Aerosmith

Aerosmith

Aerosmith is, and always has been (well, almost always), Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Joey Kramer, and Tom Hamilton. History Makers. The mouth of Steven Tyler and the guitar and attitude of Joe Perry reminds us of a couple of other classic rock icons from a slightly earlier generation, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. And because of their legendary drug abuse, Tyler and Perry were once dubbed the ‘Toxic Twins’ by some.

There is so much to say about Aerosmith, it is hard to know where to start. Maybe at the start, with the self titled album Aerosmith , which contained one of their all-time greats, ‘Dream On’. Or, how about the “Get Your Wings” album. This album is packed. I especially like ‘Seasons of Wither’ and the band’s remake of ‘Train Kept A’Rollin’.

Moving on, “Toys in the Attic” was a big early commercial success for Aerosmith. Hits like ‘Walk This Way’ and ‘Sweet Emotion’ topped of this solid album. My favorite off of this album is “Adam’s Apple”.

There were a lot of other albums in the early years, before Aerosmith broke up, but in my opinion “Get Your Wings” and “Toys in the Attic” top the list of their early stuff.

The band took a hiatus, to recover from the excesses of the 70’s,but then got back together in 1985 and recorded Done with Mirrors . This album was not too successful commercially, but the followup, Permanent Vacation , which was released in 1987 brought the band back into the spotlight. A string of great albums followed, among them Pump , Pandora’s Box , Get a Grip , and many others”. All of these albums are worth the admission price, or you can get one of their greatest hits releases, like “Big Ones” or the Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology

One of the real strenths of this band, especially since they reunited, is their use of the power ballad. Songs like ‘Angel’, ‘Cryin”, and ‘What it Takes’ are among their strongest efforts and have also done very well commercially.

Aerosmith’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 was a cap to a brilliant career, and the Train Keeps A Rollin’. Stay tuned……….

Aerosmith Trivia

Trivia item: the name Aerosmith is something Joey Kramer wrote on his math books and other things in high school.

Steven Tyler’s name at birth, Steven Victor Tallarico.