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OT: Aerosmith-In Defense Of Collaborators

Posted by: Toxic34 ()

Date: May 16, 2016 01:11

Lately throughout the Internet, there is a growing backlash against Aerosmith post-Permanent Vacation, crucifying them for their continued use of outside collaborators for writing and production. The growing consensus is that "Done With Mirrors should've been the REAL comeback album, because the Toxic Twins wrote all the songs by themselves! @#$%& corporate interests sabotaging them! People just don't like authenticity anymore!" This has grown into an absolute chorus of disapproval, guided thanks to people like Eddie Trunk, especially in light of Steven Tyler's recent solo exploits with his forthcoming country album. But this hatred is in many ways misplaced. Here's why.

As per Joe Perry in his autobiography Rocks, Done With Mirrors was done perfunctorily and uneasily. The band hadn't yet made its push towards sobriety, he and Steven simply weren't writing together, and that album relied largely on old songs that had been written years before and had no significant changes to them, especially the version of "Let The Music Do The Talking." Their new label, Geffen Records, helped encourage them to pursue Van Halen producer Ted Templeman, thinking he would be their savior, when it was clear he was a hands-off man and that Van Halen's alchemy was the work of the band and not in any way by the producer. Needless the say, despite the success of the Back In The Saddle Tour and the tour for this album, the comeback wasn't truly legitimate in the eyes of many, especially because the album simply wasn't all that good. Joe and the others knew something had to be done. First off, they made their strides to get clean. Next, Geffen's new A&R man, John Kalodner, keyed them to the recent success of Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet, and got them in touch with the producer and co-writer behind that mammoth hit, Desmond Child. They all agreed that new blood would give the band a badly needed shot in the arm, especially with gently massaging the songs for mass consumption and working to make world-class visuals to appeal to MTV viewers.

The strategy of course worked, and was still implemented in followups Pump and Get A Grip. However, the band still did not slack off in their part with fashioning the songs and conceiving them, showing they were still just as important in the process. The only real problems were that Steven's longtime difficulty in pounding out lyrics at a sufficient rate seemed to get worse, and his beginning to close Joe out of writing certain songs and working solely with collaborators, such as in songs like "Angel." Also, certain songs that would've fit the Aerosmith aesthetic, like the legendary and never-heard "Black Cherry" were being kept off due to label executives' concerned. And then of course there was the growing problems caused by their manager Tim Collins, fond of triangulation and mind games to manipulate the band and cause unnecessary tension, even with simple things like the $30 million deal the band signed with Sony to return to original label Columbia.

When the Sony deal took effect with the release of Nine Lives in 1997, it was hugely successful. Of course, these days, reaction has soured, referring to it as "overly polished, overlabored and embarrassing in its attempts to be hip and trendy." Of course, these reviews are often given without considering the original version of the album recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami with Alanis Morrisette producer Glen Ballard at the helm. Joey Kramer was suffering from depression and had to seek treatment (and this also was used in Collins' triangulation games), and Average White Band/Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone was brought to lay the drum tracks. In addition, Ballard was so enthused with digital audio, especially ADAT (using 8 machines) to bring the total to 128 tracks, with track sheets for one song filling out an entire binder. Sony executives sensed that this version wouldn't fit as an Aerosmith album, and despite Steven's objections, the album had to be re-recorded. After the famous Crisis Resolution Weekend that resulted in Tim Collins being fired, the band, with Joey back in tow, decamped to Avatar Studios with Kevin "Caveman" Shirley to record a more raw, visceral album live in the studio on a 24-track analog machine. As per Joe, "it was the exact same songs, just without the endless overdubs and with more grit." Of course, people like Eddie Trunk won't say that these days, calling it an overly polished and "commercial" album, straitjacketed by someone else's vision. And of course there is the whipping boy that "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing." Though the movie it appeared in is pure garbage, the song is not. It certainly rocks harder than other movie soundtrack ballads of the time, though all are still good. Joe has had nothing but praise for the song and for Diane Warren for writing it. In fact, her contribution to Music From Another Dimension is the only ballad Joe considers worthy on that album.

Such despised comments about Nine Lives are clearly not remotely true, but they can legitimately be (and are) said about the album's immediate successor, 2001's Just Push Play. Because Steven has had a history of knockdown dragout arguments with producers and vowing never to work with them again, Joe suggested that this album be self-produced and done at his home studio, the Boneyard. Steven was enthused, and collaborators Marti Frederiksen and Mark Hudson were brought on as engineers, though they ended up co-producers and co-writers. Joe was quite skeptical of them taking this big a role, especially when songs were written down, and the band was made to lay down their individual parts one at a time, exactly as written. Joe argued in favor of live playing and spontaneity, but was outvoted. Joey didn't like the drum sound at the Boneyard and wanted control of his sonics in another studio, adding to the frustration. In addition, Frederiksen and Hudson began leaving Joe out of the loop to work exclusively with Steven, especially in the case of the lead single "Jaded", which was written while Joe was away for the weekend, and in violation of a promise to call him up if any new songs were started. Much of the marketing, like the album cover and press conferences with dancing robots, were the product of Sony's committees, led by Steven's ideas. Despite Joe's disagreement, they went ahead anyways. Needless to say, Joe has disowned the album as "a lesson in how NOT to make a record," though he admits there are still some very good songs on there, including ones that should be played more often, such as "Beyond Beautiful." Recording for followup material went smoother, especially with Jack Douglas back at the helm.

The point I'm making is that Aerosmith songs and albums do not automatically become less valid for outside collaborators. It doesn't matter if anyone added lines or a new sonic texture, it's still an Aerosmith song, because the basic sound has never changed. Steven's sandpaper yelp, Joe and Brad Whitford's solid riffs and freewheeling abandon in solos, Tom Hamilton's dependable bass lines, and Joey's pounding, all are present. The fact that the entire band says as much should be clear evidence that there is nothing inherently wrong with the process. With the exception of Steven's procrastinating with lyrics and not treating his partnership with Joe like such, there is no slacking off or laziness by the band. They still make the riffs, the melodies, and the structure of the song, and there would be no songs without them. For those who still cling to this material as too "commercial", keep this in mind: all artists make music in the hopes to sell it, even those who don't focus on the money as much. Therefore, all music and all albums, even those from the '70s heyday, are commercial. All music is simultaneously product and art at the same time. Of course, there's good and bad product, and good and bad art, but with Aerosmith, it's been overwhelmingly good. Even the worst album, Rock In A Hard Place, has some nuggets of gold.

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