| 7. | "You Gotta Move" (Mississippi Fred McDowell cover) | Rev. Gary Davis, Fred McDowell | 5:30 |
|---|
| 8. | "The Grind" | Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Marti Frederiksen | 3:46 |
|---|
| 9. | "I'm Ready" (Muddy Waters cover) | Willie Dixon | 4:13 |
|---|
| 10. | "Temperature" (Little Walter cover) | Joel Michael Cohen, Walter Jacobs | 2:52 |
|---|
| 11. | "Stop Messin' Around" (Fleetwood Mac cover) | Clifford Adams, Peter Green | 4:29 |
|---|
| 12. | "Jesus Is on the Main Line" (Mississippi Fred McDowell cover) | (Traditional, arr. by F. McDowell) | 2:51 |
|---|
Curious indie music feel to the opening track, "LUV XXX", then settles down into a "mature" Aerosmith sound. Well constructed and to be fair quite attractive. This is not lazy music. This feels like a genuine band who are still into it, making a decent album. It sounds like Aerosmith, and has some trademark sounds, though lacks the edge and excitement of early Aerosmith and the commercial melodic pop of peak Aerosmith. But everything is well done and likeable. The album has various guest vocalists including Julian Lennon, Johnny Depp, Carrie Underwood, and Mia Tyler. It's rather long, and outstays its welcome, but it's OK.
I do like "
LUV XXX" - full of energy, and one of their most original compositions, blending classic pop-rock clichés, with early 90s indie, and a hint of the spaciousness of U2. "Oh Yeah" is a typical Aerosmith rocker - it pushes on with energy, confidence, melody, and a fun glam tone. "Beautiful" has elements of hip hop, and breaks up the rhythm here and there so the song is a little more adventurous and interesting than the average Aerosmith, but comes across as cluttered and over-written. "Tell Me" is a plodder. "Out Go The Lights" is a typical Aerosmith pop-rocker - throwaway fun, and commercially appealing. "
Legendary Child" has key elements of the Aerosmith sounds - 70's rock with melodic glam and curious echoes of the Beatles. It feels tongue-in-cheek, and is good fun. A little over-egged for a simple song, but the psychedelic pop elements combined with rock guitar licks has an appeal. It was released as a single, and reached no 1 on a Canadian alternative rock chart, but otherwise wasn't a hit. "
What Could Have Been Love" is a typical power ballad - the band know that people like their power ballads and do the usual thing: big 80s production, soppy romantic lyrics, non-stop emotional pleading in the vocals. It was released as a single, but other than in Japan, where it reached 7, it sold but wasn't a hit.
| Title | Lyrics | Music |
|---|
| 1. | "Luv XXX" | Steven Tyler | | 5:17 |
|---|
| 2. | "Oh Yeah" | Perry | Perry | 3:41 |
|---|
| 3. | "Beautiful" | | | 3:05 |
|---|
| 4. | "Tell Me" | Hamilton | Hamilton | 3:45 |
|---|
| 5. | "Out Go the Lights" | Tyler | | 6:55 |
|---|
| 6. | "Legendary Child" | Tyler | Tyler, Perry, Jim Vallance | 4:15 |
|---|
| 7. | "What Could Have Been Love" | Tyler, Frederiksen, Russ Irwin | Tyler, Frederiksen, Irwin | 3:44 |
|---|
| 8. | "Street Jesus" | Tyler | Tyler, Whitford | 6:43 |
|---|
| 9. | "Can't Stop Lovin' You" (featuring Carrie Underwood) | Tyler, Frederiksen | Tyler, Frederiksen, Whitford, Kramer, Hamilton | 4:04 |
|---|
| 10. | "Lover Alot" | Tyler | Tyler, Frederiksen, Perry, Hamilton, Whitford, Kramer, Jesse Kramer, Marco Moir | 3:35 |
|---|
| 11. | "We All Fall Down" | Diane Warren | Warren | 5:14 |
|---|
| 12. | "Freedom Fighter" | Perry | Perry | 3:19 |
|---|
| 13. | "Closer" | Tyler | Tyler, Frederiksen, Kramer | 4:04 |
|---|
| 14. | "Something" | Perry | Perry | 4:37 |
|---|
| 15. | "Another Last Goodbye" | Tyler, Desmond Child | Tyler, Child, Perry | 5:47 |
|---|
| Total length: | 67:59 |
|---|
Discography
Aerosmith (1973)
Get Your Wings (1974)
Toys in the Attic (1975)
Rocks (1976)
Draw the Line (1977)
Night in the Ruts (1979)
Rock in a Hard Place (1982)
Done with Mirrors (1985)
Permanent Vacation (1987)
Pump (1989)
Get a Grip (1993)
Nine Lives (1997)
Just Push Play (2001)
Honkin' on Bobo (2004)
Music from Another Dimension! (2012)
Albums ranked
Survey of Best Album lists
Toys In The Attic (1975) 6,6,4,6,6,4,2,4 (45)
Rocks (1976) 4,4,6,4,4,6,3,6 (44)
Get Your Wings (1973) 3,3,3,1,3,3,2,2 (28)
Pump (1989) 2,2,2,3,1,1,6,1 (26)
Aerosmith (1973) 1,2,1,2,2,2,1,3 (21)
Get A Grip (1993) 2,1,1,2,1,1,1,1 (17)
Permanent Vacation (1987 ) 1,1,1,1,2,1,1,1 (16)
Draw The Line (1977) 1,1,2,1,1,2,2 (16)
Night In The Ruts (1979) 1,1,1,1,1,1 (11)
Done With Mirrors (1985) 1,1,1,1,1 (8)
Music From Another Dimension (2012) 4 (4)
Nine Lives (1997) 1,1 (3)
Honkin' On Bobo (2004) 1,1 (3)
Rock In a Hard Place (1982) 1 (1)
Just Push Play (2001)
Sources:
Songs ranked
Dream On (1973) 6,4,1,4,6,6,3,7,6,6,10 = (59)
Walk This Way (1975)
Walk This Way with Run-DMC (1986) 3,6,1,3,2,3,6,4,4,3,9 = (44)*
Livin' on The Edge (1993) 1,2,3,1,3 = (10)
Draw The Line (1977) 1,2,4,2 = (9)
Cryin' (1993) 1,1,1,1,1,4 = (9)
Last Child (1976) 1,1,1,1,3 = (7)
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing (1978) 2,3,1 = (6)
Nobody's Fault (1976) 6 = (6)
Train Kept A Rolling (1975) 1,1,1,2 = (5)
Toys In The Attic (1975) 1,1,1,2 = (5)
Rag Doll (1987) 2,1 = (4)
Seasons of Wither (1974) 1,1,1 = (3)
Crazy (1983) 1,1 = (3)
Links
Summary
Aerosmith have never impressed me - what I have heard over the years has been essentially what Bob Harris called "mock rock" after the New York Dolls appeared on The Old Grey Whistle Test. Indeed, Aerosmith have much of the Dolls about them, except that Aerosmith are better musicians and more corporate than the Dolls - but both groups are riding on an imitation of the look and sound of The Rolling Stones that borders on The Muppets.
Having gone through all their albums, and watched a fair few videos, I am still largely of the opinion that this is a popular but very minor band, and they have no more social or musical significance than that of a popular boy band like Take That or the Bay City Rollers. Their music is very derivative, and other than being popular, holds no interest. They write and deliver workable and listenable songs, both melodic hard rock (pop-rock) and commercial power ballads. They do this well, and have been fairly consistent through their career - not straying from the path that brings them sales. Sound recording and production has developed over the years, and that is largely how to tell at what stage in their career an Aerosmith song was recorded - otherwise they do the same things in 2012 as they did in 1973, and - somewhat rarely - with the same musicians. The consistency of the band's membership is something I found notable. And they do work well together as a band - producing at base a good 70's rock sound, albeit unoriginal, a tad too melodic for proper hard rock, and lacking in ambition or true raw authenticity.
Their global success appears to have come about after Run-DMC did that extraordinary cover of "Walk This Way". The cover is almost a clone of the original, but injected it with freshness and made it on-trend. The bizarre conjunction of an old fashioned and - other than in the US - largely unknown and fairly has-been 70s mock rock band, with an exciting and upcoming hip-hop group caught the world's attention, and became an infectious cross-over. Aerosmith's main asset is that they have not taken themselves too seriously. There has largely been a sense of fun in the music and the image. They are more like The Darkness than Metallica. And taken on that level they are moderately entertaining.
Though I have remained unimpressed, I have ended up liking and appreciating them more than I thought I would, largely due to their corporate professionalism (which is at odds with their created image of devil-may-care raunchy hell-raisers) and their sense of fun. They work hard to make decent records, and don't seem to issue crap just to put something out that will sell. I respect that. The songs I like now are pretty much the songs that I was aware of and liked before: "Walk This Way", "Love In An Elevator", and "Dude (Look Like A Lady)". I didn't really discover any other songs by the band that I am likely to put on a playlist. I did like some of their later albums more than is usual, which is a testament to their professionalism. They didn't slacken off. And I did appreciate and enjoy the album of covers, Honking On A Bobo, which although a standard thing for older musicians to do toward the end of their career, was done with style and grace.
Voice/Musicianship Fair do's - the band can play and sing. Nothing exceptional, but certainly tight and above average. 11/15
Image/Star quality They have that. 4/5
Lyrics/Music Predictable, derivative, unadventurous, but melodic and workable. 9/20
Impact/Influence They copied other bands, such as The Stones, The New York Dolls, Led Zeppelin, etc. There are bands such as Bon Jovi, Motely Crue, and Guns n Roses who came after, and are similar, but those bands have more of an Eighties sound rather a Seventies or glam rock sound, and any influences may have gone the other way. Who knows? The biggest impact they had was when Run-DMC covered "Walk This Way", and much of that impact was due to Run-DMC. 3/10
Popularity The band have been very popular, especially in the US, where they are one of the best selling bands. 4/5
Emotional appeal The music is fun. The closest they get to being emotional is on their romantic and superficial power ballads, which are very popular, but meaningless. 2/5
Authenticity Nothing much of that. But credit for professionalism. 4/15
Art Nope. Purely straight ahead and commercial. 0/5
Classic albums/songs Depends on who you're speaking with. But the Run-DMC cover of "Walk This Way" is a solid gold classic. The rest is debatable. Critics and fan often talk of Toys in the Attic as a classic album of the Seventies, but it only gained attention later, and that was in the Eighties after Run-DMC's cover of "Walk This Way", so people went back to the album that had the original version. 2/5
Originality/Innovation Nope. 0/5
Legacy Nope. 0/5
Total: 39/100
