Classics Live II - Aerosmith (CD 1993)

I think Aerosmith is definitely in my top ten as far as rock bands go. They're behind the likes of The Stones, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Sabbath (I kind of lump Ozzy in with Sabbath because although he's awesome by himself, his best stuff was with Sabbath, likewise Sabbath's best was with Ozzy singing). After that, for me anyway, it's kind of a toss up. The Beatles (sorry, but I rate them lower because of Ringo, but I suppose they'd probably be number 6), Van Halen, Guns 'N Roses (even though they don't really have the longevity factor, they're still up there for me), and maybe Metallica are all up there somewhere with Aerosmith for me. My top 5 are set in stone, but after that I don't know. Aerosmith are one of the bands after my top 5, pretty much where they probably deserve to be. There old music is classic, but I think their newer stuff gives me mixed reactions. Their sappy newer songs aren't as good to me, but they do have some newer songs that I rock like Eat The Rich, Dude Looks Like A Lady, and Just Push Play (I know some of these aren't really new anymore, but I guess I consider everything from Done With Mirrors on their newer stuff).

They came out with Classics Live which is a good live album, then they came out with Classics Live II. I wish they could've just packaged the two together since Live II pretty much is a continuation of the first one. But you don't always get what you want. Oh well, if you're a Aerosmith fan, you need this one in your collection. It's a good album that'll make you want more. And it has the old Aerosmith that I love. It starts out with great versions of Back In The Saddle and Walk This Way. Then comes a song I think I've only heard a couple of times, Movin' Out. It's definitely a cool song and I'm glad the overlooked song was added in this little collection. Then come excellent renditions of Draw The Line, Same Old Song And Dance, and Last Child. Next is a song I'm pretty sure I've never heard of. Let The Music Do The Talking, originally done by Joe Perry's side band, is alright, not great, but good. They finish off strong with Toys In The Attic, my favorite track from the album. It rocks pretty hard. Overall, this album is about the same as the first Classics album as far as how good it is. I don't think they overlap on songs so that's why I kinda think that they should've released them together as one collection. The music is pretty cool, though, as are Steven Tyler's ripping vocals. The only things I can say bad about the album are that the bass is a little weak in the mix and the length is a little short (just like the first Classics, it times out at only 38 minutes). Nevertheless, Aerosmith fans will need to have this and the first one in their collection, and casual fans will enjoy hearing the live tunes just because Steven is a little more raw vocally than he usually is on the studio albums.