The following is a review from Rolling Stones magazine, August of 1976.
Whether or not Rocks is hot depends on your vantage point. If your hard-rock tastes were honed in the Sixties, as this band’s obviously were, Aerosmith is a polished echo of Yardbirds’ guitar rock liberally spiced with the Stones’ sexual swagger. If you’re a teen of the Seventies, they are likely to be the flashiest hard-rock band you’ve ever seen. While the band has achieved phenomenal commercial success, their fourth album fails to prove that they can grow and innovate as their models did.
The most winning aspect of Rocks is that ace metal producer Jack Douglas and the band (listed as co-producers for the first time) have returned to the ear-boxing sound that made their second album, Get Your Wings, their best. The guitar riffs and Steven Tyler’s catlike voice fairly jump out of the speakers. This initially hides the fact that the best performances here — “Lick and a Promise,” “Sick as a Dog” and “Rats in the Cellar” — are essentially remakes of the highlights of the relatively flat Toys in the Attic. The songs have all the band’s trademarks and while they can be accused of neither profundity nor originality, Aerosmith’s stylized hard-rock image and sound pack a high-energy punch most other heavy metal bands lack.
Steven Tyler is the band’s obvious focal point, a distinction earned primarily by his adaptation of the sexual stance that missed the young Jack Flash. On the rockers, his delivery is polished and commanding and sufficiently enthusiastic to disguise the general innnocuousness of the lyrics. On the riff-dominated songs, though, such as “Last Child” or “Back in the Saddle,” he is prone to shrieks that don’t bear repetition. Unlike Jagger, his vocal performance cannot save otherwise mediocre material.
The material is Rocks’ major flaw, mostly pale remakes of their earlier hits, notably “Dream On,” a first-album ballad that helped make the complete Aerosmith catalog gold. Aerosmith may have their hard-rock wings, but they won’t truly fly until their inventiveness catches up to their fast-maturing professionalism.
I had the pleasure of meeting Joey at The Boston Music Awards.
For more than 30 years Joey Kramer has combined emotional feel with technical virtuosity to convey the musical ideas of his band mates in Aerosmith while evolving into one of rock’s greatest drummers. His meticulous timing and solid grooves have contributed as much to the sound of Aerosmith albums such as “Toys In The Attic,” “Rocks,” “Permanent Vacation,” “Pump,” and “Just Push Play” as Steven Tyler’s voice and Joe Perry’s guitar.
A longtime resident of Massachusetts, Joseph Michael Kramer was born in Bronx, NY on June 21,1950. By the age of 14 he was cutting his musical teeth as part of a Ventures-type instrumentals band named The Medallions. However, it wasn’t until Joey started drumming with an 11-piece rhythm and blues outfit during his late teens that he discovered the music that would serve as his main source of inspiration.
In 1970 he reconnected with a friend, Steven Tyler, who had joined forces with Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton and were in need of a drummer. Kramer jumped in and Aerosmith took off. Brad Whitford joined the group in 1971.
For two years the group played throughout New England and got their break on August 5, 1972 at Max’s Kansas City Club in New York City. That night the famed record executive Clive Davis was in attendance and was so impressed with Aerosmith that he signed them to Columbia Records on the spot.
In 1973 the band released their self-titled debut album, “Aerosmith,” and took to the road. They toured relentlessly over the next two years, taking time off only to record their follow up album, “Get Your Wings” which went Gold.
“Toys In the Attic” was released in 1975 followed by the 1976 release of “Rocks” and the band turned a significant creative and commercial corner in this era as the hits came fast and furious with the likes of “Last Child,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Back in the Saddle” and “Walk This Way.”
Their endless roadwork paid off in Platinum and exploded into sold out pandemonium culminating before massive crowds of over 80,000 at the legendary Texxas Jam, and to a sea of over 350,000 at the famous CAL Jam in 1978. Aerosmith’s status as one of the most popular live acts of the decade was achieved.
It wasn’t long though before the intoxicating pace of rock stardom took its toll. The fire that had fueled them now began to burn them from within. As the decade drew to close, half-hearted albums — 1977’s “Draw the Line” and 1979’s “Night In the Ruts,” — canceled performances and internal strife dogged the band, weakening them at their core. After a dressing room blowout in July 1979, Perry announced his departure from the group to form The Joe Perry Project. Brad Whitford followed suit shortly thereafter to form Whitford-St. Holmes. The remaining three members soldiered on to eek out 1982’s “Rock In a Hard Place,” but the magic was gone. By the early 1980s, Aerosmith was all but over.
Cooler heads finally prevailed and in 1984, Perry and Whitford rejoined the group and Aerosmith hit the road for the Back in the Saddle Tour.
In 1985 the group signed a new record deal with Geffen Records and released “Done With Mirrors.” That was followed by “Permanent Vacation,” which hit record stores in 1987. This was the first in a string of releases that brought Aerosmith more fame, success and accolades than ever before. Their videos tormented the senses and raised the bar for music video excellence with “Dude Looks Like a Lady,” “Angel” and “Rag Doll.”
The band succeeded “Permanent Vacation” with 1989’s “Pump,” which spawned hits; “Love in an Elevator,” “Janie’s Got a Gun,” “The Other Side” and “What it Takes.”
The groups’ strong showing continued into the 1990s at it released “Get a Grip” in 1993 that featured radio slam dunks “Livin’ on the Edge,” “Cryin,” “Eat the Rich,” “Crazy” and “Amazing.” “Nine Lives” was released in 1997, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and boasted the hit singles, “Pink” and “Falling in Love is Hard on the Knees.” They closed out the decade with their first No. 1 hit single “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from the 1998 movie “Armageddon” soundtrack.
More recently the band made “Just Push Play” in 2001 and “Honkin’ on Bobo” in 2004.
After the band released “Just Push Play,” Joey went back into the studio with producer Marti Frederiksen to work on a different type of solo project. “Drum Loops and Samples” entailed laying down a comprehensive array of drum tracks for artists of all skill levels to be able to utilize. The two-disc piece has over 340 loops and samples with a range of beats per minute from 71 to 148.
Kramer and Aerosmith have enjoyed tremendous success through their career. The group has sold over 100 million albums and have had concert dates sold out, not only North America, but in Japan, Australia, South America and Israel. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. The group has received two People’s Choice Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, eight American Music Awards, 23 Boston Music Awards, 12 MTV Video Awards, four Grammys, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Song, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” They were selected as one of the Best Rock Bands by Rolling Stone and Hit Parader magazines and were chosen as the first rock band to be honored as MTV Icons.
AUTOGRAPHED NINE LIVES DRUMSTICKS, USED DRUM HEAD FROM THE GET A GRIP TOUR AND THE GLOVES JOEY USES ON STAGE MADE BY FRANKLIN SPORTS.
Kramer extends his rock n’ roll lifestyle off the stage to his appreciation for cars. To get him from place to place, Joey relies on the fastest, strongest and most powerful cars available. He owns some of the most beautiful automobiles in the world and can often be seen cruising in his Lamborghini. He is a partner in a specialty automobile dealership, Corvette Mike New England, in Plymouth, MA. His need for speed transfers back into his playing.
Check out Joey’s website to read more about his new book.
If you were one of the lucky ones, you were at this show at the Orpheum to see Aerosmith’s triumphant return to Boston for their Back in the Saddle Reunion tour back in 1984.
In 1984, Aerosmith embarked on a reunion tour entitled “Back in the Saddle”, which led to the live album Classics Live II.
On February 14, 1984, Perry and Whitford who had left the band, saw Aerosmith perform.
They were officially re-inducted into the ranks of Aerosmith once more two months later.
Steven Tyler recalls:
“You should have felt the buzz the moment all five of us got together in the same room for the first time again. We all started laughin’—it was like the five years had never passed. We knew we’d made the right move. ”
—Steven Tyler
Incredible show. Welcome back boys.
Pictured here is an unused ticket for the New Year’s show as well as rare t-shirt from the 2 night show featuring the art work from the “Draw The Line” album, suitably modified with party hats, noise makers and confetti to honor the evening.
In 1984, Aerosmith embarked on a reunion tour entitled “Back in the Saddle”, which led to the live album Classics Live II. While concerts on the tour were well-attended, it was plagued with several incidents, mostly attributed to drug abuse by band members. Their problems still not behind them, the group was signed to Geffen Records and began working on a comeback. Despite the band signing on to a new record company, Columbia continued to reap the benefits of Aerosmith’s comeback, releasing the live companion albums Classics Live I and II and the collection Gems.
In 1985 the band released Done with Mirrors, their first studio album with Geffen and their first album since the much-publicized reunion. While the album did receive some positive reviews, it only went gold and failed to produce a hit single, or generate much buzz outside the confines of rock radio. The album’s most notable track, “Let the Music Do the Talking”, was in fact a cover of a song originally recorded by The Joe Perry Project and released on that band’s album of the same name. Nevertheless, the band became a popular concert attraction once again, touring in support of Done With Mirrors, well into 1986. In 1986, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry appeared on Run D.M.C.’s cover of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way”, a track blending rock and roll and hip hop that not only cemented rap into the mainstream of American popular music, but also marked Aerosmith’s true comeback. The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its associated video helped introduce Aerosmith to a new generation.
Yet the band members’ drug problems still stood in their way. In 1986, lead singer Steven Tyler completed a successful drug rehabilitation program, at the discretion of his fellow band members and manager Tim Collins, who believed that the band’s future would not be bright if Tyler did not get treated. The rest of the band members also completed drug rehab programs over the course of the next couple years. According to the band’s tell-all autobiography, Collins pledged he could make Aerosmith the biggest band in the world by 1990 if they all completed drug rehab. Their next album was crucial because of the commercial disappointment of Done With Mirrors, and as the band members became clean, they worked hard to make their next album a success.
Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerosmith
The following items are rare handwritten set lists for Steven Tyler, Joey Kramer and The Band, duct tape and all that graced the stage during this important comeback tour.
RARE TICKET FROM THE BACK IN THE SADDLE TOUR, NEW YEAR'S EVE AT THE ORPHEUM, BOSTON, MA
Rock group Aerosmith, from left, Brad Whitford, Joey Kramer, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, arrives at MTV’s 2nd annual music tribute MTV ICON, in Los Angeles, Sunday, April 14, 2002. The group was honored at the event.
Shown here it the swag from that night including a scarf, t-shirt, laminates, and lip balm with a printed cover saying…Want lips like Steven Tyler? Dream on.
Permanent Vacation was released in September 1987, becoming a major hit and the band’s bestselling album in over a decade (selling 5 million copies in the U.S.), with all three of its singles (“Dude (Looks Like a Lady)”, “Rag Doll”, and “Angel”) reaching the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.[46] The group went on a subsequent tour with label mates Guns N’ Roses (who have cited Aerosmith as a major influence), which was intense at times because of Aerosmith’s new struggle to stay clean amidst GN’Rs well-publicized, rampant drug use.
Aerosmith’s next album was even more successful. Pump, released in October 1989, featured three Top Ten singles: “Janie’s Got a Gun”, “What It Takes”, and “Love in an Elevator”, as well as the Top 30 “The Other Side”, re-establishing Aerosmith as a serious musical force. Pump was a critical and commercial success, eventually selling 7 million copies, achieving four-star ratings from major music magazines, and earning the band their first ever Grammy win in the category of Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, for “Janie’s Got a Gun”. The recording process for Pump was documented in the video The Making of Pump, which has since been re-released as a DVD. The music videos for the album’s singles were featured on the release Things That Go Pump in the Night, which quickly went platinum.
Great rock and roll logos make for great merchandising and displays.
Aerosmith’s “wings” logo is no exception.
It’s been around since the beginning.
It’s evolved and changed through the years.
The earliest store displays used the logo die-cut and used it as a mobile.
It was perfect for the shape of the wings.
You’ll find more Aerosmith mobile displays, than any other type of display that was created for the band.
Early Aerosmith displays are rare and hard to come by.
The display pictured here for the band’s newest release “Toys in the Attic” in 1975, is the earliest I’ve been able to find.
RARE POSTER FROM THE TOYS IN THE ATTIC PERIOD. SHOWING THE FIRST 3 ALBUMS.
Boston Globe
Aerosmith, Dropkick Murphys raise heat in Mansfield
By Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff | June 17, 2009
MANSFIELD – Fire, cancer, pneumonia, knee replacements, drug addiction, hepatitis, and whatever undisclosed surgery guitarist Brad Whitford is currently recovering from. Aerosmith is clearly unstoppable.
That was certainly the case last night at the Comcast Center as the beloved Boston hard rockers steamrolled through a hot and tight set that spanned the quintet’s 36-year catalog. From opener “Train Kept a Rollin’ ’’ to closer “Come Together,’’ the jammed amphitheatre, with plenty of multigenerational groups spotted, sang along and hoisted lighters with regularity.
While the train no longer rolls all night long – it returns to the depot after a fittingly locomotive but concise 90 minute excursion – it’s firmly on the tracks. The guitar heroics from Joe Perry and Whitford sub Bobby Schneck were sizzling, the rhythm section of Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton thunderous, Russ Irwin remains an unsung hero on keyboards and harmonies, and Steven Tyler’s wide-mouth wail was soaked in its trademark blend of raunch and fire.
Following a six-song starter that included vintage and newer tracks – power ballad “Dream On,’’ the deep cut Perry spotlight “Combination,’’ salacious bump-and-grind “Love in an Elevator’’ – the band dove into its 1975 album “Toys in the Attic,’’ which it is performing from front to almost-back this tour. (They’ve been skipping the final track.)
The album is a great choice not only for the hits it presents – including spirited takes on “Walk This Way’’ and “Sweet Emotion’’ – but because it represents just about everything the band does well. It has the bawdy blooze of “Big Ten Inch Record,’’ the sunny pop melodics of “Uncle Salty,’’ the luscious harmonies of “No More, No More,’’ and the satisfying Zeppelin-esque stomp and snarl of “Round and Round,’’ a true rarity and real highlight last night.
Tyler, rocking in a ridiculous and amazing silver coat with a huge crucifix on the back and, at the start, a matching feathered pimp hat, was his irrepressible self with his persona and his smoking harmonica solos. He finally appears to have lost a step as his flamboyant gallop has powered down to more of a peacock strut. Perry, somehow making puffy shirts macho, was as lively as he’s been in a long time bombing around the stage thanks to healthy knees.
The band returned for an amusingly ramshackle attempt at “Dirty Water’’ with openers the Dropkick Murphys.
The Murphys acquitted themselves nicely in what felt like a surprisingly uphill battle. But the band’s endearing maelstrom of tin whistles, mandolins, bagpipes, banjos, and punk-rock fundamentals slowly won the crowd over. By the time they lit into an inventive cover of the Who’s “Baba O’Riley’’ and trotted out the Boston College marching band for “I’m Shipping Up To Boston,’’ the crowd was on its feet.
Sarah Rodman can be reached at srodman@globe.com
Sarah, nicely said.
Amen.
Show was killer.
Joe was on fire battling against himself on screen as he traded riffs with his Guitar Hero character.
Steven Tyler has lost nothing off his fastball.
He sounded “Amazing.”
The “Toys” album was the perfect pick.
And Steven trying to describe something to Joe during my “Meet and Greet” as he scribbled a picture to show him on my program, well made my night.
He shrugged, signed his sketch of who knows what, as he grabbed my hand to thank me while we both laughed.
An image that has become iconic as far as 70′s rock band album covers go.
Aerosmith’s Draw The Line.
Released in 1977, it was their fifth album. The cover design was illustrated by famed New York Times caricaturist, Al Hirschfeld.
It captures the pure raw essence of one of the biggest rock bands in the world in the late 70′s
The sophistication of Hirschfeld’s style and his ability to capture his subjects in a few simple and bold brush strokes, made him the perfect choice for this cover.
Of course he had plenty of hair to deal with.
I love this image.
And I wasn’t the only one.
It was an image Columbia must have recognized had real merchandising potential, because it was used everywhere.
The promotional pieces and displays from this album and period are some of the rarest and most desirable to Aerosmith collectors.
Here’s a few.
Die-cut counter card.
Two sided hanging mobile
Record bin card
The rare Aerosmith “Draw The Line” baseball jersey ordered through Aerosmith with the form enclosed in the “Draw The Line” album.
