Keno's Classic Rock n Roll Web Site
ALBUM REVIEW
AEROSMITH
TOYS IN THE ATTIC
Released - 1975 on Columbia Records. Produced by Jack Douglas
Steven Tyler -
Lead and Backing Vocals;
Keyboards; Percussion; and Harp
Joe Perry -
Lead, Rhythm, Acoustic and Slide Guitars;
Percussion; and Backing Vocals
Brad Whitford
- Rhythm and Lead Guitars
Tom Hamilton -
Bass Guitar; Rhythm Guitar on "Uncle
Salty"
Joey Kramer -
Drums and Percussion
Additional Musicians:
Scott Cushnie - Piano on "Big Ten Inch Record"and "No More No More"; Jay Messina - Bass Marimba on "Sweet Emotion"
| SONG (written by) | RATING |
| Toys in the Attic (Perry/Tyler) | 9.1 |
| Uncle Salty (Hamilton/Tyler) | 6.4 |
| Adam's Apple (Tyler) | 6.5 |
| Walk This Way (Perry/Tyler) | 10.0 |
| Big Ten Inch Record (Weismantel) | 9.3 |
| Sweet Emotion (Hamilton/Tyler) | 10.0 |
| No More No More (Perry/Tyler) | 8.0 |
| Round and Round (Tyler/Whitford) | 6.2 |
| You See Me Crying (Solomon/Tyler) | 6.0 |
| Ave. | 7.9 |
REVIEW
Seems a lot of people for years have put down Aerosmith as sounding too much like either Led Zep or the Rolling Stones. I never could understand why that would be a putdown; if they were copying or ripping off either band, well yes, that would be a problem, but the fact they sound like a cross of the two, to me anyway, that was something I dug about them.
Toys In the Attic was their third album and it still sounds cool enough to me some 34 years after its release. That alone tells a story of just how great any LP can be. "Walk This Way" (along with "Dream On", from their first album) in time became one of their best known songs, and no question it is full of excellence, especially with Joe Perry's fantastic guitar riffs; yet the best song on the album is "Sweet Emotion", this number is about as perfect as a song can get and I believe the best one they ever released. From a wonderful bass played by Tom Hamilton (who co-wrote the song) to Steve Tyler's smooth delivery of the vocals, are two reasons alone why this one is a winner.
The only cover found on this LP is "Big Ten Inch Record", which is handled just fine by the band, and the album's title track is also another winner, which as its opening number, gets the album moving in the right direction. The last two tracks are the only two weak songs, in fact I had to be kind and stretch a bit in giving "You See Me Crying" a rating of six. Instead of leaving the album with a sense of something powerful (as most of the songs found on here are), this ballad puts me to sleep (there's a reason you never hear this tune on the radio).
- Keno, 2009
To listen to some soundclips from
TOYS IN THE
ATTIC
or to purchase it, click on:
Toys In The Attic
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