Published on Mar 26, 2003
By the time
Night In The Ruts came out in late 1979, Aerosmith — at
least as the fans knew them, anyway — was no more. Long-simmering
tensions between band members had finally come to a head, and lead
guitarist Joe Perry had left the band.
But the meltdown of the band had already become painfully
obvious on their last studio album,
Draw The Line.
Night In The Ruts is merely a continuation of that process,
despite some decent moments.
Sign of trouble number one is the inclusion of three cover
tunes, though Steven Tyler and crew do a respectable job on “Reefer
Head Woman.” What I will never understand, though, is how an
absolutely abysmal track like “Remember (Walking In The Sand)”
could not only make it onto this album, but be included on
Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits. There were much better tracks
than this one that could have made the cut.
Take “No Surprize,” for instance. A slab of hot lead to open up
this disc, it is admittedly not the strongest track Aerosmith has
ever recorded, but it dares to hold out hope that there was still
fire in the collective bellies of Tyler, Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad
Whitford and Joey Kramer. Regrettably, most of the remaining tracks
either stumble out of the gate or just go into perpetual
free-fall.
Some cuts, like “Chiquita,” “Three Mile Smile” and “Cheese
Cake,” suggest that Aerosmith could still wake up from their
drug-addled days and produce tracks that could kick ass, albeit not
as strongly as their glory days. Maybe, for the newcomer to
Aerosmith, these tracks could instill some cheer – but for those
who had followed the band since their early days, as enjoyable as
these tracks may be, they pale in comparison to their true
highlights.
But when Aerosmith falls on
Night On The Ruts, they fall hard. Examine such tracks as
“Bone To Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy),” “Think About It” or
the dreadful “Mia,” the three tracks which close this disc. Flat,
dull and lifeless, these songs speak more about the state of
Aerosmith in 1979 than any tell-all book could.
Night In The Ruts marked a major passage in Aerosmith’s
history – and, regrettably, was one which would be stretched out
for a few years. If you absolutely must own every record Aerosmith
has put out, then check this one for yourself. But don’t be
surprised to discover that the music lives up to the album’s
title.