Aerosmith
“O, YEAH! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits”
(Columbia Records)
What can I say? I’m a true blue Aerosmith fan and if they put out an album I’m gonna buy it. Well, I will if I don’t already own most of what’s on it. I figured an album titled “O, YEAH! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits” was going to be a repeat of something else I had for sure. After all, I have “Greatest Hits,” “Big Ones” and “Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology.” So I sat down at the computer with all of the above, signed on to CDNow to get the track listings and surprisingly there are only a few repeats on this 2 Disc set that were on any of the others. Another thing this particular set has going for it is that it starts with the very first album, “Aerosmith,” and ends with “Just Push Play,” then puts two brand new tracks recorded in April 2002 at the very end for good measure.
If you’re not into Aerosmith you’ll probably pass on this album. However, if you’re into the band or GREAT rock & roll, trust me, you want it! This is a true history of Aerosmith. There are 2 or 3 songs from every single album they’ve put out since the first one in 1972 and they’ve all been digitally re-mastered so they sound awesome.
In my opinion, none of the other “hits” albums showed the true progression of this band. You can hear the changes in style, you can hear the changes in Steven Tyler’s voice (gee he sounds so young on the first few tracks!) and I think you can even tell when the band went through their “drink and drug” phase. If you’ve followed this band as long as I have, you can even tell when this or that band member left or was about to leave. It all comes out in the music and they picked the very best of the music to put on this collection.
Disc one opens with the bluesy “Mama Kin” and then my all time favorite “Dream On” from the “Aerosmith” album. The “Get Your Wings” album contributes “Same Old Song And Dance” and “Seasons Of Wither.” The ORIGINAL version of “Walk This Way,” along with “Big Ten Inch Record” and “Sweet Emotion” put in their appearance from “Toys In The Attic,” the album some say is the definitive Aerosmith album with “Pump” running a close second.
To continue the odyssey, “Last Child” and “Back In The Saddle” represent “Rocks,” while “Draw The Line” comes from the album by the same name. By this point you can hear Tyler’s voice getting rougher and more strained. “Permanent Vacation” contributes three songs here, “Dude (Look Like A Lady),” “Angel” and “Rag Doll.”
The big winners in number of songs included on this album are “Pump” and “Get A Grip.” With “Janie’s Got A Gun” kicking things off, the version on this album is slightly different than other’s I’ve heard. Tyler’s voice quality is perfect for this song and the subject matter, but the youthful note is gone. Also, every time the phrase “Janie’s go a gun” is sung there’s a sharp beat on the drum that comes close to sounding like a gun. I’ve seen this song played live several times and never heard it quite this way – chilling! Also putting in an appearance are “Love In An Elevator,” “What It Takes” and the first song on Disc two, “The Other Side.”
“Get A Grip” must have presented some tough choices. There were a LOT of good songs on this album. The ones that mad the cut are “Livin’ On The Edge,” “Cryin’,” “Amazing” and “Crazy.” The one original song from “Big Ones,” “Deuces Are Wild” is here, along with “Falling In Love (Is So Hard On The Knees) and “Pink” from the “Nine Lives” album. (Do you feel like you might be getting your money’s worth here yet??)
An album like this wouldn’t be complete without the Grammy winning and Oscar nominated song from the movie soundtrack “Armageddon,” so next up is “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” – also Aerosmith’s first #1 song. That brings us almost, but not quite, to the present. The most recent smash album, “Just Push Play,” lends “Jaded” and “Just Push Play (Radio Remix)” to this collection. Then there’s a cool surprise. From the album “Raising Hell” by RUN DMC is their version of “Walk This Way” featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. Way cool guys!
Finally I’m down to the last two songs on the second disc recorded in April of 2002. I don’t know if I heard the first one somewhere and it didn’t register, or if it’s a cover or an older song updated, but “Girls Of Summer” is a cool song regardless if it’s new or used. Geez, I make it sound like a car! This is actually kind of a light-hearted song for Aerosmith and there are some great harmonies and effects as well as a full on catchy chorus. I really like this song.
In complete contrast is “Lay It Down,” which starts with a deep bass chord, a slower drum beat and melancholy vocals. There are some great Tyler/Perry harmonies in the verse and the chorus and the keyboards are really carrying effects. This is much more of what you expect to hear from Aerosmith at this point in their career. Insightful lyrics, cool melody line, max use of that Steven Tyler wail, excellent instrumentals and an abrupt end. And . . . NO HIDDEN TRACK!! Hooray!!
If I haven’t convinced you to buy it by now, I’m never going to. Just buy the record!
