SCOTTS HIDDEN TREASURES - (AEROSMITH - Toys In The Attic)

[Scott]

AEROSMITH - TOYS IN THE ATTIC APRIL 1975 On the heels of their new release I thought it would be cool to look at Toys In The Attic. If what they've laid down in the studio is a return to their 70's form, then these two tracks are a cool way to reconnect with that version of the band!  I truly hope what they release is a return to their rock and roll roots!   Take a quick listen to these two tracks and return and report... NO MORE NO MORE: Did you know Velvet Revolver covered this? ADAMS APPLE: Really has that trademark Kramer back beat NOTE: So here we go again with another format update. This time a challenge for anyone who listens. Each week I am going to pull a Classic Rock album and post two hidden treasures from it. Your task will be to tell me your take on the album and the two tracks I selected. Agree or Disagree I'd love to read your experiences with the album selection and the tracks involved. I tend to think that the music we listen to always spark a memory, good or bad, and this is a perfect forum to tell those stories. That's the hidden treasures of why we listen and what makes music so important to us... Hope you enjoy this new direction.

About Toys In The Attic (According to Wikipedia anyway)

At the beginning of 1975 the band started working at The Record Plant in New York City for the album that became Toys in the Attic. The sessions for Toys were produced by Jack Douglas without Ray Colcord - the album was engineered by Jay Messina with assistant engineers Rod O'Brien, Corky Stasiak, and Dave Thoener. The songs for Toys were recorded with a Spectrasonics mixing board and a 16-track tape recorder.

When Toys in the Attic was released in April 1975, it eventually made #11 on the Billboard 200, a full 63 points higher than Get Your Wings. The single release of "Sweet Emotion" became a minor hit on the Billboard Hot 100 reaching #36 in 1975 and "Walk This Way" reached #10 on the Hot 100 in 1977.

For his review of Toys in the Attic for Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album's style a mix of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones riffs and was filled with songs about sex with a different style than there ever was before. Greg Kot called the album a landmark of hard rock. For the Blender magazine review, Ben Mitchell called Toys in the Attic cocaine-influenced and mentions the songs "Toys in the Attic", "Walk This Way", and "Sweet Emotion" as "Standout Tracks".

Did You Know?

• Aerosmith has achieved 25 gold, 18 platinum, and 12 multi-platinum album certifications, in addition to one diamond album and four gold singles. Media often refer to Aerosmith, who have sold more than 150 million albums worldwide and 66.5 million in the United States, as the best-selling American rock band.
• "Dream On", "Toys in the Attic", and "Walk This Way" (with Run-D.M.C.) are all listed on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
• Despite Aerosmith's popularity and success in the 1970s, it wasn't until their comeback in the late 1980s and 1990s that they started winning awards and major recognition. Including a Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap - Single for the re-mix of "Walk This Way" with Run-D.M.C..
• In 1978, the band starred as the "Future Villain Band" in the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Later, when the band resurrected itself in the late 1980s and 1990s, Aerosmith made further appearances, including the "Wayne's World" sketch on Saturday Night Live in 1990, the "Flaming Moe's" episode of The Simpsons in 1991, and the film Wayne's World 2 in 1993.
• And most importantly... Aerosmith is also listed as the 4th best American band by the hugely influential site, Classic Rock Bottom.

 

[RJhog (Admin)]

Aerosmith is also listed as the 4th best American band by the hugely influential site, Classic Rock Bottom.

[Scott]

D'OH!!  Cant believe I left that off... Ive corrected my mistake and added it to the DID YOU KNOW list...

[RJhog (Admin)]

[RJhog (Admin)]

Okay, here are my scattered thoughts.  I was never a fan of Aerosmith while growing up.  Don't know why, but I never listened to 'em.  However, I do remember my cousin having this album.  I thought the album title was really cool.  And I remember my cousin constantly referring to the song Big Ten Inch Record.  Even though I wasn't much of a fan, I thought Walk This Way was a great song.  I now think Sweet Emotion is one of Aerosmith's best ever.  I also really like You See Me Crying.

 

As for these two, I like No More No More better.  Love the guitar playing in both songs.  Something about the guitar playing in Adam's Apple makes me think of a cross between Ace Frehley and Rick Neilson. 

 

I would love for the album to be a return to this sound, but I highly doubt it based on the first single.  Then again, I thought sort of the same thing about Van Halen's new one.  This being said, I'm probably one of the few folks here that think Pump is their best album, but I don't really like anything since Pump.

[Scott]

So my first Aerosmith memory was Get Your Wings from my older brothers record collection.  Same Old Song and Dance blew me away, Lord of the Thighs, awesome!  Train, Pandora, Woman of the World (and God she knows it - I know this woman!!  hahaha) and my favorite, Seasons of Wither.  Long story short after falling in love with this album I got a hold of Toys and didn't care for it as much.  I loved Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way, and got the teenage giggles listening to Big Ten Inch Record.  But the whole album never really grabbed hold for me.  However, I got totally blown away by Rocks!  Which is still my favorite Aerosmith by miles.

But recently Ive made a conscious effort to go back and listen to Aerosmith's 70's stuff.  RJ posted Get Your Wings, Jon posted  Rock In a Hard Place..  And I really dug those!  So when I picked up Toys it sounded really fresh (sans the radio hits since they've long since been overplayed).  But I loved it nonetheless...

I'd always had an interest in the band up until Dude Looks Like a Lady, which I still consider their worst song ever.  I own most everything up to Permanent Vacation on either vinyl or CD with the exception of Draw The Line and Rock In a Hard Place.

This era is my happy place with Aerosmith, I don't want to go anywhere else with them and so I have probably way too high of expectations when a band says they're returning to their roots, and this will be the case again with this band.  But I'm ready for disappointment also...  Remember what KISS was saying about Sonic Boom before it was released?  UGH...

[RJhog (Admin)]

Kiss has made a comment like that about every single album they have released since Music From The Elder.  I'm really looking forward to the next album, but I am trying to keep my excitement in check. 

[Jon]

Draw The Line is a damn fine album, kinda under the radar.

DID YOU KNOW:

R.E.M. actually did a great version of "Toys In The Attic".

DID YOU ALSO KNOW:

The rest of R.E.M's output sucked.

And Scott, you hit the nail on the head with that "Dude.." song (and "Angel"). Because of that, I will most probably never buy "Permanent Vacation", even though I had it in my grubby hand last week.

Check out Pump and Get A Grip..there's some serious good tunage on both of those.

[Scott]

I did pick up Permanent Vacation because it was in $5 bin at Wal Mart, had it been in a $6 bin I would've passed it up yet again.   However, if you exclude the two tunes you mentioned its a damn fine album!  But those two unmentionables are still unlistenable to me... 

Will check out Pump and Get A Grip from the marketplace as per your recommendation

[RJhog (Admin)]

Pump was AOTW some time ago.

[Niels (Mod)]

I remember "Sweet Emotion" from way back then. I think it was a minor hit in Denmark in 1975. 

The first time I noticed Aerosmith, was in one of my KISS-magazines in the late seventies, and a buddy of mine played me a couple of their albums like "Draw The Line" and "Night In The Ruts", but I didn't really like it then (still don't really care for either of those albums, except for a couple of tracks on DTL). "Done With Mirrors" was the first Aerosmith-album, that I puchased, and I liked it a lot. The next 3 albums I liked as well, but "Nine Lives" REALLY "put me off" that band.

I couldn't imagine a good Van Halen-album in 2012, and ate my words, and I can't imagine a good Aerosmith-album in 2012, but will be happy to eat my words once again.

"No more no more" is probably my favorite track on this album. My favorite album is "Rocks", and just like you, Scott, by miles. 

[Gordon Williams]

"Toys" was my first introduction to Aerosmith. I loved it, and still do. Went back very soon after Toys and got the debut and "Wings". Have always thought that the first 4 albums, up through "Rocks", is one of the better "runs of excellence" in rock n roll history. Not the best, but certainly high on my list.

Went to see these guys on the Toys tour. I was 16 or 17, and had pretty good floor seats, maybe 20 rows back. Bought 4 seats, gave 2 to my Sister and Brother-in-law as a gift, and had a date with ticket number 4. Then she stiffed me the day of the show (be-otch!!!). I guess I was bummed, because I remember not thinking that much of the show that night.

But back to this! "No More No More" is not only a true "hidden gem" for Aerosmith...but it's a "hidden gem" for anybody! I absolutely love the cleaned up guitar intro, with such an awesome note pattern. But the ending section, after the vocals are done...is just killer, killah, killage!!!

Don't know who plays the guitar lead in the outro, but whether its Perry or Whitford...it's awesome! It's not smoking fast or loaded with sqealing notes, nor does it have a ton of tricks or techniques. It's just well chosen, well played notes and licks, with outstanding phrasing.

I'm not that much into keyboards, but if you listen to the background piano on "No More No More", you'll hear some fine piano playing, as well.

"Adam's Apple" is also a pretty good tune, but I dont love it like I do "No More". On a side note, one of the better "tribute" albums I have is "Not The Same Old Song and Dance", a tribute to Aerosmith. Has performances by Tommy Shaw, Ted Nugent, Ronnie James Dio, Vince Neil, Yngwie Malmsteen, Fee Waybill, Albert Lee, Rudy Sarzo, Tommy Aldridge, Stu Hamm, Edgar Winter...just an incredible list of performers. Easily the best "tribute" release I have personally heard.

Great post Scott, I like this new format/idea. Should generate good conversation!

[Scott]

Awesome Gordon!  Thanks for the great feedback.  I like this new idea as well! And by the way, I take requests as well!

Love the concert story except the part about you getting stood up!  What a drag...