Thursday, August 10, 2023

Aerosmith: A Retrospective, 1970-2012

Aerosmith

A Retrospective: 1970-2012

Overview:

The rock band Aerosmith formed in Boston in 1970. With hits like “Dream On,” “Walk This Way,” and “Sweet Emotion” they became one of America’s biggest rock bands. After six albums together, the original lineup started to fracture because of in-fighting and drug abuse. They released the tepid Rock in a Hard Place in 1982 without Perry or Whitford and it looked like they might be done as a band.

However, they jumped from Columbia Records to Geffen and found new life. The band reunited for 1985’s Done with Mirrors. The muted reception suggested the band might be done, but then rap group Run-D.M.C. remade the band’s “Walk This Way” into a top-five pop hit and reignited interest in Aerosmith. The band’s next four studio albums were multi-platinum affairs which kept the classic rock faithful content while finding new fans with younger crowds.

The band’s 1980 Greatest Hits compilation has sold 14 million copies worldwide.


The Players:


On the Web:

Awards:

Compilations:

Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the anthologies are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

Aerosmith (1973):

  • Mama Kin (1/13/1973, 6 CL) GM, OY, DN, BS
  • Dream On (6/27/1973, 6 US, 6 CB, 5 GR, 6 HR, 6 RR, 1 CL, 10 CN, 72 AU, 1 DF) GH, YL, OY, DN, BS

About the Album:

Dream On” initially peaked at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100 when released in 1973. However, the song became a top-ten hit when it was rereleased after the band’s success with Toys in the Attic in 1975.

Get Your Wings (1974):

  • Same Old Song and Dance (3/19/1974, 5 CL, 18 DF) GH, OY, BS
  • Train Kept A-Rollin’ (4 CL, 6 DF) GM, BS
  • Seasons of Wither (17 CL) OY, BS
  • Lord of the Thighs (23 CL) GM, BS
  • S.O.S. (Too Bad) BS

About the Album:

“Same Old Song and Dance” is the only song from Get Your Wings featured on Greatest Hits. Instead of the album version, the single version is used. It was edited by nearly a minute and has an alternate lyric with the line “You shady lookin’ loser, you played with my gun” substituted for the original “Gotcha with the cocaine, found with your gun.” WK1

Toys in the Attic (1975):

  • Sweet Emotion (5/19/1975, 36 US, 36 CB, 45 HR, 37 GR, 1 CL, 36 AR, 24 UK, 56 CN, 1 DF) GH, YL, OY, DN, BS
  • Walk This Way (8/28/1975, 10 US, 7 CB, 5 HR, 6 GR, 5 RR, 1 CL, 7 CN, 85 AU, 1 DF) GH, OY, BS
  • Big Ten Inch Record (7 CL, 4 DF) OY, BS
  • Toys in the Attic (10 CL, 10 DF) BS
  • Adam’s Apple GM, BS
  • Round and Round GM

About the Album:

Sweet Emotion” was the band’s first top 40 hit while “Walk This Way” landed the band in the top ten – twice. When originally released as the second single from Toys, “Walk This Way” didn’t chart. However, like “Dream On,” it resurfaced and became a top ten hit after the Rocks album was released in 1976. The song hit the top ten again in 1986 when rap group Run-D.M.C. remade the song with guest stars Steven Tyler and Joe Perry from Aerosmith.

Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

Rocks (1976):

  • Last Child (5/27/1976, 21 US, 21 CB, 41 HR, 27 GR, 31 RR, 6 CL, 26 CN, 18 DF) GH, OY, DN, BS
  • Home Tonight (9/25/1976, 71 US, 89 CB, 42 CL, 82 CN) BS
  • Back in the Saddle (3/22/1977, 38 US, 67 CB, 67 HR, 2 CL, 68 CN, 15 DF) GH, OY, DN, BS
  • Rats in the Cellar GM
  • Lick and a Promise GM
  • Nobody’s Fault GM, BS
  • Combination BS

About the Album:

“Last Child” and “Back in the Saddle” were both top 40 hits. A third single, “Home Tonight,” hit the Hot 100.

Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

Draw the Line (1977):

  • Draw the Line (10/6/1977, 42 US, 37 CB, 41 HR, 9 CL, 38 CN, 23 DF) GH, OY, BS
  • Kings and Queens (2/21/1978, 70 US, 80 CB, 90 HR, 16 CL, 77 CN) GH, BS
  • Critical Mass GM
  • Bright Light Fright BS

About the Album:

“Draw the Line” and “Kings and Queens” both hit the Hot 100, but failed to go top 40.

Night in the Ruts (1979):

  • Remember Walking in the Sand (12/21/1979, 67 US, 91 CB, 74 HR, 8 CL, 29 CN, 17 DF) GH
  • No Surprize GM

About the Album:

“Remember Walking in the Sand” is a cover of the Shangri-La’s top five hit from 1964.

Greatest Hits

Aerosmith

Released: November 11, 1980


Recorded: 1972-1979


Peak: 43 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): 11.0 US, -- UK, 14.0 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: classic rock


Rating:

4.336 out of 5.00 (average of 19 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks: (1) Dream On (2) Same Old Song and Dance (3) Sweet Emotion (4) Walk This Way (5) Last Child (6) Back in the Saddle (7) Drawn the Line (8) Kings and Queens (9) Come Together (10) Remember Walking in the Sand


Total Running Time: 37:15


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Come Together (8/5/1978, 23 US, 20 CB, 29 HR, 25 GR, 18 RR, 5 CL, 24 CN, 15 DF) GH


About the Album:

“Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits remains one of the most popular and enduring best-of collections by any rock band…but when it was issued in 1980, the band had just about reached its nadir. With original guitarist Joe Perry gone (and Brad Whitford soon to follow), Aerosmith had turned into a directionless, time-consuming ghost of its former self.” GP

“Since there would be a three-year gap between 1979’s Night in the Ruts and 1982’s Rock in a Hard Place, Greatest Hits was assembled, more or less, to fill the void and buy the band some time. Of the ten songs here, nine “are bona fide classics.” GP Allmusic.com’s Greg Prato says the one poor selection is “Remember Walking in the Sand.”

The collection includes the band’s “venomous cover of the Beatles’ Come Together, previously only available as a single and on the soundtrack to the 1978 movie Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” GP

“For the casual fan, Greatest Hits will do the job.” GP However, with the album clocking in at only 37 and a half minutes, many Aerosmith classics are not included, such as…their cover of ‘Train Kept a Rollin’” GP or “Big Ten Inch Record.”


Notes: A 1997 reissue added “Mama Kin,” “Seasons of Wither,” “Big Ten Inch Record,” “Lightning Strikes,” “Chip Away the Stone,” “One Way Street,” and a remix of “Sweet Emotion.”

Rock in a Hard Place (1982):

  • Lightning Strikes (10/9/1982, 21 AR)
  • Jailbait GM

About the Album:

This album may well be the low point in Aerosmith’s career. It was their final album with Columbia and they’d lost original guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. The album didn’t generate any classic cuts and only one song from the set has shown up on any of the compilations featured on this page.

Gems

Aerosmith

Released: November 15, 1988


Recorded: 1972-1982


Peak: 133 US, -- UK


Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: hard rock


Rating:

2.639 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)

Tracks: (1) Rats in the Cellar (2) Lick and a Promise (3) Chip Away the Stone (4) No Surprize (5) Mama Kin (6) Adam’s Apple (7) Nobody’s Fault (8) Round and Round (9) Critical Mass (10) Lord of the Thighs (11) Jailbait (12) Train Kept A-Rollin’


Total Running Time: 53:26


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Chip Away the Stone (1/20/1979, 77 US, 82 CB, 13 AR, 23 DF) GM


About the Album:

This was a fairly unnecessary attempt to cash-in on the new-found success Aerosmith experienced in the late ‘80s. It gathers cuts from the band’s ‘70s albums (plus one song from 1982’s Rock in a Hard Place. None are particularly vital, although this collection does include a previously unreleased studio version of “Chip Away the Stone,” which had only been available as a live rendition from 1978’s Live! Bootleg.

Done with Mirrors (1985):

  • Let the Music Do the Talking (11/2/1985, 18 AR, 23 DF) YL, BS
  • Shela (12/21/1985, 20 AR)
  • My Fist Your Face YL
  • Shame on You YL

About the Album:

Aerosmith looked like they might be finished after the departures of original guitarists Joe Perry in 1979 and Brad Whitford in 1981. However, when the band left Columbia for Geffen, the two were back in the fold. The most notable song was “Let the Music Do the Talking,” which Perry first recorded in 1980 for his first Joe Perry Project album. Done with Mirrors wasn’t the return to glory fans or critics hoped for, but it would set the stage for their monstrous comeback in 1987 with their next album.

Permanent Vacation (1987):

  • Dude Looks Like a Lady (Tyler, Perry, Desmond Child) (8/29/1987, 14 US, 15 CB, 17 GR, 13 RR, 4 AR, 20 UK, 22 CN, 95 AU, 4 DF) BO, YL, OY, DN, BS
  • Rag Doll (Tyler, Perry, Jim Vallance, Holly Knight) (9/12/1987, 17 US, 23 CB, 20 GR, 19 RR, 12 AR, 42 UK, 23 CN, 18 DF) BO, YL, OY, DN, BS
  • Hangman Jury (11/14/1987, 14 AR, 6 DF) YL, BS
  • Angel (Tyler, Child) (1/30/1988, 3 US, 3 CB, 5 GR, 4 RR, 2 AR, 69 UK, 14 CN, 15 DF) BO, YL, OY, BS
  • Magic Touch (5/21/1988, 42 AR)
  • Heart’s Done Time YL
  • Permanent Vacation YL

About the Album:

After Run-D.M.C. brought Aerosmith back in the limelight with their “Walk This Way” cover, the band followed with this album, which produced three top-20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. One of those songs, Angel, became the band’s biggest charting hit to date.

Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

Pump (1989):

  • Love in an Elevator (Tyler, Perry) (9/2/89, 5 US 6 CB, 7 GR, 7 RR, 12 AR, 13 UK, 13 CN, 33 AU, 6 DF, gold single) BO, YL, OY, DN, BS
  • F.I.N.E. (9/12/1989, 14 AR)
  • Janie’s Got a Gun (Tyler, Tom Hamilton) (9/23/89, 4 US, 3 CB, 6 GR, 8 RR, 2 AR, 76 UK, 2 CN, 11 AU, 1 DF) BO, YL, OY, DN, BS
  • What It Takes (Tyler, Perry, Child) (1/13/90, 9 US, 8 CB, 7 GR, 10 RR, 11 AR, 15 CN, 46 AU, 15 DF) BO, YL, OY, DN, BS
  • Monkey on My Back (4/14/1990, 17 AR) YL, BS
  • The Other Side (Tyler, Vallance, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland) (6/16/90, 22 US, 19 CB, 14 GR, 19 RR, 12 AR, 46 UK, 22 CN, 73 AU, 18 DF) BO, YL, OY, BS
  • Young Lust YL

About the Album:

After the success of Permanent Vacation, Aerosmith stormed back even bigger with Pump, an album which gave the band three more top-ten hits and landed them atop the album rock chart for the first time with Love in an Elevator. The band also won their first Grammy – for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group – for the murder-and-abuse-themed Janie’s Got a Gun.

Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

Get a Grip (1993):

  • Livin’ on the Edge (Tyler, Perry, Mark Hudson) (4/10/93, 18 US, 3 CB, 4 GR, 7 RR, 19 AR, 19 UK, 10 CN, 21 AU, 10 DF) BO, YL, OY, DN, BS
  • Eat the Rich (Tyler, Perry, Vallance) (5/1/93, 5 AR, 34 UK, 45 CN, 63 AU, 23 DF) BO, YL, BS
  • Cryin’ (Tyler, Perry, Taylor Rhodes) (6/5/93, 12 US, 11 CB, 6 GR, 7 RR, 16 AR, 17 UK, 8 CN, 80 AU, 15 DF, gold single) BO, YL, OY, DN, BS
  • Fever (8/30/1993, 5 AR)
  • Amazing (Tyler, Richard Supa) (10/30/93, 24 US, 20 CB, 7 GR, 7 RR, 3 AR, 57 UK, 4 CN, 18 DF) BO, YL, OY, BS
  • Crazy (Tyler, Perry, Child) (5/21/94, 17 US, 12 CB, 11 GR, 6 RR, UK, 7 AR, 23 UK, 3 CN, 18 DF) BO, YL, OY, DN, BS
  • Shut Up and Dance (7/2/1994, 24 AR, 24 UK) YL
  • Get a Grip BS

About the Album:

While this album failed to generate any top-10 pop hits, it produced seven songs which made showings on various charts, including four top-40 pop hits and six top-10 album rock tracks. One of those cuts, Crazy, became the band’s most-watched video on YouTube with over a half billion views.

Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

Big Ones

Aerosmith

Released: November 1, 1994


Recorded: 1987-1994


Peak: 6 US, 7 UK, 2 CN, 12 AU


Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 0.3 UK, 9.0 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: classic rock


Rating:

4.274 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks: (1) Walk on Water (2) Love in an Elevator (3) Rag Doll (4) What It Takes (5) Dude Looks Like a Lady (6) Janie’s Got a Gun (7) Cryin’ (8) Amazing (9) Blind Man (10) Deuces Are Wild (11) The Other Side (12) Crazy (13) Eat the Rich (14) Angel (15) Livin’ on the Edge


Total Running Time: 73:15


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Deuces Are Wild (Tyler, Vallance) (1/15/94, 14 AR, 25 CN, 20 DF) BO, YL, OY
  • Blind Man (Tyler, Perry, Taylor Rhodes) (11/5/94, 48 US, 35 CB, 15 GR, 23 RR, 3 AR, 23 UK, 5 CN, 76 AU, 33 DF) BO, DL
  • Walk on Water (Tyler, Perry, Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw) (1/28/95, 16 AR, 62 CN, 33 DF) BO, DL


About the Album:

This compilation essentially served as a Greatest Hits Volume II covering the year from 1987 to 1994 when Aerosmith had jumped ship from Columbia and moved over to Geffen. It featured two new songs and one, Deuces Are Wild, which had never been released on an Aerosmith album. That song had been originally considered for 1989’s Pump, but didn’t surface until 1993 when it was released as a track on the various artists collection The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience.


Notes: A European edition of the album included a live version of “Dude Looks Like a Lady.” In 2004, a special edition of the album was released which included eight cuts from the band’s live 1998 album A Little South of Sanity.

Nine Lives (1997):

  • Falling in Love Is Hard on the Knees (2/11/1997, 35 US, 28 GR, 28 RR, 15 AR, 22 UK, 2 CN, 46 AU, 20 DF) YL, OY, BS
  • Nine Lives (4/19/1997, 37 AR) BS
  • Hole in My Soul (5/10/1997, 51 US, 39 RR, 4 AR, 29 UK, 10 CN, 20 DF) YL
  • Pink (5/17/1997, 27 US, 24 GR, 20 RR, 14 AR, 13 UK, 42 CN, 86 AU, 18 DF) OY, BS
  • Taste of India (12/13/1997, 3 AR, 40 CN)

About the Album:

This was the fourth consecutive multi-platinum studio album for Aerosmith in a decade’s time. This was also the band’s second consecutive chart-topping album in the United States.

Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology

Aerosmith

Released: November 20, 2001


Recorded: 1973-1997


Peak: 191 US, 32 UK


Sales (in millions): 0.5 US


Genre: classic rock


Rating:

3.677 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Let the Music Do the Talking (2) My Fist Your Face (3) Shame on You (4) Heart’s Done Time (5) Rag Doll (6) Dude Looks Like a Lady (7) Angel (8) Hangman Jury (9) Permanent Vacation (10) Young Lust (11) The Other Side (12) What It Takes (13) Monkey on My Back (14) Love in an Elevator (15) Janie’s Got a Gun (16) Ain’t Enough (17) Walk This Way (with Run-D.M.C.)

Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Eat the Rich (2) Love Me Two Times (3) Head First (4) Livin’ on the Edge (acoustic) (5) Don’t Stop (6) Can’t Stop Messin’ (7) Amazing (orchestral version) (8) Cryin’ (9) Crazy (10) Shut Up and Dance (11) Deuces Are Wild (12) Walk on Water (13) Blind Man (14) Falling in Love Is Hard on the Knees (live) (15) Dream On (live) (16) Hole in My Soul (live) (17) Sweet Emotion (live)


Total Running Time: 158:30


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Walk This Way (with Run-D.M.C.) (7/4/1986, 4 US, 9 CB, 11 GR, 10 RR, 8 RB, 8 UK, 7 CN, 9 AU, 3 DF) YL, OY, DN, BS
  • Ain’t Enough (8/15/1989, B-side of “Love in an Elevator”) YL
  • Don’t Stop (3/23/1993, B-side of “Livin’ on the Edge”) YL
  • Can’t Stop Messin’ (3/23/1993, B-side of “Livin’ on the Edge”) YL
  • Head First (5/1/1993, B-side of “Eat the Rich”) YL


About the Album:

This was another largely unnecessary collection. It was essentially an expanded version of Big Ones with some different versions of familiar songs as well as some B-sides. This one did represent 1985’s Done with Mirrors, which had previously been overlooked, and included some live versions of songs from the band’s 1997 studio album Nine Lives.

Just Push Play (2001):

  • Jaded (12/21/2000, 7 US, 6 RR, 6 A40, 15 AR, 13 UK, 6 CN, 51 AU, 20 DF) OY, BS
  • Just Push Play (5/5/2001, 34 RR, 10 AR, 33 DF) OY, BS

About the Album:

After four multi-platinum albums and two #1 studio albums, Just Push Play marked a slight dip for the band, peaking at #2 and just barely moving a million copies.

O Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits

Aerosmith

Released: June 25, 2002


Recorded: 1973-2002


Peak: 4 US, 6 UK


Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, -- UK, 3.5 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: classic rock


Rating:

4.249 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)

Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Mama Kin (2) Dream On (3) Same Old Song and Dance (4) Seasons of Wither (5) Walk This Way (6) Big Ten Inch Record (7) Sweet Emotion (8) Last Child (9) Back in the Saddle (10) Draw the Line (11) Dude Looks Like a Lady (12) Angel (13) Rag Doll (14) Janie’s Got a Gun (15) Love in an Elevator (16) What It Takes

Tracks, Disc 2: (1) The Other Side (2) Livin’ on the Edge (3) Cryin’ (4) Amazing (5) Deuces Are Wild (6) Crazy (7) Falling in Love Is Hard on the Knees (8) Pink (9) I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (10) Jaded (11) Just Push Play (12) Walk This Way (with Run-D.M.C.) (13) Girls of Summer (14) Lay It Down


Total Running Time: 131:39


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (5/29/1998, 14 US, 11 BA, 16 GR, 18 RR, 13 AC, 2 A40, 4 AR, 4 UK, 2 CN, 18 AU, 10 DF) OY, DN, BS
  • Girls of Summer OY
  • Lay It Down OY


About the Album:

This two-disc compilation is the best collection yet, gathering cuts from throughout Aerosmith’s career. That means it includes the majority of the songs from the 1980 Greatest Hits plus most of the cuts from 1994’s Big Ones.

Devil’s Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith

Aerosmith

Released: October 17, 2006


Recorded: 1972-2000


Peak: 33 US, 19 UK


Sales (in millions): 0.27 US, -- UK, 1.16 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: classic rock


Rating:

3.795 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)

Tracks: (1) Dream On (2) Mama Kin (3) Sweet Emotion (4) Back in the Saddle (5) Last Child (6) Walk This Way (with Run-D.M.C.) (7) Dude Looks Like a Lady (8) Rag Doll (9) Love in an Elevator (10) Janie’s Got a Gun (11) What It Takes (12) Crazy (13) Livin’ on the Edge (14) Cryin’ (15) I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (16) Jaded (17) Sedona Sunrise (18) Devil’s Got a New Disguise


Total Running Time: 79:22


Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:

  • Devil’s Got a New Disguise (9/30/1996, 15 AR) DN
  • Sedona Sunrise DN


About the Album:

Three decades into their career, Aerosmith releases its first single-disc career retrospective. It works fine for casual fans, but suffers the fate any compilation covering so many years will – there are glaring omissions. The collection includes two new songs – “Sedona Sunrise” and the title cut, which was taken from outtakes during the Pump and Get a Grip sessions. “Sedona Sunrise” also grew out of the sessions for Pump.

Music from Another Dimension (2012):

  • Legendary Child (5/24/2012, 17 AR)
  • What Could Have Been Love (8/22/2012, 28 AC, 22 A40)
  • Lover Alot (8/22/2012, 31 AR)
  • We All Fall Down BS

About the Album:

The final studio album from Aerosmith marked their first collection of new material in eleven years. It generated a couple of minor hits on the mainstream rock chart and reached #5 on the album chart but was largely the mark of a band going out with a whimper instead of a bang.

Greatest Hits (box set)

Aerosmith

Released: August 18, 2023


Recorded: 1972-2012


Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK)


Genre: classic rock

Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Mama Kin (2) Dream On (3) Lord of the Thighs (4) Same Old Song and Dance (5) Train Kept A-Rollin’ (6) S.O.S. (Too Bad) (7) Seasons of Wither (8) Walk This Way (9) Big Ten Inch Record (10) Adam’s Apple (11) Sweet Emotion (12) Toys in the Attic

Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Back in the Saddle (2) Last Child (3) Combination (4) Nobody’s Fault (5) Home Tonight (6) Bright Light Fright (7) Draw the Line (8) Kings and Queens (9) Let the Music Do the Talking (10) Walk This Way (with Run-D.M.C.) (11) Hangman Jury

Tracks, Disc 3: (1) Dude Looks Like a Lady (2) Rag Doll (live) (3) Angel (4) Monkey on My Back (5) What It Takes (7) Janie’s Got a Gun (8) Love in an Elevator (9) The Other Side (10) Get a Grip (11) Amazing

Tracks, Disc 4: (1) Livin’ on the Edge (2) Cryin’ (3) Eat the Rich (4) Crazy (5) Falling in Love Is Hard on the Knees (6) Pink (7) Nine Lives (8) I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (9) Jaded (10) Just Push Play (11) We All Fall Down


About the Album:

With their farewell tour impending, Aerosmith released this four-disc greatest-hits collection. It starts with the group’s self-titled 1973 debut and works up to their final studio album, 2012’s Music from Another Dimension. As chock-full of hits as the compilation is, it surprisingly manages to overlook some songs, namely their lean years from 1978 to 1982. That means there’s nothing here from two of the band’s studio albums and their cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together” from 1978 is missed.

Resources and Related Links:


First posted 4/11/2008; last updated 8/10/2023.

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