SirAlex's Full Review: Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology by Aerosmith
Aerosmith is one of the best selling and most important rock bands of all time. Enough’s been written about them throughout their career that there’s not much more that I can add. However, what’s important is whether or not Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology is for you.
This collection contains 34 songs mostly from the band’s Geffen years. So songs from Done With Mirrors, Permanent Vacation, Pump, and Get a Grip are included. For good measure it also includes the non-album songs from the Big Ones Best of package and four songs from the live package A Little South of Sanity. Basically, this contains everything from Big Ones with the inclusion of songs from Done With Mirrors, seven rarities, and the Run DMC version of “Walk This Way”. This does not contain any of the band’s Columbia material, and if you want just the hits you’re better off with O Yeah- Ultimate Aerosmith Hits. This is worth it for the rare tracks, but that’s probably more for collectors and not casual fans.
What really sucks is that you know there are more demos, alternate takes, and b-sides that could have made its own collection… but Geffen probably wouldn’t have made as much money that way. Seven songs really doesn’t seem worth the price I paid for it although the songs contained here are mostly excellent.
I have the songs broken up into album tracks, alternate versions, and b-sides. So if you know the hits and just want the new stuff, you can skip the next 3000 or so words.
THE ALBUM TRACKS:
There are three tracks from the 1985 comeback effort Done With Mirrors. It wasn’t that strong of an album although there were a few bright spots. “Let the Music Do the Talking” is a reworking of Joe Perry’s solo track. It was easily the best song of that album and it opens this collection. It’s a fast-paced in your face rocker featuring some excellent slide guitar from Joe Perry. That’s always been one of his secret weapons. Very few players anymore are willing to play bottleneck, but it’s the only way to actually play the notes between the notes. Hey, that was pretty good…
“Cheese cake
Maybe if I take another bite
I'm a real fat city
I'm an aero delight
Threw out my pipe
And my alcoline
Got a squeaky clean body
And a dirty mind
I'm a real fine dancer
I'll be cuttin' rug
Got my brand new baby
She's my brand new drug
I got one for the money
Two for the show
Three for my honey
And four to let you know that I
let the music do the talking…”
Another of my favorites from Done With Mirrors is “My Fist Your Face”. It’s a straightforward hard rocking tune featuring some neat dissonant power chord progressions. The band doesn’t often play riffs like that outside of older stuff like “Round and Round” and “Spaced”. It’s a good approach for them and fans of their more melodic balladry (or is it “Ballardy” heh heh… never mind) might be surprised at the bruising nature of this track. One of the my least favorites of that album is “Shame On You”. It’s included here although there are better songs (“Gypsy Boots”, “Shela”) that would have been a better choice. “Shame On You” has a neat little guitar riff and you’ll hear it… a lot. The lyrics are kinda funny in spots, but it’s nothing too special.
“Joe Perry, Oh, Mr Style
Some kind of killer bee
Buzz a while
Gung ho last night
PMS
B*tch, b*tch, b*tchin
Got to do this, got to do that”
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame, shame on you babe”
Aerosmith’s 1987 Permanent Vacation album was their true commercial comeback. It featured more radio friendly songs and marked a new chapter in the band’s career. Geffen records arranged for Aerosmith to work with outside writers to complete the creative process. At this point, the band was still on drugs and was having difficulties finishing songs. In the middle of writing the album, however, the band did an intervention on Steven Tyler and eventually they all kicked their drug habits. The result is a fresh sounding album of a number of great songs that still rock the radio to this day.
The three big singles from Permanent Vacation were “Angel”, “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)”, and "Rag Doll". These are still heard on rock radio 16 years later. While “Angel” is pretty much the prototype of the additional ballads that would come later in the band’s career, I still have a soft spot for the song. It’s overly dramatic and the lyrics are trite, but I still like it. I prefer the stripped down live version on A Little South of Sanity, though. “Dude” has some great riffs and suggestive lyrics and is pretty much Aerosmith doing what they do best. My personal favorite of the three is “Rag Doll”. Once again, I’m impressed with Joe Perry’s slide guitar playing, but Joey Kramer’s boom smack drum hook is pretty cool, too.
“I'm feelin' like a bad boy
Mmm, just like a bad boy
I'm rippin' up a Rag Doll
Like throwing away an old toy
Some babe's talkin' real loud
Talkin' all about the new crowd
Try and sell me on an old dream
A new version of the old scene
Speak easy on the grape vine
Keep shufflin' the shoe shine
Old tin lizzy, do it till you're dizzy
Give it all ya got until you're put out of your misery”
There is much more to be found on Permanent Vacation than just the hits and three of the best lesser known songs are included here. “Heart’s Done Time” was the album’s opener and one of the best examples of the guitar interplay between Messrs. Perry and Whitford. I just realized how much I hate the word “messrs.” Speaking of Brad Whitford, Permanent Vacation’s title track was penned by him. It’s no frills riff rock from the man who gave you “Last Child” and “Nobody’s Fault”. That track is worth checking out along with the country rock of “Hangman Jury”. This has been long been one of my favorites of the band’s catalog. Something about the open tuned acoustic guitars and harmonica get me pumped.
“Watcha do with a gun that's loaded
Shot her dead and her heart exploded
Tell me baby now d-dontcha worry
Like lyin' to a Hangman Jury
I swear I didn't know that '45 was loaded
In fact my memory ain't too clear
That's not to say she didn't get what she deserved
Least that's the way it looked from here
Boy when you line the track a lack a
Hey boy dontcha line the track a lack a
Hey boy dontcha line the track”
Aerosmith’s true comeback triumph was 1989’s Pump. Of all their Geffen releases, this album is the closest to rekindling the band’s magic touch from the mid 70’s. It’s a raucous collection of balls to the wall rock that never ceases in its intensity from the opening salvo of “Young Lust” through the album’s closer, “What it Takes”. Perhaps the best thing about Pump is that it is only ten tracks, meaning there was no chance for any filler. Also, the band was dissatisfied with so many outside collaborations on Permanent Vacation that they took more control on this record. The result was their most complete album of the 80’s and is without a doubt one of the most essential releases of that decade.
40% of Pump made it high on the charts. “The Other Side”, “Janie’s Got a Gun”, “What it Takes”, and “Love in an Elevator” were all big singles for the band and for good reason. The horn section and palm muted blues rock guitar of “The Other Side” would sound great on 1974’s Get Your Wings alongside such classics as “Same Old Song and Dance” and “Train Kept a Rollin’”. “Janie’s Got a Gun” is the slap bass and orchestrated tale of a daughter’s revenge against her slimy father. It’s a great message and a great song, but Steven Tyler’s daughter being exploited in the “Crazy” video still seems kind of wrong. But all that aside, the best part of this song is still Joe Perry’s unbridled acoustic-electric guitar solo.
“Janie's Got A Gun
Her dog day's just begun
Now everybody is on the run
Tell me now it's untrue
What did her daddy do
He jacked a little bitty baby
The man has got to be insane
They say the spell that he was under
The lightnin' and the thunder
Knew that someone had to stop the pain
Run away, run away from the pain”
The other two hits from the album also deserve high praise. “What it Takes” is a masterful country tinged break up ballad that has always been one of my favorites. This shows the band’s brilliance in the studio as they make a simple G D Em C chord progression so much more than that. There’s piano and accordion mixed in along with one of Tyler’s best vocal performances ever. I can even forgive him saying “guitar” before the guitar solo (this was 1989 after all, and that’s officially the last year you could get away with that). “Love in an Elevator” is another one of my favorite songs and not for the obvious sexual references and silicone breast implant filled video. I just dig the guitar work and it’s one of the best bridge and guitar solo sections ever. Whitford’s awesome ascending pull off lick at 2:14 is one of the finest rock moments ever captured on tape.
“Workin' like a dog for the boss man
Workin' for the company
I'm bettin' on the dice I'm tossin'
I'm gonna have a fantasy
But where am I gonna look
They tell me that love is blind
I really need a girl like an open book
To read between the lines
(Chorus)
Love In An Elevator
Livin' it up when I'm goin' down
Love In An Elevator
Lovin' it up till I hit the ground”
Two lesser known songs from Pump are also available on this anthology. “Young Lust” is that album’s opener and this anthology’s namesake. The guitar fury that opens the song up serves to get you excited out of the gate. It’s a little hard to hear this song in the middle of a CD, because it’s meant to open an album or concert. Still, it’s a furious rock track showing the band hitting on all cylinders. My favorites parts are the bass fills at :58, 1:28, and 3:25, but every member of the band gives stellar performances here. “Monkey on My Back” is a brilliant slide guitar fueled tale of addiction. As much as I like the guitar performances, Kramer’s opening drum beats are probably the best part. Bassist Tom Hamilton lays down one of his heaviest rhythms ever, especially through the verses. This song rocks and is even better live.
“I made believe the devil made me do it
I was the evil leader of the pack
You best believe I had it all and then I blew it
Feedin' that f*ckin' monkey on my back
If you put it a spoon man I would boot it
Some king whose mental house was just a shack
Where do you draw the line when all your friends are dyin'
You got to get that monkey off your back”
1993’s Get a Grip was another huge hit for the band. It spawned five hits singles but some fans dislike the ballads that were the majority of the singles. In actuality, the album is strong and the ballads don’t really paint an accurate picture of the album as a whole. There are a couple of tracks I can do without to be sure (“Line Up”, “Crazy”), but I’m actually fine with most of the hits. I wish some of the more obscure tracks from that album would have been included here to show some of the experimental funk (“Gotta Love It”) and scatting fury (the title track) that the band was able to accomplish. Of course, the radio friendly nature of this album is the result of more Geffen meddling. The band had their album rejected and only a few tracks were allowed to stay on the final result. Some of the songs were considered “too sexual”.
The Polynesian log drums that open up “Eat the Rich” are a bit of a surprise for an Aerosmith song, but it soon becomes one of the heavier songs of the Get a Grip album. It’s got a lot of great riffs throughout, though the guitar solo is a little weak. It deserved to be a bigger success as a single, but radio would prefer the 12/8 shuffle of “Cryin’”. I like the song more a decade after its release, though at the time it was overplayed and I got sick of it. Still, there’s a lot of great chord changes throughout and a surprisingly rich bass line. The one single from the album that I don’t really like is “Crazy”. In fact, this is one of my least favorite Aerosmith songs (only slightly ahead of “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing”). There is an acoustic, country version that I actually prefer because it’s basically a country song. Perhaps that version should have been included. But you can’t always get what you want.
“You know you drive me up the wall
The way you make good for all the nasty tricks you pull
Seems like we're makin' up more than we're makin' love
And it always seems you've got something on your mind
Other than me
Girl, you gotta change your crazy ways - you hear me”
One of my personal favorites from Get a Grip is the straightforward rocking of “Shut Up and Dance”. This was also a single, I believe. Well, it was played on the radio in any case. A really cool live version is available on the Wayne’s World 2 soundtrack (ah, back when I liked Mike Myers). Tyler’s vocals and lyrics are great, but the song focuses on the guitars more than him. No disrespect to Steven intended, but Aerosmith is really a guitar band. Fantastic riffs and solos might not get you radio hits, but they are what rock and roll is supposed to be about.
“The road to Heaven is paved in Hell
And it makes you wonder
Why we're here at all
Check out the shape of your circumstance
He wears the dress and she wears the pants
Here comes Jill and she needs romance
But you can't do jack so shut up and dance”
When Aerosmith decided to sign with Columbia records again, Geffen tried to milk some money from the consumer with 1994’s Big Ones. This is a greatest hits package from the Permanent Vacation, Pump, and Get a Grip albums. The real treat of that package came in the form of “Walk On Water”, “Deuces Are Wild”, and “Blind Man”, which hadn’t been released on an Aerosmith album at that point. In Geffen’s defense, these are probably the best bonus tracks ever in the history of Best Of albums. Their inclusion on Young Lust means that you no longer have to shell out the money for Big Ones. Of course I’ve already got it on tape and CD. I’m such a tool.
“Walk On Water” is my personal favorite of the three. It features heavy, harmonica-embellished rhythms. The band doesn’t always play so gritty, but when they do it’s usually stunning. It serves as a great counterpoint to the gentle ballad, “Deuces Are Wild”. This song is more energetic than “Crazy”, and Tyler gives his usual great performance. This was originally on the Beavis and Butt-Head Experience, but on this version you don’t get to hear Butt-head’s commentary on the “kings of rock”. “Blind Man” was released a single. I love the guitar work on the track, though I think the lyrics are a little lacking. Ah well, it’s still good stuff.
“I met a Blind Man
Who taught me how to see
A Blind Man
Who could change night into day
And if-a I can
I'm gonna make you come with me
Because-a here comes the sun
And we'll be chasing all the clouds the way
the way that some bees chase honey
And drink all the flowers dry
We'll be saving us a little money
And if that doesn't do it, yeah
I don't know the reason why”
Another example of Geffen records capitalizing on the Aerosmith name is the release of the live 2 CD set A Little South of Sanity. Now, this is a collection I actually enjoy. It contains 23 live versions of the band’s early stuff, Geffen stuff, and 1997 Nine Lives album. It’s a fairly comprehensive collection of songs and should appeal to Aerosmith fans of all stripes. The great thing about Aerosmith is that they are able to appeal to a broad audience and this album reflects that. If you like any of Aerosmith’s hits and want to hear them live, then A Little South of Sanity is for you. Four songs from that collection are contained on Young Lust.
Two songs from Nine Lives made it onto Sanity and they are chronicled here. “Hole In My Soul” was a bit weak lyrically, but had some really tasty guitar arpeggios. The live version isn’t that impressive, but the scorching “Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)” makes up for it. At first I wasn’t a fan of that song, but it’s really grown on me. You can also hear live versions of two of their most classic tunes, “Dream On” and “Sweet Emotion”. “Dream On” has always been a favorite of mine and one of my prized possessions is the original cassette printing of the album (pathetic, I know). Of course, the rolling bass line and talk box effects of Toys in the Attic’s “Sweet Emotion” are always welcome to my ears. The lame thing about Young Lust is that it contains the edited versions of these songs. I mean, if you can’t handle the f word once or twice in a concert, you probably shouldn’t listen to Aerosmith.
“Sweet Emotion
Sweet Emotion
You talk about things that nobody cares
You're wearing out things that nobody wears
You're calling my name but you gotta make clear
I can't say baby where I'll be in a year”
THE ALTERNATE VERSIONS:
“Walk This Way” was a big hit for Aerosmith in 1975 off their seminal Toys in the Attic release. I’ve always loved the funky guitar work throughout. Apparently the rap group Run DMC had long been spinning this song in clubs before they became famous. It was mutually advantageous for both groups to team up in 1986 and redo this song. It helped to legitimize rap to MTV and the suburban audiences and gave Aerosmith their first hit in nearly a decade. I prefer the original version, but there is a certain charm in the rapping of this song’s lyrics.
“So I took a big chance at the high school dance
With a missy who was ready to play
Was it me she was foolin'
'Cause she knew what she was doin'
When she told me how to walk this way”
One of the band’s most recognizable tracks is the LA Riots lament “Livin’ On the Edge”. Included on this anthology is an acoustic version of that song. It might not be better, but I appreciate how different it sounds. Plus, the spartan nature of the song means you get to hear more of the vocal overdubs that get overshadowed by the electric guitars in the original. This is a highlight of the second disc because it’s not something that you would really expect to hear from the band.
“There's something wrong with the world today
The light bulb's gettin' dim
There's meltdown in the sky
If you can judge a wise man
By the color of his skin
Then mister, you're a better man than I
We're livin' on the edge
You can't stop yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge
You can't stop yourself from fallin'”
One ballad from Get a Grip that I’m okay with, but not hugely moved by, is “Amazing”. On this collection we’re treated to the orchestral version of it. Tyler’s lyrics about kicking his crippling addictions are gritty and honest, but I think the chorus is a little annoying. Well, at least Don Henley’s harmonies on it. As a great poet once said, Don Henley pussifies everything he sings on. I do think some of the staccato string passages through the verses sound cool, but the highlight of this track is still Joe Perry’s guitar solo. This version is actually a little better than the album version, but it’s still not my favorite Aerosmith offering by any stretch of the imagination.
“It's amazing
With the blink of an eye
You finally see the light
It's amazing
When the moment arrives
You know you'll be alright
It's amazing
And I'm saying a prayer
To the desperate hearts tonight”
B-SIDES AND OTHER STUFF:
The only song on the first disc of this anthology that isn’t readily available anywhere else is “Ain’t Enough”. Apparently this was included on Japanese versions of Pump. I hate that songs are available overseas and not in America. But, I hate a lot of things about the music industry. It’s songs like this that make the purchase of this album necessary for a collector, but 1 out of 17 songs on the first disc is kind of hard to justify a purchase, don’t you think? Geffen pig f*ckers. Anyway, this is a pretty solid blues based rock track. I think it would have been a worthy addition to Pump and it’s nice to get a chance to hear it now.
“Ride on a carpet ride
High on the tears you cried
One's just too many
But a thousands not enough
And you can't make up your mind
Playing blind mans bluff
And you best believing
That all that's good is inside of you
Yeah, inside of you
It Ain't Enough
I take it all but still it ain't enough”
The band offers up a cover of the Doors’ “Love Me Two Times” from the Air America soundtrack. This is an excellent version of the song and I actually like it better than the Doors one. I’m okay with the Doors now and again, but it’s hard for me to get into their 18-minute organ solos. Jim Morrison could be a good singer and lyricist, but some of the songs could also be repetitive. But guitarist Robbie Krieger has come up with some of the catchiest riffs of all time, and this song shows that strength. If you like the original you might just like what Aerosmith did with it. More covers like this would’ve been appreciated much by me. I actually own the cover they did of “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu” on the Less Than Zero Soundtrack. Wow. I can’t believe I admitted that.
“Head First” is a song that was a little too sexual for Geffen records, though they still included it on the “Eat the Rich” single. It’s not exactly a subtle song, but could have probably been reworked into a more appropriate album version. The guitar work is great throughout and Tyler’s voice is superb. It’s certainly one of the more unrestrained songs from the Get a Grip recording era. In fact, it has more in common with songs from Pump than most of what you’ve heard from Get a Grip. This is a song that deserves a listen.
“Head first, baby
How the good time feelin' lingers
Oh, you can be alright
On the wrong side of the street
I'm so hungry for love
I've been lickin' off all my fingers
Oh yeah, you got to learn to
Take the bitter with the sweet”
Another hard-hitting b-side from the Get a Grip era is “Don’t Stop”. At first I couldn’t get into this song as much as the others, but I’ve grown to dig it a lot. The layered vocals of the chorus first struck me as annoying, but I actually really like it now. This is another track that should have been on the album. I could listen to this song a 100 times before I ever have to hear “Crazy” again. This features some of the most energetic riffs of an era marked by a more laid back musical approach by the band.
“Don't stop
Rockin' your socks off
Don't stop
Knockin' their blocks off
Don't stop
Gettin' your rocks off
Don't stop
Takin' a hit, boy
Don't stop
Shakin' your fist, boy
Don't stop
I ain't got much to lose
I'm feelin' so confused”
“Can’t Stop Messin’” is another track that seriously kicks. The band’s A&R guy needs a slap to the head if he thought this track wasn’t strong enough for the album. Give me this over the Don Henley harmonies on “Amazing” any day of the week. Tyler’s vocals during the chorus are him at his best. He has a surprising range and when he’s singing in the lower register it actually works better. Of course, you can hear plenty of his trademark “akka kakka kow” scats. But the real question is, does he write those down on his lyric sheets? I hope I spelled them right. The guitar work, especially after the chorus, is something that shouldn’t be missed.
“Sittin' by the seashore
Dreamin' 'bout a little more
Circlin' the classifieds
976
Man I need an other fix
I'll never have to kiss the bride
You say you got something
that makes you feel good
And you can't stop messin' with it
All your life you've been so misunderstood
'Cause you can't stop messin' with it”
I could summarize at this point, but it’s become ridiculously long. But suffice it to say that I want more Aerosmith B-sides. I bought this when it came out and I think it’s more worthwhile than O Yeah, because I didn’t really think “Girls of Summer” was that amazing. But I’ll probably buy that at some point, too.
I wrote this to help get me pumped for the band’s forthcoming Honkin’ on Bobo album, due in March.
Track Listing:
Disc 1 (Left disc)
1. Let the Music Do the Talking (from Done With Mirrors)
2. My Fist Your Face (from Done With Mirrors)
3. Shame On You (from Done With Mirrors)
4. Heart’s Done Time (from Permanent Vacation)
5. Rag Doll (From Permanent Vacation)
6. Dude (Looks Like a Lady) (from Permanent Vacation)
7. Angel (From Permanent Vacation)
8. Hangman Jury (from Permanent Vacation)
9. Permanent Vacation (from Permanent Vacation)
10. Young Lust (from Pump)
11. The Other Side (from Pump)
12. What it Takes (from Pump)
13. Monkey On My Back (from Pump)
14. Love in an Elevator (from Pump)
15. Janie’s Got a Gun (from Pump)
16. Ain’t Enough (from Pump (Japanese release))
17. Walk This Way (w/ Run DMC) (from Run DMC’s Raising Hell)
Top Picks: Rag Doll, Hangman Jury, Young Lust, Monkey on My Back, Love in an Elevator
Disc 2 (Right Disc)
1. Eat the Rich (from Get a Grip)
2. Love Me Two Times (from Air America Soundtrack)
3. Head First (Eat the Rich B-side)
4. Livin’ on the Edge (acoustic version) (original on Get a Grip)
5. Don’t Stop (Livin’ on the Edge B-side)
6. Can’t Stop Messin’ (Livin’ on the Edge B-side)
7. Amazing (orchestral version) (original on Get a Grip)
8. Cryin’ (from Get a Grip)
9. Crazy (from Get a Grip)
10. Shut Up and Dance (from Get a Grip)
11. Deuces Are Wild (from Big Ones)
12. Walk on Water (from Big Ones)
13. Blind Man (from Big Ones)
14. Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees) (live) (from A Little South of Sanity)
15. Dream On (live) (from a Little South of Sanity)
16. Hole in My Soul (live) (from a Little South of Sanity)
17. Sweet Emotion (live) (from a Little South of Sanity)
Top Picks: Can’t Stop Messin’, Shut Up and Dance, Livin’ on the Edge (acoustic version), Walk on Water, Dream On (live)
Steven Tyler: vocals, keyboards, mandolin, harmonica
Joe Perry: guitars, dulcimer, vocals
Brad Whitford: guitars
Tom Hamilton: bass
Joey Kramer: drums, percussion
Additional Musicians:
John Webster: keyboards and programming
Richie Supa: keyboards on “Amazing”
Don Henley: background vocals on “Amazing”
Desmond Child: keyboards on “Crazy”
Bruce Fairbairn: background vocals, cello, trumpet
Jim Vallance: organ
Morgan Rael: steel drums
Scott Fairbairn: cello
Drew Arnott: mellotron
Bruce Fairbairn: background vocals
Bob Dowd: background vocals
Russ Irwin: keyboards and vocals
Thom Gimbel: keyboards and vocals
The Margarita Horns: Tom Keenlyside, Bob Rogers, Ian Putz, Paul Baron, Ian Putz, Henry Christian, Bruce Fairbairn
Polynesian Log Drums: Mapuhi T. Tekurio, Melvin Liufau, Wesey Mamea, Liainaiala Tagaloa, Sandy Kanaeholo, Aladd Alatine Teofilo, Jr.
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