Rocks - Aerosmith (CD 1993)

How do you review an album that had such a major impact on your musical taste? It's kind of tough to not just shamelessly heap tons of praise on it, but I'm going to be as objective as possible. For me, Rocks came out at the perfect time in my life. I can still picture it. It was 1976, and I was in junior high. Now, if you think back to that time in your life, we were all trying to decide what was cool and what wasn't. That was very important for a 13 year old, who was trying hard to find himself, and come up with an identity.

For better or worse, I turned out to be a rocker/partier (is that an actual word?) all the way through high school and slightly beyond. This all came complete with the standard uniform. You know, long hair, bellbottoms and rock T-shirts, and a major attitude, yup that was me. The music was loud, heavy, rebellious, suggestive and all those other things my parents hated, which at the time suited me perfectly. Of course, in the last 25 years the look and attitude have changed radically, but the music still remains.

Aerosmith not only defined an era for me, but they seem to give new definition to the word survivor. From their humble beginnings when the band formed in New Hampshire in 1970, they endured constant touring, bickering, members leaving and returning, drug and alcohol addiction, and a constantly changing music scene. Not only did they survive it all, but they remain a relevant force in music today. How many 30-year-old bands can make that claim?

Rocks represents the band at the peak of its musical power. The first three albums showed definite flashes of brilliance, but this is the album that brought it all together, and influenced so many bands that came after. The pounding pulse of the rhythm section, the brilliant guitar work, and stellar vocals all came together perfectly to create the ultimate Aerosmith album.

The album opens with Back in the Saddle, which at the time was their biggest hit, and eventually became a staple as the opening song for most of their live sets. The intro dramatically building up to a crescendo, climaxing with Steven Tyler screaming I'm baaaaaacckk!, makes it the perfect song to open a concert, and this album.

Last Child was another hit for the band. Guitarist Joe Perry provides a nasty, funky riff that goes perfectly with Tyler's gritty lyrics, "Hate's in the city, and my love's in the meadow. Hand's on the plow, and my feet's in the ghetto" to drive this tune home.

Rat's in the Cellar picks up the pace with enough power to blow a hole through a concrete wall. It always sounded to me like this song was a duet, with Tyler trading vocals back and forth with another member of the band, but no one else gets vocal credit. Maybe he's doing both parts, but he sure had me fooled.

I guess if this album had a weak point, Combination would be it. Not a bad tune really. It just lacked the power of the rest of the album, and seemed a little out of place. Especially, following the raging fury of 'Rats'.

Things pick up again with Sick as a Dog which is soaring melodic rocker, with some clever, amusing lyrics. But, for me it merely serves as a fade-in intro to my all-time favorite Aerosmith tune .

Nobody's Fault. This song still gives me the chills when I hear it. To this day, it remains the most powerful track (in my opinion) that the band has ever recorded. It's all perfect. The driving rhythm, stellar guitar attack, and a true test for Tyler's vocal range. I've seen them in concert 7 times, and unfortunately I've never seen them do it live.

Get the Lead Out is a signature full-tilt boogie tune in the vein of Same Old Song and Dance from their Get Your Wings album. It's unremarkable, but damn fun to listen too.

Lick and a Promise strikes me as a tune the Stones would do if they turned up a few decibels.

Home Tonight had to be put on this album, because Aerosmith are the undisputed kings of the power ballad, and that's a big responsibility. Songs like this are the reason butane lighters were invented.

For those of you who are as familiar with this band as I am, dust off your old copy of this album. You'll be surprised at how well it hold up after all these years. For those of you who like hard rock, but never heard this album (yeah right). Stop what you're doing, turn off the computer, go to the music store and buy it. Like the title says, it Rocks.