Rocks was Aerosmith’s fourth studio album, released in May 1976, following the huge success of Toys in the Attic. Recorded in Massachusetts with producer Jack Douglas, the album captured Aerosmith at the height of their early hard-rock period, when the band was firing on all cylinders. Douglas helped preserve the group’s raw, aggressive sound rather than polishing away the rough edges that made Aerosmith so engaging. Rocks went on to become one of Aerosmith’s most successful and influential albums, eventually being recognized as one of the essential American hard-rock records of the 1970s and influencing later bands such as Guns N’ Roses and Metallica.

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​Mark: 

   As I do when listening back to older albums I hear through my guitar tone ears. I’m thinking, how was this tone made? Was it possibly an up-close mic with a tight immediate response in a controlled studio environment? Or maybe they just cranked some big and beefy 100-watt amp-zilla through a 4 by12 cabinet in a warehouse somewhere through an incredible mic in the room and called it the magic banana. With Aerosmith Rocks I’m leaning toward the big beefy banana option. And to boot, to my ears the only effect they used was a Wah-Wah pedal, and that really doesn’t count. And yet, these oh so glorious tones are achieved for our listening pleasure by the amp masters, the Barons of tones, the Ayatollahs rock and rollas! (sorry I just had to) Brad Whitford and Joe Perry. I enjoyed every gritty granular cocaine infused wave of riffing coming at me… and I’m thinking: Now this is what a guitar should sound like! This is what it’s sounds like when it’s just you & your favorite guitar plugged straight into a killer amp cranked up to get those power amp tube huffing and puffing, then let your fingers do the rocking. Wow, man to me that’s freedom! I know I’m not alone in thinking this album is great. Heck it might be a five diamond … oh yeah it is (-: I love every song. For me this is the coolest Aerosmith has ever made. The look, the swagger, the songs and the delivery are so five diamond good!

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A

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Jeff: 

   Rocks is part of my high school DNA. I was 16 when it came out, and I owned it, listened to it constantly, and heard it countless times coming from my friends’ stereos. One friend I cruised the strip with had it on an eight-track, and he played that thing more than any other album he owned. It just sounded so damn good blasting through the speakers as we drove around at night. Pretty much every track is an upbeat, hard-hitting rocker, and the album captures exactly what I thought rock ’n’ roll was supposed to sound like.

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   Listening to it again with Mark and Kip, I was reminded just how much is going on in these songs. Jack Douglas’s production is a huge part of the appeal. Everything sounds live, energetic, and raw, without losing the details in the music. The arrangements are great, but what really impressed me this time was the songwriting. There are little things happening throughout the songs that keep pulling you back in, and somehow the album never gets boring.

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   “Back in the Saddle” is the perfect way to open the album. That opening guitar sound grabs you immediately, and Steven Tyler comes roaring in with one of his most recognizable vocal performances. “Last Child” has a groove that is fantastic, and Joe Perry and Brad Whitford give the song a loose, funky guitar feel. “Rats in the Cellar” is just pure energy. It’s fast, loud, and I love the guitars on this one, and the rhythm section keeps everything moving at full speed. “Combination” slows things down just enough while still keeping that gritty Aerosmith edge. Joe Perry takes the lead vocal, and I like the change of pace. “Sick as a Dog” has a new found polish and sheen not heard on the other tracks and is catchy as hell. “Nobody’s Fault” is heavier, almost menacing, and the guitar work is fantastic. There’s a lot going on underneath Tyler’s vocals, and every time I listen to it, I notice something I didn’t catch before. “Get the Lead Out” has always been my least favorite track, but still has parts that are catchy and energetic. “Lick and a Promise” is a great rocker, with a killer groove and a vocal performance from Tyler that sounds like he’s having the time of his life. Then there’s “Home Tonight,” which is a surprisingly beautiful way to close the album. After all the guitars, attitude, and pounding drums, Aerosmith closes with something much more emotional.

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   The only shame, at least for me, is that Aerosmith never topped Rocks. Their first four albums are all ones I love, but Rocks is the one that stands above the rest. It had a cool cover, a killer sound, and an attitude that perfectly fit where I was at 16. For me, this album wasn’t just another great rock record, it was a soundtrack for being young, cruising the strip at night, and thinking you were pretty damn cool.

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   Some albums you admire, some you remember, and some become part of who you are. Rocks is one of those records for me. It takes me right back to being 16, hearing those guitars blasting from the speakers as we cruised the strip, and feeling like the whole world was wide open. That’s the magic of great rock ’n’ roll: decades later, you can hit play and, for a few minutes, you’re right back there again. Rocks doesn’t just remind me of my youth, it still makes me feel it.

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A

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Kip:  

     Aerosmith was a definitive American group who came to prominence during the height of my obsession with music. I not only listened to music constantly, but absolutely devoured the music magazines of the time. I bought all of their albums up to Night in the Ruts, but they were never my favorite band. I noticed in those magazines how often other bands, the guitarists especially, referenced Rocks as being a particular influence on their playing, so I went out and bought it to understand its importance. What I found was that while I liked it, I didn't love it the way I did Toys in the Attic. While listening with Jeff and Mark, I realized that it was a much darker, grittier east coast album that was different than the more upbeat, party albums that I was listening to at the time. I would equate it to the way Metallica and Iron Maiden later appealed to a certain demographic that I definitely wasn't a part of. Listening with a more objective ear years later, I certainly hear what that demographic AND burgeoning musicians heard that somewhat escaped me.

 

     With producer Jack Douglas being a protege of Bob Ezrin, I would assume he shared Ezrin's belief in the importance of the opening song setting the tone for the rest of the album. With its slow build, horse whinnying and galloping nature, “Back in the Saddle” definitely announced the band's intentions with authority. Driven by Perry's six-string bass riff and Tyler's iconic scream, the song exploded out of the gates (and the speakers.) This song has definitely stood the test of time. The Brad Whitford penned “Last Child” is my favorite Aerosmith song, though this original version proceeds at a somewhat pedestrian pace. Listen to  the live version on Bootleg to hear it groove. (And check out the Youtube version by Dirty Honey. Why they never put THAT on an album is beyond me.) “Rats in the Cellar” is really the tone setter on this album. Playing off of the title of the previous album Toys in the Attic, this track has a very loose, gritty, almost sleazy vibe, replete with sirens, evoking a back-alley bleakness that seems to be their intent. One of revelations we had while listening to this was the definite change in sound from the first side to the second. Side 2 opener “Sick as a Dog” has a much cleaner, tight sound than the previous songs. There is definitely no diminished quality to the songs on this side however. I tend to favor Brad Whitford compositions and “Nobody's Fault” is no exception. What a cool song with notable drumming by Joey Kramer. The album also finishes strongly with “Lick and a Promise” and Steven Tyler's album closing “Home Tonight.”

 

Rocks has stood the test of time and should definitely be included in any list of eras defining albums of the '70's.

 

A-

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