“Aerosmith Rocks” says it
all really. They’d soon crash, and hard,
thanks to their own excesses. But “Rocks”
captures Aerosmith at a crazily driven
peak of madness and creativity. This is
blues rock cranked up to 70’s stadium
level, full of sass and attitude. You
can almost hear the sound of the Porches
several of these guys (surprisingly) remember
driving. The psychic battering they would
succumb to within the next 12 months is
foreshadowed in the song “Combination”,
but for the rest of the album, Joe Perry,
Steve Tyler, and the boys celebrate the
rock star mythos to the maximum. The Party-fueled
tension, the Tension-fueled party.
The band is raging on “Rat’s In The Cellar”,
a million-mile-an-hour rocker with a gut
wrenching jam at the end. “Combination”
marks Joe Perry’s debut as a lead vocalist,
his singing is not that wonderful, but
the guitar work is.
“Nobodys Fault” is one of two Whitford/Tyler
songs on this record and is the lesser
known of the two, it’s still a strong
piece, but is rather over shadowed by
the magnificent “Last Child” one of America’s
F.M. radio staples from “Rocks” Brad Whitford
shows his lead playing while less flashy
than Perry’s is just as solid and perhaps
cleaner.
“Sick As a Dog” finds Aerosmith at their
poppiest, whilst “Get the Lead Out” is
a swinging, swaggering funk / rock song.
“Lick and a Promise”, say it all. Tyler
and Perry living the American hardrock
dream, Rock ‘n’ Roll as it is meant to
sound, and what it’s mean’t to say.
That leaves two other songs. “Back in
the Saddle”, one of Aerosmith's signature
songs, a genuine classic. It’s main riff
is powered by Perry playing a six string
bass, which is why that riff sounds so
low down, dirty, and evil.
The other song the closing “Home Tonight”,
the obligatory ballad, isn’t a bad song,
just filler material, and therefore gets
“Rocks” deducted one star, but apart from
this minor blemish, this is a great rocking
C.D to blow away your woofers.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
