Decisive · Hard Rock, Prog & Early Metal

Aerosmith

Boston five formed in 1970. Toys in the Attic (1975) and Rocks (1976) put syncopated hard-rock riffs on US FM; the 1986 Run-D.M.C. remake of Walk This Way and Permanent Vacation / Pump restored chart weight after the late-1970s collapse.

Aerosmith live, July 16 2014
Photographer via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 2.0Source →

Landmark

Walk This Way · 1975

Syncopated riff from Toys in the Attic; later remade by Run-D.M.C.

Opened

hard-rock

Boston blues-hard-rock riffs on 1970s US FM; 1986 hip-hop remake widened the catalog.

01 / 05

Boston riffs, R&B pocket, FM length

Early Aerosmith write hard-rock riffs over a funk-leaning rhythm section and Tyler’s high vocal. Toys in the Attic and Rocks are the strongest 1970s studio documents. Dream On is piano ballad dynamics; Walk This Way is syncopation that later crossed into hip-hop radio. Horns and keys (Breckers, Colcord, later Fairbairn brass) sit beside Perry/Whitford guitars on several LPs.

Aerosmith publicity photograph, 1974
Columbia Records press photoPublic domain

02 / 05

Toys in the Attic to Draw the Line

Touring after Get Your Wings lifted Toys in the Attic (1975). Rocks (1976) and the Dream On reissue entered the US Top 10. Draw the Line (1977) followed before Perry’s exit. Live! Bootleg (1978) documents the mid-decade stage run. Mick Jagger’s 1977 dismissal of the band (“garbage”) is often quoted against Slash’s later claim that nothing in the US was hotter than Aerosmith at their peak.

1973 WMMS print ad — Mott the Hoople with Aerosmith
WMMS / print advertisement, 1973Public domain

03 / 05

Perry out; Run-D.M.C.; Fairbairn years

Crespo and later Dufay covered guitar while drugs and debt nearly ended the group. Greatest Hits (1980) still sold. After reunion, Done with Mirrors lagged; the 1986 Walk This Way remake with Run-D.M.C. put Tyler and Perry back on TV. Permanent Vacation and Pump, produced with Bruce Fairbairn, rebuilt album sales. Get a Grip (1993) reached US No.1 with guests including Don Henley (Eagles) and Lenny Kravitz. Cross-band thread: Henley on Get a Grip; Jimmy Page later tried to recruit Tyler toward a Led Zeppelin reboot—the band stayed intact.

Aerosmith publicity photograph, 1973
Columbia Records press photoPublic domain

04 / 05

Walk This Way

Syncopated guitar riff and Tyler vocal from Toys in the Attic. Run-D.M.C.’s 1986 remake (Rick Rubin) put the same riff on hip-hop radio with Tyler and Perry in the video.

05 / 05

1990s chart peak and later catalog

Nine Lives (1997) also hit US No.1. I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (1998) topped the singles chart as the Armageddon theme—Liv Tyler starring. Just Push Play (2001) leaned on studio tech; O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits (2002) outsold it. Honkin’ on Bobo (2004) returned to R&B with Jack Douglas, Tracy Bonham, Johnnie Johnson, and the Memphis Horns. Kramer’s 2011 line: they would not quit unless a member died.

Aerosmith publicity photograph, 1974

01 / 05

Boston riffs, R&B pocket, FM length

Boston five formed in 1970. Toys in the Attic (1975) and Rocks (1976) put syncopated hard-rock riffs on US FM; the 1986 Run-D.M.C. remake of Walk This Way and Permanent Vacation / Pump restored chart weight after the late-1970s collapse.

Listen

Lineup versions

  • Toys in the Attic five

    Peak

    1971–1979

    Debut through Draw the Line; Toys / Rocks peak before Perry leaves.

    • Steven TylerVocals
    • Joe PerryLead Guitar
    • Brad WhitfordRhythm Guitar
    • Tom HamiltonBass
    • Joey KramerDrums

  • Crespo / Dufay years

    1979–1984

    Night in the Ruts and Rock in a Hard Place after Perry (and later Whitford) exit.

    • Steven TylerVocals
    • Jimmy CrespoGuitar
    • Rick Dufay / Brad WhitfordGuitar
    • Tom HamiltonBass
    • Joey KramerDrums

  • Permanent Vacation–Get a Grip

    1984–present

    Fairbairn comeback; Run-D.M.C. Walk This Way; 1990s US No.1 albums.

    • Steven TylerVocals
    • Joe PerryLead Guitar
    • Brad WhitfordRhythm Guitar
    • Tom HamiltonBass
    • Joey KramerDrums

Quotes

  • “My God, Aerosmith—they're garbage.”

    — Mick Jagger, 1977 · Quoted in rock press, 1977

  • “Back then, there was nothing bigger in America than Aerosmith.”

    — Slash, 1990 · Press recollection

Scenes

YearTrackOn stageTags
1973Dream OnDebut-era piano ballad; 1976 reissue hit the US Top 10 with Rocks.Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer
hard-rock
1975Walk This WaySyncopated riff from Toys in the Attic; 1986 Run-D.M.C. remake with Tyler/Perry.Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer
hard-rock
1993CrazyPower ballad from Get a Grip (US No.1 album); MTV-era single.Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer
hard-rock

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