Artist: Aerosmith
Label: Columbia Records
Release: 1976
Rocks is without a doubt the purest “distillation” of real hard rock, the record that finally crowns Aerosmith as the greatest American rock band of the seventies. That raw, gritty energy, leaning hard on old blues phrases, has you reaching for a beer in its new “flying” getup and getting down and dirty with your better half until you pass out. In short, music that turns you into a different person. A more depraved kind, probably; but fuck it, that’s rock & roll! Tyler and co. know it, too, because from the opening eruption of Back In The Saddle on, they never let you slip away from their wicked intentions. Not until you’re completely wrung out and slumped in some corner of your little room, grateful to the boys for every second of rocker ecstasy, like a bashful schoolgirl who’s just lost her innocence and is eagerly screaming: “more”!!
The album opens with the hard-rocking masterpiece Back In The Saddle, penned by the wicked duo of Tyler – Perry. The two guys deliver a proper explosion of wild blues rock rhythms mixed with perverse guitar rhetoric, which, working hand in hand with a tight rhythm section, is downright murderous. Steven keeps pouring oil on the fire of this whole circus with his trademark uncompromising, rasping shrieks, cranking the temperature up even higher right from the start. Next comes the fluid funk number Last Child, with its sneaky Brad Whitford riff, definitely one of the better Aerosmith songs, where Brad’s “bad ass” boogie rock solo effectively keeps the heavily emphasized funk elements from sliding into pointless wildness. Overall, his contribution on Rocks is more influential, his playing sounds confident, and he competes with Perry’s usually dominant “sawing” without any trouble. The latter “strikes back” with Rats In The Cellar, whose title is also a kind of funny answer to Toys In The Attic, except there’s nothing funny about the song itself, because it’s a venomous and therefore all the more dangerous piece, perfectly spiced with Steven Tyler’s harmonica. How it all turns out stripped of his influence is nicely demonstrated by Combination, a solo Perry creation whose simple, hugely infectious rhythm keeps echoing for a long time in your ears, filthy from all the “dirt.” Of course, it’s precisely this grime that’s the draw in this kind of rock & roll, simply something that’s very hard to describe in words. The music does the talking. The prerequisite for the success of this “lecture” is a high level of energy and quality performance, which, with Tyler’s professional approach, considered one of the best in the business, seems almost a given.
Tom Hamilton also earns his well-deserved moment on the album with Sick As A Dog. Along with Bill Wyman, he’s probably considered one of the least conspicuous bassists, but, as far as the “aero” sound goes, all the more indispensable. His simple, easygoing melodic bass line keeps urging you to follow the proceedings closely, while in its modesty constantly reminding you of how important his contribution is. A lovely showcase of how effective a simple, sensibly used idea can be, one that effortlessly sweeps aside any of the all-too-common musical “embellishment.” When Nobody’s Fault puts an end to the melodicism, this Whitford creation brings in the album’s “darkest” moment. An atypical song for Aerosmith, but all the more interesting for it, it reveals a new musical aspect in all its “negativity” and once again points out how important the Tyler – Perry partnership is to the band’s identity! With Get The Lead Out the duo gets things back to the old form, which reaches its peak with Lick And A Promise. The only weak spot on this excellent album is the completely unnecessary Home Tonight, with which Tyler (as he’ll try many more times later on) unsuccessfully chases a new Dream On formula. A waste of space, but one that by no means manages to spoil the more-than-excellent impression, which is why Rocks is today considered one of the greatest rock albums of all time!
Lineup
Steven Tyler: vocals
Joe Perry: guitar
Brad Whitford: guitar
Tom Hamilton: bass
Joey Kramer: drums
Production
Jack Douglas
Tracklist
1.Back In The Saddle
2.Last Child
3.Rats In The Cellar
4.Combination
5.Sick As A Dog
6.Nobody’s Fault
7.Get The Lead Out
8.Lick And A Promise
9.Home Tonight
Album length: 34.31
