The “ROCKS” LP is the best Aerosmith record of them all—that’s my position and I am sticking to it. Sure, many hard core Aerosmith fans dismiss the modern era Desmond Child-nurtured-candy-coated records as “too commercial” (one of my least favorite phrases), but like the new stuff or not, the key Aerosmith ingredients are all still there—the grooves, Joe Perry’s part hideous part beautiful guitar work (my man Anthony calls it “train wreck playing”), and of course Steven Tyler’s one-in-a-million voice. Out of every record they made, I’d take the Jack Douglas produced 1976 LP ROCKS to the proverbial desert island…
ROCKS starts off with the track “Back in the Saddle,” which combines a sick groove, horses hoofs and a genuine horse’s whinny in the intro—and the sound is so real, so authentic—ROCKS is an LP that says “fuck you” with a wink—the curveball is the combination snarl and attitude with really pretty little moments wound around grit and teeth that would make Nirvana proud. ROCKS is a very musical record—whoever assembled these arrangements was meticulous and gifted. The whole disc is full of amazing harmonies, intricate chord voicings, and an ingenious blend of voice and lead guitar melodies. ROCKS is far more than just another noisy, rebellious collection of trashy songs—there is truly great work here.
The tracks “Last Child” and “Rats in the Cellar” offer up more of the same—pretty layers, old style reverb, crazy grooves and killer Tyler vocals…which brings me to this Oprah interview of Steven Tyler—did we catch that on TV? First off, the interview takes place at Lake Sunapee, NH—I just missed getting carted off by the cops with a few friends there many years ago—but that’s another story…I found some of Oprah’s questions and her responses to Tyler’s answers bizarre, bordering on invasive and inappropriate—and at the same time I got a really shallow, disingenuous sense from Tyler’s dialogue. Watch the segment and see for yourself. It was awkward at best.
ROCKS was recorded in Waltham, MA in a cinder block warehouse (they referred to it as the “Wherehouse”) behind a dirty old hardware store called Moe Blacks. When my Grandpa Charlie would visit from New York City and fix stuff around my house, we would go to Moe Blacks together and buy the supplies we needed. Years later, I wound up working with a band called The Detours in Aerosmith’s old space, even shot some video footage there. Across the main road from Moe Blacks was a fire station, and at the end of “Last Child,” you can hear a siren wailing as the song fades…I think both the Wherehouse and Moe Blacks were slowly collapsing into damp, unstable ground—both buildings are long gone now replaced by modern development.

There is a little known song on the B-side called “Combination” that so reminds me of Extreme—like strong influence on almost a subconscious level. It’s the way the guitar and voice play off each other that remind me of Gary and Nuno. Great track! Then there is “Sick as a Dog,” which is all Tyler (drums, bass, and vocals) and guitarist Brad Whitford. Tyler sings a perfect 4th (F# under B {above middle C}) with an E in the bass—it’s pop but it’s nasty! The record finishes up with Nobody’s Fault, Get the Lead Out, Lick and a Promise and a Tyler-penned ballad at the end called Home Tonight. ROCKS is the pinnacle of genuine Aerosmith before bullshit digital recording conquered the world and watered down rock and roll irreparably. Download the songs at your own risk—this music was meant to be played on LP and don’t be shy with the throttle.