Aerosmith - Rocks
Alright, I have a confession to make. And I hate to say it.... Even though I have a couple Aerosmith GH collection(s), I've never been that big a fan. I had a good mate from high school that loved this band, and we shared many common musical interests, but this overlap with them just never really happened with me.
If I were to be completely honest too, if you were to offer up Aerosmith GH vs. Bob Seger GH, I'd be choosing Bob. Maybe it was Aerosmith's decline (in my view) in the mid-late 80's ("Dude Looks Like A Lady" never did it for me), and I never really liked their later efforts, despite the Wayne and Garth early 90's admiration. I am a big fan of "Rag Doll", so it's not like I don't like them, they just weren't, my uh, overall "cup of tea" or "go to" band.
All that said, I was semi-familiar with a few tracks from this album that originally came out before I was into the Zep's, VH's, and this other Canadian band which I did enjoy from first listen.
It was a treat to listen to this album multiple times, and I too agree the production was top notch.
Some of my thoughts on each of the tracks below:
'Back in the Saddle" - classic Aerosmith, love the opening buildup and the overall flow of this song. Worthy of the BM Playlist too! ;-) I've liked this prior and enjoy it for a classic opener to an album. It doesn't get much better than this.
"Last Child" - well familiar with this rocker, any song that attempts to rhyme with "Tallahassee" is alright with me. Loved the bass on this song too.
"Rats In The Cellar" - I like how the last song just flows into this one with the sirens wailing, but the lyrics didn't grab me as much
"Combination" - liked the wailing guitars. Steven Tyler's vocals were OK, not screaming, but nothing special as compared to the guitars here
"Sick As A Dog" - was familiar with this song prior too, and just never really like Steven Tyler's vocals on this one (too much "Pleeeeeease"?), but enjoyed Joe Perry's guitar here. Still, not a track I've enjoyed in hearing prior.
"Nobody's Fault" - had not heard this one before, and really enjoyed this song, might be my 2nd favorite to the opener. Just a very impressive gem I didn't anticipate. The vocals really did match the guitars on this as it gets going. Very well done.
"Get The Lead Out" - seems a bit repetitive on the same boogie woogie guitar licks I've sworn heard prior, and the lyrics seemed predictable on the matching second rhyme
"Lick And A Promise" - livin' life on the road for a band, a rollicking tune, better than the last one
"Home Tonight" - a good ending tempo changing closing ballad to the album.
I think this album helped my overall admiration for this band from their mid-70's heyday, and certainly better than I remember songs from their mid 80's and beyond albums. At the risk of repeating my theme for Pearl Jam's Ten based on the year it was released, this is a 7.6 out of 10 for me, which has 4 standout tracks I especially liked in bold above.
