Rocks | Released: 1976 | Columbia Records | 4 x Platinum |
Rocks: Tour Dates 1976-1977


   
1)  Back in the Saddle  
2)  Last Child  
3)  Rats in the Cellar  
4)  Combination  
5)  Sick as a Dog  
6)  Nobody's Fault  
7)  Get the Lead Out  
8)  Lick and a Promise  
9)  Home Tonight  

One of the reasons why Aerosmith, after a number of creatively lean years, are still given legendary credence and an eager ear with each new release, Rocks encapsulated the very essence of rock 'n' roll. They may have been the target of detractors who still pinned them as nothing more than a poor man's Rolling Stones, but Rocks pioneered a strength and swagger and real depth that remains very nearly unsurpassed.

Many Aero fans will point to Toys as the band's quintessential album (it contained two radio/concert standards after all, "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion"), but out of all their albums, Rocks did the best job of capturing Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking. Like its predecessor, a pair of songs have become their most renowned -- the menacing, hard rock, cowboy-stomper "Back in the Saddle," as well as the downright viscous funk groove of "Last Child." Again, even the lesser-known tracks prove essential to the makeup of the album, such as the stimulated "Rats in the Cellar" (a response of sorts to "Toys in the Attic"), the Stonesy "Combination," and the forgotten riff-rocker "Get the Lead Out." Also included is the apocalyptic "Nobody's Fault," the up-and-coming rock star tale of "Lick and a Promise," and the album-closing ballad "Home Tonight." With Rocks, Aerosmith appeared to be indestructible.



Recorded at The Warehouse, Waltham, Massachusetts and the Record Plant, New York

Aerosmith:
Steven Tyler (vocals);
Joe Perry (guitar);
Brad Whitford (guitar);
Tom Hamilton (bass, guitar);
Joey Kramer (drums, percussion)

Additional personnel:
Paul Prestopin (banjo)

Production:
Jack Douglas (Producer, arrangement, backing vocals)
Jay Messina (engineer)
Rod O'Brien (assistant engineer)
Sam Ginsburg (assistant engineer)
David Krebs (direction)
Steve Leber (direction)
Pacific Eye & Ear (album design)


Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.136) - Ranked #176 in Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time"


Q (4/01, p.92) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...The one that made them the daddies honking, humping American rock. Contains great, self-congratulatory opener 'Back In The Saddle'..."


 

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1976 Pop Albums 3

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year Single Chart Position
1976 "Home Tonight" Pop Singles 71
1976 "Last Child" Pop Singles 21
1977 "Back In The Saddle" Pop Singles 38

 

 


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