AEROSMITH - discography (& related)

ROCK IN A HARD PLACE is unjustly forgotten IMO. This was one of the albums that got me interested in checking out Aerosmith back in the day. A few posts ago I mentioned that I was a regular viewer of the hard-rock video program "Power Hour" on a UHF channel called U-68. The video for "Lightnin' Strikes" got played quite often on that show and that song (alongside "Let The Music Do The Talkin'" from the then-current DONE WITH MIRRORS album, which they also played frequently) got me curious about investigating Aerosmith's catalog. I started with GREATEST HITS, then my second purchase was TOYS and the third was ROCK IN A HARD PLACE. At the time I didn't know much about the band so I was unaware of the behind-the-scenes drama and lineup changes during the recording of this album, all I knew was that "Lightnin" was a kick a$$ song (and it still is!), and the rest of the album was no slouch either. "Jailbait," "Rock In A Hard Place," and "Bitch's Brew" all smoke, and "Cry Me A River" is another one of those soulful ballads that Tyler does so well.

I'm told that the tour for this album was a disaster (how was the show you saw, Ult?), the stories of Tyler coming onstage high as a kite and forgetting lyrics, passing out on stage and other such drug-induced nonsense are legendary.

Useless trivia, the video for "Lightnin' Strikes" was the first ever music video to be shot in 3-D. Which was kind of pointless because in 1982 the average MTV viewer usually didn't have a pair of 3-D glasses hanging around the house for when the video came on. But I guess it was an interesting gimmick.

I love 'Rock In A Hard Place' and it made my list on that thread I created awhile ago on underrated albums from major bands. When moron critics point out to the dimise of Aerosmith to point to this disc.

I think the album kicks ass and the band (or at least this line up) set out to prove to metal audiences that Aerosmith where not relics. This maybe the band's heaviest album and Jimmy Crespo is an excellent guitartist, who went to join Adam Bomb and Billy Squier in the mid 80's.

This drug filled poetry spewing from Steven Tyler is worth the price of admission alone, still one of my favorite Aerosmith albums.

Like FF, I remember the video for Lightning Strikes - great song! It is an underated album. It doesn't feel like an Aerosmith album, more like a Steven Tyler solo record where we decided to rock hard.

Hey ULT are going to do a review of Whitford/ St. Holmes album?

I took a long, long time to warm-up to Rock In A Hard Place. It was another one that I never bothered to upgrade to cd until I bought Box of Fire. That main reason for that is that I retardly had some sort of loyalty to Joe Perry. "Joe's not on this? Well, this album must suck and I won't listen to it". I eventually came around and I like a few songs on there, but it's still not one of my favorites. I guess I still subconsciously hold a grudge against Crespo & Dufay. RIAHP is not one I go to when I wanna hear some classic Aerosmith.

I told this story elsewhere on these boards, but I'll repost it here. The last time I saw Aerosmith live, before doors opened to the public (I work in the arena), Joe, Brad, Tom & Joey (no Steven) came out on stage to warm-up. After noodling around a bit, checking mics & whatnot, they went into the main riff for 'Lightning Strikes' which turned into a improved jam with Joe Perry and Brad Whitford trading off leads, going back & forth for about 10-15 minutes. I was grinning from ear-to-ear, seeing one of my favorite guitarists just jamming away like that. Brad's no slouch either, by the way. It was especially odd that they chose that song to jam on, seeing that neither guitarist played on the original*, nor did they play it live that night.

*EDIT: Whoops! Brad Whitford does play rhythm guitar on that track. My bad.

I like Rock In A Hard Place, it is the last great Aerosmith record IMO. The only thing is that I really missed what Brad Whitford brought to the table but I almost forget Joe Perry is not present because Jimmy Crespo did such a great job.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I'm told that the tour for this album was a disaster (how was the show you saw, Ult?), the stories of Tyler coming onstage high as a kite and forgetting lyrics, passing out on stage and other such drug-induced nonsense are legendary.

It was my first big concert. Pat Travers opened the show and I became a fan of Travers on that day. Aerosmith, for what I can remember, was great. But like I said, it was my first big stadium concert, I was an Aerosmith fanatic and I was regrettably high as a kite. What I remember was fantastic.

manny wrote:

Hey ULT are going to do a review of Whitford/ St. Holmes album?

Yes. Should have done that today, but I was in a rush and did Rock in a
Hard Place instead. I'll do the Whitford/St. Holmes release tomorrow.

ult

Listening to Aerosmith's Rock In A Hard Place and the lyrics to this tune are brilliant:


Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
You gotta dance to the tune of Bolivian Ragamuffin
Out take's short breaks
Love her 'til the earth quakes

Stand on the seashore lookin' at the city
See the street light, dog bite your lady on the titty
At the wax museum everybody cares to see themselves
As others care to see you but nobody wants to be you baby

Corn bread, cabbage head
Try and get a side of me
Hold my pickle, hold your lettuce
Special orders don't upset us


That is pure street level poetry.

Sorry, this one should have been listed before Rock in a Hard Place. Regardless, here it is:



Whitford/St. Holmes (Columbia) 1981

1. "I Need Love" (3:18)
2. "Whiskey Woman" (3:51)
3. "Hold On" (3:00)
4. "Sharpshooter" (5:29)
5. "Every Morning" (4:40)
6. "Action" (3:45)
7. "Shy Away" (4:12)
8. "Does It Really Matter?" (4:25)
9. "Spanish Boy" (4:09)
10."Mystery Girl" (3:19)

In 1981, Aerosmith's second guitarist left to persue a solo career. (Albeit a short lived one.) Brad Whitford hooked up with on-again/off-again Ted Nugent vocalist/rhythm guitarist Derek St. Holmes. Rounding out the lineup were bassist David Hewett and drummer Steve Pace. Of course everybody, including myself, compared this to Aerosmith and Ted Nugent, but this album is no where near as good as albums like "Rocks," "Toys in the Attic," "Ted Nugent" or "Cat Scratch Fever." That being said, this isn't a bad album either. It is a good collection of melodic, arena rock/metal songs with a good amount of commercial hooks. "Sharpshooter" is an exceptional commercial metal song. Others like "Whiskey Woman" and "Spanish Boy" are just good rock and roll songs. "Whitford/St. Holmes" is probably not an album that would appease the masses, but for Aerosmith and Ted Nugent fans, this album was/is a real treat.

I own this one on CD and vinyl. I was shocked to see the price the CD is going for on Ebay and Amazon. Apparently this CD is now out of print.

I bought this album a few years ago and not much stands out to me. It is not a bad album but it is certainly not the second coming of Ted Nugent or Aerosmith.

The songs are well written rock songs and seemed to be aimed at the AOR stations that where around during this era. As ULT states this album is full of commerical hooks and Derek St. Holmes a very underrated vocalist IMO does an expectional job.

Brad Whitford's guitar work does not stand out and plays for the songs so this is very different the Joe Perry Project's garage rock guitar orgy. If you are a fan of melodic rock this is a good release and shows a sometime different side of Brad Whitford and Derek St. Holmes, if this project had lasted more than one album who knows what direction they would have followed.

It should also be noted that half the songs were written by Derek St. Holmes along, while the other half have the two sharing song writing credits.

Never heard the Whitford/St. Holmes album. The only song I'm familiar with is 'Sharpshooter' which appeared on the Aerosmith box set. Interesting footnote in the history of Aerosmith's up and downs, but nothing that rocked my socks off. I do remember seeing a cd copy years ago in a used shop and I passed it by. Kinda wish I woulda grabbed it now. Oh well.

I like Whitford/St. Holmes but it's not what I expected. I have to agree that nothing really jumps out at me but it's a nice listen when I'm cleaning house I guess.

I never expected Whitford/St. Holmes to sound like either Nugent or Aerosmith.

Rock In A Hard Place has been liked by me since it was released. Didin't Whitford play on "Lightning Strikes" ?

James B. wrote:

I never expected Whitford/St. Holmes to sound like either Nugent or Aerosmith.

Rock In A Hard Place has been liked by me since it was released. Didin't Whitford play on "Lightning Strikes" ?

Yes he did and he is credited in the sleeve in very small writing.

The last solo album for a while before we start getting back into the official Aerosmith discography with Done with Mirrors.


Joe Perry Project - Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker (MCA) 1983

1. "Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker" (2:58)
2. "Black Velvet Pants" (3:21)
3. "Women in Chains" (4:05)
4. "4 Guns West" (4:28)
5. "Crossfire" (5:44)
6. "Adrianna" (3:21)
7. "King of the Kings" (4:03)
8. "Band A Gong" (3:54)
9. "Walk With Me Sally" (3:15)
10. "Never Wanna Stop" (4:28)

"Once a Rocker" is my least favorite Joe Perry Project album. Joe and his band had a new label and a new (goofy) look. New vocalist "Cowboy" Mach Bell looks like like a reject from Twisted Sister or the New York Dolls. Then there was drummer Joe Pet, who I am sure was moonlighting in Sha Na Na. Musically, "Once A Rocker..." is Joe's most eclectic collection. However, there are some good songs on this CD. The title tracks rocks, and has that bluesy, groove that Joe is known for. Likewise, "Woman in Chains" is a good T.Rex sounding glam ballad. Speaking of T.Rex, they do a cool cover of Marc Bolan's "Bang A Gong." "Black Velvet Pants" is a decent melodic rocker as well. Otherwise, this is Joe's most eccentric, hard-to-get-into, album.

I own this one on CD and vinyl.

He looks constipated on the lp photo and a bit like Robert DeNiro expression

This was the first Joe Perry Project album I owned, and I kind of like it but that vocalist, Mach Bell...ULT was being kind.

I do like alot of the songs on this album 'King of the Kings' with its almost punk attitude and the chrous 'When I walk the streets/I am King of the Kings'

'Women in Chains' a song about women's right! Which has cool chrous and 'Adrianna' another great rocker.

Overall not a bad album but hard to get into and 'Black Velvet Pants' which I believe was the one and only single features Joe Perry's future wife in the video.

Their version of T.Rex's 'Bang a Gong' is not bad but I have to say Power Station did a better job on their version, of course the Power Station where not saddled with 'Cowboy' Mach Bell as thier vocalist.

Quote :

Never heard this album, but I'm familair with quite a few songs that turned up on The Best of The Joe Perry Project.

This comment was from the last JJP disc and the same can be applied to Once A Rocker as well.

I rarely listen to this album Mach Bell just ruins it for me nuff said.

Aerosmith - Done With Mirrors (Geffen) 1985

1."Let the Music Do the Talking" (3:48)
2."My Fist Your Face" (4:23)
3."Shame on You" (3:22)
4."The Reason a Dog" (4:13)
5."Shela" (4:25)
6."Gypsy Boots" (4:16)
7."She's on Fire" (3:47)
8."The Hop" (3:45)
9."Darkness" (3:43)

I was in college when this disc came out, living in a dorm without any transportation. Aerosmith were my favorite band and had just come off their very successful reunion tour. I couldn't wait for a new studio album, so the day "Done With Mirrors" was released I hitch hiked to the mall to buy my copy. I had already heard bits of the album on a radio special, so I knew what to expect. 100% rock 'n' roll! I bought the cassette version of the album. The cover art was cool;all the type was backwards, including the track listing on the back. (Done with Mirrors, get it?) The newer pressings of the album no longer have the backwards print as I guess it was to confusing to people who didn't get the joke. In any case, I loved this tape and played it until I wore it out. It took me forever to finally find a CD copy with the original backwards print on the cover and on the disc. (see picture above.)

In retrospect, this is probably not Aersomith's finest hour, but there are still some decent songs contained herein. Joe Perry's "Let the Music Do the Talking" is an excellent song. Steven Tyler re-wrote the lyrics from the original Perry Project version. I must confess, however, that I prefer the original slightly over this re-recording. "Darkness," the album's closer, is another fine Aero-tune. This song was actually released as a CD bonus track and was not included on the original vinyl version. "Shela" was released as a single, but didn't do too well and radio didn't really give it the time of day. "My Fist Your Face", albeit a bit of a generic rocker, displayed Aerosmith's tough-guy, smart-ass lyrical approach. For the most part, none of the songs on "Done With Mirrors" survived past the tour for the album. The band have publically slagged this album over the years, but despite their dislike of the material here, I like it.

After the release of "Permanent Vacation" this album was forgotten about for a while and actually went out of print for a while. Geffen Records later reissued it as a budget Geffen Gold Line series. Good luck finding a copy with the backwards cover as it is limited to the original 1985 pressing only. More recent pressings also have the "wings logo" ghosted over the AEROSMITH block letters.

With the return of Joe Perry, of course, Jimmy Crespo was given his walking papers. He went on to record one album with Adam Bomb but not much has been heard from him since.

I remember buying this on cassette from the bargain bin ($3.99) a year or so after its release. (Hey, I was 15 years old and unemployed...I bought a LOT of stuff from the bargain bins back then cuz it was all I could afford!) I had been seeing a lot of the "Let the Music Do the Talking" video and dug that song but it took me awhile to finally grab my own copy of the album. I liked it a lot at that time but over the next couple of years as I collected more of the vintage Smith catalog, it quickly became overshadowed by their other, better albums.

This disc had a lot of hype surrounding it when it was released because the original Aerosmith members were back together for the first time in a number of years. They were supposedly on their way to cleaning up their act but if memory serves all the band members weren't totally "clean" till the PERMANENT VACATION era.

So what you get on MIRRORS is a semi-decent album by a band that's not yet quite back to their fighting weight. Some of the stuff is great ("Let the Music Do The Talking," "She's On Fire" and especially "Darkness" -- I love that freakin song!) and the rest just kinda sits there. Not a bad album by any means but not a classic in their catalog either. I listen to ROCK IN A HARD PLACE more often than I listen to this one.

By the way Ult, my CD copy of MIRRORS has the backwards lettering on the cover. Off the top of my head I'm not sure if the print on the CD itself is backwards. I'll have to look when I get home. I believe it's a West German pressing.

I actually love this album, the first time I saw Aerosmith was in Miami in 1982, when my sister took me, she went to see the headliners Journey. I saw them again in 1984 on the Back in the Saddle tour and finally saw them on this tour with Black n Blue opening.

I love the raw production of this album and love the songs. I prefer this version of 'Let The Music Do the Talking', 'My Fist Your Face' has some great lyrica about Betty Boop, thirteen year old hookers and good knows what other cocaine filled inspirations.

'She's On Fire' features some great interplay between Perry and Whitford, the stop and start riff of 'Shame on You' is killer, and even on the song Tyler offers a bit good drug filled wisdom, 'The Reason a Dog has so many friends/He wags His tail instead of his tongue' and the admist of this bit of inspired poetry, the sister of his girlfriend loves to grab his microphone. Aerosmith would never sound so inspired and so raw ever again.

Yeah, I love this album as well. One of my favorites by the band.

Had this on on cassette for a long time, but rarely listened to it. Like others have already said, some ok tunes, but not a good album, especially for a comeback of sorts. I upgraded to cd a few years ago when I found a "mirrored" copy for $6 in a local used shop I frequent. I bought it more for a discography filler and the rareity of the backwards booklet more than anything. I might break it out this weekend and see if anything sticks. Been awhlie since I've heard it.

I know at one point Jimmy Crespo was the touring guitarist for Billy Squire and Rod Stewart in the late 80's/early 90's. Don't know what he's up to these days.

This is weird. According to Wikipedia, Rick Dufay's daughter, actress Minka Kelly, is reportedly dating Derek Jeter.