Tag: aerosmith (Page 2 of 2)

So this is the so called comeback album for Aerosmith, as Joe Perry and Brad Whitfield rejoined the band after their short lived solo careers and Aerosmith’s declining fortunes. This album did not do a whole bunch commercially either, and they were at the last chance salon until the Run DMC collaboration saved the band – the rest is history.

Ironically the opening track, Let The Music Do The Talking, was the title track from Joe Perry’s first solo album. Tyler loved it so much he wanted to put his stamp on it, and acknowledging Perry had made some great music away from the fold. This album is what critics say “the last true Aerosmith record”, as after this the band used a whole bunch of outside writers to come up with the hits. My Fist Your Face is a typical simple rocker that the band could write in their sleep. Shame On You has an off-funk vibe and groove – it’s a great tune. There are not many Brad Whitford tunes, but Sheila is a cool one with a great repeating riff. She’s On Fire is quite an interesting song as the band would revisit this vibe albeit in a different song on Pump with Monkey On My Back. The Hop is the only full band contribution on the whole album and is an up-tempo blues shuffle.

Not the best album they ever done, but nowhere near as bad as people make out.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

When checking the exact release date of this release, I was amazed to discover how many kick ass live albums were put out in this year. As well as this there was Ted Nugent – Double Live Gonzo, Thin Lizzy – Live And Dangerous, AC/DC – If You Want Blood, and Scorpions – Tokyo Tapes – to name a few! Unlike all of those records that have either been enhanced afterwards with lots of overdubs in the studio, or completely laid down in a studio, this album (as the title suggests) is completely Live and is a total mess. Not in a bad way, you have to understand it’s just the way Aerosmith were in the seventies.

Every song seems to have been recorded at a different show, either a huge enormo-dome show or small little club shows or theaters, and it seems to have been sequenced in a random order. The band’s performances range from the amazing, to completely sloppy – and I love this album for that alone. The band’s love for chemical enhancements is well documented, and there are songs like Last Child where Tyler sounds as though he is completely off his face. Then there are killer moments like Lord Of The Flies which is superb ,and Come Together which is one of the best versions I have heard of this song.

Up until Permanent Vacation, the band was on its knees, and with the help of outside writers they made it to mega status. But there is something about the band at this time that I love – they were just a killer rock n roll band. They have written some classic tunes before Love In An Elevator that people forget. Dream On, Sweet Emotion, Toys In The Attic, and Walk This Way are all hall of fame contenders – but that was a different band.

9/10 from The Grooveman.