Raw Aerosmith: Live! Bootleg

       When I was in eighth and ninth grade, the dominant band on my turntable was Aerosmith. This was in the period spanning late 1978 and late1979, when my family lived on Spangdahlem Air Force Base, in Germany.

        I first learned about Aerosmith through my brother, who turned me on to the album "Toys in the Attic." I can remember actually going to bed early just so I could lay in bed with my headphones listening to "Toys in the Attic." I think it's likely I had every note on that album memorized. And of course, my brother and I thought it was hysterical to play the song "Big Ten Inch" in front of my Dad. ("But Dad! He's talking about his big ten inch record!")

        My brother also had "Draw the Line," "Get Your Wings," an eight-track tape of "Rocks," and the first "Aerosmith" album. Oh, and he had "Live! Bootleg," which is the best live album of all time by a hard rock band. Check that! It's the best live album by any rock band, ever!

        First of all, the packaging of "Live! Bootleg" imitates the cheesey, no-budget album covers put out by music bootleggers of the time. There's even what looks like coffee stains on the back. And, in keeping with the high standards of bootleggers, the song "Draw the Line" is on the album, but isn't listed on the cover.

        The songs on "Live! Bootleg" were recorded at various stops on their 1977-78 tour, with a couple from 1973 thrown in to give a taste of their early repertoire. A common thread throughout the album is raw, spare production. If there are any studio overdubs, I don't know about it. It's grass-roots Aerosmith, and that's a good thing.

        The album opens with the rockin' swagger of "Back in the Saddle" and then gives us dirty and greasy versions of "Sweet Emotion," "Lord of the Thighs," and "Walk This Way." Some of these songs sound like guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford used metal trash-cans strung with guitar strings.

        Songs like "Mama Kin," "Sick as a Dog," and "Chip Away the Stone" were played with a loose ferocity that placed the band closer to the punk side of things than the airy, positive Album Oriented Rock of other American bands at the time. Think of it this way: Aerosmith were like the hipsters who smoked cigarettes in the bathroom in High School, while Kansas and Styx were like the guys who played guitar in the Bible study group at your non-denominational church.

        There's a picture inside the album cover that really defines Aerosmith for me. Joe Perry, the quintessential American lead guitarist, is standing in front of the drum set with his back to the audience. His skinny legs are covered with black leather pants, the ends of which are tucked into cowboy boots. He's playing (as far as I can tell from the headstock) a Fender Stratocaster, and he's got a Gibson Les Paul strapped over his back. He's got his head down and though I can't see his face, I'm sure his long hair is hanging in his eyes. It's guitarist as hipster desperado, and it was pretty much what I had in mind, at fourteen years old, when I envisioned the concept of manhood.

        There are lot's of important live albums out there, like Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive," ZZ Top's "Fandango," Ted Nugent's "Double Live Gonzo," Cheap Trick's "Live at Budokan," Kiss' "Alive!" (I and II) , Rush's "All the World's a Stage," Yes' "Yessongs," and Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty," but none of these hit me like "Live! Bootleg." I've been listening to it a lot lately, and each time I'm reminded of just how much fun a tough rock and roll band can be.

Peace!