Review: Aerosmith, "Music from Another Dimension"

I think it speaks volumes that after hearing a few advance tracks, I had this record in hand for three days before I ever listened to it.

You see, I’m an Aerosmith fanboy in the worst way. My 11th commandment, once upon a time, was “thou shalt have no rock band over Aerosmith.” I’ve waited on a store to open to buy a new Aerosmith record. At one point, I probably had a different Aerosmith T-shirt for every day of the week. In high school, I was routinely late for school if Aerosmith were on MTV or the radio because I wouldn’t leave until the song was over. I got in fights with people who had the audacity to say Aerosmith sucks.

Truth is, though, Music from Another Dimension kinda sucks.

Have yourself a metal little Christmas

While hard rock and metal outfits have generally been more associated with Halloween than Christmas, the last 10 or 15 years have seen quite a few rockers getting into the Christmas spirit. In truth, the results haven’t always been that great, but the efforts have brought a few gems.

For this list, I’ve tossed out the goof songs like Spinal Tap’s “Christmas with the Devil” or Bob Rivers’ “I Am Santa Claus,” set to the tune of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” I’m looking for tunes that show a little reverence and joy in the season rather than going for laughs.

I’ve also tossed out Trans-Siberian Orchestra, since the entire 10-song list could be made up of their stuff. (I am however particularly fond of their version of “A Mad Russian’s Christmas” and the jazzy “Christmas Nights in Blue,” which I highly recommend.)

So, here’s the list of 10 songs I’ve come up with. Feel free to add your own.

10. “Deck the Halls,” Ted Nugent. From the second volume in the “Merry Axemas” series, this song is delivered in typical, in-your-face Nuge style. It plays a bit like a cross between the traditional song and “Free-for-All.”

9. “Run Rudolph Run,” Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Gibbons, Dave Grohl. Chuck Berry’s version of this song is one of my favorite holiday tunes, and, from Brian Setzer to Lynyrd Skynyrd, I’ve never heard a version I didn’t like. The combination of three most unlikely musicians on this version easily puts it on my list.

8. “Blue Christmas,” Joe Perry. The Aerosmith guitarists twangy take on the Elvis classic is one of the more memorable moments of the first “Merry Axemas” collection.

7. “We Three Kings,” Halford. This song is easily the strongest moment on Rob Halford’s “Winter Songs” record. It’s an upbeat, rocking version of the song with an undeniable melody courtesy of the original.

6. “The Little Drummer Boy,” Doug Pinnick, George Lynch, Billy Sheehan, Simon Phillips. Four hard-rockers team up for a very soulful version, and King’s X frontman Pinnick’s vocals are perfect for the tune.

5. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” Gary Hoey. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” has always been one of my favorite holiday stories, and the Thurl Ravenscroft original one of my favorite songs. Hoey’s instrumental version really puts the mean into it, though.

4. “Santa Claus is Back in Town,” Tim “Ripper” Owens, Steve Morse, Marco Mendoza, Vinny Appice. Another favorite rock Christmas song given the hard rock treatment. Owens’ vocals really shine on this tune and give it its attitude.

3. “White Christmas,” Zakk Wylde. The flashy guitar hero Wylde has always been a very underrated acoustic player, and this earthy version of the song is one of his better soft moments.
2. “God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen,” Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Rudy Sarzo, Simon Wright. It took Dio until his mid-60s to be convinced to do a Christmas song by his wife, and it was worth the wait. He and Iommi deliver a dark, dirge-like version of the song suitable for any Black Sabbath record, but retain the reverence of the original.

1. “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24),” Savatage. I said I wouldn’t include Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and I didn’t … technically. The song was recorded by Savatage for their “Dead Winter Dead” record, a year before Savatage producer Paul O’Neill and frontman Jon Oliva repurposed it for TSO’s debut record “Christmas Eve and Other Stories.” In my mind, it’s the ultimate Christmas tune recorded by a metal band.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve/ Sarajevo @ Yahoo! Video

Still Spinning: Aerosmith - "Aerosmith"

Most people would probably consider Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic" the band's best record, and you could certainly make a case for that when you hear the mega-hits "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion" in regular rotation more than 30 years later. For me, though, "Toys" is No. 3 on the list of Aerosmith records, behind 1976's "Rocks" (one of the finest rock albums of all time) and the self-titled debut from 1973.

I like debut records in general. Sure, most bands take three or four records to really polish their sound and get that big breakthrough, and that's exactly why I prefer the debut. The debut is raw. The debut is real. The debut has all of the energy and desire of the band packed into it, even if it doesn't have all of the talent they'll eventually display.

Aerosmith's debut is no different, though it did spawn a few certified classics. We'll go ahead and get those out of the way. There's never been a much better power ballad recorded than "Dream On" (though it took a few years before people caught on to it), and "Mama Kin" is quite simply one of the greatest raw, hard rock songs ever written. Those two songs alone make this a great rock record, but dig a little deeper, and you'll find a lot more to like.

No less powerful is the funky, bluesy groove of the opening of "Movin' Out," another personal fave. Joe Perry's twangy riff paired with Steven Tyler's countrified vocal inflection on the opening make it practically impossible to get out of your head once you hear it. The blues influence that would become more and more prevalent on their 1970s records really shines on "One Way Street," with Tyler at times going into falsetto hysterics over the laid back groove provided by the rest of the band.

Finally, there's the cover of Rufus Thomas' "Walkin' the Dog," which is one of the more interesting tracks here. It's a very funky number, almost a dance song, and Joe Perry's muted string rakes in the chorus are almost like a forerunner of the record scratching that arrived with hip hop in the 1980s.

Admittedly, much of this record was an effort in Stones worship, but there are strong flashes of what the band would become, with shades of blues and even jazz swinging through the songs here. As great a record as "Toys" is, given the choice between the two, I'll take this one every time. It's probably Aerosmith's most underrated effort.

Hear a sample of "Walkin' the Dog."

Buy "Aerosmith."

Still Spinning is an occasional feature about an older record that still gets regular time in my CD player.

Review: Aerosmith, "Honkin' on Bobo"

It's a shame these are cover songs because this is the album that a lot of Aerosmith fans have been waiting on for more than 25 years.

There are no synthesizers, no horn sections and no bows to radio airplay. It's just the five members of Aerosmith (with occasional help from vocalist Tracy Bonham and pianists Paul Santo and Johnnie Johnson) rocking out on some of their favorite blues tunes. The result is a very warm, organic record that recalls the band's best work of the 1970s. And why shouldn't it? Some of the band's hottest songs in the '70s were covers of old blues tunes.

Hearing the band put their stamp on "Shame, Shame, Shame" or Willie Dixon's "I'm Ready" will make you think you're listening to one of Aerosmith's classic albums like "Toys in the Attic" or "Rocks." The songs would certainly fit right in there.

A real surprise on this album are the two Joe Perry sung tunes, "Back Back Train" and "Stop Messin' Around." In the past, Perry songs have been like an afterthought, perhaps throwing a little bone to the guitarist. On this collection, they're two of the best songs. Perry's smooth, smoky voice is a perfect fit with the bluesier numbers.

The only weak spot on the album is, surprisingly, the only new Aerosmith song, "The Grind." It sounds like the same ballad we've heard them do seven or eight times since the early 1990s. But the energetic numbers like Bo Diddley's "Road Runner" and "Baby, Please Don't Go," and the down and dirty numbers like Sonny Boy Williamson's "Eyesight to the Blind" and "Never Loved a Girl," a reworking of Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved a Man," will soon make you forget that one misstep.

This is what Aerosmith should sound like. Here's hoping the Boston bad boys will throw us some new rock 'n' roll in this vein in the near future.

Get "Honkin' on Bobo."