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All rights reserved.Classics Live - Aerosmith (CD 1993)
Aerosmith CLASSICS LIVE!...round one (Aerosmith w/o)Review created: 03/22/03
by: deadmilkboy -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
There are some moments of sheer energy and dynamics.
There are some moments of sheer energy and dynamics.
Cons:
They aren't all from the original band, and a few live songs falter.
They aren't all from the original band, and a few live songs falter.
INTRODUCTION
Hello, everybody. This is John Bishop typing, the DeadMilkboy of Epinions.com. Before I launch into the following review, I d like to mention that this is part of a series of reviews I m writing based on one of the greatest American rock n roll bands in history, AEROSMITH! I d like to thank Aerocat (another Arizona native, bless her soul) for giving me the chance to do something other than write reviews of classic B-movies and current CD/DVD releases, and besides AEROSMITH F*CKING ROCKS! Posted here is the URL to Aerocat s official Epinions.com Aerosmith Write-Off page, and a list of names of other hopeful Aero Force fellas and freaks joining me in the write-off. For reference purposes, I got the lyrics and and quotations/information from www.rockthisway.de and aerosmithlyrics.homestead.com.
URL: http://aerowriteoff.bravepages
MEMBERS: Aerocat, hipyx, matta75, thevoid99, deaser26, netnut746, pt-paratroopa, pmills1210, pearl-drum-man, jeff_wilder78, kcfoxy, fartzarellah, sparkospunky, joubert, mattbjorke, shilmafone, donignacio, ned1, fuche_bu, and frostiepekkle.
CLASSICS LIVE!
Following the release of what may be the ultimate Aerosmith concert album, 1978 s LIVE! BOOTLEG, Aerosmith would lose Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. They were replaced by Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay. I stress this because the 1986 Columbia Records release CLASSICS LIVE! spans 1977-1983 for a total of seven live tracks, and the many songs featured were already heard in top form versions on LIVE! BOOTLEG. The difference here is that these songs have been digitally mastered, polished, and prepared for mass consumption.
What kind of sucks the most is that Aerosmith never had any say in the songs and live performances which were used on record (most of the songs are recorded from their second coming in the early 1980s), and that the album runs 37 minutes long with 9 tracks. Instead of releasing two separate live albums (CLASSICS LIVE! 2 followed in 1987), Columbia would ve been better off combining key tracks for a double-LP set a la LIVE! BOOTLEG.
But maybe I m making an unfair assumption. The sum of the parts is more important in determining the critical fate of the album, and here I go with my track-by-track:
Train Kept A Rollin
The train kept a rollin' all night long with rock-n-roll, that you can not kill, it will live forever... is here again.
So Steven Tyler introduces this version of that classic 70s concert staple, which really has a fat electric rhythm and plenty of audience participation. More than that, the guitar solos really soar on this track, and I think Joe Perry played on this one. The majority of the songs were taken from a February 1984 performance at the Orpheum, I believe, with Joe and Brad still out of the band. So onto the next song. So far, so good.
Kings And Queens
Wasn t featured on any live album release before and after, which is nice to hear. The song is a vengeful ballad about giving your life for religion or politics, only stripped down to its live elements, without that discordant string arrangement on record. And Steven Tyler s vocals sound excellent as always when placed next to the guitar onslaught.
Sweet Emotion
Breaking out the talk box, this version opens with a nice groove and harmony, then kicks into a balls-out rocker with considerable drum work by Joey Kramer and Tyler rocking the mic like only he can. I always enjoyed the a**-kicking coda at the end of this song, but I can tell that Joe Perry wasn t onstage performing this song, and maybe you can too.
Dream On
This is perhaps also recorded from the show that produced the live version of Sweet Emotion we heard here. Whenever I hear this song live, it mostly sounds like an electric re-imagination of the classic ballad, and here were treated to Jimmy Crespo bending and pulling his guitar like mad. Steven Tyler holds his own vocally, and even sounds as if he s going to break down near the end of the song (he sings Sing for the tear instead of Sing for the year ). You like this song?
Mama Kin
Let s go back to sleepin late and suckin tea (or smokin tea, or suckin weed, or anything else Steven Tyler recommends). The way I see it, you got to say sh*t/But don t forget to drop me a line. This live version is stellar, although it loses that intro we hear on the studio version, instead being a straightforward killer. Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay do a nice job giving the song its nice, distorted rhythm. And just hear the f*ckin crowd go wild!
Three Mile Smile/Reefer Head Woman
A selection from NIGHT IN THE RUTS, here is another great surprise for a live album. Jimmy Crespo s solo sounds pretty good here, although the band doesn t go all the way through their second song, only performing a minute of it. But it still sounds great, even if it seems sloppy.
Lord Of The Thighs
I believe this song can t go wrong whenever performed live, but the version heard here lacks that syncopated bass/guitar/vocal groove I heard in the LIVE! BOOTLEG version, instead just offering a hard electric shuffle which runs on for two minutes straight. I can t help but feel happy the show s over for some strange reason.
Major Barbra
Steven Tyler wrote this song, which is an outtake from GET YOUR WINGS meant to be placed on ROCKS. Included here, it s meant to simply reel in the collectors. Tyler sounds good here, as does Joe Perry and Joey Kramer on their respective instruments, but this is hardly a gem. The title character is a down-on-her luck farmer: Major Barbra sits in the field/ And waits for her crops to grow/She sits in a chair that she made outta wood/So many, many years ago Major why won't they grow/You've given them water and hope/Major why won't they grow.
Well, my overall view on CLASSICS LIVE! is that of some kind of letdown. Despite actually improving on the quality of the live performances sound wise, the performance offers more to be desired. I enjoyed the first couple live songs, as well as Mama Kin, but the remaining four live performances are weaker than anything heard on LIVE! BOOTLEG or LITTLE SOUTH OF SANITY. It s only essential for the die-hard Aerosmith fans, and even they might notice a few of the flaws.
Hello, everybody. This is John Bishop typing, the DeadMilkboy of Epinions.com. Before I launch into the following review, I d like to mention that this is part of a series of reviews I m writing based on one of the greatest American rock n roll bands in history, AEROSMITH! I d like to thank Aerocat (another Arizona native, bless her soul) for giving me the chance to do something other than write reviews of classic B-movies and current CD/DVD releases, and besides AEROSMITH F*CKING ROCKS! Posted here is the URL to Aerocat s official Epinions.com Aerosmith Write-Off page, and a list of names of other hopeful Aero Force fellas and freaks joining me in the write-off. For reference purposes, I got the lyrics and and quotations/information from www.rockthisway.de and aerosmithlyrics.homestead.com.
URL: http://aerowriteoff.bravepages
MEMBERS: Aerocat, hipyx, matta75, thevoid99, deaser26, netnut746, pt-paratroopa, pmills1210, pearl-drum-man, jeff_wilder78, kcfoxy, fartzarellah, sparkospunky, joubert, mattbjorke, shilmafone, donignacio, ned1, fuche_bu, and frostiepekkle.
CLASSICS LIVE!
Following the release of what may be the ultimate Aerosmith concert album, 1978 s LIVE! BOOTLEG, Aerosmith would lose Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. They were replaced by Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay. I stress this because the 1986 Columbia Records release CLASSICS LIVE! spans 1977-1983 for a total of seven live tracks, and the many songs featured were already heard in top form versions on LIVE! BOOTLEG. The difference here is that these songs have been digitally mastered, polished, and prepared for mass consumption.
What kind of sucks the most is that Aerosmith never had any say in the songs and live performances which were used on record (most of the songs are recorded from their second coming in the early 1980s), and that the album runs 37 minutes long with 9 tracks. Instead of releasing two separate live albums (CLASSICS LIVE! 2 followed in 1987), Columbia would ve been better off combining key tracks for a double-LP set a la LIVE! BOOTLEG.
But maybe I m making an unfair assumption. The sum of the parts is more important in determining the critical fate of the album, and here I go with my track-by-track:
Train Kept A Rollin
The train kept a rollin' all night long with rock-n-roll, that you can not kill, it will live forever... is here again.
So Steven Tyler introduces this version of that classic 70s concert staple, which really has a fat electric rhythm and plenty of audience participation. More than that, the guitar solos really soar on this track, and I think Joe Perry played on this one. The majority of the songs were taken from a February 1984 performance at the Orpheum, I believe, with Joe and Brad still out of the band. So onto the next song. So far, so good.
Kings And Queens
Wasn t featured on any live album release before and after, which is nice to hear. The song is a vengeful ballad about giving your life for religion or politics, only stripped down to its live elements, without that discordant string arrangement on record. And Steven Tyler s vocals sound excellent as always when placed next to the guitar onslaught.
Sweet Emotion
Breaking out the talk box, this version opens with a nice groove and harmony, then kicks into a balls-out rocker with considerable drum work by Joey Kramer and Tyler rocking the mic like only he can. I always enjoyed the a**-kicking coda at the end of this song, but I can tell that Joe Perry wasn t onstage performing this song, and maybe you can too.
Dream On
This is perhaps also recorded from the show that produced the live version of Sweet Emotion we heard here. Whenever I hear this song live, it mostly sounds like an electric re-imagination of the classic ballad, and here were treated to Jimmy Crespo bending and pulling his guitar like mad. Steven Tyler holds his own vocally, and even sounds as if he s going to break down near the end of the song (he sings Sing for the tear instead of Sing for the year ). You like this song?
Mama Kin
Let s go back to sleepin late and suckin tea (or smokin tea, or suckin weed, or anything else Steven Tyler recommends). The way I see it, you got to say sh*t/But don t forget to drop me a line. This live version is stellar, although it loses that intro we hear on the studio version, instead being a straightforward killer. Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay do a nice job giving the song its nice, distorted rhythm. And just hear the f*ckin crowd go wild!
Three Mile Smile/Reefer Head Woman
A selection from NIGHT IN THE RUTS, here is another great surprise for a live album. Jimmy Crespo s solo sounds pretty good here, although the band doesn t go all the way through their second song, only performing a minute of it. But it still sounds great, even if it seems sloppy.
Lord Of The Thighs
I believe this song can t go wrong whenever performed live, but the version heard here lacks that syncopated bass/guitar/vocal groove I heard in the LIVE! BOOTLEG version, instead just offering a hard electric shuffle which runs on for two minutes straight. I can t help but feel happy the show s over for some strange reason.
Major Barbra
Steven Tyler wrote this song, which is an outtake from GET YOUR WINGS meant to be placed on ROCKS. Included here, it s meant to simply reel in the collectors. Tyler sounds good here, as does Joe Perry and Joey Kramer on their respective instruments, but this is hardly a gem. The title character is a down-on-her luck farmer: Major Barbra sits in the field/ And waits for her crops to grow/She sits in a chair that she made outta wood/So many, many years ago Major why won't they grow/You've given them water and hope/Major why won't they grow.
Well, my overall view on CLASSICS LIVE! is that of some kind of letdown. Despite actually improving on the quality of the live performances sound wise, the performance offers more to be desired. I enjoyed the first couple live songs, as well as Mama Kin, but the remaining four live performances are weaker than anything heard on LIVE! BOOTLEG or LITTLE SOUTH OF SANITY. It s only essential for the die-hard Aerosmith fans, and even they might notice a few of the flaws.
Review ID: 10000000000210804
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