Easter, 2001. I was at my grandparents' house hunting for Easter eggs. I come in to find a basket of some goodies on my grandma's couch for me from "the Easter bunny" (of course, not real, like Santa and Slash.) Inside this basket was the album that would rock my world and make me a loyal Aerosmith fan..."Rocks." I was very stoked that day I got that album because it was one of their albums I did not have in my collection yet (I had "Toys in the Attic", "Get Your Wings", and their "Greatest Hits" record.) Another reason I was stoked was because it had my favorite Aerosmith song (and still my favorite to this day), "Back in the Saddle", on the album. But, little was I to know what kind of record this was going to be. I put it on my Discman (yeah, THAT long ago. I'm fucking old.) and first off was "Back in the Saddle." With it's dirty groove, killer riffing, and primal vocals, it really grabbed my 10 year old balls and shook 'em all up! And boy, it felt great! But, after that song, I was about to get my ass handed to me much more...in fact, it would be eight times more since "Saddle" that my ass would be handed to me. "Last Child," well, I definitely heard that many times before, and it wasn't a huge favorite of mine as a kid because I found it to be too funky. But, as I grew older, that song was as sexy and funky as ever...and I LIKED IT. It is such a sleazy song that just moves you and grooves you all the way through. Then, "Child" leads into a song that really kicked my ass hard, and it was my first time hearing this tune...the tune, you may ask? "Rats in the Cellar." Apparently, the song is supposed to be somewhat of a followup to "Toys in the Attic." But, it is apparently about a drug dealer, which I honestly don't know how, lyrically, it can be a followup to "Toys." Musically though, I can definitely see why it would be a followup to "Toys." Such a high energy, hard rocking tune with a killer ending too that has a real nasty riff to it. It is still one of my favorite Aerosmith tunes to this day. Then, there is "Combination." That riff is as dirty, sleazy, and righteous as you can get. I fucking LOVE this riff. Honestly, I LOVE this song. When I first heard it, obviously, I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. "Walkin' on Gucci, wearing Yves St. Laurent. Barely stay on, because I'm so god-damn gaunt." I had no clue what that meant. But, again, as I grew older and really looked at lyrics and understood what they meant, I realized that they were talking about having enough money now to get their rocks off, and more importantly, to get loaded as fuck (which, in their heyday, they did on a regular basis.) I loved how on that tune, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler sang together, which made it that much better. The music on that song is just killer, with a dirty groove that is raw and real. Next up is "Sick as a Dog." One of the two ballads on the record, although this song is more upbeat than the other. The lyrics, well, I was quite surprised to hear that they were about Tyler's first meeting with Mick Jagger, which did not go so hot. I thought that another thing that was cool about this tune was that the band members, save for Joey Kramer (an extremely underrated drummer, in my opinion.) and Brad Whitford, their rhythm guitarist. Tyler played bass and sang, obviously. Tom Hamilton, their bassist, played guitar and bass. Perry also played guitar and bass. Those guys would play a certain instrument during one part and then another at another part (don't know the exact parts off the top of my head at the moment.) It really is a beautiful song with a rocking end that leads into the 2nd most kick ass song on the album..."Nobody's Fault." Starting out with drugged-out drones of guitar, fading in and out, and then...the song kicks in full force with a heavy fucking riff courtesy of Mr. Whitford (who seemed to have wrote more of the heavier tunes for the band.) The lyrics were about an apocalypse of sorts, and are sung in anger by Tyler, whom you would think would have been a victim of the apocalypse, the last man standing. The song is easily Aerosmith's heaviest, and is my second favorite tune of theirs. Then, there is "Get the Lead Out," a number that would get you on the floor and grooving. The nasty ass riff, courtesy of Joesph Perry, is one of his best. It just drives that whole damn song, which is as dirty and sexy as ever. Even if it is their weakest song on their record, it still kicks ass. "Lick and a Promise" is a tune about life on the road and has some killer drumming from Kramer. The song is typical Aerosmith: killer riffing, primal screaming, and grooves all around. Last, but not least, is the best Aerosmith ballad ever (don't you DARE fucking say "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," cause I would certainly not want to miss kicking your ass) in "Home Tonight." Seriously, what a beautiful song it is, again, about being on the road for so long and missing your lady or family at home, but knowing you will be seeing them real soon. Featuring Perry on steel guitar, the music is very nice and elegant and can really move me. I always get goosebumps listening to this song, especially the ending. After that song ended, my ten year old ears did not know what to do or what to think. But, I KNEW after hearing that album that I had never heard anything like that album before. The album was so raunchy, raw, dirty, sexy, and nasty. The record had swagger written all over it, and still does. No band could have as much swagger as Aerosmith, and no other album could have as much swagger as "Rocks." This album is celebrating its 35th anniversary this month, which is nuts to know it has been out that long! It is definitely an album that does not sound the least bit dated, which is even more amazing. This album has been favorited by people like Slash, Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue, James Hetfield of Metallica, Dan Spitz of Anthrax, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, and even Kurt Cobain. Every metal and hard rock best of list includes this record very high on the lists. In fact, Rolling Stone (a magazine that is not so hard rocking and metal) voted this as the 176th best album of all time out of 500 albums. Needless to say, this album has been highly influential in the hard rock and metal community. It has been quite influential to me for sure, solidifying my love for Aerosmith, along with their 70s catalog, which is by near and far, my favorite era of the band. The drugs, the debauchery, the madness: it was all in that era of the band. What better album to hear that debauchery and madness than "Rocks," the album that rocked my ten year old world and still does to this day.
Album Info:
Released: May 1976
Recorded: February-March 1976 at the Wherehouse, Waltham, Mass. and the Record Plant, NYC.
Length: 34:31
Label: Columbia
Producer: Aerosmith and Jack Douglas
Billboard Hot 100 Highest Position: 3
Singles: "Last Child" (Billboard: 21)
"Home Tonight" (Billboard: 71)
"Back in the Saddle" (Billboard: 38)
Cerification: 4x Platinum (RIAA-USA, February 26, 2001)
Musicians:
Steven Tyler - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Percussion, Bass on "Sick as a Dog."
Joe Perry - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals, Co-Lead Vocals on "Combination", Bass Guitar on "Sick as a Dog", 6-String Bass Guitar on "Back in the Saddle."
Brad Whitford - Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar on "Last Child."
Tom Hamilton - Bass Guitar, Rhythm Guitar on "Sick as a Dog", Backing Vocals on "Home Tonight."
Joey Kramer - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals on "Home Tonight."
Paul Prestopino - Banjo on "Last Child"
Fun Fact:
This album was one of the first albums to ship platinum when it was released.
Choice Cuts:
ALL OF THE DAMN ALBUM IS GREAT. No song is better than the other. My personal favorites? "Back in the Saddle", "Combination", and "Nobody's Fault."
Do yourself a favor and check out this record as soon as you read this. This album is the most bitchin' album to ever be released. Peace and Cornbread,
Bonzo Brad
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