I always enjoyed this R.E.M. cover. Dead Letter Office is a fun collection, some VU/Lou Reed covers. Other stuff too that I'm not specifically familiar with.
Wow! New respect for REM after hearing that, cool version . On a side note, finally received my cd of ‘1971: The Road Starts Hear’. Love it! Great performances and a fair bit different to what they ended up being when properly recorded. Jewel case and cool pics and liner notes. Really well done .
I had never heard that phrase before. Love it. I will now daydream about listening to yacht rock on my way to my castle rock. That's pretty much me - Gen X, had MTV beat "Dude Looks Like a Lady" into my brain as a teen (I can still see Tyler in those fishnet tights humping the mic in the video) then sought out the older stuff. There are plenty of songs I like on PV and Pump so I'll be sticking around till at least then. But as a colleague of mine once put it, "Friends don't let friends walk around with their fly down." Though I guess that may not apply to Tyler and company. But still, I plan on commenting where I think (just my opinion!) their albums have weak spots.
When revisiting "The Hand That Feeds" today the ascending and descending chromatic line towards the end of the song reminded me of Pink Floyd's "Echoes"! And there's something similar in the overall feel of the song compared to Cheap Trick's "Gonna Raise Hell", not just the drum beat.
I can’t take credit … I read it years ago in reference to Rainbow’s first album (released 1975) in an article which credited that record as “inventing” castle rock, but yes, it’s a good term for the Dungeons & Dragons stuff Dio purveyed. Now, this may be controversial to Rainbow fans, but I think Tyler “does” castle rock as well, perhaps better, on “Kings and Queens” than Dio in general. I’m not sure Tyler’s lyrics here are necessarily much less silly, but they might just be a bit more nuanced. More importantly, Tyler’s vocal delivery seems to inhabit the moment, rather than narrating it the way Dio does. It’s less theatrical, less performative, and therefore connects in a different and more convincing way for me. An aside … perhaps the only moment on this thread that these two bands will be compared.
I first heard Aerosmith from the Run DMC version of “Walk This Way.” Then came Permanent Vacation. I liked that stuff, but knew nothing about their history or what had come before. Guns N’ Roses led me to track down the first album, and “Rocks.” From there, I was hooked on the 70s stuff. When the kids in my high school were into Aerosmith, they were most likely talking about a totally different set of albums from the ones I was listening to constantly on my Walkman cassettes. I loved Pump, but Get a Grip was where I got off the bus. I think “Livin’ on the Edge” was released as a single before the album was available. I liked that one, and played it a lot. I remember buying the album on release day, and the feeling of “what happened?” was pretty immediate. It was like the drop off that I perceived from Achtung Baby to Zooropa.
Never heard this before - decent effort. Sure, the guitars and drums don’t quite slalom fast and slippery in that unique Aerosmith way, and the “Toooys” in the chorus is too pronounced, but it rocks nicely enough.
For my part, I intend to be respectful and am hoping to maybe find more value than previously. The later stuff has it's fans, and a lot of them. I'm sure we'll be missing something without your input..I own almost all those albums, with a CD on order of the last album to complete the collection...
Hope I didn't come off as a drama queen with my previous post - anyway I'm gonna hang in there and try and ignore the inevitable Aerosmith were only goof for 4 albums posts and how "cheesy" they are now - a term that really irks me!! As for Draw The Line I got onboard the Aerosmith train when Rocks was the current album and it remains my favorite to this day so the anticipation for DTL was huge. I must admit I was not as instantly enthralled with DTL but as time went on I began to rate it highly. The title track smokes as does the great cover of Milk Cow Blues. I love Kings And Queens and The Hand That Feeds and along with the funky Sight For Sore Eyes it makes for a very solid side 2. The remaining tracks are a little lesser in my opinion. I Wanna Know Why is decent but not spectacular as are Get It Up and Critical Mass. Having said that if I'm in the right mood Critical Mass can really shine then other days it seems to drag for me. Bright Light Fright was the first track where Mr Perry took full lead and it's not much to be honest. I love Joe as a player but vocals aren't really his forte!! Overall I'd give Draw The Line a 8/10...8.5 on those days when I'm digging Critical Mass!
I never heard it as Spinal Tap like as well. Now if they had dressed up with flowing robes and crowns.......
Track listing Side one No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "Back in the Saddle" (Indianapolis, IN, July 4, 1977) Steven Tyler, Joe Perry 4:25 2. "Sweet Emotion" (Chicago, IL, March 23, 1978) Tyler, Tom Hamilton 4:42 3. "Lord of the Thighs" (Chicago, IL, March 23, 1978) Tyler 7:18 4. "Toys in the Attic" (Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA, March 28, 1978) Tyler, Perry 3:45 Side two No. Title Writer(s) Length 5. "Last Child" (The Paradise Club, Boston, MA, August 9, 1978) Tyler, Brad Whitford 3:14 6. "Come Together" (The Wherehouse, Waltham, MA, August 21, 1978) John Lennon, Paul McCartney 4:51 7. "Walk This Way" (Detroit, MI, April 2, 1978) Tyler, Perry 3:46 8. "Sick as a Dog" (Indianapolis, IN, July 4, 1977) Tyler, Hamilton 4:42 Side three No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "Dream On" (Louisville, KY, July 3, 1977) Tyler 4:31 2. "Chip Away the Stone" (Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA, April 8, 1978) Richard Supa 4:12 3. "Sight for Sore Eyes" (Columbus, OH, March 24, 1978) Tyler, Perry, Jack Douglas, David Johansen 3:18 4. "Mama Kin" (Indianapolis, IN, July 4, 1977) Tyler 3:43 5. "S.O.S. (Too Bad)" (Indianapolis, IN, July 4, 1977) Tyler 2:46 Side four No. Title Writer(s) Length 6. "I Ain't Got You" (Paul's Mall, Boston, MA, April 23, 1973; WBCN-FM radio simulcast) Calvin Carter[7] 3:57 7. "Mother Popcorn" / "Draw the Line [*]" (Paul's Mall, Boston, MA, April 23, 1973; WBCN-FM radio simulcast / Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia, PA, March 26, 1978) James Brown, Pee Wee Ellis / Tyler, Perry 11:35 8. "Train Kept A-Rollin'" / "Strangers in the Night" (Detroit, MI, April 2, 1978) Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, Lois Mann / Bert Kaempfert, Charlie Singleton, Eddie Snyder 4:51 [*] "Draw the Line" is featured as a hidden track at the end of "Mother Popcorn" Personnel Aerosmith Steven Tyler – lead vocals, harmonica Joe Perry – guitar Brad Whitford – guitar Tom Hamilton – bass guitar Joey Kramer – drums, percussion Additional musicians Mark Radice – keyboards, backing vocals[8] David Woodford – saxophone on "Mother Popcorn" Production Jack Douglas – producer, engineer David Krebs, Steve Leber – executive producers, management Jay Messina, Lee DeCarlo – engineers Julie Last, Rod O'Brien, Sam Ginsburg – assistant engineers David Hewitt – Record Plant Mobile operator (New York) Chris Stone – Record Plant Mobile operator (Los Angeles) George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York John Kosh – art direction, design Jimmy Ienner Jr., Barry Levine, Ron Pownall, Aaron Rapoport, Steve Smith – photography
Live Bootleg Some highlights/criticisms. Back In the Saddle Great guitar interplay from Joe and Brad. Sometimes in unison. Excellent opener. Steven is in fine voice. Sweet Emotion A fine live version of this fantastic song. Tom is really tight. Lord of the Thighs Cool use of dynamics with a slightly different arrangement. The trade offs between Joe and Brad at the end are terrific. Toys in the Attic High energy version. Joey is a madman along with Tom. Steve…well he sounds a little tipsy to me. Last Child Funky to the hilt. Joe plays cellophane like funk slash chords. Come Together Another song with outstanding interplay between Joe and Brad. Tom does McCartney to a T. Walk This Way Humorous touch from Joe on the talk box. Hilarious. Sick As A Dog Little too fast at times. Still done well though regardless. SOS Little too fast again for me. Brad kicks in a soaring solo that helps. Mother Popcorn Decent take on the JB song. Tyler’s vocals remind us how he was influenced by JB. Draw The Line I attended the Tower Theatre show and the entire show was probably the best Aerosmith concert I ever saw. Overall, no clunkers in this set IMO. Some of the tunes are a little too fast from the studio version for me though. I have a pet peeve about that, but I realize bands do that to keep the audience energy up. Not my favorite live album by a long shot but I still listen to it on occasion. 8/10
Here is the Allmusic Review - They give it a 3 out of 5. Since Aerosmith had become one of America's premier rock & roll concert attractions by 1978, it was only natural that an in-concert collection was issued that year, the double album, Live Bootleg. Unlike other live albums at the time, it's obvious that not a lot of overdubbing was involved to fix up the tracks, which results in a refreshingly authentic representation of Aerosmith at the group's most drugged-out and rocking. All of the performances were taken from Tyler and company's 1977-1978 U.S. tour (with the exception of a couple from 1973), while the album's packaging and title were a joke on all the poor-sounding, unauthorized live recordings that were in circulation at the time. Just about every classic is included -- "Back in the Saddle," "Sweet Emotion," "Walk This Way," "Come Together," "Last Child," "Mama Kin," "Train Kept A'Rollin," etc. -- as well as key album tracks ("Sick as a Dog," "S.O.S.," etc.). But the album's high point has to be the aforementioned pair of long-lost tracks from 1973 -- loose and groovy covers of the Yardbirds' "I Ain't Got You" and James Brown's "Mother Popcorn." Although the performances may lack the fire of the shorter Classics Live II set from 1988, Live Bootleg is an excellent representation of one of rock & roll's elite live acts. Note: to tie in with the careless bootleg theme of the album, the track "Draw the Line" is unlisted.
My understanding is that Live! Bootleg is an exception among 70s live double albums, in that it is all genuinely live, without overdubs. Does anyone know, is this truly the case? I know that Perry said as much in his autobiography. If so, that’s really pretty cool.
I think it is all live from all accounts I have read. You can hear some of the parts that could have used overdubs but they are there in all their sloppy glory. Especially some of the improvised guitar parts other than solos. Sometimes Joe and Brad really don't mesh but that is what happens when improvising as everyone knows.
For the longest time I just couldn’t get into ‘Live-Bootleg’ because I really don’t like those two Paul Mall songs - especially ‘Mother Popcorn’ - and how they just sounded completely out of place and spoiled an otherwise great live album. But, as was pointed out to me on this forum, it adds to the bootleg nature of the album (like with DTL not listed). So it works in that context.
I’m not a big listener to live albums generally - and I haven’t spun this since the 80s … I find myself reaching for the definitive studio versions, so no real comment.
I totally agree about the 1973 Paul's Mall songs. My understanding is they were included on purpose along with Draw The Line not being on the track listing to make it seem more like a bootleg. There were plenty of other tracks from 1977-78 which could have been included instead. Pandora's Box included these live songs from 1977-78 not included on Live Bootleg. I Wanna Know Why Big Ten Inch Record Adam's Apple Kings And Queens You could add those to your playlist.