AEROSMITH

“Yeah, I know nobody knows,

Where it comes and where it goes,

I know it's everybody's sin,

You got to lose to know how to win.”

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“D+”

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Main Decade: 70’s

Main Ages:

Hard Rock (1968-???)

Key Members:

Steven Tyler: Singer and harmonica

Joe Perry: Lead Guitar

Brad Withford: Rythm Guitar

Tom Hamilton: Bass

Joey Kramer: Drums

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Key Songs:

Dream On, Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way, Chip Away The Stone, Janie’s Got a Gun, Back in the Saddle, Mama Kin, Livin’ on the Edge, Last Child, What it Takes, Love in an Elevator, Taste of India, Dude (Looks Like a Lady),  Toys in the Attic, Pink, Rag Doll, Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees), Seasons Of Wither, Young Lust, Jaded, Crazy, Amazing, Angel, Cryin’, I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.

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Ladies and gentlemen: Aerosmith, "The Bad Boys of Boston," self-proclaimed as the best American rock band. And with this, I wonder where that leaves The Doors, Pearl Jam, Creedence, RHCP, Velvet Underground, Alice in Chains, R.E.M., Foo Fighters, the Beach Boys, Metallica, and if we extend the definition of America to the strictest, The Band, Rush, Soda Stereo, and Caifanes, among others...??? In their defense, and if we look at the era of the aforementioned bands, perhaps in the 70s they weren't SO far from the truth.

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This makes it clear why it took me so long to review Aerosmith. It's not that I don't like them, but Steven Tyler and company are a band of songs more than albums. They released two or three good albums in their already long career, but the rest are albums with plenty of filler, some decent, others pretty bad. As is often the case, their best-selling albums aren't necessarily their best. Are they a bad band because of that? No, not at all. They have a lot of really good songs that could reach two tremendous Greatest Hits (in fact, Ultimate is the best example); when they're honest with themselves, they can be ass-kicking and unleash tremendous energy; they're devilishly melodic; Joe Perry is an underrated guitarist, and they made songs that became part of the soundtrack of our lives. Who among us who were there doesn't see any NASA pilot and automatically think of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"? Besides, along with AC/DC, they would become the bands that would keep Hard Rock alive in the second half of the 70s in the face of the decline of the previous generation like the Stones, The Who, and Zeppelin. They have their place in history, then. And they earned that place mostly in the 70s...

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Aerosmith's eponymous album was released in the fall of '73, with a sound that was still being defined, but already reflected a hard rock foundation. They showed the group's influences with a cover of "Walking the Dog," which also appeared on the Rolling Stones' debut. However, "Dream On" would be the first single, reaching #59 on the charts and becoming a hit that would lead the album to gold status, subsequently reaching 2 million copies sold, with "Mama Kin" being another iconic track that has been a must-have live performance ever since. In 1973, the band would seize the moment by undertaking a massive tour to promote the album, opening for acts such as the Kinks, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Sha Na Na, and Mott the Hoople.

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In 1974, they released their second album, Get Your Wings, with which they would begin their relationship with Jack Douglas as producer. With a more refined sound and a more mature style following the endless touring, Aerosmith would spend 86 weeks on the charts and achieve hits with "Same Old Song and Dance," "Seasons of Wither," "Lord of the Thighs," and their version of "Train Kept A-Rollin'," which the Yardbirds made famous.

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However, it wouldn't be until their third album, Toys in the Attic, in 1975 that they would break through, achieving both good reviews and huge sales. By then, Aerosmith had perfected their style, with powerful, almost brutal hard rock based on good riffs, a very distinctive vocal style, and lyrics full of double entendres and jokes. By then, they had distanced themselves more from Zeppelin's influences and never really came close to the mystical metal of Sabbath, but they displayed great energy and seemed to better understand what the American public wanted. The first single, "Sweet Emotion," would reach the top. 40 during the summer, and the album would reach #11. They would re-release “Dream On,” which would reach #6, and later “Walk This Way” would reach the Top 10, with the band still on the road, but this time headlining their shows and filling stadiums.

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In 1976, they released Rocks, maintaining their level of success but with a slightly rawer sound. Critically acclaimed, the album didn't have a smash hit single like "Walk This Way," but it reached #3 on the charts and went platinum. Rocks is considered by many to be Aerosmith's musical pinnacle, the one that best reflects the group's identity, and bands like Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crue, and Nirvana cite it as a major influence. If they were ever the best band in America, it must have been during this era.

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At the beginning of '77, they would take a break before beginning to prepare their fifth album. Draw the Line, released at the end of the year, was another commercial success, with "Kings and Queens" becoming a minor hit, but for the first time, it showed a creative retreat and a somewhat exhausted band. By now, they had a Zeppelin-esque reputation for trashing every hotel they crossed paths with, were the scourge of groupies, and were immersed in hard drugs (Tyler and Perry were known as the Toxic Twins, an allegory of the Glimmer Twins). All of this began to generate conflict within the group, especially between Steven and the two guitarists. One of Two and a Half Men's iconic moments is when Steven Tyler appears as Charlie's neighbor and is unashamed to admit that he doesn't remember much of what happened in the '70s.

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After another huge tour in 1978, the band participated in the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and contributed a great cover of "Come Together," which reached #13 as a single. Another hit single was "Chip Away the Stone," which wouldn't appear on LP until more than a decade later. In 1979 they began work on their next album, Night in the Ruts, but internal tensions eventually exploded when Joe Perry's wife, Elissa, and Tom Hamilton's wife, Terry, had an argument after a concert, which led to Joe arguing with Tom and Steven and his resignation from the band. Perry would create the Joe Perry Project, a band that would spend the following years without pain or glory. Still in the middle of recording the album, Aerosmith, Brad Withford took the role of lead guitar, but even with the studio overdubs, they needed a second guitar for the concerts, so Richie Supa, who had helped them write some songs, took the position for a while, until Richie Crespo took over permanently. Night in the Ruts was released in November, it would go gold due to the momentum that Aerosmith brought, but as expected, it shows a fragmented and directionless band, being the band's weakest album of the 70's. The tour reflected this decline, as they were forced to play smaller venues. During this tour, Steven's drug abuse took its toll, as he collapsed at a concert in Maine in 1980. To cap it off, he was involved in a motorcycle accident shortly after, nearly killing himself, and the remainder of the tour had to be canceled.

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In 1981, with Tyler recovered, they began working on their next album, but after recording the first track, Whitford also left the band to form the Whitsford-St. Holmes Band with Ted Nugent's guitarist, Derek St. Holmes. The duo didn't prosper, and Brad ended up joining Joe Perry's band. Rick Duffay took his place, and they released Rock in a Hard Place in 1982. Despite the drive and good intentions of the new guitarists, the lack of rapport is noticeable, and more than ever they try to achieve through brute force than through intelligence. For the tour, the band completely abandoned stadiums to settle for theaters and clubs, just like when they started. Aerosmith seemed like a band like any other, unable to reach the 80s without the stigma of being a dinosaur group, living off their old hits... However, fate had a second chance for them. Perry and Withford happened to be on tour with Aerosmith and went to see them at the Orpheum Theater. They went backstage to greet their old friends, greeted each other, got drunk, and the tension dissipated. Days later, Tyler approached Perry about meeting up to discuss a possible reunion of the original members. Joe and Brad attended a rehearsal, and it was as if not a day had passed. They were soon thanking Duffay and Crespo to return to the original quintet and begin preparing for the Back in the Saddle reunion tour, with which, little by little, they began to regain popularity and fill stadiums once again. This tour led to the album Live Classics II, and Columbia, with whom they were ending their contract, took the opportunity to release the compilation Gems. These albums helped Aerosmith regain ground against the new wave of hair metal bands that had dominated the scene. ​ In 1985, they signed with Geffen and began preparing a new album, "Done With Mirrors." Although it didn't have a hit single, it achieved gold certification and performed slightly better than their previous three albums. The subsequent tour marked Aerosmith's definitive return to the big arena. However, the band continued to struggle due to the drug abuse of its two frontmen, so in 1986, following an intervention and significant influence from their new manager, Tim Collins, Steven and Joe completed separate rehabilitation programs and completely got clean. After leaving, the pair collaborated on a cover of Run-D.M.C.'s "Walk This Way," which blended Aerosmith's rock foundation with new hip-hop lyrics. The risky move would open the door to a new generation that had never heard of the group, and for the first time, they had a video widely aired on MTV.

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Once clean, with a new generation listening to them, they went into the studio to record their true comeback, one of the most spectacular in rock history. Permanent Vacation was released in 1987, and with Bruce Fairbairn producing it, it delivered hits with "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", "Rag Doll", and "Angel". The album would reach #11 and sell 3 million copies. Aerosmith was back in the spotlight, and their promotional tour would alternate headline slots with the hot new band, Guns N' Roses, who hadn't hesitated to mention Aerosmith as one of their greatest influences. The problem was that the Bostonians had just gotten clean from drugs, while Axl, Slash, and company were just getting started and were already famous for their abuse of every substance they could find, but they managed to finish the tour with a double headline set relatively unscathed. ​ 1989's Pump would be even more successful, with top-ten singles like "Love in an Elevator," "Janie's Got a Gun," and "What It Takes," which would become instant classics. Pump reached #3 and would go on to sell over 4 million copies, becoming the fourth best-selling album of 1990. The songs would receive widespread airplay on MTV, which had finally taken its cue. They would win their first Grammy with "Janie's Got a Gun" and an MTV Music Award (back when it was worth something) for the video. The colossal tour for the album would last a year, until October 1990. In August, they recorded their MTV Unplugged tour, and in 1991, they would appear on The Simpsons in the legendary episode "Moe's Flash," one of the first celebrity cameos in the popular cartoon. That year, they released the 3-CD compilation "Pandora's Box," which would be the best Greatest Hits album if they had included the best tracks from Nine Lives… Aerosmith, in a way, was riding the crest of the '90s alternative wave, watching the demise of the hair metal bands that had looked down on them just a few years earlier. In 1993, they released Get a Grip, which would be even more successful than their two previous studio albums, debuting at #1 with singles like "Livin' on the Edge," "Cryin'," "Crazy," and "Amazing," although they again saw a reliance on power ballads, which were what boosted the album's sales. The album sold 20 million copies immediately, and they have Steven's daughter, Liv, and Alicia Silverstone, to thank for the formidable video for "Crazy," which played constantly on MTV morning, noon, and night. The band would take home another pair of Grammys for the album. The tour would be Aerosmith's longest to date, lasting a year and a half. In the meantime, they took advantage of the opportunity to record an appearance in the film "Wayne's World 2" and play a starring role in the Woodstock '94 celebration.

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Later, after finishing their contract with Geffen (which led to another Greatest Hits), they returned to Columbia for a not inconsiderable sum of $30 million. The band took a break before beginning work on their next album in 1995, Nine Lives, which was fraught with bad luck from the start. The band tried several producers without success before finding Kevin Shirley in 1996. But the worst part was the firing of Tim Collins, the manager who had been responsible for their comeback a decade earlier. Collins would insinuate that Steven was using hard drugs again, which was refuted by the group. The recording was difficult, but the album finally saw the light of day in 1997, to mixed reviews. The album debuted at #1, but quickly fell off the charts. To me, it seems like the band's last decent album, with landmark songs like "Falling in Love," "Pink" (which won them another Grammy), and in particular, the experimental "Taste of India," which I think is one of the band's best. However, ballads like "Hole in my Soul" cheapened it a bit. And around that time, they released the single "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," a Backstreet Boys-worthy ballad that would become the theme song for Armaggedon.

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The rest was basically just trying to keep up, but with rather weak albums and a bunch of cute stuff just to grab attention. A deja vu of what happened in the early '80s, but this time with much greater momentum and a colossal name. Aerosmith had by then become the best-selling American band, so practically anything they released would sell. They played at the 2000 Superbowl, participated in the Charlie's Angels soundtrack, provided songs for a Disney roller coaster themed after the band (OMG!)... In 2001, they released Just Push Play, a somewhat weak album that only included "Jaded," which they played for their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They participated in the 9/11 concerts, played the Spiderman theme for the film, and played at the Tokyo concert for the 2002 World Cup. That year, MTV paid tribute to them with several artists paying homage (cough, cough, destroying, cough, cough) to some of their most emblematic songs. In 2004, they released Honkin' on Bobo, an album of blues covers, where they attempted to return to their roots, albeit in a somewhat lackluster way. The following couple of years, they released their umpteenth Greatest Hits and two more live albums.

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In 2007, they attempted a new album, but the sessions didn't pan out. Instead of a new album, that year they released their own Guitar Hero, featuring remastered versions of their songs, and they had the nerve to go on a world tour to promote it. At least this time, they reached Latin America and other countries they usually ignored. On this tour, Steven injured his leg at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, and seven dates had to be postponed. Less than two months later, he fell off the stage again in South Dakota and was taken to the hospital, and the rest of the tour was canceled. The band tried to replace him to continue playing a year later, but Steven threatened to sue if they continued casting, and fortunately, the relationship wasn't too damaged. Joe reactivated his band, and Tyler appeared with him at a couple of shows, denying rumors of Aerosmith's demise. The rest is touring and more touring, rumors of a breakup, Steven Tyler appearing on Two and a Half Men (perhaps the best thing he's done in the last decade), and then his role as a judge on one of those singing reality shows (America Idol, I think; in reality, they're all the same). He spent the fortieth time in rehab, this time for the sedatives he used after his numerous stage falls, and in 2012 they released what is so far their last album, Music from Another Dimension. And between reality shows and touring, it's assumed they're finally saying goodbye, although with no set date for their final goodbye. Anyway, Aerosmith isn't a band that has invented anything, nor can it even be said that they've improved anything. It's direct hard rock, sometimes too raw, sometimes too syrupy. And yet we like it. They found a formula for adding at least two or three good songs per album that has kept them going almost uninterrupted for decades, leaving in their wake huge bands from the 70s, hair metal from the 80s, and alternative bands from the 90s. Their influence on other bands is limited as they themselves are the result of influences from other bands, but, come on, who doesn't scream, jump, or do air guitar to one of their songs? They're excellent for listening to on the road, or at a party... In short, the important thing about them is that they've become part of the soundtrack of our lives, and that's no small feat. Ladies and gentlemen, the band that stirs sweet emotions and has always lived on the edge, Aerosmith!

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By Corvan

Nov/10/2017

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