Song Review: Aerosmith, pt. 1

Today's song review will be on Aerosmith, one of my personal favorites. Hopefully I can get some people to listen to some of these songs, and appreciate one of my favorite bands of all time! Let's jump into some of Aerosmith's music.

In my mind I divide Aerosmith's discography into old and new stuff. Old includes the older albums from the 70's, 80's, and early 90's. This includes albums like Aerosmith, Rocks, Get Your Wings, Get A Grip, and Toys in the Attic. New is everything after, including Nine Lives, Just Push Play, Honkin' on Bobo, and Music from Another Dimension. While most of what I cover in this article will be from the older albums, I would also encourage you to explore some of their more recent music, as that is also very good.

1. Sweet Emotion (1975)

Sweet Emotion is one of my personal favorites. Off of Toys in the Attic, it was one of their first hits. You'll probably see two songs from that album on this post. Sweet Emotion starts with a bass, aux percussion, and technologically affected voice breakdown. None of which you see very often, which is one of the things I like about it. After a little of this and a cymbal crash, Steven Tyler jumps in to the middle of the breakdown, which now has a drumbeat and maracas in the background. He sings the title of the song in a long, smooth style. He does this twice, then the bass switches rhythm, a high hat cymbal jumps in, and the guitar starts playing the same riff while Tyler sings the verses. In between every four verses, a breakdown occurs, with the guitar playing a different riff and the rest of the band following it. Chorus than verse repeats, with breakdowns in between, then a new breakdown occurs, as the band stops and the guitar only holds over. The drums jump back in with hard snare, and a new rhythm begins with the guitar soloing. This goes on until the end of the song.

Rating (I won't do sax like I did on the Springsteen post, as it hardly appears in Aerosmith's music)

Guitar: 8

Although a little repetitive at some points, the guitar provides a solid anchor throughout the song, playing its parts well and with intent. Not the most exciting guitar ever, but sometimes you don't need it to be overwhelming.

Aux Percussion: 10

You might not hear it, but aux percussion is crucial to this song. Try listening to it. Did you notice that the maracas play the whole song? There are so many moments in this song that the maracas and other, small percussion instruments truly make the song.

Bass-line: 10

You might've noticed the bass on this song, mainly because of its "solo" of sorts at the beginning. But it was also very prominent when the guitar and vocals where in and playing with all they had. It had the band's fate in its hands, and the bass certainly delivers on Sweet Emotion.

Vocals: 9

Tyler doesn't totally dominate the band like he does in other songs, but I would compare his performance on this song to Springsteen's on Dancin' in the Dark. Not overbearing, but still leading the band. In addition, he has that incredible, unmatched voice going for him.

Drums: 9

Just a solid job of holding the band up. Most of Aerosmith's songs don't feature super intricate drumming, but neither do most classic rock bands. I don't feel it is necessary to have the drums banging away all the time. Sweet Emotion shows you why.

Overall Impact: 9

Sometimes a little repetitive, but one of Aerosmith's more grounded tunes. I'll try to avoid some of their... weirder stuff, but with Aerosmith you never know what you're going to get on any given album.

2. Livin' on the Edge (1993)

I'll jump ahead about as far as I want to go. Off of Get a Grip, Livin' on the Edge is not super well known, but it's one of my favorites. It was parodied by Weird Al Yankovic, whose song Livin' in the Fridge was also popular. Livin' on the Edge has a rich, heavy guitar sound that just pushes you along with it. It uses small stoppages to push itself into the next phrase, making you want to sway with it. Multiple breakdowns occur where everything drops back, then comes roaring back into the song. It's just a fun tune that doesn't really make sense but is super fun to listen and sing along to.

Rating

Guitar: 10

I absolutely love the guitar on this track. It has that heavy, bluesy sound that makes Aerosmith different from other bands. It propels the song along with it, making you wish you played guitar.

Aux. Percussion: 8

As far as I can tell, piano is pretty much the only instrument in this role, and while it is important at some points, most of the time it isn't very present. Well done, just not there much.

Bass-line: 9

Good floor for the band, not really loud but still present.

Vocals: 10

Tyler's voice makes the song. He sings probably three or four given tracks by himself that they mix together in the recording, and his voice is more present than you realize. He has a huge impact on this song.

Drums: 10

Also very important, the drums go above and beyond to keep the band going. They have some hard fills in there that are very impressive but don't lose the band with it. Perfectly done.

Overall Impact: 10

It is odd that this kind of ditty gets a ten, but I think it's more impactful than most realize. It's lyrics, while seemingly meaningless, and don't really make sense no matter how long you listen to it, still manage to pull you in, which shows that this song has a quality you don't see often.

3. Same Old Song and Dance (1974)

This song is on Get Your Wings, Aerosmith's second album. It tells a story someone's life, and it's just a pure rock n' roll song. Same Old Song and Dance is a pretty simple structure. It relies heavily on guitar, both for the bassline and repeating melody. Tyler does what he does on the vocals, with that storytelling vibe he gives off, and the drums do a great job keeping time. This song is the epitome of a good rock n' roll song. Of course, there is one difference: the sax solo. In the middle of the song, this sax solo drops in and shakes everything up. It's the x-factor of this song, and makes it truly awesome.

Rating

Sax: 10

I love a good rock n' roll sax. This one is no exception. The solo spices the whole thing up, giving it that extra quality all good songs need.

Guitar: 10

The guitar is unique in that it plays the melody and the bass-line. While there is bass, they actually used guitar, playing one low note over and over again on a separate track. This gives it a little more tone, and really rounds out the song.

Horn Section: 8

Instead of aux percussion, I'll give this part to the horn section. I noticed as I listened to this song that there are 1. a ton of trumpet pops that are really crucial to the song's makeup and 2. there's also a trombone playing on 1 and 3 of the bass-line with the trumpet. It isn't super noticeable, but it is super important.

Bass-line: 6

I like the idea of guitar on bass-line, and while I enjoy listening to it, I find myself wishing there was a real bass. Maybe both would've worked better?

Vocals: 10

Steven Tyler at his best is incredible. That does it for that.

4. Walk This Way (1975)

This is my other favorite from Toys in the Attic. Walk This Way is perhaps better known for its cover by Run-D.M.C, and although Steven Tyler is featured on that record, I will always prefer the straight rock version. It begins with the drumbeat that persists throughout the whole song, then the guitar jumps in with the melody. Steven sings verse, verse, chorus, verse, verse, chorus, with some solos by guitar in the middle of those. Very straightforward, very solid, very rock n' roll.

Rating

Guitar: 10

The guitar really rocks on this song. The solos are great, and the melody is just as good

Aux. Percussion: 8

Cowbell is very important in this song, along with some cymbal-like thing that I couldn't identify that plays after each line in the verse. It all binds the song together well.

Bass-line: 10

An awesome performance by the bassist. The bass is present in the back of your mind, and you hear it without noticing it. It has a couple noticeable licks, and plays the melody with the guitar. It sounds so cool if you listen to it.

Vocals: 10

Again Tyler sings in that lyrical, storytelling voice. Again he delivers.

Drums: 10

I suspect the drummer played all of the aux percussion in addition to the regular drumming. If I'm right, he did an amazing job with it.

Overall Impact: 9

I'll only add that the lyrics don't make sense if you don't look them up (I don't suggest you do that; I did, and they aren't very clean.) However, this is still an awesome song, and I hope you listen to it.

So as I was looking for songs to put in this post I realize there are SO MANY. I'm gonna do a part 2 on Aerosmith, so don't worry about missing anything. Hope you enjoy!