Biography by Stephen Thomas
Erlewine
Aerosmith was one of the most popular
hard rock bands of the '70s, setting the style and sound of
hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades with
their raunchy, bluesy swagger. The Boston-based quintet
found the middle ground between the menace of the Rolling
Stones and the campy, sleazy flamboyance of the New York
Dolls, developing a lean, dirty riff-oriented boogie that
was loose and swinging and as hard as a diamond.
In
the meantime, they developed a prototype for power ballads
with "Dream On," a piano ballad that was orchestrated with
strings and distorted guitars. Aerosmith's ability to pull
off both ballads and rock & roll made them extremely
popular during the mid-'70s, when they had a string of gold
and platinum albums. By the early '80s, the group's audience
had declined as the band fell prey to drug and alcohol
abuse. However, their career was far from over -- in the
late '80s, Aerosmith pulled off one of the most remarkable
comebacks in rock history, returning to the top of the
charts with a group of albums that equalled, if not
surpassed, the popularity of their '70s albums.
In
1970, the first incarnation of Aerosmith formed when
vocalist Steven Tyler met guitarist Joe Perry while working
at a Sunapee, NH, ice cream parlor. Tyler, who originally
was a drummer, and Perry decided to form a power trio with
bassist Tom Hamilton. The group soon expanded to a quartet,
adding a second guitarist called Ray Tabano; he was quickly
replaced by Brad Whitford, a former member of Earth Inc.
With the addition of drummer Joey Kramer, Tyler became the
full-time lead singer by the end of year. Aerosmith
relocated to Boston at the end of 1970.
After
playing clubs in the Massachusetts and New York areas for
two years, the group landed a record contract with Columbia
Records in 1972. Aerosmith's self-titled debut album was
released in the fall of 1973, climbing to number 166. "Dream
On" was released as the first single and it was a minor hit,
reaching number 59. For the next year, the band built a fan
base by touring America, supporting groups as diverse as the
Kinks, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Sha Na Na, and Mott the Hoople.
The performance of Get Your Wings (1974), the group's second
album and the first produced by Jack Douglas, benefited from
their constant touring, spending a total of 86 weeks on the
chart.
Aerosmith's third record, 1975's Toys in
the Attic, was their breakthrough album both commercially
and artistically. By the time it was recorded, the band's
sound had developed into a sleek, hard-driving hard rock
powered by simple, almost brutal, blues-based riffs. Many
critics at the time labeled the group as punk rockers, and
it's easy to see why -- instead of adhering to the
world-music pretensions of Led Zeppelin or the prolonged
gloomy mysticism of Black Sabbath, Aerosmith stripped heavy
metal to its basic core, spitting out spare riffs that not
only rocked, but rolled. Steven Tyler's lyrics were filled
with double entendres and clever jokes, and the entire band
had a streetwise charisma that separated them from the
heavy, lumbering arena rockers of the era. Toys in the Attic
captured the essence of the newly invigorated Aerosmith.
"Sweet Emotion," the first single from Toys in the Attic,
broke into the Top 40 in the summer of 1975, with the album
reaching number 11 shortly afterward. Its success prompted
the re-release of the power ballad "Dream On," which shot
into the Top Ten in early 1976. Both Aerosmith and Get Your
Wings climbed back up the charts in the wake of Toys in the
Attic. "Walk This Way," the final single from Toys in the
Attic, was released around the time of the group's new 1976
album, Rocks. Although it didn't feature a Top Ten hit like
"Walk This Way," Rocks went platinum quickly, peaking at
number three.
In early 1977, Aerosmith took a
break and prepared material for their fifth album. Released
late in 1977, Draw the Line was another hit, climbing to
number 11 on the U.S. charts, but it showed signs of
exhaustion. In addition to another tour in 1978, the band
appeared in the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,
performing "Come Together," which eventually became a number
23 hit. Live! Bootleg appeared late in 1978 and became
another success, reaching number 13. Aerosmith recorded
Night in the Ruts in 1979, releasing the record at the end
of the year. By the time of its release, Joe Perry had left
the band to form the Joe Perry Project. Night in the Ruts
performed respectably, climbing to number 14 and going gold,
yet it was the least successful Aerosmith record to date.
Brad Whitford left the group in early 1980, forming the
Whitsford-St. Holmes Band with former Ted Nugent guitarist
Derek St. Holmes.
As Aerosmith regrouped with new
guitarists Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay, the band released
Aerosmith's Greatest Hits in late 1980; the record would
eventually sell over six million copies. The new lineup of
Aerosmith released Rock in a Hard Place in 1982. Peaking at
number 32, it failed to match the performance of Night in
the Ruts. Perry and Whitford returned to the band in 1984
and the group began a reunion tour dubbed Back in the
Saddle. Early in the tour, Tyler collapsed on-stage,
offering proof that the band hadn't conquered their
notorious drug and alcohol addictions. The following year,
Aerosmith released Done with Mirrors, the original lineup's
first record since 1979 and their first for Geffen Records.
Although it didn't perform as well as Rock in a Hard Place,
the album showed that the band was revitalized.
After
the release of Done with Mirrors, Tyler and Perry completed
rehabilitation programs. In 1986, the pair appeared on
Run-D.M.C.'s cover of "Walk This Way," along with appearing
in the video. "Walk This Way" became a hit, reaching number
four and receiving saturation airplay on MTV. "Walk This
Way" set the stage for the band's full-scale comeback
effort, the Bruce Fairbairn-produced Permanent Vacation
(1987). Tyler and Perry collaborated with professional hard
rock songwriters like Holly Knight and Desmond Child,
resulting in the hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Rag
Doll," and "Angel." Permanent Vacation peaked at number 11
and sold over three million copies.
Pump,
released in 1989, continued the band's winning streak,
reaching number five, selling over four million copies, and
spawning the Top Ten singles "Love in an Elevator," "Janie's
Got a Gun," and "What It Takes." Aerosmith released Get a
Grip in 1993. Like Permanent Vacation and Pump, Get a Grip
was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and featured significant
contributions by professional songwriters. The album was as
successful as the band's previous two records, featuring the
hit singles "Livin' on the Edge," "Cryin'," and "Amazing."
In 1994, Aerosmith released Big Ones, a compilation of hits
from their Geffen years that fulfilled their contract with
the label; it went double platinum shortly after its
release.
While Aerosmith was at the height of
their revitalized popularity in the early '90s, the group
signed a lucrative multi-million dollar contract with
Columbia Records, even though they still owed Geffen two
albums. It wasn't until 1995 that the band was able to begin
working on their first record under the new contract --
nearly five years after the contract was signed. The making
of Aerosmith albums usually had been difficult affairs, but
the recording of Nine Lives was plagued with bad luck. The
band went through a number of producers and songwriters
before settling on Kevin Shirley in 1996. More damaging,
however, was the dismissal of the band's manager, Tim
Collins, who'd been responsible for bringing the band back
from the brink of addiction. Upon his firing, Collins
insinuated that Steven Tyler was using hard drugs again, an
allegation that Aerosmith adamantly denied.
Under such circumstances, recording became quite
difficult, and when Nine Lives finally appeared in the
spring of 1997, it was greeted with great anticipation, yet
the initial reviews were mixed and even though album debuted
at number one, it quickly fell down the charts. The live A
Little South of Sanity followed in 1998. Three years later,
Aerosmith strutted their stuff on the Super Bowl halftime
special on CBS with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Nelly, *N
Sync, and Britney Spears, just prior to issuing their
heart-stomping Just Push Play in March 2001. Next up for the
band was a blues album, Honkin' on Bobo, released in 2004,
along with two live album/DVDs, You Gotta Move and Rockin'
the Joint. Another greatest-hits collection, Devil's Got a
New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith arrived in
2006.Content provided All Music Guide. Copyright 2008
All Media Guide, LLC.
