I think of the Aerosmith story in two parts, everything that happened before the release of their hit album Permanent Vacation and everything after.
It’s the everything after part that’s shaky, including some mediocre music and a lead singer playing judge on a hack talent show. But in the days before “Dude Looks Like A Lady” reignited the band’s popularity in 1987, Aerosmith released a series of albums between 1973 and 1987 that contain some of the finest music in rock n’ roll history.
And now, Apple has signed a mega deal with Columbia Records to add never before released digital versions of these classic Aerosmith albums to iTunes, which are available right now.
Sure, everyone knows overplayed hits like “Sweet Emotion” and “Dream On,” but there are so many awesome Aerosmith tunes from their glory days it’s insane.
The Apple/Aerosmith deal follows the long-awaited iTunes deal between Apple and The Beatles (and record label EMI) from last year, which finally (thank God!) put John, Paul, George and Ringo on the iTunes service.
There has been newer Aerosmith music on iTunes, but nothing from the band’s finest era of creativity – until now.
Here’s a quick rundown of the albums you can now get on iTunes:
- Aerosmith (1973)
- Get Your Wings (1974)
- Toys In The Attic (1975)
- Rocks (1976)
- Draw The Line (1977)
- Live! Bootleg (1978)
- Night In The Ruts (1979)
- Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits (1980)
- Rock In A Hard Place (1982)
- Classics Live (1986)
- Classics Live II (1987)
That’s a damn fine list! Rocks, Get Your Wings and Toys In The Attic are must-haves in my book, and the others contain some of the best music the band has ever recorded.
Why now for a deal? According to the Hollywood Reporter, Aerosmith’s album sales rose 260 percent in the weeks since lead singer Steven Tyler became a judge on Fox’s American Idol.
So it’s clear the time was right to throw the classics into the digital space and capitalize. According to the New York Post, Aerosmith stand to make millions from the Apple deal. So that never hurts while opening the vaults to let the music out. And it’s very, very good music.
Over the years, Aerosmith’s tasty concoction of blues and rock have helped them sell more than 150 million records worldwide, with more than 66 million of those in the US alone. There’s been all sorts of band drama throughout as the band limped through the early ’80s. And even post revival in ’87 (the 1986 re-do of “Walk This Way” with Run D.M.C. on Raising Hell definitely helped kick-start the Aerosmith 2.0 chapter), it’s never been an easy relationship between guitarist Joe Perry and Tyler.
But there’s always the music. And the work they created from ’73 on through the rest of the decade is prime stuff. If more people can hear it now that it’s available on iTunes, then that is a win-win across the board.
The band is currently writing and recording its first album since 2004’s Honkin’ on Bobo, still one of my favorite album titles ever.
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