January 10: Aerosmith, "Toys In The Attic:

Artist: Aerosmith
Album: Toys In The Attic
Year: 1975
Label: Sony


They say you never forget your first love. For me, it was Aersomith. The "Bad Boys From Boston" are one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever, and their 1975 release, Toys In The Attic, shows them at the peak of their talent. Toys takes the influences of the band (Rolling Stones, New York Dolls, Zeppelin, etc) and strips it down to its most basic elements: blues and booze.

This being the bands' third release, it is clear that they were finally able to bring all of the different elements together in harmony. At first glance, most people will only see that two of their more well known songs ("Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion") are on this album. However, the reality is, neither song was very successful until years after their release.

Toys In The Attic brings to the forefront the bands' trademark sound of sexy, somewhat sleazy, but undeniably catchy rock songs. Steven Tyler's vocals are perfect, and yet bear little resemblance to his sound these days. Joe Perry kicks out riff after riff, many of which have now become "staples" within the music world.

The title track opens the record and the bluesy, stripped down feel continues for the next half hour as Aerosmith presents 7 originals and a brilliant cover of Fred Weismantel's early 1900's recording, "Big Ten Inch Record." The final two sogns on the album are slow, soulful, and show the other side of the bands' capabilities. Truly, there is not a bad moment anywhere on the record.

Approaching 40 years of making music, Aerosmith have cemented themselves as legends within the rock and roll world. Though the band has made many good records, Toys In The Attic represents, far and away, their finest moment.



Standout tracks: "Toys In The Attic," "Big Ten Inch Record," and "Sweet Emotion."