Rocks

March 24, 2008 | By Doug In Rock Music |

Rocks
They’d soon crash, and hard, thanks to their own excesses. But Rocks captures Aerosmith at a crazily driven peak of creativity; anyone who heard it and continued to dismiss them as mere Stones clones was just being wilful. This is blues rock cranked up to 1970s stadium level, the sound of the Trans Am, or maybe the Porsches several of these guys (surprisingly) remember driving. The psychic battering they would succumb to on the next year’s Draw the Line is foreshadowed in Joe Perry’s “Combination”, but he and Steven Tyler also celebrate the rock-star mythos on “Lick and a Promise.” The party-fuelled tension, the tension-fuelled party. – Rickey Wright

Customer Review: Dirty diamonds
‘Rocks’ brings to fruition the style that Aerosmith developed on their first three albums. Its predecessor, ‘Toys In The Attic,’ is a masterpiece, despite a rather soapy closing track, but ‘Rocks’ is more consistent in style. It doesn’t necessarily contain better songs, but it possesses a dirty, funky undercurrent. The titles do more than hint at the subject matter: ‘Back In The Saddle’ and ‘Get The Lead Out’ aren’t about horses and dogs.

Unusually, for a great hard rock album, Joe Perry doesn’t load the airtime with extravagant riffs. The trick is in the band being what is essentialy one big, sexual rhythm section. Steve Tyler rasps his way into the opening track as if to signify this. There is no ‘Walk This Way’ on ‘Rocks,’ but Aerosmith seem to have developed its emphasis on rhythm.

‘Rocks,’ together with the earlier albums, represents the best of Aerosmith.

Customer Review: A Masterpiece
This album isn't very well known in the Aerosmith collection, for how it hasn't produced any famous anthems that Aerosmith play today, eg 'Walk This Way' or 'Dream On'. However, I think this album is exceptionally good.
I'm actually quite into the fact that it doesn't come out with a load of power ballads, that seem to swarm the Aerosmith name to this day. Instead it is a decent compilation of blues and rock that comes from the depths of troubled musicians, conquered by the drug influence that they were surrounded by. Slash, ex Guns N' Roses guitarist, thinks this is the best thing they've done, with the right compilation of drugs 'inspiring' their work. And he has a point.
This album also made Slash want to learn guitar at 15, and its obvious why. The catchy riffs, the dirty blues that really feels like something out of the streets. This isn't the Power Ballad Aerosmith that have drawn so many middle-aged women to follow them on tour, but a gritty album that really explains what these guys were going through.
The first track, 'Back In The Saddle', is catchy and really draws you into the feeling of the album, that remained a classic concert opener for a while. 'Last Child' is a bluesy, catchy song with some good riffs. This is followed by 'Rats In The Cellar', a song dedicated to the memory of the bands late drug dealer.
The fourth track, in my opinion, is the best song on the album. Written entirely by Joe Perry, 'Compilation' offers great guitar riffs and excellent flowing vocals, which create a song which, to me, well surpaces the likes of 'Dream On'.
The album then continues with more catchy and bluesy songs until the final two tracks. 'Lick And A Promise' offers great guitars, drums and vocals, with a catchy chorus. The final song, 'Home Tonight', appears to be the only Power Ballady type song on the album, giving a soft ending.
Overall a fantastic album for those looking for a more heavier, darker Aerosmith.