AEROSMITH - discography (& related)

GET A GRIP was where I started to get off the Aero-train. I really REALLY wanted to like that album but it just seemed like a calculated re-hash of the PUMP disc. It came off like "Whoa! We sold a sh*t load of PUMP so whatdaya say guys, let's do the exact same thing all over again!" Obviously I'm in the minority on this because as usual for Aerosmith, the album sold like cold beer on a hot day and is still a pretty popular disc today, but for whatever reason it just never grabbed me by the udders.

...by the way, is it just me, or are "Crazy," "Amazing" and "Cryin'" all virtually the same song??

On the other hand, the videos from this album did introduce us to Alicia Silverstone who went on to become one of the major pin-up hotties of the late 90s.

I do regret missing the tour for this album because at the time it came thru my area it was during a short lived period where Megadeth (!) were opening for them. Megadeth were kicked off the tour after only a couple of weeks, apparently because Mustaine was sniping about the Smith guys' "No drugs, no alcohol, no etc. backstage" rules) to the press. I think seeing those two bands together would've been a rather, er, interesting combo.

Never bought the PANDORA'S BOX set though I've always wanted to. Whenever I've seen it, it has always been a bit too rich for my blood.

Aerosmith - Box of Fire (Columbia) 1994

Disc One: Aerosmith '73
Disc Two: Get Your Wings '74
Disc Three: Toys in the Attic '75
Disc Four: Rocks '76
Disc Five: Draw the Line '77
Disc Six: Live! Bootleg '78
Disc Seven: Night In The Ruts '79
Disc Eight: Greatest Hits '80
Disc Nine: Rock in a Hard Place '82
Disc Ten: Classics Live '86
Disc Eleven: Classics Live II '87
Disc Twelve: Gems '88
Disc Thirteen: Bonus Disc '94

Box of Fire Bonus Disc

1. "Sweet Emotion '91" (4:33)
2. "Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu" (2:34)
3. "Subway" (3:23)
4. "Circle Jerk" (3:40)
5. "Dream On" (MTV 10th Anniversary) (5:44)

Being the Aerosmith collector I am, I have always wanted the "Box of Fire" box set, despite the fact that I own almost all the cds contained within. I was bummed many years ago to find out it was released in very limited quantities and went out of print soon after it's release. Well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me! My Mom comes through and finds this at Best Buy, of all places. Thanks Mom. (My mom is better than your mom!)

I will not spend time reviewing discs 1-13 as these are all the Columbia releases prior to "Nine Lives." What is cool about these discs, however, is that the spines, when put together in the correct order, create the Aerosmith logo in flames. The "Box of Fire Bonus Disc" contains five tracks not available on any one Aerosmith disc. There are two "Draw the Line" era instrumentals--"Subway " was written by Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer during some down time in the studio while the Toxic Twins were off in space somewhere during the worst of their drug infested years. The other instrumental is "Circle Jerk," an outtake written by Brad Whitford that was supposedly released as a "non-LP single B side." I have never seen this single and no information is given on what single the song was a b-side to. The others songs are "Dream On" (MTV 10th Anniversary) with Aerosmith being backed by a complete symphony, "Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu" a cover tune originally recorded for "Permanent Vacation" but only released on 1987's "Less than Zero" soundtrack, and a remixed version of "Sweet Emotion." Overall, this is was a GREAT surprise for me and an incredible addition to my Aerosmith collection.

well ULT I am huge Aerosmith fan but even I have my limits as far as what I will buy, as cool this set is, I did not buy it since I owned all the original discs but this set was created for the die hard Aerosmith collector.

I purchased this box set used from ebay years ago. I think I paid about $50 or $60 bucks. It was in excellent condition, with a few of the discs still sealed. At the time, I only had a hand full of older Aerosmith on cd and of those, some were the remastered versions, some were not. I figured this was the best way to complete the discography.

So other than the 5-song bonus disc, there isn't much in the way of bells & whistles to entice fans to shell out the bucks for this, but it's a nice addition for hardcore fans. Or OCD sufferers that need full, complete, remastered sets.

Pandora's Box
My wife found this for me last Christmas for $20 a Wal-Mart, what a woman.
This is a nice set.

Box Of Fire
My wife bought this for me too. Another nice collectible. I really like the logo in flames it looks cool.

Aerosmith - Big Ones (Geffen) 1994

1. "Walk On Water" (4:54)
2. "Love In An Elevator" (5:22)
3. "Rag Doll" (4:34)
4. "What It Takes" (5:10)
5. "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" (4:23)
6. "Janie's Got A Gun" (5:29)
7. "Cryin'" (5:07)
8. "Amazing" (5:55)
9. "Blind Man" (3:57)
10. "Deuces Are Wild" (3:33)
11. "Other Side" (4:03)
12. "Crazy" (5:14)
13. "Eat The Rich" (4:09)
14. "Angel" (5:04)
15. "Livin' On The Edge" (6:20)

Man, those guys at Geffen know how to market a band. Two new songs on this 'best of' made it a 'must buy'. As usual with Aerosmith, the new songs were not throw aways. Since everybody already knows about the hits, I shall focus on these new songs.

"Walk on Water" is a masterpiece, that is engulfed in hook, rhythm, and complexity. This song was co-written with Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades (Damn Yankees) along with Joe and Steve. "Blind Man" is an equally strong song-a melodic, bluesy ballad. Best part about these two songs, and what makes them stand out, is that they are not overproduced like many of the 'hits'. Also included is the slinky "Deuces are Wild" from "Beavis & Butthead Experience." According to Jim Vallance, who co-wrote the song, Aerosmith didn't play on this track. Rather Jim played all the instruments with Steven Tyler on vocals and Joe or Brad doing the lead. This is a direct quote sent to me from Jim:

I worked on 4 albums with Aerosmith, plus "Deuces Are Wild", which Steven and I wrote for the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack (I never did see the movie!). I think they were in a hurry to provide something for the film, and they basically used the basement demo of Deuces. I didn't get credit for it, but I am playing all the instruments except the guitar solo in the middle. -Jim Vallance

The packaging for "Big Ones" is OK but lacks in photos, or a REAL discography as only the Geffen releases were included. Would have been cool to have some sort of song by song commentary by the band as well. (Like in the book inside "Pandora's Box")[b]

Geffen's last big cash grab from Aerosmith before they went back to Columbia. Contains all the Geffen years hits.

ultmetal wrote:

This is a direct quote sent to me from Jim:

I worked on 4 albums with Aerosmith, plus "Deuces Are Wild", which Steven and I wrote for the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack (I never did see the movie!). I think they were in a hurry to provide something for the film, and they basically used the basement demo of Deuces. I didn't get credit for it, but I am playing all the instruments except the guitar solo in the middle. -Jim Vallance
)[b]

Hmm....... Knowing Bruce "Brass Section" Fairbairn's use of musicians for studio albums, I wonder how much of PM, Pump and Get A Grip is really all Aerosmith"

Not much to say about this greatest hits cash grab, it is not bad but most of this songs have been played to death.

'Blind Man' should be considered a classic and it is a killer song, 'Walk on Water' is another great tune and 'Deuces Are Wild" is a great pop tune.

Great introduction to their 80's-90's Geffen come back years.

thejokeriv wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

This is a direct quote sent to me from Jim:

I worked on 4 albums with Aerosmith, plus "Deuces Are Wild", which Steven and I wrote for the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack (I never did see the movie!). I think they were in a hurry to provide something for the film, and they basically used the basement demo of Deuces. I didn't get credit for it, but I am playing all the instruments except the guitar solo in the middle. -Jim Vallance
)[b]

Hmm....... Knowing Bruce "Brass Section" Fairbairn's use of musicians for studio albums, I wonder how much of PM, Pump and Get A Grip is really all Aerosmith"

From what I have read, all the original Aerosmith members performed on the Fairbairn produced albums. The only reason the band didn't re-record "Deuces Are Wild" is because they were under a time crunch and were in the middle of at tour, so they just used the demo version of the song and added a new guitar solo, though I still don't know if it was Brad or Joe that played the solo.

ultmetal wrote:

thejokeriv wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

This is a direct quote sent to me from Jim:

I worked on 4 albums with Aerosmith, plus "Deuces Are Wild", which Steven and I wrote for the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack (I never did see the movie!). I think they were in a hurry to provide something for the film, and they basically used the basement demo of Deuces. I didn't get credit for it, but I am playing all the instruments except the guitar solo in the middle. -Jim Vallance
)[b]

Hmm....... Knowing Bruce "Brass Section" Fairbairn's use of musicians for studio albums, I wonder how much of PM, Pump and Get A Grip is really all Aerosmith"

From what I have read, all the original Aerosmith members performed on the Fairbairn produced albums. The only reason the band didn't re-record "Deuces Are Wild" is because they were under a time crunch and were in the middle of at tour, so they just used the demo version of the song and added a new guitar solo, though I still don't know if it was Brad or Joe that played the solo.

Just wondering! Either that, or it was a closely guarded secret!!!

Big Ones was the last greatest hits package I purchased by the band. Many comps would follow after this one, but this would be the last time I'd put out money for just a new song or 2. It was a pretty nice overview of the latter Geffen years, although I can't remember when I listened to it last.

As for the new tunes tacked on, I thought they were decent enough but not essential.

thejokeriv wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

This is a direct quote sent to me from Jim:

I worked on 4 albums with Aerosmith, plus "Deuces Are Wild", which Steven and I wrote for the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack (I never did see the movie!). I think they were in a hurry to provide something for the film, and they basically used the basement demo of Deuces. I didn't get credit for it, but I am playing all the instruments except the guitar solo in the middle. -Jim Vallance
)[b]

Hmm....... Knowing Bruce "Brass Section" Fairbairn's use of musicians for studio albums, I wonder how much of PM, Pump and Get A Grip is really all Aerosmith"

Joker man, Aerosmith is definitley on all of the Bruce Fairbairn produced albums, as a matter a fact their was even a VHS documentary called 'The Making of Pump" (it has since been released on VHS) where you can see all of the band working on the tunes, arguing with Fairbairn etc.

manny wrote:

thejokeriv wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

This is a direct quote sent to me from Jim:

I worked on 4 albums with Aerosmith, plus "Deuces Are Wild", which Steven and I wrote for the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack (I never did see the movie!). I think they were in a hurry to provide something for the film, and they basically used the basement demo of Deuces. I didn't get credit for it, but I am playing all the instruments except the guitar solo in the middle. -Jim Vallance
)[b]

Hmm....... Knowing Bruce "Brass Section" Fairbairn's use of musicians for studio albums, I wonder how much of PM, Pump and Get A Grip is really all Aerosmith"

Joker man, Aerosmith is definitley on all of the Bruce Fairbairn produced albums, as a matter a fact their was even a VHS documentary called 'The Making of Pump" (it has since been released on VHS) where you can see all of the band working on the tunes, arguing with Fairbairn etc.

Good to know!!! We do know he used a different bass player on the early Bon Jovi albums cause the original bass player sucked!

manny wrote:

Not much to say about this greatest hits cash grab, it is not bad but most of this songs have been played to death.

'Blind Man' should be considered a classic and it is a killer song, 'Walk on Water' is another great tune and 'Deuces Are Wild" is a great pop tune.

Great introduction to their 80's-90's Geffen come back years.

.

Aerosmith - Texxas Jam '78 (Columbia) 1988

1) Rats In The Cellar
2) Seasons Of Wither
3) I Wanna Know Why
4) Walkin' The Dog
5) Walk This Way
6) Lick And A Promise
7) Get The Lead Out
8) Draw The Line
9) Sweet Emotion
10) Same Old Song And Dance
11) Milk Cow Blues
12) Toys In The Attic
13) Lord Of The Thighs

Forgot about this one. I won't do all the different Aerosmith videos in the discography, but I thought this one deserved to be included.

On July 4th, 1978, Aerosmith took the stage at the Dallas Cotton Bowl after a long, hot day with Head East, Van Halen, Ted Nugent, etc. According to sources I have read, it was actually about 2 AM on July 5th that Aerosmith finally started their set. Aerosmith headlined the event, titled the Texxas Jam '78, as they had done at Cal Jam II a month prior. They were on tour supporting "Draw The Line". The band was in complete turmoil, buried in excessive drug use and constant fighting within the band. Still, Live At the Texxas Jam '78 is a classic show and shows exactly why Aerosmith were heralded as one of the best live bands on the 1970's. It's not just about performance, but about complete and total rock and roll recklessness and raw energy. "Live At Texxas Jam '78" features an amusingly wasted bunch of guys in Aerosmith. The set list is killer and features some of their best 70's cuts, most of which are fan favorites, as opposed to just "hits". Steven Tyler is the clown of the evenings show and puts on an amusing performance that includes forgetting or at least messing up the lyrics in just about every song. Joe Perry is equally toasted. Instead Brad Whitford is the star of the show, playing each song to perfection.

Ted Nugent joins Aerosmith on stage for Milk Cow Blues, though Steven Tyler is so wasted, I don't think he even noticed The Nug on stage as he introduces the solo of the song by "Mr. Whitford". One thing about 'ol Ted is you can definetely pick out his guitar sound and his solo style. This is a historic concert.

This concert video has thus far only been officially released on VHS. I'd love to see an official DVD or CD release, or both. "Lord Of The Thighs", "I Wanna Know Why", and "Big Ten-Inch Record" from this show were released on "Pandora's Box".

I think I still have this vhs stashed away in a box somewhere. It's been years since I've watched it. It would be cool to get just the audio for this one.

Ted's performance with Aerosmith is certainly one of the highlights. I think I posted this clip already in "Manny's Awesome Live Performances", but here it is again because it's a great song and a wicked performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE9-jhk1bjg

I have this on VHS and loved the show, too bad it is only one hour long. Steven Tyler mumbles the lyrics to 'Season's of Wither' and oversteps vocals cue etc.

Despite the band helping Columbia's economy prior to hitting the stage and firing on less then six cylinders the band puts on a very good performance and wish that A) they would release this on DVD and b) I wish that it was longer than 60 minutes.

I used to frequent this local mom and pop used shop till something happened regarding this particular VHS. I took it up to the counter cause it had a $4.99 price tag on the narrow side of the box that faced outward on the display rack. The chick at the counter rang up $7.99 and said "8 dollars and something" I made her aware of the $4.99 price and she in kind made me aware of the $7.99 sticker on the front cover of the box. When I mentioned most retail stores honor the lower marked price, she walked off and then returned and said it was $7.99. She put it on the counter and I picked it up intending to talk with the owner but noticed that the other sticker had been removed. I told her that was really unkewl and a manager walked up and inquired what the problem was about. After explaining it to him, the girl said there wasn't any other sticker on it and I was just trying to get over. I asked if Ol' Joe (the owner) was present and the manger said "nope". Needless to say, I don't buy from there anymore. I have seen Ol' Joe at swap meets and he asks why I don't come in anymore ?

"Big Ones" is definitely the weaker half of my Aerosmith collection. I dunno, I guess I just don't like their 80's pop hits all that much. Still some good tunes though. "Walk On Water" and "Rag Doll" are some of my favorites.

Aerosmith - Nine Lives (Columbia) 1997

1. "Nine Lives" (4:01)
2. "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" (3:25)
3. "Hole in My Soul" (6:10)
4. "Taste of India" (5:53)
5. "Full Circle" (5:00)
6. "Something's Gotta Give" (3:36)
7. "Ain't That a Bitch" (5:25)
8. "Farm" (4:27)
9. "Crash" (4:25)
10. "Kiss Your Past Good-Bye" (4:31)
11. "Pink" (3:55)
12. "Attitude Adjustment" (3:44)
13. "Fallen Angels" (8:16)

Another great CD! Not a bad song on it. Fast rockers ("Crash", "Attitude Adjustment"), funky Aero-tunes ("Pink", "Falling in Love"), ballads ("Hole In My Soul"), hard rocking jams ("Kiss Your Past"). Aerosmith always give 110%. The title track reminds me slightly of "Toys in the Attic" in that it has that same attitude. "Full Off" features Joe Perry on lead vocals. His voice seems a bit shaky on this song. I love "Pink," although many hardcore fans thought this song was to "pop". Perhaps it is, I really don't care. It's full of that Seven Tyler pomp attitude and it's just a darn catchy tune.

"Nine Lives" has been released with two different covers. The original caused a lawsuit by some religious sect. The second cover features a cat on one of those spinning carnival boards. I have both covers. Check out the European version in the Singles & Promos section.

Later pressings of the CD included "Don't Want to Miss A Thing" as a bonus cut.

I like this album alot, not one of my favorites but still a great album. A little more pop oriented but still features great songs such as ' Falling in Love" and my favorite tune on the album 'Taste of India' a song that has a great hook, and some of Steven Tyler's best lyrics.

I may enjoy this album a little more than 'Pump' or 'Get a Grip' since these songs I have not been played to death. 'Attitude Adjustment' and 'Kiss Your Past Goodbye' are other good tracks on this album.

Not an essential Aerosmith release but an album that is alot better then some hardcore Aerosmith fans have suggested it is.

Another solid album, one I need to listen to more. A Taste Of India is a great song and Pink although a little too poppy is a good one too. I like this album better than GAG.

Got this one on the day of release and played the crap out of it for a long time to the point of burn-out. Haven't spun it in awhile though. I just don't listen to much of the latter day Aerosmith much these days. Might have to go back and rememdy that. The song 'Pink' borders on creepy when you think of a 60-year old man singing it, but it's so darn catchy and Steven's lyrics are so cleverly worded, he can get away with it.

To expand on Ult's comments on the original cover, I believe it offended followers of the Hindu religion as it made light of one of their gods or something by putting a cat's head on her body. I also seem to remember that there was some legal issues with the original artwork. The artist used copywritten material that wasn't approved or something. Those 2 factors brought about the alternate cover.

I remember seeing the ad for Nine Lives a few months before and the cover was a blue background with a darker blue Aerosmith logo with a shaved cat hissing. Cool cover.