Big Ones - Aerosmith > Reviews > The ultimate Dinosaur comeback

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	Sixteen fantastic songs covering a range of Aerosmith styles
Disadvantages:	More commercialised and less edgy than their 70's releases

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The subject for my entrance into the Dinosaur Rock write off, a most worthy event to honour the recently departed John Entwistle that was initiated as a challenge by master wordsmith, the eloquent and inimitable 29th Candidate to a pantheon of elite Ciao writers, has taken no small amount of deliberation. With the challenge laid down I set to scouring my C.D. collection with vigour and soon realised that there was no small amount of choice to fulfil the necessary criteria of dinosaur rockers, which may well hint to questionable musical tastes, but I’ll settle for eclectic I think. The ideal candidates and true dinosaurs of rock, The Rolling Stones, seemed too obvious a choice; Deep Purple, perhaps a touch heavier than mere rock, I even briefly flirted with selecting AC/DC’s stunning Highway to Hell until my eyes swept over my collection of Aerosmith C.D.’s

Scanning along their back catalogue only one choice seemed to make sense. The album that confirmed, after years of band unrest, a decision to personally chemically analyse every substance known to man, (and several as yet unidentified) and over twenty years after their first single, that one of the biggest and best rock n’roll bands America ever produced were firmly back at the top of the music scene, the remarkable Big Ones. The album is actually a ‘best of’ compilation, that covers the three albums released over the previous seven years from 1994, Permanent Vacation, Pump and Get a Grip, and, in my mind, is one of the most flawless rock n’roll albums ever released.

Aerosmith’s music, especially in the early days, was based on the extremely talented guitar skills of Joe Perry and the unique, powerful yet versatile vocals of front man Steve Tyler. Big Ones is a collection of songs that show a band that has adjusted from it’s edgier 70’s music to a new age in rock n’roll with a more commercial touch. Aerosmith was still at the height of its creative powers (undoubtedly refreshed by several years apart) and in ability at the very peak of their skills. It contains tunes with fantastic guitar riffs, lyrics that touch a range of emotions at will and songs that are original, catchy and just damn good to listen to.

At this point I suppose I’m expected to review each song but with sixteen on the album I think you’ll quickly tire of superlative after superlative so I’ll do my best to give a flavour of the album and pick out some of the stand out songs. No mean feat believe me.

The album contains a wide range of their music, from the commercially successful rock n’roll ballad that Bon Jovi perfected in the late 80’s to more raw and powerful offerings that are reminiscent of their earlier music. For those not overly familiar with the band the perhaps slightly over-the-top Angel, an emotional charged ballad with lyrics to match, is probably the most easily recognisable; Cryin’ and Crazy also fall deftly into this category. The longer-term fan will find solace in the heavier Rag Doll, Love in an Elevator and Dude (Looks like a Lady) in which the band finds a similar feel to that prevalent in their early career and albums, a funky collusion of Tyler’s interesting lyrics, great vocals and some divine guitar work from the maestro Joe Perry.

In between the two ‘extremes’ lies some of the finest pop rock ever written, for me the magnificent Blind Man, which was written for this album, shows the versatility of the band who captured the musical feel of the time without losing the Aerosmith essence that made the band great. The following song, Deuces are Wild, is similar, more commercialised than their 70’s work but still maintaining the vital ingredients of a classic Aerosmith release.

For dyed in the wool Aerosmith traditionalists, of which I am not one due to my tender years, Big Ones could be seen as a band betraying it’s roots and selling out. I’ll admit compared to the supreme brilliance captured on their first ‘best of’ – Aerosmith Live Bootleg, it lacks the edge of songs like Sweet Emotion, Walk this Way and Dream On (arguably their finest song ever) but it still contains an amazing collection of songs. In addition it marks the most impressive comeback ever made in the music world, a band almost destroyed by bloated egos, drug abuse and internal strife marked their return in style with Big One’s and for me that is enough for all five stars.

Track List:

1. Walk On Water
2. Love In An Elevator
3. Rag Doll
4. What It Takes
5. Dude (Looks Like A Lady)
6. Jamie’s Got A Gun
7. Cryin’
8. Amazing
9. Blind Man
10. Deuces Are Wild
11. The Other Side
12. Crazy
13. Eat The Rich
14. Angel
15. Livin’ On The Edge
16. Dude (Looks Like A Lady) - live