Aerosmith - Rock In A Hard Place

In my opinion, this is the most under-rated album of rock dinosaurs Aerosmith's career. Recorded in 1982, the album has a completely different line up to previous albums and the albums thereafter.

After the self titled 70's debut and the album "Rocks", this for me, was the only decent piece of work that they did before they "sold out".

Joe Perry (not the snooker player, the Brian May-esque guitarist) had got fed up with laying on Steven Tyler lines of ket, only for the rubber lipped singer to whitey on Perry's best leather chaps, so he fucked off in 1979. Meanwhile, rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford had done off in 1981, sick of his bandmates lack of enthusiasm for cruising around the industrial estates of Middlesboro', full of scag, trying to get a five quid nosh off some toothless, emaciated brass.

So the band was falling to bits, Tyler had died several times on stage (actual death, not the way a shit comedian dies on stage), but they vowed to carry on with the one who looks like Garth from Waynes World (Tom Hamilton) and the drummer who looked like all he's missing was a CB radio and a Yorkie to fit in with his long distance trucker look (Joey Kramer).

The remaining members drafted in Rick Dufay on rhythm guitar and Jimmy Crespo on lead. It was felt that their hairy chests and weird dress sense would be able to take the band to the next level.

The song opens with "Jailbait", with lyrics sounding like "Take me outside and rape me", controversial, but part of the course in those days when you were in a big touring rock band. The song is all about taking under-age lasses up the wrong 'un (allegedly) out the back of some dirty biker bar.

"Lightning Strikes" is a tale of rival gangs getting together for a rumble, whilst "Bitch's Brew" is another amphetmaine fuelled stomp.

In fact, every single song on the album seems to be an amphetamine fuelled stomp. The lyrics are nonsensical, guitars are frantic, but it all makes for great listening. At times, you can hear how completely lost in their own self importance they are and how the drugs are finally taking their toll. A cover of Julie London's "Cry Me A River" also features as the token ballad that appears on every Aerosmith album, however, it's certainly darker than the original.

The album was a massive commercial flop. Five years later, Perry and Whitford returned and the band vowed to go "clean". They recorded one more album whilst under the influence of smack, "Done With the Mirrors", which is an horrific mess.

The drugs were eventually kicked and Aerosmith finally became the commercial cock-rock demi-Gods we now know them as, with albums such as "Permanent Vacation" and "Pump" making them a gigantic rock dinosaur again.

Over the next few years, Aerosmith released their 37th greatest hits compilation, containing the exact same songs as all of the previous 36 compilations.

1982 was also the year that the legendary John Belushi snuffed it, so enjoy this clip...........