Aerosmith Songs - 10 Deep Tracks You Must Hear

For better or worse, Aerosmith became one of the biggest bands in the world during their unexpected comeback in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Power ballads and pop-rock largely replaced the band’s gritty Rolling Stones-influenced sound of the ‘70s. If you missed that period of the band’s history or need a reason to go back and visit early recordings, here are 10 Amazing (sorry for the pun) Aerosmith songs from 10 different albums. These are 10 deep tracks you must hear.

1. Write Me A Letter (Aerosmith): Go back to the first Aerosmith album and you’ll hear a very raw and rough-around-the-edges recording. “Write Me A Letter” opens with a blast of drums and launches into a dirty riff that would make the Faces proud.
2. Seasons Of Wither (Get Your Wings): Steven Tyler composed this dark and haunting tune on acoustic guitar nearly 40 years ago. I love the contrast between the moody arpeggios and breezy middle, when Tyler’s voice seems to carry off to some distant place.
3. No More, No More (Toys In The Attic): “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk This Way” get most of the attention from the landmark Toys In The Attic album, but “No More, No More” betters both. The angular guitar opening belies the bluesy – almost barrelhouse – nature of the main verses. Tyler’s voice had no apparent limits, whether screaming high or scratching out a melody. And the guitar outro just blazes.
4. Combination (Rocks): In 1976, Aerosmith hit their creative zenith with Rocks , and “Combination” is just one of the many killer deep tracks on this platter. “Combination” blasts open with a brilliantly simple “staircase” riff, where the ear is first led up the guitar neck, then brought back down. Move over one string and repeat the pattern. Tyler’s chilling autobiographical lyrics are some of his best, too.
5. I Wanna Know Why (Draw The Line): By the time Aerosmith recorded Draw The Line , the band members had fallen into a pit of substance abuse and infighting. Still, the old magic surfaces here and there, such as in the barrage of dirty guitar and punkish attitude of “I Wanna Know Why.”
6. Chip Away The Stone (Live Bootleg): This great cover of Richie Supa’s song first came to light on the double-LP Live Bootleg release. It wasn’t long before it became the greatest Aerosmith song never recorded in studio.
7. Bolivian Ragamuffin (Rock In A Hard Place): Sure, Brad Whitford and Joe Perry were gone from the band by this time but there are still plenty of goodies on Rock In A Hard Place . “Bolivian Ragamuffin” swings on a revved-up Jimmy Crespo riff and classic Tyler lyrics. Fierce guitar solo, too.
8. Three Mile Smile (Night In The Ruts): A slinky riff snakes through this tune that grows ever bigger with Joe Perry’s manic guitar solo.
9. My Fist Your Face (Done With Mirrors): This track sounds like an outtake from Rocks – full of the same swagger and sleaze. Just when it seemed Aerosmith was down and out for good, they came out swinging once again.
10. The Movie (Permanent Vacation): A rare instrumental track that closes the hugely successful Permanent Vacation . “The Movie” sounds unlike anything else from Vacation or that the band had recorded previously. Here, the classic Aerosmith raunch-and-roll gets replaced by a mix of techno effects, a huge drum sound and minor-key theme that sounds, well, like a theme from an imaginary movie.