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Post by The Curmudgeon on Dec 14, 2015 14:34:17 GMT 2
 Unlike Red Hot Chilli Peppers last week, Aerosmith have been a band I've been casually into ever since I started buying music. Their "Big Ones" album was one of the first albums I bought, off the back of a friend of mine's big brother constantly playing them and their near unavoidable music videos ("Crazy" seemed to be on every ten minutes.. and it's not exactly a difficult video to sit through, if you know what I mean). Yet they've only ever been mentioned briefly here. Let's change that. I saw Aerosmith live years ago during their "Nine Lives" tour, and it's one of the few classic stadium rock shows I've ever been to. Good gig by all accounts. Oh, and their "Rock n Rollercoaster" in Florida is superb. I've only ever really been a "Hits" listener when it comes to Aerosmith, except for the Pump! record which has probably my favourite Aerosmith song on it ("The Other Side".. that chorus, man. DAMN). I have had zero interest in them this century though. I haven't heard any new music and Steve Tyler just seems like the biggest corporate whore ever. So, Aerosmith. Thoughts? |
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Post by trashcanman on Dec 14, 2015 22:22:37 GMT 2
If you take my entire life into account, this is my favorite band of all time. The band that got me into rock and roll in the first place. I don't know, it's just one of those things where you hear music and something just clicks and screams that you need more of THIS in your life. They were absolutely amazing throughout the 70's, had a shit time for a while after Joe Perry quit, but when they reunited in the late 80's they had another great two decades. Then American Idol happened and Steven Tyler became a complete piece of shit, leading his bandmate to knock him off of the stage mid-song and then try to find a replacement for him. Sadly, there is no substitute for one of the greatest frontmen ever. So now they are crap after so many decades of being the rockinest long-running band on the planet.
If you don't own Toys in the Attic, your music library can't possibly be complete. That is just a murderously great album. Anybody with a casual interest in rock music can't be without it. Any of their first four albums are classic rock musts, but that one is GOAT-tier.
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Post by The Curmudgeon on Dec 19, 2015 22:12:04 GMT 2
Toys in the Attic it is, then. It's an album I've obviously heard of but never got around to. I'll certainly keep an eye out for it. Any particular famous songs on there?
Have you ever seen them live, Trash?
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Post by trashcanman on Dec 22, 2015 3:40:59 GMT 2
Sweet Emotion and Walk This Way are both on that one as well as the title track (which isn't a hit so much as a fan-favorite classic), but it's one of those rare albums where every song on it just feels right in its place. Seen them twice. First time they had Cheap Trick opening, making for one of the best one-two punches of American rock you'll ever encounter. Joe Perry jammed with Cheap Trick and Rick Neilsen jammed with Aerosmith for some killer guitar duels. One of my favorite shows ever for sure. The second time Lenny Kravitz opened (he was alright) and Aerosmith just seemed to be fucking around. They only played a few hits and played a ton of obscure covers from their early years (Fleetwood Mac, James Brown, etc) that I didn't really care for and they experimented on soe of their established songs (bass as the lead instrument on Walk This Way). They actually opened with Helter Skelter if you can believe it (which was great, but an indication that this wasn't going to be a typical Aerosmith gig). They played two obscure tracks from Toys in the Attic that I never, ever thought I'd hear live in a million years, though, so it was still worth the trip, but Living on the Edge sounded like a disaster. Not sure what was going on with them that night, but it was a mixed bag any way you look at it.
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Post by The Curmudgeon on Dec 22, 2015 14:01:37 GMT 2
Here's a question: would you go see them NOW?
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Post by trashcanman on Dec 22, 2015 20:06:10 GMT 2
No. Their new music (what I've heard anyway) is terrible, Steven Tyler just doesn't give a fuck anymore, their ticket prices are astronomical....just no. They seem like a shambles to me at this point. I'd go see them for like $20, but they're likely charging five times that for me to half the band they were. I'd rather remember them as they were.
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