AEROSMITH - discography (& related)

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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

At the time of the release, that was being reported, but in the years following, the truth has seeped out in interviews and such that it was mostly just Steven, Joe and Joey that straightened up for the recording & touring of Permanent Vacation. Brad & Tom were still dabbling in their own personal bad habits. If memory serves, Tom Hamilton was the last one to get completely clean before the band recorded Pump.

I was 5 when this came out but I had enough Aerosmith experience to buy this on cassette the day it came out. I wanted to hear what the reunited Aerosmith could do. It's not the comeback I was hoping for but I like it. I really like the first 3 tunes with My Fist Your Face being my fave off DWM. The only two song I think are sub-par are The Reason A Dog & Darkness. Like I said I like this album and listen to it regularly but it lacks cojones and the riffage is a pinch on the stale side.

I was waiting for a friend to arrive at his dad's studio in Pantego, Tx. and when he showed up in his Camaro, this tape was blaring on the stereo. Brand spanking new. fun time

Aerosmith - Classics Live (Columbia) 1986

1. "Train Kept a Rollin'" (3:20)
2. "Kings & Queens" (4:46)
3. "Sweet Emotion" (5:14)
4. "Dream On" (4:50)
5. "Mama Kin" (3:41)
6. "Three Mile Smile/Reefer Head Woman" (4:54)
7. "Lord of the Thighs" (7:05)
8. "Major Barbra" [studio track] (4:03)

Nice live set, albeit a bit to short. Joe and Steven are pictured on the back of this disc but in reality most of these live performances feature Jimmy Crespo on guitar. I also read somewhere that he was hired to do some overdubs in the studio while Aerosmith were out touring on their "Back in the Saddle Tour." I was fortunate enough to see Aerosmith with Jimmy and while he could never replace Joe Perry, he was an excellent performer and guitar player. It was very cool that Sony decided to picture Jimmy Crespo and Rick Duffy on the inside of the jacket as they played a major roll in Aerosmith in the late 70's and early 80's. As a selling point to long time fans, "Major Barbra" an unreleased studio track from the "Get Your Wings," session was added. ("Major Barbara" was recorded around Get Your Wings, but it was briefly considered for the "Rocks" album as well.) I would have bought this disc without the studio track but a new studio track makes the deal even sweeter. OK, this disc was obviously just a money maker for Sony, but heck, I ain't complainin'. It's AEROSMITH LIVE and in my opinion, Aerosmith are at their best in a live setting. The two Classics discs have a better sound quality than "Live! Bootleg."

I bought this on vinyl when it was first released and loved it, Jimmy Crespo is more of heavy metal guitarist then Joe Perry is, listen to 'Train Kept A Rollin' , I am sure that is Crespo on the axe and has none of blues influence that creeps up on alot of Joe Perry's playing.

A great great listen only gripe is why did you use that live recording of 'Dream On', not exactly one of Steven Tyler's finest moments. Also "Major Barbra' sounds like an unfinished song but still cool to they included on the disc.

Had this one on tape and played it quite a bit back when I was assembling my Aerosmith collection and didn't have much else to listen to. Haven't played it much since upgrading to cd though. Same deal with Classics Live II.

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I also read somewhere that he [Jimmy Crespo] was hired to do some overdubs in the studio while Aerosmith were out touring on their "Back in the Saddle Tour."

Way back in the day before the inter-webs, I also seem to recall hearing that Adam Bomb (remember him?) was brought in to do some overdubs as well. Don't know if that's true or not. Just something I heard.

I picked up the Adam Bomb release with Jimmy Crespo on guitar this past weekend for $1.

ultmetal wrote:

I picked up the Adam Bomb release with Jimmy Crespo on guitar this past weekend for $1.

Any good?

MetalGuy71 wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

I picked up the Adam Bomb release with Jimmy Crespo on guitar this past weekend for $1.

Any good?

Can't speak for ULT but personally I liked Adam Bomb's 'Fatal Attraction' LP, very good pop metal with lots of guitars courtsey of Jimmy Crespo and Mr. Bomb himself.

Yes, it's not a bad album at all. Been years since I've heard it.

Classics Live! is a nice set but I think Dream On is a little weak. Major Barbra was a nice addition though.

Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation (Geffen) 1987

1. "Heart's Done Time" (4:42)
2. "Magic Touch" (4:40)
3. "Rag Doll" (4:21)
4. "Simoriah" (3:21)
5. "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" (4:23)
6. "St. John" (4:12)
7. "Hangman Jury" (5:33)
8. "Girl Keeps Comin' Apart" (5:33)
9. "Angel" (4:12)
10. "Permanent Vacation" (4:25)
11. "I'm Down" (2:20)
12. "The Movie" [instrumental] (4:00)

If memory serves, Permanent Vacation followed on the heels of Classics Live and then Classics Live II followed just shortly after PV. Someone correct me if I am wrong on the chronology.

Permanent Vacation was the album that put Aerosmith back on the map. MTV was loving the videos for "Angel" and "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," both chart busting songs. I was still in college when this one came out. I bought the first pressing cassette release of. It was pretty unique in that it had the wings logo and album title foil embossed right on the plastic jewel case. Anyhow, I drove my roommates nuts with it. I bought all the 12" singles, which unfortunately, I don't have any more. Of course, I had to see them on this tour and was fortunate enough to see them in both Rochester, NY (War Memorial) and Philadelphia, PA (Spectrum). If I could have I would also have went to see them at the Meadowlands in New Jersey as well..

The music on this album was much less gritty than all their past albums, relying more on horns and keyboards. (It was the 80's) The production was squeaky clean which actually stripped Aerosmith of much of their raw rock and roll sound. Still, when Joe & Brad's guitars did kick in, it made it all that much better. Steven Tyler's unique vocals made the songs come to life and let you know that this was Aerosmith!. (Can you tell I'm a fan?) This album featured the first ever Aerosmith instrumental titled "The Movie" and their second Beatles cover "I'm Down." "Permanent Vacation" went 5x Platinum by February 10, 1995.

Ted Nugent pulled off a smokin' version of "Rag Doll" on the "Not the Same Old Song & Dance" Aerosmith tribute.

When 'Permante Vacation' was first released i have to admit I was a bit disappointed, Aerosmith where never as heavy as say Black Sabbath but I was not expecting such as slick sound.

After awhile I became a customed to the sound and grew to like the album alot, what also surprised me was that Aerosmith had suddenly had become this huge top 40 success. A good album that I now rarely spin but then I have no need to since classic rock radio keeps the singles off this album in heavy rotation.

Some of the best songs on this album are the deep cuts such as 'Magic Touch' 'Hangman Jury' and 'St. John'.

manny wrote:

Some of the best songs on this album are the deep cuts such as 'Magic Touch' 'Hangman Jury' and 'St. John'.

I was still a fairly new Aerosmith fan when PERMANENT VACATION came out so at that time I liked it just fine. Due to the glossy, over-the-top "80s" production, though, it hasn't aged nearly as well over the years as many of the classic 70s albums.

I was in Germany on a student-exchange trip when P.V. was released in summer of '87. I was in a hard rock bar in Frankfurt one night where they played the entire album over the club's stereo and everybody was lovin' it. I liked what I heard but waited till I got home to the U.S. to buy my own copy. I had (and think I still have) the same cassette with the logo printed on the case that Ult mentioned.

Like Manny, these days I prefer most of the cuts that didn't get a lot of play like "Hearts Done Time" (a great opener!), "St. John," the Beatles cover, and "Hangman Jury" over the singles "Dude Looks Like A Lady," "Angel," and "Rag Doll," all of which have been totally beaten into the ground by MTV and radio over the years. I never did like "Girl Keeps Coming Apart" much either.

So anyway, yeah, either way PERMANENT VACATION was pretty much the soundtrack to my senior year of high school. I played the HELL out of that tape. In fact I think I made myself a little sick of it after a while, haha. I didn't listen to that album for quite a few years and didn't upgrade it to CD until fairly recently (three or four years ago). After spending such a long time away from the album, hearing P.V. again a few years ago it brought back a lot of good memories. It may not be one of Smith's strongest albums but it's still a decent slab of radio friendly rock and roll.

After the Run-D.M.C./Aerosmith version of "Walk This Way" Aerosmith was ready for an album to firmly place them back on the top of the AOR charts. They had suddenly become popular again and most of America (aside from the Metal and Hard Rock fans) through Aerosmith broke up after the 70's and had just got back together for the Run-D.M.C. song.

So, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry kick their drug habits and write a new album of material. Now that they are sober, they call on Bon Jovi producer Bruce "Horns" Fairbairn, who did indeed add horns to Aerosmith and created a slickly produced 80's album. Suddenly, Aerosmith were more popular than they were in their 70's heydays. The MTV generation who had seen the "Walk This Way" video over and over and over took to the new Aero-vids and pushed the album tquickly to multi-platinum status. 'Dude', "Rag Doll' and 'Angel" where overplayed to death. I wonder how many teens lost their virginity with 'Angel' playing in the background......

It's a decent album, a good listen. I really like the track "The Movie"

This was the album that introduced me to the band. I was in high school when it came out and was just learning about all music that was hard n' heavy. Up till that point, I was listening to my dad's old 45's and Huey Lewis albums. A friend of mine, Paul, gave me a dubbed cassette of this. I remember sitting around a lunch table talking about this album when another guy told me "Dude, check out their older stuff. Blows Permanent Vacation away." So for that reason, this album will always have a special place in the Aero-discography for me.

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I wonder how many teens lost their virginity with 'Angel' playing in the background......

I'm sure I put that song on a mix tape or 2 back in the day when I was trying to woo the opposite sex.

I've always liked this album, sure it's not a raw and raunchy but it's still a good one. Heart's Done Time is a great album opener along with Magic Touch, Hangman Jury & St. John. I could have lived without a Beatles cover, blech.

Aerosmith - Classics Live 2 (Columbia) 1987

1. "Back in the Saddle" (4:38)
2. "Walk This Way" (4:22)
3. "Movin' Out" (5:44)
4. "Draw the Line" (4:47)
5. "Same Old Song & Dance" (5:45)
6. "Last Child" (3:43)
7. "Let the Music Do The Talking" (5:44)
8. "Toys in the Attic" (4:04)

Classics II is mostly a live recording from a New Year's Eve gig in Boston 1984. "Let the Music Do the Talking" is from a show in 1986 and "Draw the Line" is from the California Jam II 1978. (Wish Columbia would re-release California Jam II on CD!) Having been privileged to see both the Back in the Saddle Tour and the Done With Mirrors tour, this short disc is a nice souvenir of those shows. I could never find fault in Aerosmith live, as they are just a great live band. Even when they were wasted and totally sloppy, it still worked in a live setting. This performance, however, is tight and shows that the band had a newly rekindled fire. My only complaint about this cash cow is once again, it's much too short. Why didn't Sony included the entire New Years eve show? Why not include more songs from the California Jam II? How about including "Red House," a Jimi Hendrix song that Aerosmith played at every show on these tours? Guess I am just never satisfied.

In 1998, Columbia released Classics Live! Complete that contains both albums on one CD. Unfortunately, this release was only released in Europe.

I also like this live album but I much prefer the rawer performances of 'Classics Live I'.

This is very cool album and the only fault I really find with both live albums is that they are way too short.

I'd like to add that when Aerosmith toured for Permanent Vacation, the opening band was Guns n' Roses. Since I was just starting to get into "heavy" music and my parents weren't exactly thrilled about it, I was not allowed to attend the show. It wouldn't be until a few years later ('89?) when they came around again touring for Pump that I'd finally get to see Aerosmith live.

manny wrote:

I also like this live album but I much prefer the rawer performances of 'Classics Live I'.

This is very cool album and the only fault I really find with both live albums is that they are way too short.

+1

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I'd like to add that when Aerosmith toured for Permanent Vacation, the opening band was Guns n' Roses. Since I was just starting to get into "heavy" music and my parents weren't exactly thrilled about it, I was not allowed to attend the show. It wouldn't be until a few years later ('89?) when they came around again touring for Pump that I'd finally get to see Aerosmith live.

I got screwed outta seeing Aerosmith on the P.V. tour too, MetalGuy. (Guns N Roses weren't opening for'em at that time though, if memory serves the opening act was Dokken.) I gave one of my bro's friends who was going to the show (with a bunch of other people) $$ to buy me a ticket, which never materialized. He concocted some kind of B.S. story about Ticketmaster not putting aside the right # of tickets for him, which I believed at first due to my teenage naivete (sp?) I found out later that the guy used my $$ to buy a ticket for his girlfriend... needless to say, I was less than thrilled when I found that out. When both my brother and I threatened the guy with severe bodily harm, he eventually gave me back my $$ (a day or two after the concert), after which I promptly bounced his head off of a locker and never spoke to the guy again. I made up for missing out on this show by seeing them twice on the PUMP tour.

Damn, I had just about blocked out the memory of that traumatic experience. Thanks for dredging it back up, MG.

Aerosmith - Gems (Columbia) 1988

1. "Rats in the Cellar" (4:06)
2. "Lick and a Promise" (3:05)
3. "Chip Away the Stone" (4:01)
4. "No Suprize" (4:26)
5. "Mama Kin" (4:27)
6. "Adam's Apple" (4:34)
7. "Nobody's Fault" (4:38)
8. "Round and Round" (4:52)
9. "Critical Mass" (5:03)
10. "Lord of the Thighs" (4:14)
11. "Jailbait" (4:39)
12. "Train Kept a Rollin'" (5:41)

Columbia's effort to cash in on the newly reformed and revitalized Aerosmith. What makes this a worthwhile investment, besides the fact that every song is essential Aerosmith, is the inclusion of the studio version of "Chip Away at the Stone." Previously it was only released as a live song on "California Jam 2" and "Live Bootleg." The cover art and title are a play on the monumental album "Rocks." Have a small gripe about this one, why wasn't "Lightning Strikes" included? Overall, despite the fact that this is "just another compilation", I find this to be a useful compilation and one that I enjoy quite a bit.

Aerosmith - Gems (Columbia) 1988

1. "Rats in the Cellar" (4:06)
2. "Lick and a Promise" (3:05)
3. "Chip Away the Stone" (4:01)
4. "No Suprize" (4:26)
5. "Mama Kin" (4:27)
6. "Adam's Apple" (4:34)
7. "Nobody's Fault" (4:38)
8. "Round and Round" (4:52)
9. "Critical Mass" (5:03)
10. "Lord of the Thighs" (4:14)
11. "Jailbait" (4:39)
12. "Train Kept a Rollin'" (5:41)

Columbia's effort to cash in on the newly reformed and revitalized Aerosmith. What makes this a worthwhile investment, besides the fact that every song is essential Aerosmith, is the inclusion of the studio version of "Chip Away at the Stone." Previously it was only released as a live song on "California Jam 2" and "Live Bootleg." The cover art and title are a play on the monumental album "Rocks." Have a small gripe about this one, why wasn't "Lightning Strikes" included? Overall, despite the fact that this is "just another compilation", I find this to be a useful compilation and one that I enjoy quite a bit.