Aerosmith, when the dust of history has settled, may go down as the ultimate American rock Band. Yes, plenty of groups drank from the same wellspring of inspiration. But there’s just something unique about the quintet’s chemistry that makes their albums some of the best-ranked in classic rock.
Yes, many other bands wanted to sound and look like The Rolling Stones. Of course, numerous other groups attempted to use power ballads as vehicles for chart success. And, no, Aerosmith was not the only band to rise from what seemed like inevitable doom.
At best, however, Aerosmith just understood what rock music needed better than most. That’s why today I’m dressing up my keyboard in scarves, unpacking by Gibson, and ranking Aerosmith’s discography from their worst album to their best.
15. “Rock in a Hard Place” (1982)
Aerosmith made two albums two many without Perry and Withford. By “Rock in a Hard Place,” even the most devoted fans were losing patience with the band.
The trouble is that “Rock in a Hard Place” is not a terrible record. Not even. It’s just the kind of record that forces Aerosmith into blues-rock irrelevance.
“Lightning Strikes” is the record’s saving grace. And while Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay are competent guitarists, one can’t help but think that if the rumors of Michael Schenker had been true, this would’ve at least been a more entertaining trainwreck.
14. “Night in the Ruts” (1979)
The harder you fall, the more room there is for a comeback. Aerosmith prepares to take a serious tumble with “Night in the Ruts.”
Bands that managed to replace key members and thrive are few. Van Halen and AC/DC are among the few exceptions.
Aerosmith could not replace Joe Perry and Brad Withford while maintaining a steady drug diet. Still, for all the myths surrounding it, “Night in the Ruts” is not as bad as you’ve likely heard. To add insult to injury, The Joe Perry Project was also quite good.
“No Surprize” and “Chiquita” are Aerosmith by number. Meanwhile, their cover of The Shangri-Las’ “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” is wonderful.
13. “Music from Another Dimension!” (2012)
Aerosmith discovered that the longer the band stays away, the more it forgets. “Music from Another Dimension!” pushes familiar buttons, but it all just doesn’t merge into something extraordinary.
The concept was enough to get fans excited. Aerosmith announced that they would return to a psychedelic-rock sound. Oh, and they’d throw in a few power ballads hoping they’d stick to the charts.
That all sounds fine in theory. But, while “Music from Another Dimension!” has a nice chorus here and a pretty verse there, just sounds disjointed. The album reviews didn’t go softly on the band either.
“Legendary Child,” “Lover Alot,” and “What Could Have Been Love” were heavily promoted at first. But Aerosmith returned to playing the hits when they weren’t squabbling among themselves.
Hopefully, “Music from Another Dimension!” will not be the band’s final album. It would be an unfair ending to a surprisingly robust discography.
12. “Honkin’ on Bobo” (2004)
No longer actively chasing hits, Aersomith could finally indulge in the band’s first love – the art of mixing blues and rock.
Covering “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” “Road Runner,” or “You Gotta Move” sounds like a no-brainer. But the mix and recordings are missing some of the energy typical of Aerosmith live albums.
However, the only original song here, “The Grind,” proves that Aerosmith could write melodic blues-rock in their sleep… provided they have co-writers.
“Honkin’ on Bobo” is fine, but it could have been more. Or, at the very least, it could have been louder.
11. “Aerosmith” (1973)
Many American bands dreamed of fashioning themselves as The Stateside Stones. Aerosmith did it better than most and came up with a couple of great compositions for their debut album.
Of course, “Aerosmith” is a bit loose and meandering in places. However, all of the elements for which the Boston quintet is beloved are here already.
Besides, Aerosmith has never much improved on the power-ballad formula of “Dream On” or the power chords formula of “Mama Kin.” These two easily deserve a place when having Aerosmith’s best songs ranked.
10. “Just Push Play” (2001)
Aerosmith tries another stab at the pop charts. Against most expectations, it works. “Just Push Play” is a fine pop-rock record, but not one that the band’s hardcore fans often yearn to hear.
However, the success of “Just Push Play” is remarkable. Once again, Aerosmith had taken on the direction of injecting their sound with modern pop-rock hooks and secured hits.
“Jaded,” “Fly Away from Here,” and “Sunshine” are all good songs. They all sound like someone took classic Aerosmith songs and updated them.
The rest of “Just Push Play” is, however, not quite as charming. I’ve rarely gone back to hear this album.
9. “Draw the Line” (1977)
Aerosmith had a busy schedule to uphold. It included partying, playing shows, and… recording albums. “Draw the Line” is a good album, but the tank’s nearly dry for this one.
Blame it on the classic rock cliche of too many drugs and too many groupies. Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler certainly does.
But you can also add the restrictions of muscular blues-rock to the mix. “Draw the Line” is the least charming of the band’s glory days run.
Still, “Kings and Queens” is an outstanding slice of paranoid rock. Plus, “Critical Mass” and the title track aren’t too bad, either.
8. “Get Your Wings” (1974)
“Get Your Wings” reveals not only Aerosmith’s love of blues-rock but their quirky take on sleaze-rock of bands like The Rolling Stones.
It’s true “Get Your Wings” does not benefit from songs quite as memorable as “Dream On.” However, it’s a more focused affair, and the band’s cartoonish vision of rock n’ roll excess becomes all too clear.
The blues-rock of “Same Old Song and Dance” or the explosive energy of “Train Kept A-Rollin'” is the prototype for the kind of material they provided throughout the 1970s.
7. “Done with Mirrors” (1985)
The story of Aerosmith getting back together is legendary. But the album that reunited them isn’t. Still, “Done with Mirrors” did prove that it was the original quintet’s alchemy that made them a great band all along.
The fact is that Aerosmith is playing it safe here. And, still reliant on chemical support of all sorts, Perry’s riffs aren’t as memorable, and neither are Tyler’s sex-obsessed lyrics.
Yet, “Let the Music Do the Talking,” “Shela,” and “My Fist Your Face” show that for good-time rock n’ roll, few could outdo Aerosmith.
6. “Permanent Vacation” (1987)
Sobered-up and smart enough to use their filth-rock to infiltrate 80s rock, Aerosmith parlay their new-found popularity into platinum success with “Permanent Vacation.”
That new-found fame had everything to do with the band’s cameo on RUN D.M.C.’s re-recording of “Walk This Way.”
Still, the late 1980s seemed designed for a band like Aerosmith, with everyone from Guns n’ Roses to Faster Pussycat taking obvious influence from Steven Tyler & co.
And to make sure that such opportunities are not wasted, Aerosmith brings on outside songwriters to ensure that their sound is appropriate for the ages.
Desmond Child is the one that gets Aeromsith’s potential right away and helps them write the megahits “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” and “Angel.”
It was an unlikely comeback, but it couldn’t. have happened to a more reformed group of rockstar deviants.
5. “Get a Grip” (1993)
While most of their contemporaries were struggling for relevancy, Aerosmith kept themselves as fresh as daisies and delivered some of the biggest hits of their career with “Get a Grip.” Still, it’s a pretty uneven record.
That’s largely because Aerosmith was the premier single group at this time. Each of their studio albums contained at least a few songs that made the charts.
And, so, the trilogy of power ballads, Cryin’,” “Crazy,” “Amazing,” along with “Livin’ on the Edge” were some of the biggest songs of Aerosmith’s lengthy career. “Get a Grip” is still Aerosmith’s best-selling album. It shipped nearly 20 million units worldwide.
The elaborate videos that focused on youthful ladies, including Tyler’s daughter Liv Tyler, were the near-permanent status of MTV.
However, it’s clear that “Get a Grip” is not designed to offer deep cuts or thrills upon repeated, close inspection.
4. “Pump” (1989)
If in 1987, it may have looked like they were chasing the herd, but by the release of “Pump,” every rock band with platinum-selling ambitions was copying them. Aerosmith had found the key to the charts.
Unlike most of their contemporaries, however, their mix of pop, rock, and blues works. Dare I say, even though they use third-party songwriters, all of the songs sound sincere.
That’s most of the songs either deal with love, lust, or a combination of the two. “Love in an Elevator,” “and “The Other Side” are a combination of the two.
But, to my surprise, it’s when dealing with a serious topic that Aerosmith does best. “Janie’s Got a Gun,” a song about sexual abuse, is one of the finest moments that the Boston band has ever laid to tape.
3. “Nine Lives” (1997)
The times had changed, and some of Aerosmith’s charm with the record-buying public had waned. Despite this, “Nine Lives” was a relative commercial failure while being one of Aerosmith’s finest albums.
Being Aerosmith had blossomed into an industry during the decade since their re-emergence. This meant that the band knew what it had to do.
Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees),” “Pink,” and “Hole in My Soul” are written as clear, potential singles. Only “Pink” achieved the desired commercial effect.
However, “Nine Lives” features a brilliant mix of melodic sounds, psychedelia, and hard rock. Steven Tyler, in particular, is in fine form, presenting himself as a sort of Rock Trickster.
“The Farm” and “Crash” sound like demented letters from the band’s past. “Taste of India” is colorful and spicy. Meanwhile, “Full Circle” and “Kiss Your Past Good-Bye” show that Aerosmith now had too many power ballads than they knew what to do with.
“Nine Lives” doesn’t have the energy of old and is a bit of a compromise in places, but it still provides some incredible moments effortlessly.
2. “Toys in the Attic” (1975)
After all their hard work, Aerosmith deserved an album like “Toys in the Attic.” More than any other record, this showcases the band’s unique personality. Steven Tyler and the band love only one thing more than rock n’ roll naughtiness. They love singing about it.
The band’s endless touring schedule is paying off on “Toys in the Attic.” All of the guitar riffs seem crafted for the arena stages. Even Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page might’ve looked with some envy at Joe Perry and Brad Whitford’s tectonic creations.
Furthermore, producer Jack Douglas provides the clean but menacing sound that many bands for which many bands would search their entire careers.
“Sweet Emotion,” “Walk This Way,” and “Toys in the Attic” will be familiar and dear to all fans of the band. But, I think that the band’s true spirit is captured in their cover of “Big Ten Inch Record.”
It’s easy to see why a good deal of discussions aiming to rank Aerosmith albums from best to worst begin with “Toys in the Attic.”
1. “Rocks” (1976)
Hard rock had become a big business by the mid-1970s. And Aerosmith announced itself as a crown challenger with “Rocks.” It’s the best Aerosmith album, and you don’t need either Slash or me to tell you that.
The secret is that Aerosmith is neither as smart nor as dumb as you think. Yes, they invest in big riff-based songs and power ballads. But they do it only when it suits them. Yes, they’re crafty about their work. But excessive sonic experimentation is practically guaranteed.
“Back in the Saddle,” “Last Child,” and “Nobody’s Fault” are all brilliant. The latter is my favorite Aerosmith song.
The interplay between Joe Perry’s riffs and Steven Tyler’s masterful, dramatic tenor voice would be mimicked by bands for generations. In fact, bands have ripped off Aerosmith much more than Aerosmith ripped off The Roling Stones or The Yardbirds.
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