Published on Mar 26, 2004
If the success that Aerosmith found with their album
Pump taught them anything, it was one dangerous lesson: the
ballad can be a powerful, albeit overused, tool.
When it came time for Steven Tyler and company to regroup for a
new studio effort, 1993’s
Get A Grip, they took the lesson of the ballad to heart,
chalking up three hits in that vein. Too bad, since the bulk of
this album is a major return to form for Aerosmith after following
down a safer rock vein with
Pump.
Fact is, Tyler and crew hadn’t rocked this hard since at least
Done With Mirrors, and possibly as long as 1976’s
Rocks. The crisp production (thanks to Bruce Fairbairn) and
raw bluesy rock easily qualifies as some of Aerosmith’s best, even
daring to feature a Joe Perry lead vocal. In the end, the
over-reliance on ballads tends to weaken the album as a whole, but
it’s still an admirable effort.
From the lead-off kick of “Eat The Rich” and its irreverent look
at high society, Aerosmith announce that they’re tired of playing
it safe and want more of an edge to their music. They get it in
droves, and it is a welcome change following Pump’s almost bending
over backwards for rock radio. Tracks like “Fever,” “Gotta Love It”
and “Shut Up And Dance” demand that the listener take these songs
on on their terms, and it turns out to be a remarkable journey.
Tyler sounds more filled with life than I’ve heard in the longest
time, and the rhythm section of guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist
Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer have rarely sounded
better.
Even Perry turns in a surprise as he delivers the vocal on “Walk
On Down,” an absolutely amazing track which makes me wonder why
Perry hasn’t tried more of this. Granted, the development of the
verses is a little weak, but the overall result is nothing short of
magical.
So why would Aerosmith include a whopping three ballads on
Get A Grip — “Cryin’,” “Crazy” (which is almost the same
friggin’ song, for God’s sake) and “Amazing”? Well, maybe — just
maybe — Aerosmith wasn’t ready to jettison all things comfortable.
After all, they were getting regular airplay again, and they were
gaining new fans with the ballads. Why they went over so well, I
don’t think I’ll ever understand. So, maybe these three tracks —
none of which are really strong efforts — is Aerosmith’s way of
keeping their fingers on the pulses of their newly-gained
fanbase.
Get A Grip is not really viewed in the same light as albums
like
Permanent Vacation or
Pump — in a sense, this one has kind of been forgotten. Too
bad, ’cause next to
Done With Mirrors, this disc is one of Aerosmith’s best
during their stay on Geffen. Maybe it’s time to take another yank
at its udders and get people to rediscover how good this disc
really was.