Aerosmith

When I’m in the mood for blistering, beer-swilling, ear hair vibrating speaker death, I have to admit that Aerosmith is probably my favorite all-time hard rock band.

But, saying that, I also have to believe that Aerosmith, in the last decade or so, has waned a bit in popularity with their original fan base by delivering a series of schmaltzy and forgettable so-called ballads.

I am here to tell you that Aerosmith invented the rock power ballad with ‘Dream On’. There are a certain number of other rock ballads that come near ‘Dream On’, but none are better and there are fewer still that have stood the test of time – given a time period of say twenty years or even more. Get a set of outstanding earphones and play a clean version and you find that you are riding a rock natural high.

So, this has had me thinking the past few days of other Aerosmith ballads that are totem poles higher than their current output. Try these for mighty sound, depth and quality.

You See Me Crying
Right from the opening piano, violins and Hamilton’s guided bass that garnishes, you can tell that this is exactly the right formula for when you absolutely need your hard edge dulled ever so slightly. However, the introduction of Tyler’s vocals breaks it into a commodity that you absolutely must have. In addition, when his voice begins to quiver (classically Tyler style) in the middle eight at 2’24" … well, isn’t this just about everything you could possibly hope to hear for this genre?

No question.

When the violins and whole band together begin to collide in heavenly swirls of sound, they rival the crashing, rushing torrents of bleaching rain in a scene gathered from Jane Austin’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ with swirling emotion. Perry’s gutty guitar never overpowers, but crystallizes the piece – something that would have been so tempting to do. But, he eschews it, and in restraining without sacrificing passion, he meshes it seamlessly with aplomb.

This has it all. The slow flirtatious build up, the powerful mind/body bubbling of desire, the explosive eye-clenching climax and the sultry smolder at the end that is as tender as the last nibble on your neck before falling asleep.

You see me crying
Please say you’ll stick around
And I got to be your lover
Honey, let me take you to town
And I’ll show you everything I know
And I’m never gonna let you down
‘Cause my love is like a merry go round

Home Tonight
On first headphone listen you’ll be delighted to hear a slightly different tone for a piano! Almost ‘clunky’, but very distinctive and harmonious. Once more, the focus of the piece centers on giving you a bite, but without tearing the flesh off.

For a while, when Rocks came out, when I was coming home after a long night, I’d break this out just to end my night with a good tune. Now, every time I hear it, I think of sitting in my car just outside of my place, car in idle, in order to hear this to the very end.

And baby, drink a cheer to yesterday
And maybe, you’ll drink those tears away

So baby, don’t let go
Hold on real tight
‘Cause I’ll be home tonight
Tonight

Aerosmith. Rock ballad classics. Say no more.

Aerosmith: You See Me Crying
From: Toys In The Attic [1975]

Aerosmith: Home Tonight
From: Rocks [1976]
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