AEROSMITH

Hi, my name is Jack. I really like Aerosmith. My favourite songs are "Janie's Got a Gun", "Crazy", "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and "Jaded". Ahahaha. I'm joking. Those aforementioned songs are all shite. In fact Aerosmith have been shite for twenty odd years, that's twice as long as they've been good for. I can just about take "Love in an Elevator" and "Dude Looks Like a Lady" but I prefer the original version of "Walk This Way"; although I've nothing against Run DMC. However, as far as I, and indeed this page is concerned Aerosmith had little to no artistic worth past 1979ish. Yeah, yeah I know what you're saying, "where were you in '75, eh?" Well, I wasn't born. Neither was I born when the Beatles, Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix were around (or even alive) but I can still be a fan of them can't I? Equally, surely there is no shame in only liking pre-eighties Stones. So I hold no shame in only liking seventies Aerosmith. In fact, if anything, it is more objective as it is not as if, like an older fan might, I begrudge them turning shite. I grew up with them being shit and was delighted to discover (courtesy of "Top Ten Stadium Rock" on Channel 4) that there was a time when they were good. Really, really good.

In fact, you might call them "America's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band" as the promotional stickers do on the remastered albums. One afternoon, I sat down and had a think about it and decided Sony are right, Aerosmith are America's greatest rock 'n' roll band. Not America's best band, for that is different, but the best pure rock band from those polluted shores. Counting the likes of Dylan and Hendrix as solo artists rather than bands, of course. (Actually, I've now changed my mind - MC5 are American's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band. Sorry) I guess, though, part of the reason Aerosmith were better in the seventies was because they were a lot cooler. Rather than the sober, shambolic elderly perverts they are now they were once drugged-up, wasted, youthful perverts. It seems like now that Tyler has to stop bragging about drugs he just brags about shagging all the time, and he's what...67? Dirty old man. Anyhow, Tyler and Perry were known as the Toxic Twins on account of their chemical intake, which got progressively worse during the seventies until they almost died and went into rehab. Their later-seventies albums reek of excess but when they were on form, well...there's nothing to beat the egotistical, self-congratulatory rush of 1976's Rocks. They certainly rocked...for a while.

From: Cassandra Eberle

I am terribly sorry, but I have to completely disagree with you. Not only did Aerosmith rock in the seventies, but they rocked the 80's, 90's, up until today. They rock, they says it in itself. Why do they have to rock 'bout drugs to be "ultimate rockers" or to have good rock music?? Why do they have to be stoned to produce a rockin' album? I am sorry, but I believe Aerosmith is one of the best rock groups from the past 3 decades. I am sorry you feel the way you do about the group. And no Steven Tyler is not 67 ... he is in his early - mid fifties..and by the way you talk about him always singing about shagging... well despite his age he's MALE! AeRoSmItH RoCkS!!!

From: Kelly Woodall

I really enjoyed your website and agree with much of what you have to say, but I do have a problem with your Bon Jovi love and complete rejection of all 80s and 90s Aerosmith. First of all, I agree that 70s Aerosmith was much better music and much cooler than the later stuff. I guess I just don't understand how you can love Bon Jovi's music and hate Aerosmith's later stuff when it is similar with all the power ballads and suggestive lyrics. Isn't that hypocritical? I really think Aerosmith's 80s and 90s music rocks harder and is much better quality than Bon Jovi's, but it is still very similar in style and production. How can you love one and hate the other? The only explanation that I can come up with is that Aerosmith were so much better back in the 70s that you can't bear to listen to a watered-down, pop-metal version of them while Bon Jovi has always been pop-metal and soppy ballads and so you accept them for what they are, limitations and all. Can you explain it better? Thanks for your time.

[I think the primary reason is indeed the fact that Aerosmith did consciously sell-out in the mid-eighties onwards which, in my eyes, is much worse than a band like Bon Jovi just doing what they like and what they're good at. Secondly, I simply think Bon Jovi are a better pop-metal band than Aerosmith. Nothing I've heard by Aerosmith in their later period impresses me nearly as much as Bon Jovi's similar output. In that respect it is simply a difference of opinion based purely on perceived quality. Don't forget that Aerosmith's strengths were pure rock'n'roll whereas Bon Jovi have always been best as pop-metallers - JF]

From: Nicolean

I really believe that Joe Perry wakes up each morning wanting to be Steven Tyler, he wants to sing and do everything except play guitar to upstage Steven also many think Brad Whitford is a better lead guitar player than Joe, am i the only one who thinks this? just a thought, Without Tyler the whole band is sunk in the mud, Tyler is Aerosmith.

From: Brian Dickson

I realise that saying 'New Aerosmith blows' is easier and more fun than saying 'Hmm, I feel that Aerosmiths recent albums are a mixed bag of some strong tunes interspersed with some weaker material'
As you said of The Beatles 'how can anyone put on Abbey Road and say it's rubbish?' I feel more or less about an album like Nine Lives. I don't think there's anything *musically* wrong with it. Saying it blows is all good fun I suppose but it's not really being terribly objective. It's both melodic and hard. Perry plays guitar well, Tyler still sings with his trademark style. Now some may decry them for going for a slicker sound and edging more towards the mainstream. But Led Zeppelin did that with IV, Pink Floyd did it with Dark Side Of The Moon, The Clash did it with London Calling, Queen did it A Night At The Opera and few decry *them*. I honestly don't see what's wrong with songs like "A Taste Of India" or "The Farm". If Aerosmith had released an album that contained 60 minutes of Tyler hitting a tin can with a pencil while Perry ocassonally interjected with 'Oog! Oog! Oog!' *then* I could safely say 'That album really sucked'.
A few years ago my extremely cynical brother (who does like, er, 'hard rockin' stuff) was over for Christmas and I played Nine Lives on the hi fi. He was initlally of the scoff-at-new-Aerosmith mindset but he seemed quite pleasantly surprised after hearing the album.. And trust me, for my brother to praise anything is a minor miracle.
I'm 36 and have liked Aerosmtih for about 20 years now. I first got into their early 'dirtier' albums, but I happen to enjoy most of their stuff. And really I don't see how the band has changed *that* much. Powerballads were there from the start and 'poppyish' sounds were there early on too. Listen to "Uncle Salty" or "Sick As A Dog". From their 'prime' period these songs wouldn't sound out f place on their more recent albums. And wouldn't you be darned if if the title track to Nine Lives doesn't rock harder that anything since Toys In The Attic. For people who say that Aerosmith don't rock anymore I wonder if they're judging them on their radio hits like "Janie's Got a Gun", "Jaded" and "I Don' Wanna Miss A Thing".
The truth is that I think Aerosmtih have been going on for so long now that there's a kind of 'familiarity breeds contempt' reaction. No matter what they do, the common feeling is going to be that they're just too old. If they'd released say, Get A Grip, after their debut, then it would no doubt be regarded in a better light.
In my view Toys In The Attic is still their greatest album. But I do actually prefer Permanent Vacation and Nine Lives to say, Night In The Ruts, or Draw The Line. I don't feel that any of the more recent Aerosmtih albums are worthy of top marks as a whole, but there *are* some good moments in there if people would just switch off the black and wite definition mode they operate in. But hey, everyone loves a good whinge don't they. Complaining about the weather is going to rival moaning about the curent music scene one day.

So, the ignominious debut. Not really a classic album, though not a poor one, unlike their contemporaries and semi-rivals the New York Dolls. Aerosmith and the Dolls are often lumped together although I don't see massive similarities, apart from shared management. I guess they were both Stones-imitators to a degree as well. The Doll's debut, however, was an absolute classic whereas it took Aerosmith a couple of years to really get going. That said, I don't think the Dolls were that better a band than Aerosmith, if at all. One better debut album does not a better band make. But I love the Dolls almost as much so the point is all but moot as far as my affections are concerned. But there is plenty of potential on here although they are nowhere near the finished article. Tyler's vocals are less than distinctive and the songs are lot more...sodden? Does that make sense? They lack the snarling bite of their best works. Some of the songs are a bit like aimless boogies. Not even like the Stones that much, as opposed to The New York Dolls. Apparently, though, the Stones' debut ended with a cover of Rufus Thomas' "Walkin' the Dog" as well. The band are lot more hippyish on here rather than the supreme rock gods they were to become. Still the signs are here. The writing is on the wall, if you will. "Dream On" is a superb power-ballad which, of course, became their trademark fifteen years (or so) on. "Dream On" really is good, though, unlike "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" or "Crazy" (yuck!). Tyler's vocals are at their best within this album and the climactic section where he raises his voice really is something special from a decidedly un-special album. I believe "Dream On" was their first real success, locally at least, and the song that really got their train a'rollin'. Still there's more to savour from this album. The opening two songs, "Make It" and "Somebody" are quite embryonic rockers, a little like what was to come. "Make It" is probably the better, but not by much. Neither, though, are really great songs. On the other hand, at least they are to the point. "One Way Street" is old-fashioned blues-boogie and goes on for seven minutes. Some of it is quite interesting (Perry's solo is decent) but it is still too long. A real sign of their bar-room blues band origins. It is fair to say the "Aerosmith sound" has not yet been realised. Or should I say "Aerosmith seventies sound"? Anyhow the song "Mama Kin" is actually closest on this album to their "sound". The opening chord change is very distinctive although I don't see the point of the solo on the introduction. Still it is a pretty good song but, again, one that might have been done better later. The live version on Live! Bootleg is better, as is Guns n'Roses' cover on Lies. Let's just say the song's full potential isn't properly realised in its original rendition. "Write Me", again, is a bit boogie-woogie and lacking a real cutting edge. "Movin' Out", on the other hand, is probably one of the most interesting songs on here based around a pretty infectious groove. I often have the catch-line of "we gotta move out 'cause Sheila's movin' in" revolving round my head which, I guess, must be a good thing. The final song is the cover of "Walkin' the Dog". I am not familiar with the Stones' version but I am familiar with the Jon Spencer song "Chicken Dog" which, as well as using Rufus Thomas' vocal talents, also uses the "Walkin' the Dog" riff. And I love that riff. Thus I really like this song. It probably ain't a great rendition but its metallic grind is really infectious. So this album doesn't really represent the true Aerosmith. It more represents five dopey hippies who've yet to find their sound. And their narcotics.

Aha, so we're getting a bit more on track at this point. Quality-wise this album isn't massively better than Aerosmith, and is still some way off Toys in the Attic, but stylistically they've certainly found their feet. Tyler still sounds a little naive but definitely more confident. Similarly the bar-room boogie is all but removed and Perry has almost found the snarl in his guitar to match the frown on his face. I always thought of him as a man who plays exactly like he looks: all snarling and menacing, rarely smiling. Thus Aerosmith are sounding much more like the cynical stadium-rock adaptation of the New York Dolls' sleaze-rock. There's no more hippies round this way. Thank God, this is 1974 for fuck's sake. Time to get cynical. There's at least two songs on here which I would describe as "classic Aerosmith". If you haven't guessed they are the opening duo of "Same Old Song and Dance" and "Lord of the Thighs". "Same Old Song and Dance" is easily the best song they had done up to this point which a distinctly threatening groove and a great, escalating chorus. "Lord of the Thighs" is their first notable foray into the wonderful world of cock-rock. A world where they would stay for the next five years, if not forever. Again it is distinctly menacing with another cracking chorus. Again, however, the version on here probably isn't the definitive one. It is just a mite too slow. Again refer at Live! Bootleg for your definitive version. But the one on here is still a stand-out track. "Spaced" I'm less keen on. The "spooky" intro is pretty cliched and half-baked and the song itself ain't a masterpiece. Not particularly bad though. Stylistically it is a definite move on from their debut. There's only two songs on here that I would describe as mediocre, possibly bad. "Woman of the World" is pretty forgettable and far, far too long. It really overstays its welcome. Similarly the album closer "Pandora's Box" is a weak song. The brass ain't too clever and the song itself is pretty dull. A disappointing end. Still don't despair. We've got the short and punchy "S.O.S. (Too Bad)" which really livens the album up after "Woman of the World" with its refreshing alacrity. There is also a ballad on here in the form of "Seasons of Wither". It starts off promisingly with an acoustic picking and Tyler in restrained form before billowing out into more of a rocker with the full band in tow. It is certainly inferior to "Dream On" but it is still a really good song. It is also noticeable that the trademark ballads on the first two albums are played mainly on a guitar, as opposed to Tyler bashing them out on his ol' joanna which became the norm. The beginning of "Seasons of Wither", emerging from the ashes of "Train Kept a-Rollin'" is probably the best bit of the whole song. Very eerie. Ah yes, "Train Kept a-Rollin'". A cover by some blues fellas who wrote it back in the fifties. It is, of course, most famous for its rendition by the Yardbirds. And I have to say that I prefer the Yardbirds' version. Not that the version on here isn't good, it is (although the band weren't that happy with their studio version, apparently) but it lacks the energy of the Yardbirds' version and is possibly dragged out too long. The artificial segue into a supposed live performance is as poor as it is unnecessary. Still a good song is a good song, and their version is still a decent one and thus represents another good song on the album. So a definite progression from their debut, stylistically if not significantly in terms of quality. Y'all know what's coming next though...

Yup, it's classic time. Aerosmith's one classic album. Well I guess Rocks is also a stormer but this just edges it out in terms of quality. Whilst Rocks has, maybe, three lesser tracks on this album there ain't one. Bar maybe "Big Ten Inch Record" and I quite like it anyway. So how do you like that? This album was, of course, Aerosmith's big breakthrough album. Allowed them to conquer the stadiums if you will. I guess this must rank as one of the first stadium rock albums as well. That's stadium rock in the strictly defined category of excessive American rock bands of which Aerosmith were the first. Well it's fair to say they are pretty confident performers by this stage. None more so than Tyler who has perfected his screeching rasp to a tee. Actually his wail on "Walk this Way" is notably lesser than his over-the-top subsequent performance with Run DMC. I guess the cocaine is starting to have an effect. No more is this evident than with the use of a 109-piece orchestra (apparently) on the final track, the ballad "You See Me Crying". Come to think of it I remember a story about the Toxic Twins a few years on when they are listening to the radio and a song comes on. Tyler says "oh yeah, this is a good song we should cover it, who is it?" to which Perry replies "it's us, fuckhead." The song, of course, being "You See Me Crying". I think that's how it went. Anyway the drug intake is not too excessive at this point, although the band might disagree with me, and thus this album is a perfect mix of brash cock-rock swagger and succinctly arranged songs. The two massive hits from the album were, of course, "Walk this Way" and "Sweet Emotion". Both are quite funky but with "Walk this Way" being the ultimate in funk rock. That riff. Fucking superb. Tyler's half rapping for the verse is superb as well. Quite unique as well, I guess. The croaking intro to "Sweet Emotion" brilliantly sets the song up for its pounding grind, as opposed to the poorly executed intro to "Spaced" on the previous album. Again the song itself lives up to the intro, and then some. It's riff is typically superb. For a small period Aerosmith could do no wrong. All too short lived though, unfortunately. The title track is another great song (which song on here isn't?) which really rattles along at a breakneck pace. The guitar solo ain't bad either. "Uncle Salty" slows things down a bit with a more subtle approach. A bit of slide-guitar used I think but with a good climax. "When she cried in the night..." - that bit. The lyrics are about child-abuse I think. A little serious for such a flippant band. "Adam's Apple" is a little inferior to "Uncle Salty" but not by fucking much. Another great rocker. The only song that might be called "filler" and is certainly lightweight and maybe throwaway is, of course, every Carry-On fan's favourite "Big Ten Inch Record". Innuendo doesn't get much more basic, yet enjoyable than this. Yes, that's right, after an initial rocky spell, I really came to enjoy this little number. I wouldn't even call it filler as it is not as if it fails to warrant its inclusion. It even balances the album quite well, between the hits of "Walk this Way" and "Sweet Emotion". Maybe my favourite song on here is the semi-serious rocker "No More No More". The verses are piano-driven whilst the chorus breaks down to a backdrop of acoustic picking. The lyrics are the usual self-indulgent rock star tosh about life as a rock 'n' roll star. "You know, it's fucking great but...I get a bit lonely as well, on the road" Save it for the fucking Samaritans mate. Mind you, for the most part, Aerosmith were all for lauding the life of the rock star; "Back in the Saddle" - now that's the stuff. But then that's for the next review. Anyway "No More No More", lyrics aside (and they ain't really bad), is a real cracker of a song. The contrast between the verse and the chorus only serves to heighten both. And Tyler's performance is a real career best. Maybe because he really felt the lyrics, eh? "Round and Round" is one of the heaviest songs Aerosmith did with a really pounding, almost heavy metal, riff. Unfortunately there ain't much song to speak of but that pounding grind sure is sweet. The album ends, as every Aerosmith album should, with a ballad. One of their best as well. Proof that they even balladeered better in the old days. The orchestra gives it that touch of class and Tyler's piano skills are really quite impressive. Not enough of a guitar solo, though. My only complaint. It just ain't quite "November Rain". Still if you are curious about the REAL Aerosmith then I direct you to this album. You will not be disappointed. I hope. Otherwise I'll be making false promises. And we don't want that.

A climatic chord change and then suddenly "I'M BAAAAAAAAAAACK". Maybe one of the best openings to a rock album ever. And although this isn't one the greatest rock albums ever it sure as hell feels like it. The boys are revelling in their new found superstar status and they're here to tell us about it. This must rank as one the very finest examples of a rock album telling us "how great they are". Make no mistake, Aerosmith are riding the crest of a wave and we're going to hear all about it. And for once, my friend, I'm all ears. All this angsty, guilt-rock that has been forced on us in the nineties (Pearl Jam - ugh!) can all be forgotten in one 35 minute rush. Furthermore the first two songs on this album are all that seventies Aerosmith is all about. Just compare the opening duo of "Back in the Saddle" and "Last Child" with two of their more recent insipid power-ballads and the contrast is a clear one. Maybe even more than Toys in the Attic this is the album that represents the real Aerosmith. The cool Aerosmith. The seventies Aerosmith. Anyhow "Back in the Saddle" is an absolute rock classic, maybe the greatest song they ever did. The screeching chorus, the climatic verses...oh, it doesn't get any sweeter than this. But what's this? The next song is almost as good. The funk driven "Last Child". "Last Child" also benefits from an even better intro than "Back in the Saddle". It starts off with acoustic picking and eerie vocals from Tyler, a bit like the opening to "Season's of Wither", but suddenly the bass-line starts to change, Tyler screeches and the unparalleled funk groove starts up. I have to say the song doesn't quite live up to such a fantastic intro but it is still a great song. In fact the first half of this album is all but perfect. "Rats in the Cellar" is a shameless re-run of "Toys in the Attic" but, as such, is just as good, if not better. "Combination" is a Perry effort and thus has Tyler's vocals much less distinctive with Perry's almost as prominent. I don't know if the song is that great but I fucking love it. It speeds along wonderfully. Unfortunately there's three songs on the second half that, although nowhere near poor, are not really classic material. "Sick as a Dog" is a little uninspired but still has the Aerosmith stamp of class all over it. Unfortunately, "Get the Lead Out" and "Lick and a Promise" are worse efforts. Both a little forgettable. I stress that they aren't poor songs but they prevent this album from getting the classic 10* status. Some magazines and surveys, etc. often rank Rocks as the better album than Toys and I can kinda see where they are coming from. It is certainly more polished and oozes class whereas Toys is still a little rough around the edges. Not in terms of quality but the band are certainly less confident, understandably as they were still a relatively unknown band at the time. Rocks is, of course, just a more confident and polished re-run of Toys but as a great rock band, but of little real artistic merit, that is exactly what they should have been doing. It is not even as if the Stones' peak of Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers are all artistically significant. They are just more confident and sometimes better re-runs of one basic formula. But that's not a criticism. They ain't Pink Floyd or anything. They are just rock 'n' roll bands. And damn fine ones at that. Anyhow, back to the matter at hand, there is still one great song on the second half, the storming "Nobody's Fault" with a great performance from Tyler and a brilliant chorus ("sorry, so sorry..."). Again the album ends with a ballad (no surprises there then) but, unfortunately the ballad ain't quite as good as their best ones. It is still a cracking ballad, however, and certainly superior to their later efforts but it doesn't quite hit you as hard as the string-laden excess of "You See My Crying". So you've bought Toys in the Attic, you like it and agree with me about how great Aerosmith used to be. Now do the sensible thing and buy this album as well. Don't be a soft lad.

"Drug, drug, druggy" sang the Manic Street Preachers and it may well have been about this album. No more riding the wave of a cocaine driven excess, these boys are fucked, no two ways about it. Perhaps "the needle and the damage done" as Neil Young once sagely observed. Thing is though, this is still a really good album. It is obviously fucked-up, with illegal substances oozing out of the case but they've still produced the goods, to some extent. It is an obvious comparison, but I shall make it anyway, between this and the similarly fucked-up Rolling Stones' masterpiece Exile on Main Street. It goes without saying that Exile is better but that isn't particularly important. Both are obviously products of an intense period of...well, getting smashed. Thus both albums work better taken as a whole rather than as a compilation of hit material. Those sort of descriptions annoy me a bit, however, as it seems to be used to cover up a lack of decent material. (It is permissible, however, for prog albums.) Both Exile and Draw the Line contain some really good songs in their own right. The title track is easily the best song on here and is another Aerosmith classic. The production, like that of the whole album, is a little muddy and slide-guitar seems to be ever present on here and thus it does sound a little different from the polished rock of Toys and Rocks. Anyway "Draw the Line" is a pummelling, take-no-prisoners romp with Tyler still on top form with his impassioned screeching. The bit towards the end where the song breaks down only to speed back up with Tyler's vocals screeched beyond recognition is utterly superb. An unsurpassable start to the album. Still, they give it a good go with the second song, "I Wanna Know Why". Even more obviously drug-addled the song itself has a great sloppy groove to it and an enjoyable chorus. In fact, most songs on here have a sloppy groove to them. The best ones are those with the best sloppy groove. Like "Get it Up" which is more than a little similar to AC/DC's effort of the same name. Still AC/DC were hardly peerless innovators in rock, particularly in the eighties. Regardless "Get it Up" is another cracker on here. Unfortunately "Critical Mass" is less good. But, you know, it's still a good song, just one of the weaker ones. Perry has another solo venture (which he takes full vocal responsibility on) in the form of "Bright Light Fright". It ain't as good as "Combination" but is still a pretty fun outing. Again you can almost hear the drugs, but that only adds to the fun. Both in my case and Aerosmith's, no doubt. The crux of the album is the party-piece in the middle, "Kings and Queens". Yet another ballad but this one rocks as hard as it balladeers. The lyrics are infamous tosh about medieval religious wars but that shouldn't, and doesn't, detract from the song itself. The use of banjo is a good one and the crunching section with the screaming noise (maybe strings) is superb. Along with "Draw the Line" the other really classic song on here. Like "Critical Mass" "The Hand that Feeds" is a lesser sloppy groove. The "doctor, doctor" line is intentionally fun, though. And it certainly ain't a bad song. "Sight for Sore Eyes" delves into funk a bit more and, as such, is another good song but not as good as previous funk efforts; notably "Walk this Way" and "Last Child". The final number "Milk Cow Blues" is understandably a cover and it is pretty good fun even if it lacks any sort of melody or hooks at all. A good riff and some roaring harmonica playing. A fucked-up end to a fucked-up album. Apparently they recorded it in some old mansion and spent the first few days locked in their own rooms consuming enormous quantities of drugs and, yeah, it sounds like it. Still this ain't nearly as bad as some have suggested. It is definitely a strong 8*. In fact it is more a case of "the needle and the good album done".

Well, a nice little package, this. Released in 1978, presumably to make up for band inactivity in the studio after the Draw the Line fiasco, this was, apparently, an attempt to beat the bootleggers at their own game. It is quite funny to observe the seventies hysteria over bootlegging in the music industry but I guess it is pretty similar to the recent music industry hysteria over Napster and the like. Anyway, it seems that every band released a live album in an attempt to kill off the bootlegging black market. I guess, twenty years on, we're the beneficiaries seeing as we can still buy this CD whereas, presumably, actual bootlegs from the seventies would be a lot harder to get hold of. Anyhow, as a bit of an in-joke this album is packaged like a mock-bootleg, with fake-coffee stains on it and the like. It also means the sound quality is bootleg quality as well. Still the music just about shines through (unlike, say, MC5's Motor City is Burning) and thus this marks itself out as a superior live album of a band in their prime. That said, there are some songs included here from their bar-room band days. Indeed the mixing from muted applause following the end of a song recorded in a bar to the expectant roar of a 100,000 capacity stadium preceding a later effort is comical at best. The main criticism is that is certainly does not sound like a single concert like, for example, the Who's Live at Leeds or Deep Purple's Made in Japan. Well, that and the sound quality. Also mimicking the loveable incompetence of bootlegs, "Draw the Line" is included here (thankfully) but is uncredited on the track listing. Clever, but pointless. Well, what about the material? Well there are some glaring exclusions. Name them? Fine - "Same Old Song and Dance", "No More No More", "Rats in the Cellar", "Combination", "Nobody's Fault" and "Kings and Queens". In place there are some suspect inclusions - "Sick as a Dog" and "Sight For Sore Eyes" could have been better replaced. To continue...the main hits are those recorded in the stadiums whereas the bar-room songs are actually covers. There's a brilliant, crawling adaptation of "Come Together" recorded in front of one man and his dog. The thing is though, it was actually recorded whilst Aerosmith were massive but at a secret gig which, in their drug-addled state, was so secret that no-one turned up. Then there's the blues-boogie covers of "I Ain't Got You" (which is alright) and an extended work-out of "Mother Popcorn" with a guest saxophonist. "Mother Popcorn", in particular, is self-indulgent wank, but I quite like it. I like the bit where Tyler says "we know the king" at the end of one of the two (I can't remember which). Of the hits, the real songs that benefit are those recorded early in their career and thus not realised to their true potential. Both "Lord of the Thighs" and "Mama Kin" are speeded up and thus are given even superior renditions to their original studio counterparts; "Lord of the Thighs" in particular. "Sweet Emotion" and "Dream On" both receive cracking renditions as well. "Back in the Saddle", "Toys in the Attic", "Last Child" and "Walk this Way" are given simply standard renditions. In fact, the intro to "Last Child" loses some of its subtlety on stage and thus is definitely lesser to the studio original. They also cover "Chip Away the Stone" which they also recorded in the studio a few years later and released as a single. I dunno what they see in it, though, as it seems a distinctly average song, no better than most of their works. One cover that is given a great rendition as well as being a better version than their studio original is, of course, "Train Kept A-Rollin'". You can see why they weren't as keen on their studio version when you hear the rip-roaring version on here. The bit where the band drop out and Perry incorporates "Strangers in the Night" into his guitar solo is pure class. A great end to a very good live album. Apparently better than Classics Live as well so an essential addition to your seventies Aerosmith collection.

The final effort of a rather "jaded" (gettit?) seventies Aerosmith. The excessive narcotics are finally starting to take their toil and tension within the band is reaching boiling point (soon after this album was released both Perry and Whitford left, though only temporarily). They certainly sound a little tired and the whole album feels a little lacklustre...well, in parts. There's no getting away from the extraordinary rush of "Chiquita" and "Bone to Bone" which almost could have been recorded by Aerosmith in their prime. Indeed having read Prindle's review I have to admit mine is somewhat similar in that I have awarded this 7* even though I really think it might deserve 8*. It certainly ain't much worse (if at all) than Get Your Wings. But then this album definitely feels weaker than their peak output and there's at least one really bad song on here, the disappointing ballad "Mia" which closes the album. The mock-blues "Reefer Head Woman" is also as poor as it is stupid. Still it is rescued somewhat by a cracking solo from Perry. Quite why Tyler wanted him out the band at this point is beyond me. Similarly the rather lacklustre rendition of "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" is saved by a really spirited performance from Tyler after the stupid "doo-wop" bit. Well I'm not sure if it is doo-wop but it is something similar. You know with clicking fingers and singing "ssh, ssh" effects. I don't really know. Actually the start to "Remember" is alright as well. An average, but not poor song, I guess. Similarly I don't really rate "Cheesecake" although other people seem to. The slide-riff is pretty good but the song itself ain't much special. Elements of Draw the Line I suppose. Actually no more is this true than with inferior re-run of "Draw the Line" "No Surprize". It utilises both a very similar riff and an accelerated, climatic screeching part. Again, though, it seems just a little tired. It does rock quite well I suppose although I don't like the lyrics about the band's history. Save it for the sycophants, boys. The following song "Chiquita", on the other hand, is maybe the best song on here. The brass is a great touch and Tyler really screams along with aplomb. Definitely not a lacklustre song. It could maybe have fitted in with the pure rock glory of Rocks and there is no greater compliment than that. "Three Mile Smile" is also a good song, although the riff is better than the song itself. In fact I only included it on the best tracks list ahead of "No Surprize" because it is not such an obvious rip-off of another song, although it obviously does not sound that fresh or original. This is Aerosmith we're talking about, and an Aerosmith slipping from their prime at that. Mind you it's hard to find fault with "Bone to Bone", apart from the disgusting lyrical subject matter of used condoms floating in a river. Egh. How do you write a whole song about that? Me, I haven't listened to the lyrics because the song rocks so hard and furiously that they would only detract from the rock 'n' roll bluster of this number. The riff is another cracking one and any crimes permeating from "Reefer Head Woman" are quickly forgiven with the exhilarating pace the number is taken at. To be fair, I guess it ain't massively disimilar from "S.O.S" from Get Your Wings. The penultimate number on here is another Yardbirds' cover although this time I am not familiar with the original, the song being "Think About It". It isn't a particularly bad number but is quite forgettable. And then there's the poor ballad "Mia" to finish with about Tyler's daughter of that name. I presume he didn't actually know Liv was his daughter at this point. The poor girl thought it was Todd Rundgren. Actually I don't know who's better, to be honest. Anyway, this album isn't really a classic but is a lot better than some people would have you believe. I bet it's still considerably better than the stuff they produce now at any rate. Still proof that the drugs don't work...forever.

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Email me at: jackfeeny@yahoo.co.uk