Damn, you’ve kinda spoiled that song for me a bit now. It’s outrageous that acts were able to blatantly steal older music because it wasn’t copyrighted (I’m assuming it’s some kind of copyright issue?). I mean, Aerosmith/Vallance certainly added a lot to the new version and made it their own, so-to-speak, but still….
Definitely deep in the dubious territory … amazed they haven’t had to change it yet? “Gallows Pole” at least is now credited as “Traditional, arranged by J Page”, but by 1987 surely there wasn’t really any doubt left about the right way to borrow?
Live Bootleg 1st off I wanna say I love it on it's own merits...It's loose and played by a band that had part hippy origins, a 3rd generation rock band with closer ties to the 2nd generation than most of their peers. That said, they were a 70's band that did 70's drugs. When they were getting high, the were getting fukk'd up, not like the performance enhancement of the next generation. Ludes and heroin weren't much of a thing for the 80s up and comers, not even weed that much. I think when they played the were looking for a feel. It wasn't about nailing every studio lick. Perry drops out in places, while Whitford holds it down, but he'll come back in with something just right, or not. The 2 rarely play the parts the same. This gives the music dynamics and more to keep you interested. They are weavers. My highlight after a fresh listen-- Lord of the thigh's...........This version just kills, less than pristine vocals and better for it IMO. Perfect Toy's in the attic.......Just an ideal song for them and perfect for live. Chip away at the stone....always loved this song... and never knew it had studio vocals I ain't got you...........fantastic performance.....pretty tight Mother Popcorn.......the band was feeling that feel.......very in the groove Draw the line.........I think this is a fantastic version and it sounds good here Sight for sore eye......Smoking, almost wanna say better than studio version, but I'd have to compare. Train kept a rollin........ For me this is the definitive version Dream On........Not as epic as it could of been or maybe should of.....I do like this very real version however.. It's cool hearing what the guitars are doing, which are more buried on the studio version. MISFIRES------(imo) Walk this way I never dug Joe's Talkbox on "Walk this way", which I don't believe was on the studio version. Listening tonight on my walk I could hear Perry doing some verbal quips here and there with the talkbox that I thought were fun and fit the live mood of the track. Not ideal but enjoyable... Being the iconic track it is they really needed to nail the studio groove, with maybe additional jamming to keep it live sounding. In a time when bands were playing really tight, this was inappropriate for release. I think it hurt them and set them back in the public's eyes. That said, I like it.. Sweet Emotion The smooth majestic melding of the talk box guitar and lead vocal on the studio take is not captured here, and to me was a must if on a live album. Time wise the band is pretty all over the road through the verses. The verses and chorus's don't play off each other as well with the sped up verses. I think Live Bootleg sold well mostly on the backs of the great albums that came before it. It was out of place being rough and tumble as it is in 1978. I don't remember many people really liking it back them. I knew people in 78 that had it, but I personally never had it until about 84.... My record collection in 84 was less than 50 and Live Bootleg got played. I enjoyed all the insightful posts and knowledge by the great fans here. Peace
we when get to the other live albums i'll have to compare but the misfires which live albums do you think have better versions? for "lord of the thighs" i remember liking either the classics live version or the live version on pandoras box better
While we’re still on Live! Bootleg, a question and a couple of thoughts: On the Paul’s Mall recording of “Mother Popcorn,” Tyler introduces David Woodford on sax. This is the same guy who plays on “Mama Kin” and “Write Me a Letter” on the self-titled debut. Clearly he was an associate and sort-of adjunct member of the band in those early days, but does anyone have more info on him? It’s confusing also, as he’s always credited as “David Woodford,” but Tyler clearly introduces him as “David Woodward.” Anyone have more info on this guy? The crossfade from the 1973 Paul’s Mall recording back into the 1978 recording of “Draw the Line” is a beautiful evocation of the passage of time and the band’s rise to success. We go from the relatively small indoor audience at Paul’s to a wide panned stereo recording of the much larger & louder 1978 audience. It’s almost cinematic, and is wonderfully executed. I absolutely love the last part of “Train Kept a-Rollin’” Joe’s tone and nearly out-of-control phrasing on his free form “Strangers in the Night” solo section is pure rock and roll. Then the fireworks start. Awesome. There’s a high-pitched whine throughout that last track that I think is coming from an effects pedal. A near identical high-pitched whining noise appears for a long stretch of Jimmy Page’s bow/echoplex solo at the 6/21/77 Led Zep LA Forum show. It’s feedback, but a very peculiar & specific type of feedback. It’s gritty & abrasive & fits the mood perfectly.
I was literally thinking of these exact same topics while cleaning the kitchen and listening to Pump last night. I think I'll wait till we get past Rock/Hard Place before posting, given that's kind of where the band's two eras split.
Ok, a little Googling answered my question about David Woodford. Lengthy resume - I had no idea! That’s Woodford playing the sax on Glenn Frey’s “The Heat Is On”! No idea why Tyler introduced him as “Woodward” in ‘73 though!
Probably a simple goof...I had a Spanish teacher in high school, Mr. Woodward, imagined him playing sax on the track, lol!!!!
Haha - yes I am afraid I was on the wrong side of a few drinks and on the train home when I penned that lengthy and barely coherent diatribe … I don’t mean to jump ahead, bring on NITR!
First night in Japan...Great gig, but not sure why they started with the oldies...Mama Kin, Write Me, S.O.S. (Too Bad) when they had some much good newer music at that point.
Night In The Ruts Night in the Ruts - Wikipedia Track listing Side one No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "No Surprize" Steven Tyler, Joe Perry 4:25 2. "Chiquita" Tyler, Perry 4:24 3. "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" (The Shangri-Las cover) Shadow Morton 4:04 4. "Cheese Cake" Tyler, Perry 4:15 Side two No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "Three Mile Smile" Tyler, Perry 3:42 2. "Reefer Head Woman" (Jazz Gillum cover) Joe Bennett, Jazz Gillum, Lester Melrose 4:01 3. "Bone to Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy)" Tyler, Perry 2:59 4. "Think About It" (The Yardbirds cover) Keith Relf, Jimmy Page, Jim McCarty 3:34 5. "Mia" Tyler 4:14 Personnel Steven Tyler – lead vocals, keyboards, harmonica, piano, cover art concept Joe Perry – guitar, slide guitar and backing vocals on "No Surprize", "Chiquita", "Cheese Cake", "Three Mile Smile", “Reefer Headed Woman”, and "Bone to Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy)" Brad Whitford – guitar Tom Hamilton – bass guitar Joey Kramer – drums Additional musicians Mary Weiss – backing vocals on "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" Richie Supa - additional guitars on "No Surprize" and "Mia" Jimmy Crespo – lead guitar on "Three Mile Smile" George Young – alto saxophone on "Chiquita" Louis del Gatto – baritone saxophone on "Chiquita" Lou Marini – tenor saxophone on "Chiquita" Barry Rogers – trombone on "Chiquita" Neil Thompson – guitar on "Chiquita" Production Gary Lyons - producer with Aerosmith, engineer David Krebs, Steve Leber - executive producers, management Peter Thea, Rod O'Brien - assistant engineers George Marino - mastering at Sterling Sound, New York John Berg, John Kosh - art direction, design Jim Shea - photography Vic Anesini - remastering
Night In The Ruts No Surprize I will do a detailed review. Chiquita The intro is a cool series of fake outs as to where the song will start. The verse starts and arrives at the key of guitar friendly A. The chorus goes to C which is the minor third and adds some somber sound….not very usual for a chorus. The transition after the verse goes thru a bunch of chord changes and is powerful as all get out. The second transition adds horns. The intro returns and leads to the verse again and the transition follows but ends deceptively on a D chord. Great song with some modal flavor from Steven. Busy thought but that is OK. 8/10 Remember (Walking in the Sand) An OK cover of this great song. Down and blue minor chord R and B vibe fits the band due to Steven’s vocals. Cliché R and B arpeggios, soaring call and response vocals…. It’s all here for better or worse. Probably got the idea from the Dolls who were big girl group groupies. Power chords and R and B? Works OK for me. Just don’t play power chord air guitar to it. 7/10 Cheesecake A growling Johnny Winter like slide guitar slips and slides to the verse which is a slower blues line. Mostly a drone deal in A for the verse. A blues refrain of Do it Do it. At 1:33 a surprise chorus follows and gets repeated with a faster tempo. The chorus shifts to E and the vocal melody is rooted in suspension notes. Not bad. Not great. The song slows back down and has a long groove section with more slide guitar from JP. The chorus returns and outros the song. 7/10 Three Mile Smile I will post a more detailed review. Refer Head Woman Cool cover of this blues song done hard, heavier, and slower. A pickup intro of heavy chords. Steven is an acceptable singer with the blues, but I will not call him a blues singer. Not much to report on this one except for the break which has ST blowing harp, but it sounds like he could care less. 6/10 Bone To Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy) The opening riff is good enough but borders on cliché. The verse riff is a hard rock boogie line. Lyrics about a NY boy and his NY lady. Joe plays a fine solo in the break with snarling double stops. Another song in the guitar friendly key of E from the boys. The outro is a decent jam but overall, the song gets a little repetitive. 7/10 Think About It OK cover of this modal psych tune from the Yardbirds. Aerosmith’s version is close to the original. Little more up tempo though which makes it more Aerosmith style and sounds less psyched out. I never really flipped for the Yardbirds song in the first place so what can I say. The freakout break has effected guitars weaving in and out. 7/10 Mia A Tyler ballad about his daughter closes the album. I like it well enough. Somber minor key and shows off Steven’s understanding of harmony compared to the to the other guys. The piano rhythmic hook is on the cliché side though. I guess that is what happens when you know the piano like he does. 6ths and Major 7ths show up in the musical landscape. The piano rhythmic hook is on the cliché side though. Some romantic classical build ups before the break. The guitars in the break are relaxed and melodic. The ending has weepy sounding minor chord tolling like a bell. A decent not so happy song to end the album 8/10 This was their first album that did not really take hold of me like those that came before. The songs have some great transition line hooks, but they are not strong enough to really anchor the verse or chorus sections like some of their hooks in the past. The cover songs are fine but not really standouts for me. At this point the Aerosmith balloon was about half filled for me. I will admit, the album title is a real knee slapper.
Late with this, but I just listened to Draw the Line for the first time in about 10 years. Better produced than I remembered but still appealingly raw. For me, Aerosmith created their own original branch of the rock tree with Toys and Rocks, but went back to a more rootsyn style on DTL.
Aerosmith Album By Album Thread 1. Aerosmith 2. Get Your Wings 3. Toys in the Attic 4. Rocks 5. Draw The Line 6. Live Bootleg
Here is the Allmusic Review of Night In The Ruts - They give it 2.5 stars ouy of 5. By the time Aerosmith's sixth studio release was issued, 1979's Night in the Ruts, guitarist Joe Perry had finally left the band after years of drug-fueled bickering with singer Steven Tyler (forming the Joe Perry Project by year's end). Most of the tracks were completed before Perry's departure, with replacement Jimmy Crespo filling the few empty spaces. And while the band looks back upon this period as hazy and frustrating, Night in the Ruts is a surprisingly coherent and inspired album. Although it's not up to par with such classics as Toys in the Attic or Rocks (although it could have been if the band weren't in such a state of turmoil at the time), it was definitely leaner and more focused than their last studio release, Draw the Line. Highlights include the striking opening rocker, "No Surprize," which recounts the band's early history, as well the driving yet melodic "Chiquita," the jamming "Three Mile Smile," the furious "Bone to Bone," and a pair of covers -- the Yardbirds' "Think About It" and the novelty number "Reefer Head Woman." The only lowlight is a weak cover of the Shangri-Las' "Remember (Walking in the Sand)," which was inexplicably issued as a single and included on 1980's Greatest Hits. While the album performed respectfully on the charts, the ensuing tour did little to boost sales -- it was marred with canceled dates and lackluster performances brought on by Tyler's substance abuse. Here is the Rolling Stone review by David Fricke Night in the Ruts He says Gary Lyons production is bland and not a fan of the cover of Remember (Walking In The Sand). He thinks Mia is a rewrite of Dream On.
Night in the Ruts sounds like a tired band to me. The performances are not very good...I can't imagine they went through many takes. The songs are mostly forgettable. Done With Mirrors is the other one I rarely listen to.
Not trying to skip ahead but it is worth noting that Joe Perry put out an instrumental version of Bone To Bone as a non-lp b-side to his single release of Let The Music Do The Talking by the Joe Perry Project.
My favorites on Night In The Ruts are No Surprize and Three Mile Smile. Think About It is my favorite of the 3 cover tunes. While Chiquita, Chesscake and Bone To Bone aren't bad, they aren't that memorable either. One of the times I saw them live they played Bone To Bone. I don't care for Remember (Walking In The Sand) and it is surprising that since neither studio versions of Come Together or Chip Away Stone (Both were released as singles and live versions appeared on Live Bootleg.) had appeared yet on an Aerosmith album that one or both of those were not included instead of some of the other covers. It seems they were short on material for the album to include that many covers. They reached way back to include Reefer Head Woman which appears on the recent 1971: The Road Starts Hear release.
Robert Christgau considered the opening song "No Surprize" the only "promising" track on the album and gave it a C+ Promo videos for "No Surprize" and "Chiquita" were filmed (featuring Jimmy Crespo) and the video for Chiquita was included in the Video scrapbook VHS and laserdisc release. Tyler says in the Walk This Way book "I had to explain to the press that a Coney Island whitefish is a used rubber." Tyler also says in the Walk This Way book that someone swiped his lyric notebook and he had to call Dr. Demento and have him read the lyrics to Reefer Head Woman over the phone.
Yes, Come Together or Chip Away Stone would have made it a better album. I guess good on them they didn't rely on stuff in the can, but then they went the cover route.
NITR definitely sounds to me like the band is tired.I like Draw The Line, but NITR could have been called Paint By Numbers. I’m surprised when I read Tyler saying it’s his favorite and Perry saying he considers it top-tier. I’m totally aware that sometimes an album will get dogged when it comes out but can win ears years later as tastes change or the artist’s intention becomes more appreciated. But I don’t think this is one of those albums. I obviously have no direct knowledge of why Tyler and Perry rate this album as highly as they do, especially given that it was the one that broke the band. I’d be surprised if Tyler remembers the making of half of it, and obviously Perry wasn’t even around for a fair bit of recording. Maybe their egos don’t want to admit it isn’t that good, or maybe they’re cynically trying to shift some units by directing folks to it for a re-appraisal. I listened to it for the first time last weekend. For the first three songs I though, ok, not bad- no top tier, but not too bad. “No Surprize” has a good energy and lyrics. “Chiquita” has some stuff going for it, though naming it after a banana company and singing it a la Harry Belafonte had me rolling my eyes. I thought “Remember” was an inspired pick and for the first minute or so I dug it. But then Tyler’s vocals become a self parody by the end. Then it went downhill for me. Fast. “Cheesecake” just did not do it for me at all. Someone mentioned REO Speedwagon earlier - this song seemed to me like something Warrant would do. “Three Miles Smile” is one where it really jumped out to me how tired the band sounded. Tom and Joey seem to have the rhythm of a box of boiled noodles. “Reefer Headed Woman” is just too blooze - completely uninspired. It reminded me of when some friends and I were in a band and would practice in the drummer’s basement, then after we played the drummer’s older brother - who thought the height of amore was giving his girlfriend a backrub with canola oil - would jump on the guitar and start playing cliche blues licks. Oddly enough maybe, I thought “Bone To Bone” showed more spirit and a kind of angry funk. But given what Tyler has said a “Coney Island Whitefish” is, it’s not something I want to sing along to. I thought “Thnk About It” was just awful. The music sounds weak to me and the lyrics trite. This is where I turned the album off and switched over to some Talking Heads. I’ll have more encouraging things to say about albums going forward. And I totally understand this is just my opinion. But man, this one is not for me.
For years, I thought that this album, of all the Aerosmith albums, would’ve been a great candidate for one of those 33-1/3 books. It’s got a compelling backstory and lots of drama. There are a few great songs. In some ways, it points the way forward to the later Aerosmith albums, with a sound that’s cleaner and less layered than any of the last three or four albums. Tyler’s vocals are farther forward in the mix than they’ve been on the past couple of albums - another step toward the 80s Aerosmith sound. The absence of Jack Douglas is significant, and is felt. One other thing that’s sorely missed here? Songwriting contributions from Whitford & Hamilton, for one. But one of the persistent myths about this album is that Joe Perry isn’t on it. Hardly! He’s not present on a whole two tracks - the same as Draw the Line. Jimmy Crespo only appears on one track, in spite of the myth that he stepped into an unfinished album to complete it. Whitford plays all of the guitars on “Remember.” Looking forward to Rose River Bear’s write ups on “No Surprize” & “Three Mile Smile.” I love this album a lot more than most. To me, it’s a better listen than Get Your Wings. Heresy, I know…
