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Rocks (Aerosmith album)

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Untitled

Rocks is the fourth album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released in 1976. Allmusic described Rocks as having "captured Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking".[1] Rocks also ranked #176 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and is also noted in musician Kurt Cobain's top 50 favorite albums in his journals. [2] Additionally, it has greatly influenced several people in the hard rock and heavy metal community, including members of Guns N' Roses and Metallica.[3][4]

The album was also a commercial success, charting three singles on the Billboard Hot 100, two of which reached the Top 40 ("Back in the Saddle" and "Last Child"). The album also was one of the first albums to ship platinum when it was released. The album has since gone quadruple platinum.[5]

Track listing

Side one

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Back in the Saddle"Steven Tyler, Joe Perry4:40
2."Last Child"Tyler, Brad Whitford3:26
3."Rats in the Cellar"Tyler, Perry4:07
4."Combination"Perry3:39

Side two

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Sick as a Dog"Tyler, Tom Hamilton4:12
2."Nobody's Fault"Tyler, Whitford4:25
3."Get the Lead Out"Tyler, Perry3:43
4."Lick and a Promise"Tyler, Perry3:05
5."Home Tonight"Tyler3:18

Song information

"Back in the Saddle"

Written by Joe Perry on a six-string bass, which gives the song its distinctive "growl". Although written with the simple idea of cowboys and sex, this song took on new meaning after Aerosmith reunited in 1984 and embarked on their Back In The Saddle Tour. Brad Whitford plays the lead guitar part.

"Last Child"

Brad Whitford created the riff after listening to the Meters, and the band wrote the rest in the studio. Whitford also plays lead guitar.

"Rats in the Cellar"

Written as Tom Hamilton describes it, "taking this thing The Yardbirds created, and making it balls to the wall", it was also conceived as a counterpart to Toys in the Attic.

"Combination"

Joe Perry's first solo effort, (sung by Perry with Steven Tyler on background vocals) this song is about heroin, liquor, cocaine, and the dangers of being able to afford your vices.[6]

"Sick as a Dog"

A guitar part is by bassist Tom Hamilton, who also co-wrote the song. When recording the song, for the first half of the song, Joe Perry played the electric bass; after the last chorus, during the rhythm guitar break, Perry handed the bass over to Steven Tyler to play, and picked up his guitar to play the solo during the finale.[7] This song is said to be about Tyler's less than spectacular first meeting of Mick Jagger.

"Nobody's Fault"

With "Back in the Saddle", one of the heaviest songs on the album (as "Round and Round" had been on the previous one), this is one of former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash's favorite Aerosmith songs, as well as that of Metallica leader James Hetfield. Thrash metal band Testament covered this song on their 1988 album, The New Order, as well as L.A. Guns contributing a cover of the song for their 2004 covers album Rips the Covers Off. This song is an important contribution to the band's catalogue by Brad Whitford, who cites it as his favorite Aerosmith song.[8]

"Get the Lead Out"

"Lick and Promise"

"Home Tonight"

Cover versions

Thrash metal band Testament recorded "Nobody's Fault" for their 1988 album, The New Order

Influence in music

Appearances in other media

  • The song "Last Child" is a playable song in the video game Guitar Hero II.
  • Also released as a 4-channel quadraphonic mix.
  • "Back in the Saddle", "Nobody's Fault", "Rats in the Cellar" and "Combination" are playable songs on Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.

Personnel

Additional personnel

Production

  • Producers: Aerosmith, Jack Douglas
  • Engineer: Jay Messina
  • Assistant engineers: Sam Ginsberg, Rod O'Brien
  • Arrangers: Aerosmith, Jack Douglas, David Hewitt
  • Directors: David Krebs, Steve Leber
  • Photography: Fin Costello, Scott Enyart, Tom Hamilton, Ron Pownall, Brad Whitford

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1976 Pop Albums 3

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year Single Chart Position
1976 "Home Tonight" Pop Singles 71
1976 "Last Child" Pop Singles 21
1977 "Back in the Saddle" Pop Singles 38

Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA - USA Gold May 21, 1976
RIAA - USA Platinum July 9, 1976
RIAA - USA 2x Platinum October 19, 1984
RIAA - USA 3x Platinum December 21, 1988
RIAA - USA 4x Platinum February 26, 2001

References

  1. ^ Allmusic.com
  2. ^ http://www.nirvanaclub.com/info/nirvinfoa/journals.txt
  3. ^ a b The Immortals - The Greatest Artists of All Time: 57) Aerosmith : Rolling Stone
  4. ^ Blabbermouth.net
  5. ^ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS
  6. ^ http://robceemusic.com/index.php/2008/02/17/journey-through-the-past-aerosmith-rocks-columbia-1976/
  7. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599184/176_rocks?action=rate#rate
  8. ^ AeroForceOne | Aerosmith - Brad Whitford
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ 176) Rocks : Rolling Stone

Rocks ⚠ "mbid" is missing! at MusicBrainz

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