Ok, this will throw a few for a loop. No Joe Perry. Almost no Brad Whitford. Tyler strung out and hitting rock bottom with his addictions. And yet somehow, they managed to put out this album full of one bone-crunching, ass-kicking song after another. New guitarist Jimmy Crespo was the glue that held them together, and he along with Tyler did some great songwriting. And while it was good that Aerosmith eventually took Perry and Whitford back into the fold, it's absolutely fucking criminal that some record company A&R guy didn't find another band to hook up with Crespo, because he was a seriously talented guitarist and a great songwriter. He's proof that sometimes talent isn't enough to make it in the music biz.
This album gets overlooked because A) No Perry and very little Whitford, and B) it came out in 1982 at the height of New Wave and when ballsy, bluesy rock like Aerosmith's was as out of fashion as it ever became. Timing matters too. But goddamn, if you listen to this album on its own merits and without any preconceived notions, you'll realize that it kicks more ass than a house full of Lizzos, and that's a LOT of ass. If there is a poster child for underrated albums, this is it.
Now, put on your headphones, turn the volume up to 11, and pull out your favorite air guitar:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOLl7cXWG0A