Box Of Fire - Aerosmith > Reviews > Red Hot Boxed Set

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money

Advantages:	long track listing, 13 CDs, bonus songs, nice box
Disadvantages:	not all original studio albums

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Let me just start by saying that I am a monstrously huge fan of Aerosmith, so it is going to be difficult to be unbiased. But I will do my best, I promise.

This boxed set is well presented in an impressive flame covered box, with a match as the handle. Inside the box, there sits 13 CD’s, 12 albums and 1 bonus disc. The albums that are included within are all Aerosmith’s early albums, from 1973 through to 1986. The bonus disc includes rarities and never before released songs. I will attempt to list all of the albums, with the original release dates:

1973 – Aerosmith
1974 – Get Your Wings
1975 – Toys In The Attic
1976 – Rocks
1977 – Draw The Line
1978 – Live! Bootleg
1979 – Night In The Ruts
1980 – Greatest Hits
1982 – Rock In A Hard Place
1986 – Classics Live
1986 – Classics Live 2
1988 – Gems

The bonus disc includes the tracks:

Sweet Emotion 1991
Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu
Subway
Circle Jerk
Dream On (MTV 10th Anniversary)

The beauty of this boxed set is that the listener is taken on somewhat of a journey, right from the debut album through the band’s progression until the time when they finally cleaned themselves up and quit drugs. The albums keep getting progressively better and better until the 1976 release ‘Rocks’. Although from then on things don’t go downhill, it’s just that they stay on a plateau. If you pick up a copy of ‘A Little South Of Sanity’ (the double live album release by Geffen in 1998) then those first four albums contribute a fair number of songs to the 23 tracks. Classic songs such as ‘Dream On’, ‘Mama Kin’, ‘Same Old Song And Dance’, ‘Walk This Way’, ‘Sweet Emotion’, ‘Back In The Saddle’, and ‘Last Child’ all appear.

As well as the popular songs, there are also fan favourites and classic tracks hidden away in this boxed set. Songs such as ‘Nobodys Fault’ from ‘Rocks’ and the title track from ‘Toys In The Attic’ are superb rocking tracks which to me is the real Aerosmith. Recent releases by the band (‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ and ‘Jaded’) are great songs and are very popular but they aren’t typical of the Aerosmith of old. That’s progression for you though.

Many fans probably already have at least one of the albums that are included in this set, and so the asking price of anywhere between £70 and £100+ may not look so appetising. Having said that, if you assume that each individual CD costs £10, then you are saving at least £50. Another minor complaint is the fact that only 7 of the 12 albums are actually original studio albums. The other 5 are either live compilations or greatest hits compilations.

I bought Box Of Fire as soon as I saw it, and I never tire of any of the CDs, but that isn’t to say that it will be to everyone’s taste. I would recommend that first time Aerosmithers pick up a copy of ‘Big Ones’ or ‘A Little South Of Sanity’ and sample the flavour of Aerosmith before going the whole hog and buying this. If you have a spare £70-odd burning a hole in your pocket and you can hum the riff to ‘Walk This Way’ then go ahead and buy this. You won’t be disappointed.