Aerosmith [Import]

At the end of the sixties, rock and roll artists began to discover their true capabilities - capabilities they never knew they had before. It was with this discovery that hard rock and heavy metal began to slowly enter the mainstream. And in 1973, a then little-known hard rock band known as Aerosmith came onto the scene by releasing their self-titled debut album. How does the band's debut measure up? Read on for my review.

Make It, the opening track, is a good example of classic hard rock, similar to what a number of rock and roll artists were going for circa 1973. Overall it's an excellent opening track. Somebody isn't quite as heavy as the last track, but it ultimately sticks with the same stylings. Dream On is the most popular song to emerge from this album, and in my opinion (and the opinion of many others), the best. This is melodic hard rock that was WAY ahead of its time. To not like this song is the ultimate sin. One Way Street, oddly enough, sounds like what a number of rock bands were trying to do in the fifties and sixties. Surprisingly this works pretty well. The piano is a nice touch. Mama Kin was a minor hit, but it was never nearly as popular as Dream On. This is good, solid classic hard rock, and in my opinion, an underrated masterpiece. Write Me a Letter is a bit more pop-oriented than the other ones featured on this album. The drums are the main instrument here. This is a good track, but Tyler's undeveloped voice hurts the overall quality. Movin' Out features the band trying their hand at southern/blues oriented rock. This is a very weird track, but it's not a bad one by any means. The guys finish off their first album with a cover song, Walking The Dog. It's a classic hard rocker that proves to be one of the finest tracks here. Don't overlook this one just because it's the last track!

Aerosmith's debut album is a good album overall, but it's also very lacking. The main problem is that the band hadn't quite found its sound yet. This is most evident with vocalist Steven Tyler, who hadn't found the "wailing" vocal style he'd use in later songs with the band. If you're new to Aerosmith, this is NOT a good place to start. Their OTHER albums released in the seventies are considerably better. Likewise, all of their seventies albums are better than all of their later albums. If you're a casual fan, stick with a hits compilation. Final verdict? This one is recommended for Aerosmith fans only - and by fans, I don't mean CASUAL fans.