helterskelter.ca

AEROSMITH
1973 - Aerosmith.
1987 - Permanent Vacation.
1989 - Pump.
1993 - Get A Grip.
more AEROSMITH.
way more Helter Skelter.

February 1, 1973 - 2023: 50 years of: Aerosmith.

When Boston became the EPCOT Center of hard rocknroll.

In the early 70s, when England ruled heavyrock, the US had to respond, quick. Post-Alice Cooper (band) and pre-KISS, five young teens with a passion for blues and decibels were ready for the rocknroll dream on. Earth, please welcome on stage: AEROSMITH ...the perfect antidote against disco.

Cranked-up and loaded they are ready to "Make It". The dirty tone and balls to the wall attitude hits in an instant. More power-chord and power hooks grasp on "Somebody" and the chugging ZZ TOP-esque "Walkin' The Dog".

The southern-vibed twang of "Movin' Out" could've been a straight outta Delta signature, yet the earthy rhythmnblues is pushed to 11 on the now iconic "Mama Kin" hard-stuff template.

Trend-setter and tear-weeper, the ultimate powerballad post-Stairway is here. From overdriven cleans guitars to sky-high Steven Tyler crescendo rasps, the build-up is perfection at best. A grandiose 4:28sec journey into emotions and accomplishement, "Dream On" would not only open AEROSMITH to worldwide FM-reign, but set their pace for universal stardom.

Hardrock is now official in the US and once again, this ravaging tide initiated from the Eastern seaboard. Genesis for the entire late 70s to 80s rock hard generation, they all fed from this feast, from VAN HALEN, to RATT, to MÖTLEY CRÜE, to POISON, to CINDERELLA, to GNR, to SKID ROW ...they ALL fed from this feast. New-York had THE DOLLS, Boston had the Blue Army.

Currentlty RIAA-certified double-Platinum and never taking a permanent vacation, the boys would immidiately get back to work and release 1974's Get Your Wings LP. AEROSMITH: forever blue-collar rock.

"Good evening people, welcome to the show."

*
Aerosmith = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7IPdGax5P0&list=OLAK5uy_nKjx5m37hmOaqL4omfjsKJf3HKtr9kXCw
Live in Boston in 1973
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpT8XdZCy0E

August 25, 1987 - 2022: 35 years of: Permanent Vacation.

The bedrock of American hardrock strikes back.

Let's get to work. No more Toxic Twins, gone are the endless debaucheries, abuses and overdoses, Doctor's orders ! 1985's Done With Mirrors LP reunion was the marketed return of AEROSMITH, but fell short. And now in steaming 1987, the epitome of hardrock featuring red hot British offerings from WHITESNAKE, THE CULT and DEF LEPPARD, the Boston badasses are steaming red hot ...and biting the competition on the ass !

After 1986's crossover with RUN DMC for the "Walk This Way" revamped mega-hit single, all eyes and ears were zoomed on the boys.

Hear the feedback and the sirens yell into Armageddon, as "Heart's Done Time" crushes the scene within the first 1:50sec. Right into the fast paced "Magic Touch" were Joe Perry's twang delivers damnation with dominance. A sober "Angel" blessed the gang and rapidly became the band's new signature squeeze.

More hard-blues kicks the party into high-gear, "Dude (Look's Like A Lady)" is a track about seeing the behind from far away of a certain singer who bears Neil as last-name. Let the music do the talking as the kinky "Rag Doll" jackhammers you to the floor for some horizontal action. Actual rhythm and blues makes an appearance on the stomping "St. John".

Sunset Strip had a reason to be scared, even the reigning MÖTLEY, CINDERELLA and W.A.S.P. now had to lock their doors at night. Produced by hardstuff pusher Bruce Fairbairn, this is the record dreams are made of. Loud, crisp and highly addictive and RIAA-certified 5x Platinum can't be wrong ...AEROSMITH are back, fear them !

On a roll for more mega-hits, the Aero-Force One staff would dominate this second-half of the 80s and their next exhibition would be in the form of 1989's xxxtra-hard Pump LP.

RIP Bruce Fairbairn (1949-1999)

*
Rag Doll = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrEC8xGc3ZM
Dude (Look's Like A Lady) = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf0oXY4nDxE
Angel = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBTOGVb_cQg
Permanent Vacation = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN0Be2wMKSk&list=OLAK5uy_lw-43RlVnqUhtBvZI94OXcXAq0PcNlTik
Interview at MuchMusic in 1987
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmyp_RSVios
Live in New Haven in 1987
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyzzPp9Tf1s

September 12, 1989 - 2019: 30 years of: Pump.

Time to jack-up !

America initially got it's ass kicked by 5 snotty Boston-boys, way back in 1973. After the success and excesses of the late 70s, changes occurred and the beast tamed down. Reunion and rehab brought the party back on track and the revival became complete with 1987's massive return Permanent Vacation LP ...and now it was time for some real fun !

The epitome of hardrock, the year 1989, when Sunset Strip was the center of the universe, were motley denims and poisoned roses were the usual 9-to-5 ...the AEROSMITH rockers were pumped and ready to reclaim their rocknroll-crown. The Pump LP is pure lightning in a bottle: raw rocknroll, sweet licks, blues undertones, rough pizzazz ...and the dudes didn't looked like ladies !

The powerful opener "Young Lust" gives us a little 'o nasty, fast paced high-octane rocknroll and hold own to dear life as "F.I.N.E." slays any surviving souls out there ...yes Sir ! The immortal powerballad "Janie's Got A Gun" displays emotional atmosphere you can cut with a knife. Once again, thank you God for the Tyler + Perry creative duo, as it is at it's ultimate zenith.

Flipping to Side B, "The Other Side" keeps the beat up and "My Girl" squeals more deadly hooks to boot. The badass-boogie "Don't Get Mad, Get Even" use dirty old blues-tricks to get the point across and the epic finale of "What It Takes" is another AEROSMITH secured-signature track.

Yet the rock-Godzilla anthem "Love In An Elevator" still rings aloud. Inspired by another wild Tyler adventure, this one is a no brainer: kick-ass rocknroll. The who-oh, woh-yeah hook is pure adrenaline and the hard laidback drums make this hit an epic one. Got a quarter ? the jukebox is begging for some more !

Finally AEROSMITH was back on top of the rocknroll food-chain. Pump delivered hits and solidified American hardrock as a whole, in an era where European rockstars SCORPIONS, WHITESNAKE and DEF LEPPARD had chewed on a substantial slice of the pie. Spawning multi-Platinum sales status, winning Grammy awards, the band was even featured on SNL in a Wayne's World skit, years before the actual movie came out.

While the other rock-machine of the early 70s, the mighty KISS, are on their current End Of The Road Tour, the AEROSMITH party still carries on as they will eventually end up being the oldest hardrock band alive, recording and touring.

Fuel her up, take your best shot, floor it full RPM and make those pistons pump !

...going, down ?

*
Love In An Evelator = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3Yrhv33Zb8
Janie's Got A Gun = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqQn2ADZE1A
Pump = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjHzjG0_SlE&list=PLGh9QJqgv5511IWd-vl81MqzScKGYlVwB
MTV Rockumentary in 1989
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMpElOKFNvk
Interview in 1989
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG58sQiLMlk
Live in 1989
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BezWGb4wNyw
Live MTV Awards in 1990
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiWxiDxihhY

April 20, 1993 - 2023: 30 years of: Get A Grip.

Make AEROSMITH Great Again.

In this flannel drenched scene, real hardrock was tough to come by. The Sunset Strip crew was disintegrating and even the initial 70s Big Guns were soul-searching. Yet the Grand Daddy of them all was still kicking asses by the millions. After 1989's octane-filled Pump CD, the toxic-quintet were back.

Pass-by the hip / tribal intro and jump right into the main-stage with the appetite-filling "Eat The Rich". Pure power, pure rock, pure attitude and insane amounts of decibels to match ...they've never been so loud, they've never been so clutch. This madness rolls-on with the strong title-track "Get A Grip", the fast mercury-boiling "Fever" and the party startin' "Shut Up And Dance". The gypsy-intro of "Livin' On The Edge" makes way to ten tons of concrete, while the hot bluesyness of "Line Up" is warm comfort-rocknroll.

The leading powerballad of "Cryin" and local-bar ballad of "Crazy" are the two cuts that re-solidified the band as Chart-champions in this ever changing scene. Burning the FM air-waves and melting arena-P.A.s nationwide, the boys to men rock-heroes were on top of the hardrock food-chain. MTV was blessed by AEROSMITH since Day One. And once again they delivered, this time their videos features Steven Tyler's own daughter Liv, along new-comer teen-queen Alicia Silverstone, one of the 90s loveliest face.

The big 80s were way back in the rearview mirror, past the CRÜEs, the JOVIs, the LEPPARDs and the SNAKEs ...only one band stands tall during the alternative-seism.

Making a cameo-performance in the movie Wayne's World II and later full-performance at Woodstock 1994, just to make sure all these kids new about the real roots of American rock. RIAA-certified 7x Platinum, hardrock was still kickin' major ass. You just couldn't look away: AEROSMITH was the shit !

The band would walk the dog further, into another tormented epoch and very rock-different 1997, with the Nine Lives CD.

"Sex is like a gun, you aim you shoot, ah ah you run."

*
Eat The Rich = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-0lAhnoDlU
Livin' On The Edge = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nqcL0mjMjw
Crazy = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMNgbISmF4I
Cryin' = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfNmyxV2Ncw
Amazing = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSmOvYzSeaQ
Get A Grip = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FQzUvtqx8c&list=PLBnJv6rImVe9IdRqaRQCDlHsiD8Q3gPyT
Interview in London in 1993
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sj36mxwHCw
Live at Waynestock 1993
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5FYN-xMYOU
Live at Woodstock 1994
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPjhCz6DXao
some girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqVMGdbCyc8

more AEROSMITH:

The Decline Of Western Civilization, Part II: The Metal Years
&

The Beavis And Butt-Head Experience