Edited 3-26-00 (Steven Tyler’s 52nd birthday)
Aerosmith's fifth album went platinum faster than any of their previous records. However, many fans noticed a change in the band's sound. This album is heavy on funky groove-based rock as opposed to straight up rock and roll. Basically, the band could now afford whatever vices they had (fast cars, drugs, alcohol, and drugs) and it took its toll on the music. The resulting album was much heavier and rawer than anything they had ever done was. Personally, I think the under-produced sound of the album is refreshing and helps the band avoid an album that sounds exactly like one would expect them to write. Fans of Aerosmith who want to hear the darker side of the rock legends might want to try this one out. They’ll be pleasantly surprised.
The title track is a great song based on a simple guitar riff. It rocks with an intensity that the band didn’t really show on Rocks or Toys in the Attic. As great as those albums were, the clean production and crisp guitar tone was a limiting factor in the energy the band showed. On this song, and the rest of the album, the band just let it fly. "I Wanna Know Why" is one of the Tyler/Perry collaborations. This song is one of Tyler’s many outlets for the anger he felt toward the press. This studio version is a little sterile, but the live version seen on the Texxas Jam 㥖 video is very impressive.
“Arriving in boats, black hooded coats,
tormentors climbed into my room
I crawled under my bed, covered my head
but they're flushin' me out with a broom
The leader, she's small, pinned my @ss to the wall
for my seeds or she'd be losin' her past
Time after time, she'd be readin' my mind
But she never got the feelin' to last
Celebrate, celebrate, celebraid it
this is the critical mass
so far so good, I heard the other say
so good so far, they're takin' me away
I drink to you, your mind, her @ss
we'll take a drink and break the glass
celebrate, celebrate, celebreak it
this is the critical mass
Now the tallest of two, with a brush full of blue,
paints surrealist scenes on the wall
So I tell her for fun, that it's really well done
but she just ain't listenin' at all
She points to my heart, tellin' me if I'm smart
I'll practice and phase out
and admit, when the shoe doesn't fit
And I went screaming out down the hall
I need it
I need your love
Just then I heard a poundin' on the door
We're all here, sang the voice of twenty more
I drink to you alas,
we'll take a drink and break the glass
Celebrate, celebrate, celebreak it
We are at critical mass
Time and space, is takin' me away
Time erase, don't know the time of day”
“Critical Mass” is one of the standout tracks on the album. It is certainly one of the most original songs the band had recorded to this point. In fact, it is very different to anything the band has ever released, except maybe Get a Grip’s “Gotta Love It”. Bass player Tom Hamilton wrote this song. The guitars aren’t very prevalent, but one guitar was recorded backward and provides a great sound effect (listen to Jimi Hendrix’s “Castles Made of Sand” to hear an example of a guitar recorded backward). The piano and harmonica breaks between the verses act as a substitute for a guitar solo rather nicely.
Around this time the band was having a hard time writing new material. Joe Perry discovered a tape he had made in his basement before recorded for Draw the Line started. From this tape came the slide guitar parts for “Draw the Line” and “Get it Up”. “Get it Up” is a song that’s very similar to “Monkey on My Back”, a song the band would record 12 years later. "Bright Light Fright" is a furious saxophone driven frenzy written by Joe Perry, who is once again showcasing his vocal talents. At first the band didn’t want to include this on the album, but they were running out of material.
Draw the Line does not have the radio ready sound and hit singles of their previous four albums, but it still has some great moments. "Kings and Queens" is easily the best song on the album. In fact, it’s one of the band’s best all time songs. Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer wrote this five-minute long masterpiece. The mixing and production of this song is astounding. Even if the band’s relationships with each other were falling apart, this song is a testament to how good they were playing.
“Long ago, in days I'm told
were ruled by Lords of greed
Maidens fared with gold. They dared
to bare their wombs that bleed
Kings and queens and guillotines,
taking lives denied
Starch and parchment laid the laws
when bishops took the ride only to deceive.
Oh, I know I lived this life before
Somehow know now truths I must be sure
Tossin, turnin' nightmares burnin'
dreams of swords in hand
Sailin' ships the Viking spits
the blood of father's land
only to deceive
Living times of knights and mares
raising swords for maidens fair
sneer at death
fear only loss of pride
Living other centuries
deja vu or what you please
follows true to all who do or die
Screams of no reply
they died
Screams of no reply
and died
Lordy lordy they died
Lordy lordy they died
Live and do or die
they died
Live and no reply
they died”
Tyler and Perry hooked up with producer Jack Douglas and former New York Doll David Johansen on the funky "Sight for Sore Eyes". This is one of the band’s favorites from Draw the Line, and mine as well. Whitford came up with "The Hand That Feeds”. He played every note on this song, since Joe Perry’s addictions caused him to not be around the day this song was recorded. This song has a great chorus, but it’s Tom Hamilton’s bass playing that keeps this song flowing. "Milk Cow Blues" is the album's closer. It is a cover song, but this version is stellar. On this track the band rediscovered their blues roots in superb fashion.
This album is pretty diverse, even though it only consists of nine songs. It is obvious that the band was divided at this point. Whitford, Hamilton, and Joey Kramer had their material, while Tyler and Perry had theirs. Also, Tyler struggled to complete lyrics on time, which lead to producer Jack Douglas getting several song writing credits. He wrote most of the lyrics to "Kings and Queens" and "Critical Mass". This album is a radical departure from Toys in the Attic and Rocks. Draw the Line is more focused on the groove and flow of the music, not writing a hit single.
Song Selection:
1. Draw the Line
2. I Wanna Know Why
3. Critical Mass
4. Get it Up
5. Bright Light Fright
6. Kings and Queens
7. The Hand That Feeds
8. Sight For Sore Eyes
9. Milk Cow Blues
Top picks: Kings and Queens, Milk Cow Blues, Critical Mass, Sight for Sore Eyes
Band Members:
Steven Tyler: vocals, keyboards, harmonica
Joe Perry: guitars, vocals
Brad Whitford: guitars
Tom Hamilton: bass
Joey Kramer: drums
Additional Musicians:
Stan Bronstein: saxophone on “Bright Light Fright” and “I Wanna Know Why”
Steve Cushnie: piano on “I Wanna Know Why” and “Critical Mass”
Jack Douglas: mandolin on “Kings and Queens”
Karen Lawrence: background vocals on “Get it Up”
Paul Prestopino: banjo on “Kings and Queens”
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