SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: AEROSMITH – AEROSMITH (LEGENDARY EDITION)

AEROSMITH
AEROSMITH (LEGENDARY EDITION)
CAPITOL RECORDS

Fifty-three years ago, Aerosmith released their eponymous debut album. Propelled by one of the greatest rock ballads of all time, “Dream On,” 1973’s Aerosmith quickly established the band as one of the leading figures in rock. Now, the band is giving their debut the deluxe boxset treatment with Aerosmith (Legendary Edition) which boast a 2024 remaster of the original album, a 2024 remixed version of the album, and, most excitedly, their 1973 performance from Paul’s Mall, alongside a handful of alternative cuts.

Opening with the familiar rush of “Make It,” the listener is first greeted by the blues riffing of the band before Steven Tyler formally welcomes the listener to the show, it’s a touch theatrical, an early indicator of the larger than life figure Tyler would go on to assume. Aerosmith wastes no time establishing the band as a blues-based powerhouse. Much of the album feels like a band attempting to find their sound and footing as songwriters; however, it is the handful of standout tracks, “Dream On,” “Mama Kin,” and “Movin’ Out” that show the true potential of the force that they would grow into. “Dream On” in particular not only introduced the world to the impressively powerful range of Tyler, but the exceptionally nuanced fretwork that would establish Joe Perry as a certified guitar hero, while “Mama Kin” flipped the blues on its head with its biting riffage. While the Legendary Edition does include both a 2024 remaster and remix of the original album, the latter feels excessively unnecessary – after all, you’ll unlikely to listen to the original album immediately back-to-back, and while the remix feels slightly bigger, the remaster is tastefully faithful to the sounds of 1973.

The live performance, recorded on March 20th, 1973, at Paul’s Mall – just two months after the release of their debut record – shines for its energy, despite its rather thin and scrappy sound quality. Similar to Aerosmith, the set from Paul’s Mall is an incredible snapshot of a band finding themselves. Performing their debut album in its entirety, with the exception of “Dream On” – an insane omission that leaves me curious as to the last time the band went a show without performing this showstopper, the live disc also includes a pair of covers from The Yardbirds – “I Ain’t Got You” and “Train Kept A Rollin’” – alongside James Brown’s “Mother Popcorn”, demonstrating a wider range to the influences propelling the band forward. In addition to “Mama Kin,” “Movin’ Out,” and “Walkin’ The Dog,” the latter two covers stand as additional highlights, with the Brown cover soaring as an extended jam and “Train Kept A Rollin’” demonstrating just why it would become an immediate staple within the band’s repertoire.

The final segment of Aerosmith (Legendary Edition) includes a range of alternative studio cuts, including an early demo of “Train Kept A Rollin’,” predating their recorded cover that would emerge the following year on Get Your Wings. While the only songs from Aerosmith featured here are “Make It” – which includes both an alternative take and a rehearsal version – and “Write Me A Letter,” there is a two-min jam between Tyler on the harmonica and bassist Tom Hamilton on “Harmonica Bass Jam Jelly.” The clear star of this segment is the near six-min instrumental jam, “Joined At The Hip.” Not only has this never been released, but “Joined At The Hip” features the chorus of what would become “Sweet Emotion,” that highlights the songwriting and ambition that was present at the time but was just in need of some refinement.

Aerosmith may not be remembered as the strongest debut, especially when you consider the heights the band would achieve within the next four years, let alone during their wildly successful comeback era, but it does contain some essential tracks that the band would carry throughout the rest of their career. More importantly, it served as an effective introduction to the irresistible chemistry between Tyler and Perry, establishing them as a prolific duo in like with Jagger and Richards and Plant and Page. While Aerosmith (Legendary Edition) is certainly enjoyable, the boxset does not justify its excessive length when you consider the marginal differences between the remaster and remixed versions, and, considering the wealth of exceptional Aerosmith live cuts, the Paul’s Mall set doesn’t exactly elevate the album. Still, for a die hard, Aerosmith (Legendary Edition) is a solid collection that should leave fans excited for what albums they’ll turn their attention to next for the deluxe treatment.

Artist Links