Cover Art It's as bad as they come. Even though the album was released in 1970, the art seems to be straight out of 1990's website design. That sky matte painting being a poor yellow/orange gradient, the razor straight horizon line, the sea of clouds below, the band's square picture just sitting at the center of the composition... Oh, let's not forget the band's name inside the little identical wings. Album It's even better than I remember it. I think the biggest issue is the cover after all. Solid Hard Rock music not too far below great albums the band would eventually release in the following years. "Make It" is a great opening track: catchy riffs and drum fills making it (lol) a song easily remember. More great guitar work from Joe Perry on the second track and on the album as a whole, it was actually surprising to find no duds on this album, something quite rare for a debut album. Maybe "Write Me a Letter" would be my least favorite track. "Dream On" is, of course, the main attraction and it alone makes the band interesting and its potential palpable. The fact that the rest of the album is very good only made Aerosmith an even safer bet for executives at the time.
This is my second favorite Aerosmith studio lp after Rocks. Tracks like One Way Street, Write Me A Letter, Movin' Out and Somebody give this a bluesy feel which I really like and I like every song. Dream On is probably my least favorite because it is/was so overplayed on the radio. My sleepers on this one are One Way Street and Movin' Out.
I like the cover on On The Road Again which was omitted from the album as well but appeared on Pandora's Box.
The flute is an interesting addition to the cover of Walkin' The Dog. I forgot to mention it earlier.
Good idea to do this thread Bear! I'm a fan of the band but I'm not familiar with all their albums, so it'll be a fun ride. I would've preferred a song a day (like on the Kinks and Prince threads) but whatever. I like the garage band feel of the debut album.
I agree. The vocals on this album are not bad, but they don't sound like Steven. On the Joe Rogan podcast, Steven explained that he grew up idolizing black singers and tried too hard on this first album to sound "black." On future records, he had more confidence to be himself.
Get Your Wings Same Old Song and Dance Kicks off with a down and dirty blues rock riff with blues curls galore. If someone asks you what a blues curl is, play this riff for them. Low down open E string based. A rise out follows that goes back to the riff. Awesome. Great guitar tones. Steven uses the riff melody in the vocals. The first break has Dick Wagner using the minor and major to cool mysterious effect. Listen at 1:55 how he makes clever use of the major sound in the solo with hard edged emphasis. A slam bam bridge follows before the slide guitar takes over. Horns bring the bridge to a close and the riff returns. The final verse is a little more tough sounding with little swagger. The song outros on the riff with fine fills from JP and horn sounding rhythm guitars from Brad. Did I mention the awesome lyrics? Amazing opener IMO. 10/10 Lord Of the Thighs Opens with a drum cadence and then a relentless hard rhythm with guitars floating in and out. The verse has an ascending line with a boogie riff at the tail. The turnaround has the song’s title at the end in refrain style. Fine use of dynamics and keeping the arrangement sparse. Steven is great on the piano with a spastic syncopated shuffle. The verse returns and then a bridge follows with some qualities of a chorus with the song title coming up again. The coda is a hard rock riff with guitars growling in and out of the mix. Another winner IMO. 8/10 Spaced Mysterious mechanical sounds start this one off in Pink Floyd style. An E flat chord enters, and our ear is unsure of the key of the song…..like drifting. The chords ultimately end on G. The verse has an ascending pattern that uses the minor third chord giving a somber tone. The verse repeats and then a Tyler yelp leads to a great interlude riff. A section follows that once again is a bridge with chorus qualities. Another interlude follows with a new riff, and it is a killer. The verse finds its way back and the second interlude riff outros the song before a final bluesy scream from Joe on the E flat chord that opened the song leaving us stranded in harmonic space. Sorry. 9/10 Woman of the World A drum line and then a cool slurring Humble Pie type riff follows. The intro continues with a descending line. The riff returns for the verse. The post verse riff expands the riff even further with different guitar treatments. Lots of brilliant variations early on. A bridge follows at 2:08 with another heavy power chord progression. The break changes gears and is another killer groove. The bridge shows up again and then the song goes back to the verse in loose fashion and then the coda follows with a harmonica solo from Steven. The coda gets heavy treatment with a breakdown like treatment. Decent tune with many unique flourishes. It does drag a little here and there for me. 7/10 S.O. S. (Too Bad) A catchy blues scalar-based line serves as the intro. The verse riff is a variation of the intro line biwht a heavier treatment. The break solo is based on the verse riff and is played by Brad…I think. Regardless it is a beautiful solo. The verse returns and then a coda follows based on the descending line. Another winner from the album. Not as unique but still rocks like the devil. 7/10 Train Kept A Rollin’ A cover of the old rockabilly song. Harder edged in the rhythm than the original. Power chords abound. The guitar solos are amazing, and are the song’s showcase. I like the way the guitar mimics a train whistle in the intro. Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner are the stars on this one. Tom and Joey really give the song a nice groove. Killer changes here and there move the song along differently than the original. The song changes gears for the outro started off by cheers from the crowd as the guitar train goes into high gear. Rave on! 9/10 Seasons of Wither A brooding G minor-based line with eerie drones opens this Tyler masterpiece. Power chords follow that bring a ray of hope to the song but then another ascending riff brings the song back down. The verse uses the ascending line from the intro. Steven’s minor-based melody fir the lyrics in amazing fashion. The next section shifts to a C chord in the start. Not really a chorus or bridge to me…regardless, it moves the song in fine fashion. Hard to call a section with the lyrics “Oooh woe is me” a chorus. The slashing chords heard in the intro function as a bridge with the verse following. The slashing chord bridge returns, and this time is given strictly instrumental treatment. The verse riff returns with out any lyrics and is shortened to three bars. The first intro riff then brings the song to a close with a howling guitar fading in the wind. Brilliant song. 10/10 Pandora’s Box A lusty boogie-based tune written by Joey and Steven. Some blues but mostly hard rock treatment. The song’s chorus is the highlight for me. I like the post chorus as well. Effective use of horns IMO. Not a bad closer but not a band favorite of mine. 7/10 IMO a major leap for the band. Jack Douglas really hones their sound, and the guitar tones are more to my liking. A couple of top 20 songs for me from the band. The hooks are more memorable. Some brilliant use of the pop song structure with the sections being blurred used in non typical fashion. I still listen to the album at least every few weeks or so.
I prefer the first album to Get Your Wings. I am not much of a fan of Spaced or Pandora's Box. Seasons of Wither is one of their best slower songs. My sleepers for this record are S.O.S. (Too Bad) and Woman of the World. FYI - S.O.S. stands for the "same old ****").
Here is the Allmusic review of Get Your Wings. They give it 4.5 stars. Often overshadowed by the subsequent twin highlights of Toys in the Attic and Rocks, Aerosmith's 1974 second album, Get Your Wings, is where Aerosmith became Aerosmith -- it's where they teamed up with producer Jack Douglas, it's where they shed much of their influences and developed their own trademark sound, it's where they turned into songwriters, it's where Steven Tyler unveiled his signature obsessions with sex and sleaze. Chief among these attributes may be Douglas, who either helped the band ease into the studio or captured their sound in a way their debut never did. This is a leaner, harder album, bathed in grease and layered in grit, but it's not just down to Douglas. The band itself sounds more distinctive. There are blues in Joe Perry and Joey Kramer's interplay, but this leapfrogs over blues-rock; it turns into slippery hard rock. To be sure, it's still easy to hear the Stones here, but they never really sound Stonesy; there's almost more of the Yardbirds to the way the group works the riffs, particularly evident on the cover of the early 'Birds classic "The Train Kept a Rollin'." But if the Yardbirds were tight and nervy, Aerosmith is blown out and loose, the sound of excess incarnate -- that is, in every way but the writing itself, which is confident and strong, fueled by Tyler's gonzo sex drive. He is the "Lord of the Thighs," playing that "Same Old Song and Dance," but he also slows down enough for the eerie "Seasons of Wither," a powerful slow-churning ballad whose mastery of atmosphere is a good indication of how far the band has grown. They never attempted anything quite so creepy on their debut, but it isn't just that Aerosmith is trying newer things on Get Your Wings, it's that they're doing their bloozy bluster better and bolder, which is what turns this sophomore effort into their first classic.
Here is the Allmusic review of the debut lp. They give it 3.5 stars. In retrospect, it's a bit shocking how fully formed the signature Aerosmith sound was on their self-titled 1973 debut -- which may not be the same thing as best-executed, because this album still sounds like a first album, complete with the typical stumbles and haziness that comes with a debut. Despite all this, Aerosmith clearly showcases all the attributes of the band that would become the defining American hard rock band of the '70s. Here, the Stones influences are readily apparent, from the Jagger-esque phrasing of Steven Tyler to the group's high-octane boogie, but the group displays little of the Stones' deep love of blues here. Instead, Aerosmith is bloozy -- their riffs don't swing, they slide. They borrow liberally from Led Zeppelin's hybridization of Chess and Sun riffs without ever sounding much like Zep. They are never as British as Zeppelin -- they lack the delicate folky preciousness, they lack the obsession with blues authenticity, they lack the larger-than-life persona of so many Brit bands. They are truly an American band, sounding as though they were the best bar band in your local town, cranking out nasty hard-edged rock, best heard on "Mama Kin," the best rocker here, one that's so greasy it nearly slips through their fingers. But the early masterpiece is, of course, "Dream On," the first full-fledged power ballad. There was nothing quite like it in 1973, and it remains the blueprint for all power ballads since. The rest of the record contains the seeds of Aerosmith's sleazoid blues-rock, but they wouldn't quite perfect that sound until the next time around.
I’ll be in for this thread as much as time allows until Get a Grip, where I (or they) lost their grip … Super quick post on their debut, I know the thread has moved on: It is a terrific start - it’s rough and as basic as they ever were, but you can hear the band are on it, the songs and attitude is there. Is it a classic debut? Perhaps it misses by a fraction, with only two truly timeless songs, but every song here is strong. I’m afraid I am one of those who find Tyler’s voice distracting - he plays it straight and I like him more the less he scats and jives, but here it sounds artificial (accepting that may be only knowing what he subsequently sounds like).
Get Your Wings First off what a cool album title and cover. I always think of the story that Steven tells about him hiding various drugs in that scarf he wears on the cover. Jack Douglas takes over the reigns here and the band is way better because of it plus a few pointers from Bob Ezrin like using outside muscinans. Same Old Song And Dance- Another corker of an opener and classic song. Lord Of The Thighs- Here is the band stretching out and giving us something dirty and funky. Love the rolling piano and slide guitar on this. Best served live. Spaced & Woman of the World- These are songs I can take or leave but would never purposely play. They are fair songs and would rather hear this than anything post Jaded era. SOS- This is an underrated song that never got too many live airings but it's a cool and catchy song. Train Kept A Rolling- Sorry Yardbirds but this is the definitive version of this song despite the lead guitar not being played by Perry or Whitford. Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner would get the credit for that. Seasons Of Wither- ONE OF TOP 5 BEST AEROSMiTH SONGS EVER! I dare your to convince me differently. The acoustic riff, the dreamy lyrics, the guitar solo, Steven's vocals. It all comes together here. One of the best hard rock/classic rock songs ever! Pandora Box- And we end on a dud track here. Quickly reviewing this album I realize that the first album is more consistent but the standout tracks here are overall better than the s/t. 3.5/5 Train Kept A Rolling with Jimmy Page at Donington (1990) Train at the RNRHOF https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKZxehnKwKg Seasons on MTV Unplugged https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kgrzrphdT4 Lord Of The Thighs Texas Jam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpmIxXzhaXc
I am with you on the cover - no doubt we will have different views as we go along, and I don’t mean to jump ahead, but I’m not sure I can think of a single Aerosmith LP cover I rate as particularly good anyways - they all seem either genuinely badly done, or at best, safe.
That’s a pretty good review. I’m itching to round it up to a four, but yeah, maybe a fair score big picture.
Brilliant review. Get Your Wings is more or less my favorite Aerosmith album, certainly the one I find the most consistently brilliant - will add some less eloquent comments tomorrow.
S/T- it's funny usually a bands first album is either a classic due to the stockpile of sings they have like van halen and GNR or you get a band still trying to find their sound like bon jovi and def leppard. aerosmith's first album falls in between that. not a classic but has the 70's aerosmith style already there minus the slightly odd tyler singing. as the years have gone on i enjoy it more. the band would imo make a big leap with the sophmore album my favorites- dream on, mama kin, walkin the dog, one way street and movin out
Great album. Very interesting dry production as compared with the first album. Really has it's own sonic signature. Also, if you have the means, check out the Quadraphonic mix that is floating out there on the interwebs. It's amazing! There is so much different stuff in the mixes including girl singers in Woman of the World!
