I need to get this out of the way immediately. ‘Done With Mirrors’ and ‘Pump’ are always beating and bangin’ for supremacy of my Aerosmith collection "Darlington" like Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch back in 2003.
And they’ll be beatin’ and bangin’ the next time I get to thinking about the merits of the “reconciliation” Aerosmith album or the “Lets get away from poppy and polished” Aerosmith album.
Lyrically… Both albums have their appeal.
Let’s face it. Stephen Tyler can turn a phrase. Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, and Tom Hamilton can riff like mofos doused in gasoline. Joey Kramer keeps it all together like an accountant keeping track of rhythm. The band is a machine. And I’ve seen Aerosmith during the excessive drug days. I’ve also seen them perform completely sober. There were differences. There’s no doubt. But the band brought it to the stage every time that I’ve seen them.
There has yet to be an Aerosmith show where I’ve walked out saying to myself… “You know… They’ve lost a step.”
‘Pump’ recently fell into my OCD driven program to discover and rediscover why things are in my collection. I could tell you in details how it’s done, but that would only bore you. But just about everyday I’m listening to a different disc while driving. And yeah, there have been times that I’ve pulled something that I don’t care for or it has lost its appeal. I just find it a new home where it will be loved, cherished, and cared for.
Then there are rediscovery moments like I recently had with ‘Pump’.
Like I previously stated, it is a favorite. But I forget how good the album really is because a lot of the songs still litter the airwaves broadcasting out of rock stations. Three of them come immediately to mind since I talked about them just about every single shift during my days on Rock 92. Those are “Love In An Elevator”, “What It Takes”, “Janie’s Got A Gun”, and “The Other Side”. I haven’t gotten sick of them yet, obviously. But damn… Thank God that I was voice-tracking my shifts instead of actually having the songs constantly driven my ears and into the “THAT’S GD ENOUGH OF THAT!” category where KISS’ “Rock n’ Roll All Nite” currently resides.
Sidenote: And they wonder why people tune out after the morning show. Wake up, radio. We can soundtrack our own lives now without all the repetition.
Aerosmith got back to the top of the charts with ‘Permanent Vacation’. But they felt that the album was too poppy sounding. Sure, they were right and I agreed with them. ‘Pump’ was a good swift kick to the slats without jeopardizing their chances at striking Billboard chart gold. The edges weren’t as polished and there were ass-kicking songs like opening track “Young Lust”, “F.I.N.E.”, “My Girl”, and “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even”.
And my favorite lyric from Tyler shows up in the song “F.I.N.E.”
“I got a girlfriend with the hoochy-coochy eyes
‘Cause in the pink she look so fine
She got the crack jack now all I wants the prize”
Is it award-winning poetry?
No.
Is it cocksure rock star posturing?
You betcha! And it’s funny. It’s a thing of beauty. It’s offensive and yet not really offensive. And that’s Tyler.
I know most people point to ‘Rocks’ as their favorite Aerosmith album, but ‘Pump’ is tops for me this week.
That could change soon if ‘Done With Mirrors’ pops up in my daily listening rotation. Those two are constantly tradin’ paint for me.
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