Aerosmith
- For other uses, see Arrowsmith.
Aerosmith | |
|---|---|
| Aerosmith | |
| Background information | |
| Years active | 1970–Present |
| Members | Steven Tyler Joe Perry Tom Hamilton Brad Whitford Joey Kramer |
Aerosmith is a prominent American rock band. Although they are known as a Boston, Massachusetts band, none of the members are actually from the city. Three of the members, Steven Tallarico (Tyler), Joe Perry, and Tom Hamilton had originally met in Sunapee, New Hampshire in the late 60's, but had not yet formed a band together. Tyler was from Yonkers, New York, Perry from Hopedale, Massachusetts, and Hamilton from New London, New Hampshire. In 1970, the three decided they would form a band together, and that Boston, Massachusetts would be the place to do it.
The band enjoyed major popularity throughout the 1970's, but their serious substance abuse and drug addictions contributed to their decline (The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia reportedly said they were "the druggiest bunch of guys I've ever seen"), and almost relegated them to the annals of history. Joe Perry and Brad Whitford left the group and the period from 1979-1984 was a dark one for the band, which carried on with replacements. However, in 1984, chiefly due to the tireless efforts of Joe Perry's then manager, Tim Collins, to reform the original band, Aerosmith was born again. Despite the insistence of his own client Perry that it was unthinkable, Collins succeeded in helping the band resolve old differences and to ultimately overcome their addictions. They went on to enjoy a resurgence in popularity that has made them one of the top-selling and most popular rock bands in the world today.
History
Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton moved to Boston in September of 1970. There they met Joey Kramer, who was, coincidentally, from Yonkers, New York, and also knew Steven Tallarico (soon to be Tyler). Shortly after meeting and after hearing Perry and Hamilton play, Kramer agreed to join the band they were forming, with the understanding that Tyler, whom he'd always hoped one day to play with, would be the Lead Vocalist. Steven Tyler then joined them in Boston in October of 1970 and Aerosmith was born. The five original members were: Steven Tyler (Vocals), Joe Perry (Lead Guitar), Tom Hamilton (Bass), Joey Kramer (Drums), and Ray Tabano (Rhythm Guitar). It wouldn't be until the summer of 1971 that Ray Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford of Reading, Massachusetts on guitar, and that Aerosmith would be complete. Other than a period from July 1979 to April 1984, this is the line-up that is still Aerosmith today.
1969
Steven Tyler, who was to become Aerosmith's singer, was in the following list of bands: the Vic Tallarico Orchestra (as a drummer in the summers from 1964-66 in Sunapee, NH); The Strangers (drummer/vocalist 1964-65); The Strangeurs (vocals 1966); a band called Chain Reaction (vocals 1966-68) (Not to be confused with Chain Reaction that formed in 1976 with future members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), who recorded a single in 1966 (partly available on Aerosmith's 1991 box release Pandora's Box); The Chain (drummer/vocals 1968-69); Fox Chase (drummer/vocals 1969-70); William Proud (drummer/vocals summer 1970). He met Joe Perry, who was at the time playing in a band with bassist Tom Hamilton called the Jam Band with drummer David "Pudge" Scott, while Perry was washing dishes at the Anchorage in Sunapee Harbor, NH in 1969, which eventually led to the formation of Aerosmith.
1970s
The original lineup included Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass guitar), Joey Kramer (drums), and Ray Tabano (rhythm guitar). Tyler, who was originally a drummer and singer, adamantly refused to play drums, insisting he would only be in the band if he could be the frontman and lead vocalist. This led to the recruitment of Joey Kramer, a Berklee College of Music student, who then quit school to join the band. Brad Whitford, an educated and highly skilled guitarist, who also attended the Berklee School of Music and formerly of the band Earth Inc., would later replace Tabano in 1971. After some local success doing live shows, Aerosmith signed with Columbia Records in 1972 and issued a debut album, Aerosmith that included a minor hit single, "Dream On". All but one song on the album was released as a single. After constant touring, the band released Get Your Wings (1974), which did quite well on the charts.
It was 1975's Toys in the Attic that established Aerosmith as international stars. Originally derided as Rolling Stones knockoffs, Toys in the Attic showed that Aerosmith was a talented band in their own right. Part heavy metal, part glam rock, and part punk music, Toys in the Attic was an immediate success, starting with the single "Sweet Emotion", then a successful re-release of "Dream On", and a new song from the album, "Walk This Way". Both of the band's previous albums re-charted. Aerosmith's next album, Rocks, went platinum swiftly and featured two FM hits, "Back in the Saddle" and "Last Child".
The next album, Draw the Line, was not as successful, though the title track proved to be a minor hit (and is still a live staple), Kings and Queens also experienced some success. While continuing to tour and record into the late 1970s, Aerosmith acted in the movie version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and survived the critical and financial debacle unscathed. Their cover of the Beatles hit "Come Together" remains a rock radio staple. As their popularity waned and drug abuse began affecting their output, Joe Perry left the band during the recording of their sixth studio album Night in the Ruts in 1979 and formed The Joe Perry Project. Perry was replaced first by longtime band friend and songwriter Richie Supa and then by guitarist Jimmy Crespo (formerly of the band Flame)
1980s
Aerosmith released its mammoth-selling Greatest Hits album in 1980 and in 1981 the band suffered another loss with the departure of Brad Whitford. Whitford was replaced by Rick Dufay and the band recorded their seventh album Rock in a Hard Place. The album was considered a relative failure. The tour for Rock in a Hard Place is notable for Steven Tyler collapsing onstage during a 1983 performance.
On Valentine's Day 1984, Perry and Whitford saw Aerosmith play. They were officially re-inducted into the ranks of Aerosmith once more in April of that year. Steven Tyler recalls, "You should have felt the buzz the moment all five of us got together in the same room for the first time again. We all started laughin'—it was like the five years had never passed. We knew we'd made the right move."
Aerosmith embarked on a lucrative reunion tour entitled "Back in the Saddle", which produced the live album Classics Live II. Their problems still not behind them, the group was signed to Geffen Records and began working on a comeback.
1985 saw the release of Done with Mirrors, their first studio album since the much-publicized reunion. It fared relatively well commercially, but it did not produce a hit single or generate much buzz. By the time the record was released, Tyler and Perry had exited drug rehabilitation. The group appeared on Run D.M.C.'s massively successful cover of "Walk This Way", a track blending rock and roll and hip hop that not only cemented rap into the mainstream of American popular music, but also began Aerosmith's comeback. The group's next release was Permanent Vacation (1987), which included the hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Rag Doll," and "Angel." Permanent Vacation was a major hit for the band, becoming their bestselling album in over a decade. The group when on a subsequent tour with Guns N' Roses, which was intense at times due to Aerosmith's new struggle to stay clean amidst GN'Rs rampant drug use and keep cool despite GN'R's rise to fame. Their next album was received even better; Pump (1989) featured three Top Ten singles: "Janie's Got a Gun," "What It Takes," and "Love in an Elevator," as well as "The Other Side," reestablishing Aerosmith as a serious musical force. Pump was a critical and commercial success, selling 7 million copies, and earning the band their first Grammy win ever, for "Janie's Got a Gun."
1990s
Despite significant shifts in mainstream music at the beginning of the 1990s, the band's 1993 follow-up to Pump, Get a Grip, was just as successful commercially, starting with lead-off single "Living on the Edge." Though many critics were unimpressed by the focus on interchangeable power-ballads in promoting the album, all three ("Cryin", "Crazy" and "Amazing") proved to be huge successes on radio and MTV. The music videos featured then up-and-coming actress Alicia Silverstone; her provocative performances earned her the title of "the Aerosmith chick" for the first half of the decade. Steven Tyler's daughter Liv Tyler was also featured in the "Crazy" video.
Much of the mainstream success of Get a Grip involves how the band changed their sound and made it more commercially accessible. However, this led to constant accusations of selling out that would continue throughout the 90's.
In addition to their grueling 18 month world tour, the band also did a number of things to help promote themselves and their album and appeal to youth culture, including the appearance of the band in a "Wayne's World" sketch on Saturday Night Live and subsequant performance of 2 songs in Wayne's World 2, performing at Woodstock '94, using their song "Dueces Are Wild" in The Beavis & Butt-Head Experience, and opening their own club, The Mama Kin, in Boston, MA in 1994.
Aerosmith signed to Columbia Records again in the early 1990s, but they had to complete two contractual albums for Geffen before recording for the new label. The next album, Nine Lives, was plagued with personnel problems, including the firing of manager Tim Collins. Reviews were generally mixed, and Nine Lives initially fell down the charts quickly, though it had a long chart life and sold double platinum in the US alone. It was followed by a series of late '90s releases (live and retrospective) that sold respectably but began a second decline in popularity and critical respect. Yet the biggest hit of their career, and their only #1 single to date, was the love theme from the 1998 film Armageddon, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (conceived by Joe Perry and Diane Warren, though Warren alone received songwriting credit). (Perhaps coincidentally, Steven Tyler's daughter Liv was featured in the movie.) The song was nominated for an Academy Award.
In 1999, they were featured in the Disney-MGM Studios (and later in the Walt Disney Studios Park) ride, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, providing the soundtrack and theme of the ride, which is based on their recording session and following concert.
2000s
The band entered its next decade with Just Push Play in 2001, which charted well. They were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Later that year, the band performed as part of the United We Stand concert in Washington D.C. for 9/11 victims and their families. Amazingly, the band flew back to Indianapolis for a show the same night, as part of their grueling yet highly successful Just Push Play tour.
In 2002, Aerosmith released the 2-disc compilation O Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits and embarked on the Girls of Summer tour with Kid Rock and Run-DMC opening. In 2003, Aerosmith co-headlined with Kiss on the Rocksimus Maximus tour.
Their long-promised blues album, Honkin' on Bobo was released in 2004. Honkin' on Bobo continued to be a success for the resurgence of blues and roots music across the US and Europe. The album was a return to roots for the band. It was followed by a live DVD, You Gotta Move in December 2004. The band also lent its seminal "Dream On" to an advertising campaign for Buick in 2004, targeting that marque's audience which is now composed largely of people who were teenagers when the song first charted.
Joe Perry released his eponymous solo album. At the 2006 Grammy Awards he was nominated for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" for the track Mercy, but lost to legend and hero Les Paul. In October 2005, Aerosmith released a CD/DVD "Rockin' the Joint." The band hit the road for the Rockin' The Joint tour on October 30th with Lenny Kravitz, expecting to be on the road until some time around Spring 2006, at which time, reports currently say, they will start to focus on working on a new album. It was announced in January that the band will embark on a 5 week tour with Cheap Trick in the spring. Rumors of a tour started when Cheap Trick frontman Robin Zander joined the band onstage for "Come Together" during a concert in Tampa, Florida a week before the announcement. Early reports also indicate that the band plans to resume touring in the fall of 2006, most likely in support of a new album. (Rumors that the new album will include a cover of Deep Purple's "Why Didn't Rosemary" are yet unconfirmed.) However, a number of concerts in March were cancelled due to Tyler falling ill from an unexplained ailment. On March 22, 2006, the band was forced to cancel all remaining dates of their tour, to give singer Steven Tyler time to recover from throat surgery. Recently, Tom Hamilton has reported that Tyler is recovering and will have his voice back in a few months. Aerosmith will begin recording a new album on Armed Forces Day 2006, and will schedule new tour dates in the fall.[1]
Current members
- Steven Tyler - Vocals, harmonica, piano, various percussive instruments (1970-present)
- Joe Perry - Guitar and vocals (1970-79, 1984-present)
- Brad Whitford - Guitar (1971-79, 1984-present)
- Tom Hamilton - Bass (1970-present)
- Joey Kramer - Drums and Percussion (1970-present)
Former members
- Ray Tabano - Guitar (1970-71)
- Jimmy Crespo - Guitar (1979-84; Substitute for Joe Perry)
- Rick Dufay - Guitar (1980-84; Substitute for Brad Whitford)
Backup Singers/Musicians
- Thom Gimble - Keyboards & Saxophone (1988-1996)
- Russ Irwin - Keyboards & Vocals (1997-present)
Discography
Studio albums
-
Aerosmith (1973) #21 U.S. Total Sales: 3,000,000 -
Get Your Wings (1974) #74 U.S. Total Sales: 3,000,000 -
Toys in the Attic (1975) #11 U.S. Total Sales: 8,000,000 -
Rocks (1976) #3 U.S. Total Sales: 6,000,000 -
Draw the Line (1977) #11 U.S. Total Sales: 3,000,000 -
Night in the Ruts (1979) #14 U.S. Total Sales: 2,000,000 -
Rock in a Hard Place (1982) #4 U.S. Total Sales: 1,000,000 -
Done with Mirrors (1985) #36 U.S.U.S. Total Sales: 1,000,000 -
Permanent Vacation (1987) #11 U.S., #37 U.K. Total Sales: 6,000,000 -
Pump (1989) #5 U.S.,#3 U.K. Total Sales: 8,000,000 -
Get a Grip (1993) #1 U.S.,#2 U.K. Total Sales: 12,000,000 -
Nine Lives (1997) #1 U.S., #4 U.K. Total Sales: 5,000,000 -
Just Push Play (2001) #2 U.S. #7 U.K. Total Sales: 3,000,000 -
Honkin' on Bobo (2004) #5 U.S.#28 U.K. Total Sales: 2,500,000
Total Sales=63,500,000
Live albums
- Live Bootleg (1978) #13 US, Total Sales: 1,000,000
- Classics Live! (Purple cover) (1986) #84 US, Total Sales: 2,000,000
- Classics Live! Vol. 2 (Red cover) (1987), Total Sales: 1,000,000
- A Little South of Sanity (1998) #12 US, #36 UK, Total Sales: 2,000,000 (2CD)
- Rockin' the Joint (2005) #24 US, Total Sales : 1,000,000
Total Sales=7,000,000
Compilations
- Greatest Hits (1980) #53 US, Total Sales: 13,000,000
- Gems (1988) #133 US, Total Sales: 2,000,000
- Pandora's Box (1991) #45 US, Total Sales: 2,000,000 (3CD)
- Box of Fire (1994), US Sales: 500,000
- Big Ones (1994) #6 US, #7 UK, Total Sales: 6,000,000
- Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology (2001) #191 US, #32 UK,Total Sales: 2,000,000 (2CD)
- O, Yeah! The Ultimate Aerosmith Hits (2002) #4 US, #6 UK, Total Sales: 4,000,000(2CD)
- Chronicles (2005)
- Their Hits 1972-1997
- Aerosmith Gold (2005)
Total Sales=29,500,000
Total Worldwide Albums Sales=100,000,000
Hit singles
Hit singles
- from Aerosmith
- from Get Your Wings
- 1974 "Same Old Song and Dance"
- 1974 "Train Kept a Rollin'"
- from Toys in the Attic
- 1975 "Sweet Emotion" #36 US Hot
- 1977 "Walk This Way" #10 US Hot, #8 UK
- from Rocks
- 1976 "Last Child" #21 US Hot
- 1976 "Home Tonight" #71 US Hot
- 1977 "Back in the Saddle" #38 US Hot
- from Draw the Line
- 1977 "Draw the Line" #42 US Hot
- 1978 "Kings and Queens" #70 US Hot
- from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Soundtrack
- 1978 "Come Together" #23 US Hot
- from Live Bootleg
- 1979 "Chip Away the Stone" #77 US Hot
- from Night in the Ruts
- 1980 "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)" #67 US Hot
- from Rock in a Hard Place
- 1982 "Lightning Strikes" #21 US Rock
- from Done With Mirrors
- 1985 "Let the Music Do the Talking" #18 US Rock
- 1986 "Shela" #20 US Rock
- from Permanent Vacation
- 1987 "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" #14 US Hot, #4 US Rock
- 1987 "Rag Doll" #12 US Rock
- 1987 "Hangman Jury" #14 US Rock
- 1988 "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" #41 US Dance
- 1988 "Angel" #3 US Hot, #2 US Rock
- 1988 "Rag Doll" #17 US Hot
- 1990 "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" #20 UK
- from Gems
- 1989 "Chip Away the Stone" (re-issue) #13 US Rock
- from Pump
- 1989 "Love in an Elevator" #5 US Hot, #1 US Rock, #13 UK
- 1989 "Janie's Got a Gun" #2 US Rock
- 1990 "Janie's Got a Gun" #4 US Hot
- 1990 "What It Takes" #9 US Hot, #1 US Rock, #10 UK
- 1990 "Monkey on My Back" #17 US Rock
- 1990 "The Other Side" #22 US Hot, #1 US Rock
- 1990 "F.I.N.E." #14 US Rock
- from Pandora's Box
- 1991 "Sweet Emotion" (re-issue) #36 US Rock
- 1991 "Helter Skelter" #21 US Rock
- from Get a Grip
- 1993 "Eat the Rich" #5 US Rock, #34 UK
- 1993 "Livin' on the Edge" #18 US Hot, #1 US Rock, #19 UK
- 1993 "Fever" #5 US Rock
- 1993 "Cryin'" #12 US Hot, #1 US Rock, #17 UK
- 1993 "Amazing" #3 US Rock
- 1994 "Amazing" #24 US Hot, #13 Latvia
- 1994 "Shut Up and Dance" #24 UK
- 1994 "Crazy" #17 US Hot, #7 US Rock, #23 UK (double A-side with Blind Man in the UK)
- from Big Ones
- 1994 "Deuces Are Wild" #1 US Rock
- 1994 "Blind Man" #48 US Hot, #3 US Rock, #17 Latvia
- 1995 "Walk on Water" #16 US Rock, #11 Latvia
- from Nine Lives
- 1997 "Nine Lives" #37 US Rock
- 1997 "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" #35 US Hot, #1 US Rock, #22 UK, #2 Latvia
- 1997 "Hole in My Soul" #51 US Hot, #4 US Rock, #29 UK, #4 Latvia
- 1997 "Pink" #1 US Rock, #38 UK, #19 Latvia
- 1998 "Pink" #27 US Hot
- 1998 "Taste of India" #3 US Rock
- 1999 "Pink" (re-issue) #13 UK
- from Armageddon soundtrack
- 1998 "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" #1 US Hot (4 wks), #4 US Rock, #13 US AC, #14 Latin, #4 UK, #1 Latvia (9 wks)
- 1998 "What Kind of Love Are You On" #4 US Rock
- from Charlie's Angel's" soundtrack
- 2000 "Angel's Eye" #4 US Rock
- from Just Push Play
- 2001 "Jaded" #7 US Hot, #1 US Rock, #13 UK, #17 Latvia
- 2001 "Just Push Play" #10 US Rock
- 2001 "Sunshine" #23 US Rock
- from O, Yeah! The Ultimate Aerosmith Hits
- 2002 "Girls of Summer" #25 US Rock, #26 Latvia
- from Honkin' on Bobo
- 2004 "Baby, Please Don't Go" #7 US Rock
US Hot = Billboard Hot 100 US Rock = Mainstream Rock Tracks (data not shown for songs prior to 1984) US Dance = Billboard Dance Music/Club Play US AC = Adult Contemporary US Latin = Hot Latin Tracks UK = UK Charts
Tours
- 2005-2006 Rockin' the Joint Tour
- 2004 Honkin' on Bobo Tour
- 2003 Rocksimus Maximus or AeroKiss Tour
- 2002 Girls of Summer Tour
- 2001-2002 Just Push Play Tour
- 1997-1999 Nine Lives Tour
- 1993-1994 Get a Grip Tour
- 1989-1990 Pump Tour
- 1987-1988 Permanent Vacation Tour
- 1985-1986 Done With Mirrors Tour
- 1984 Back in the Saddle Tour
- 1982-1983 Rock in a Hard Place Tour
- 1979-1980 Night in the Ruts Tour
- 1977-1978 Draw the Line Tour
- 1976-1977 Rocks Tour
- 1975 Toys in the Attic Tour
Trivia
- Aerosmith songs are featured on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster in Disney-MGM Studios located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
- They are also featured on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster in Walt Disney Studios Park located in Marne-la-Vallée, France.
- The band was featured prominently in the film Wayne's World 2.
- The band has starred or appeared in numerous video games, such as Revolution X and Quest for Fame.
- The song "Dude (Looks like a Lady)" was featured in the film Mrs. Doubtfire
- The songs "Nine Lives" and "Home Tonight" are featured in Dead or Alive 3.
- The single "Dream On" is the opening theme for Dead or Alive Ultimate.
- The songs "Amazing" and "Eat The Rich" are featured in Dead or Alive 4.
- In 1994, Aerosmith released the single "Head First" for download on the internet. It is considered the first full-length commercial entertainment product online.
- In 2001, Aerosmith played the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show with 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly.
- The hit "Dream On" provides the background and chorus for Eminem's 2003 hit song "Sing for the Moment".
- Lead singer Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry were known as "The Toxic Twins" due to their notorious abuse of drugs on and off the stage.
- The famous scarves tied to the mikestand of Steven Tyler were used to hide Quaaludes and Tuinals for Steven's use throughout their concerts in the 1970's.
- Aerosmith provided the theme music for Spider-Man: The Animated Series. When Peter Parker first dons on the symbiote costume, his first costume change is to be "the lead singer of Aerosmith".
- Aerosmith's song "Livin' on the Edge" was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "Livin' in the Fridge".
- Aerosmith guest starred in the animated series The Simpsons in the third season episode "Flaming Moe's".
- Aerosmith appeared on MTV Unplugged on November 8 1990 at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City which aired on MTV on September 20 1990
- Aerosmith was featured in the Shadowman series (vol.1 no.19). In the story, Master Darque creates a voodoo doll of Steven Tyler. Jack Boniface (Shadowman) trades Tyler's soul for an unnamed favor.
- Steven Tyler also cameoed in the film Be Cool which stars John Travolta and Uma Thurman. In the film, Steven Tyler does a duo of "Cryin'" with upcoming singer Linda Moon (played by Christina Milian)
- Aerosmith was also featured in a game for Sega Genesis titled Revolution X where music CDs were fired at vilians called the New Order Nation, a government group bent on stopping music, creativity, and basic freedoms. It was released in its first form as an arcade game.
- Ranked #11 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".
- "Dream On" was the background track for Sportscenter's video retrospective of sports in the 20th century played several times at the end of 1999.
- The song "Love in an Elevator" was based on an incident which occurred with Steven Tyler in a southern hotel, where he was caught with two girls in mid-clinch. He said about it "The doors open up in the lobby and we're on the floor. It was a millennium waiting for that door to close."
- "Dream On" was the song that was played during the commercial for the hockey movie, Miracle. It was also played during the closing credits.
- The band's first gig was at Nipmuc Regional Highschool in Mendon, Massachusetts on November 6, 1970
- The band also appears as villians in the popular internet game, Emogame