Toys In the Attic

Aerosmith were one of the biggest hard-rock bands of the ‘70s and they did so with a personality as big as the arenas they packed. Singer Steven Tyler was the perfect, magnetic frontman while his band’s rhythm section of drummer Joey Kramer and bassist Tom Hamilton were the best-kept secret in the industry. Face it, tracks like “Toys In the Attic,” “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion” swing with far more ferocity than most other hard rock bands of the era. Where most hard rock bands were content to plod and bludgeon, Aerosmith never forgot their R&B roots, whether it’s the cover of the old blues classic “Big Ten Inch Record” or the swinging groove of “Uncle Salty. “Round and Round” pushes towards the monolithic hard rock of their legendary Rocks album, while “You See Me Crying” proves Tyler could sit at the piano and turn a ballad. Guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford provide Stones-like teamwork and their playing rattles with passion and inspiration.