Pandora's Box [Box] - Aerosmith (CD 1997)

I ll start right off by saying that Pandora s Box is probably not a good buy for a casual fan, unless that casual fan is filthy rich. The casual Aerosmith fan would probably be better off buying one of their more famous studio albums or a greatest-hits compilation. While Pandora s Box does contain its fair share of big hits, the wealth of studio outtakes, live recordings, and unreleased odds and sods makes it more of a purchase for the hardcore fan.

Personally, I consider myself to be a fairly hardcore Aerosmith fan--I mean, they ARE my favorite band. Therefore, I could justify shelling out the 53 dollars for this 3-CD box set. I COULD have waited until I could get to Best Buy and purchase it for only 36 dollars--but I just don t have that kind of patience. Price aside, these 3 CDs are simply a must-have for any Aerosmith collector.

The first CD is what I refer to as the early stuff . Here, one of the things you ll find is a recording by Steven Tyler s old band Chain Reaction called When I Needed You, which is of historical significance only, as the song is really quite lame. I mean, Steven himself even says so in the 36-page booklet included: it s a pretty lame song. Good thing he hooked up with that Aerosmith band; Chain Reaction wasn t going anywhere. Seven of the tracks from Aerosmith s self-titled debut are included on this first disc as well, making the album itself kind of a pointless inclusion to your Aerosmith collection, unless you re like me and own it anyway, just because it s Aerosmith and you gotta have it. The simplistic riff of Mama Kin, the opening chords of Dream On, the bluesy shuffle of the great underrated One Way Street--all makes you feel rather nostalgic if you were alive in 73. Unfortunately, I wasn t alive in 1973, so it just makes me feel like listening to really good music. Selections from Get Your Wings, the band s second studio album, are included as well--the bombast of the Yardbird s cover Train Kept A Rollin , the bluesy irony of Same Old Song And Dance, and the enchanting, affecting ballad of Seasons Of Wither all included, as well as a few others. Disc 1 is full of great music, yes, but there s little that you can t find on another Aerosmith CD, save for the drugged-up recording of On The Road Again (drummer Joey Kramer remarks in the booklet I have no recollection of the recording of it. Needless to say where I was at the time. ) and the aforementioned Chain Reaction track.

Disc 2 is full of stuff from the band s third (and probably most famous) studio LP, Toys In The Attic (among other stuff, of course). Again, eight out of nine tracks from that album are here, so the album becomes essential only if you really want to pay 15 dollars to hear Uncle Salty. Fortunately, as the Aerosmith completist I am, Toys In The Attic is a must-buy. You ll find the high-pitched whine of the title track, the crunchy rock of Round And Round, the orchestral ballad You See Me Crying (which is, might I add, significantly better than that OTHER orchestral ballad the band recorded), and two of the biggest hits of the band s career, the funk-ified Walk This Way and the killer bass chug of Sweet Emotion. Also, some tracks from their fourth album, Rocks, are included. The rarities here are better than the first disc, though. Among them are a live recording of the classic Big Ten Inch Record, a great unreleased cover track called All Your Love, and Soul Saver, an instrumental that was the beginnings of the thundering masterpiece Nobody s Fault. The most notable unreleased track is Krawhitham, though--an instrumental jam from drummer Joey Kramer, bassist Tom Hamilton, and rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford, proving that these guys are really important to Aerosmith and the band is more than (but not excluding, of course) Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. Says Whitford, That s the sound of Joey, Tom, and I entertaining ourselves during the DRAW THE LINE sessions while we were waiting for Steven and Joe to wake up and get their s**t together. Echoes Hamilton, Usually those two didn t even come down from upstairs.

Disc 3 contains more rarities and bonus tracks than the other two CDs. There s a live performance of the religious-political ballad Kings And Queens. There s a weird jam entitled I Live In Connecticut--says Joe Perry, On a boxed set there s room for some weird stuff, I guess. Let It Slide is the humble beginnings of Cheese Cake, sort of like the Soul Saver/Nobody s Fault combo on the second CD. There s the unreleased hilarious tune Downtown Charlie, described by Perry as a drunken jam . Some solo work is included as well--there s a song made by Brad Whitford during his early-eighties departure with his new project with Ted Nugent guitarist Derek St. Holmes (the band was aptly called Whitford/St. Holmes), entitled Sharpshooter. South Station Blues is from Joe Perry s aptly titled Joe Perry Project, from the period when he, too, left Aerosmith. It s preceded by yet another Perry jam, the 36-second S**t House Shuffle. Riff And Roll is another great unreleased track, as Joey Kramer himself will tell you: Always thought it was a great song, but we never got around to using it. As a matter of fact, I still like it. The previously unreleased Major Barbara and Beatles cover Helter Skelter round out the unreleased material on this CD. As for the stuff available on other albums, it contains classic tracks like Jailbait, Back In The Saddle, Beatles cover Come Together, and the exceptional lesson in Aerosmith history No Surprize, one of their great underrated songs.

What else could an Aerosmith fan ask for? There s a booklet detailing the history of the band, as well as containing lots of quotes from band members on some classic Aerosmith tracks and quotes from other rock and roll stars (Ted Nugent, Slash, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Page, etc.) on just what Aerosmith means to them. There s also three CDs of great material--thought out studio tracks, haphazard drunken jams, live performances, and stuff they just didn t get around to releasing. For the Aerosmith fanatic, or the person who needs something to buy after already purchasing all of the studio albums, Pandora s Box is something you can t go wrong with.

THE BAND

Steven Tyler : Vocals, harmonica, wood flute, keys, percussion
Joe Perry : Guitars, vocals
Brad Whitford : Rhythm guitar
Joey Kramer : Drums, percussion
Tom Hamilton : Bass

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS

David Woodford : Saxophone on Mama Kin
Michael Brecker : Tenor saxophone on Same Old Song And Dance and Pandora s Box
Stan Bronstein : Baritone sax on Same Old Song And Dance and Pandora s Box
Randy Brecker : Trumpet on Same Old Song And Dance
Joe Pearson : Trombone on Same Old Song And Dance
Scott Cushnie : Piano on No More No More and Critical Mass
Paul Prestopino : Banjo on Last Child
Jimmy Crespo : Guitars on Three Mile Smile and Jailbait
Derek St. Holmes : Guitar and vocals on Sharpshooter
Dave Hewitt : Bass on Sharpshooter
Steve Pace : Drums on Sharpshooter
Charlie Farren : Rhythm guitar and vocals on South Station Blues
David Hull : Bass and vocals on South Station Blues
Ronnie Stewart : Drums and percussion on South Station Blues
Rick Dufay : Guitars on Jailbait

THE TRACKS

DISC 1

1. When I Needed You (unreleased Chain Reaction recording)
2. Make It (from AEROSMITH )
3. Movin Out (from AEROSMITH )
4. One Way Street (from AEROSMITH )
5. On The Road Again (unreleased rehearsal pre-production jam)
6. Mama Kin (from AEROSMITH )
7. Same Old Song And Dance (from GET YOUR WINGS )
8. Train Kept A Rollin (from GET YOUR WINGS )
9. Seasons Of Wither (from GET YOUR WINGS )
10. Write Me A Letter (unreleased live version)
11. Dream On (from AEROSMITH )
12. Pandora s Box (from GET YOUR WINGS )
13. Rattlesnake Shake (live radio broadcast, WKRQ, Cincinnati)
14. Walkin The Dog (live radio broadcast, WKRQ, Cincinnati)
15. Lord Of The Thighs ( TEXXAS JAM live recording)

DISC 2

1. Toys In The Attic (from TOYS IN THE ATTIC )
2. Round And Round (from TOYS IN THE ATTIC )
3. Krawhitham (previously unreleased instrumental)
4. You See Me Crying (from TOYS IN THE ATTIC )
5. Sweet Emotion (from TOYS IN THE ATTIC )
6. No More No More (from TOYS IN THE ATTIC )
7. Walk This Way (from TOYS IN THE ATTIC )
8. I Wanna Know Why ( TEXXAS JAM live recording)
9. Big Ten-Inch Record ( TEXXAS JAM live recording)
10. Rats In The Cellar (from ROCKS )
11. Last Child (from ROCKS )
12. All Your Love (previously unreleased)
13. Soul Saver (previously unreleased rehearsal)
14. Nobody s Fault (from ROCKS )
15. Lick And A Promise (from ROCKS )
16. Adam s Apple (unreleased live version)
17. Draw The Line (from DRAW THE LINE )
18. Critical Mass (from DRAW THE LINE )

DISC 3

1. Kings And Queens (unreleased live version)
2. Milkcow Blues (from DRAW THE LINE )
3. I Live In Connecticut (previously unreleased)
4. Three Mile Smile (from NIGHT IN THE RUTS )
5. Let It Slide (previously unreleased)
6. Cheese Cake (from NIGHT IN THE RUTS )
7. Bone To Bone (from NIGHT IN THE RUTS )
8. No Surprize (from NIGHT IN THE RUTS )
9. Come Together (from GREATEST HITS )
10. Downtown Charlie (unreleased jam)
11. Sharpshooter (from WHITFORD/ST. HOLMES )
12. S**t House Shuffle (previously unreleased)
13. South Station Blues (from Joe Perry Project s I GOT THE ROCK AND ROLLS AGAIN )
14. Riff And Roll (unreleased jam)
15. Jailbait (from ROCK IN A HARD PLACE )
16. Major Barbara (previously unreleased alternate version)
17. Chip Away The Stone (from GEMS )
18. Helter Skelter (previously unreleased)
19. Back In The Saddle (from ROCKS )
20. Bonus track - untitled instrumental