Get Your Wings [Limited Edition, Original recording remastered]

"Get Your Wings" is actually a good record. That is, if you were a fan of circa-1973 Alice Cooper's sound. Like the NY Dolls, in 1974 Aerosmith tried and failed to get Cooper-protege Bob Ezrin to produce their upcoming album. To get a sense of how much of an influence ACG was, you need to look no further than the lead tracks from both albums ("Mama Kin" & "Personality Crisis"). Both were blatant rewrites of Cooper's "Cross-Town Traffic" inspired SMOKER - "Under My Wheels".

When Ezrin wasn't impressed with either band, he sent his protege Jack Douglas to work on the Aerosmith project. After experiencing problems with the quality of Aerosmith's guitar playing in the studio, Douglas was forced to "ghost" Aerosmith with the same studio band that he (and Ezrin before him) had used on ACG's 1973 Top 10 album "Muscle of Love".

Interestingly, Douglas trashes ACG's playing - while failing to mention that the same musicians were used on "Get Your Wings".
Joe Perry was considered a guitar "god" in the 70's, primarily due to his simulated "live" version of "Train Kept A Rollin". Unfortunately - he wasn't on the track!! Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter of Alice Cooper's studio-band, provided nearly all of the guitar work on GYW(as they later did for Kiss, Pink Floyd's "The Wall", Patti Smith Group, etc.,). Compare the sound of "Same Old Song and Dance" to the earlier Cooper work "Never Been Sold Before". Compare "Hard Hearted Alice" to "Seasons of Wither". The list goes on.

It wasn't until Perry played on Cooper's song "Trash" that the debt was repaid. Somewhat. A Florida music critic (forget the name - but can be googled) recently wrote a great piece that traced Cooper's early influence on Aerosmith.

The idea that Aerosmith, NY Dolls and the Sex Pistols can be in the Rock & Roll HOF before their PRIMARY INFLUENCE (ACG) is more insane than any Alice character. Apart from Roky Erikson - nobody is more deserving.

Great album with many enjoyable songs throughout the play list, a CD that you can listen to start to finish without skipping a track.

Mark: 9.5/10, 5 stars

"Get your wings", 100 percent Aerosmith. The album presents a more defined style, showing clear tendencies towards hard rock, but with noticeable shades of blues. Just as with the "Aerosmith" album, we continue to hear melodies and lyrics that could make even a rock dance, or get a smile from the bitterest person. "Get your wings", in particular, travels across varied tempos in an intermingled way: it begins with "Same old song and dance", which has an agile (not fast) and harmonious rhythm, and then we move to "Lord of the thighs" and "Spaced", which show themselves serious and at a leisurely pace. Next, the freshness of "Woman of the world" appears, followed by the heaviest track on the disc in terms of the mixture of music and lyrics: "S.O.S. (too bad)". After this, "Train kept a rollin'", originally written by Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay y Lois Mann, takes us again to an agile and catchy rhythm. Without losing the thread, like the seashore at sunrise, "Seasons of wither" brings calm. Finally, going back to a heavier sound, "Pandora's box" closes the album.

In relation to the lyrics, it's not necessary to repeat that Steven Tyler and company keep the double entendre and cleverness when writing: a trademark of Aerosmith. However, this time the subjects are a lot darker in comparison to the first album lyrics. You can also notice a change in the vocal timbre of Tyler: in "Get your wings", his sound adopts increased agility and ease, qualities that would be developing across Aerosmith's following works. Lastly, it's important to mention that you can sense a deep musical rapport between the members of the band. Coordination and freshness, as part of their sound, are two characteristics which stand out, in addition to that magic touch that belongs only to Aerosmith: it would seem that the music itself is being created in the moment and in a perfectly well executed way. I'll include further comments about each song below.

Same old song and dance
If you are in the mood for some dancing moves, for loosing the body, "Same old song and dance" is the perfect song to begin. Marked by one of the best riffs in rock and roll, this song turns itself into a classic. In terms of lyrics, they reflect the pessimistic side of life and show the constant degradation of people due to themselves and also society's fault. The rhythms played with the instruments are felt completely in tune with that of the voice, besides being the lyrics cleverly interpreted by Tyler. A great track, no doubt. By the way, wind sections are included.

Lord of the thighs
If the theme in "Same old song and dance" was about going from more to less in one's life, "Lord of the thighs" lyrics don't differ much: the girl with sexually attractive qualities who enters the world of prostitution and the pimp who rubs in the fact that he's her owner in her face. In terms of instrumentation, apart from the fact that the music keeps a leisurely rhythm, it creates the perfect environment for the story told, an environment perceived dark, equivalent to the themes touched on the album as a whole. The piano is played by Tyler, with very appealing melodies.

Spaced
"Spaced" is about a man who can't find himself, consumed by suffering, due to the terrible childhood he had to live, probably because of a great tragedy. "Spaced" might not have a so catchy rhythm as other songs on the album, however, its beauty can be appreciated in the musical atmosphere, of sober features, the variants throughout the song, and the way Tyler interprets its lyrics, details that clearly show that contained interior desperation felt by the story's character.

Woman of the world
"Woman of the world", what a good song! Well, here we go from dark themes to one where sexual slyness rules. Basically, it's about a woman sure of herself, a bit insensitive, who lives in the world of refinement and sleekness, probably high society, to whom somebody, an average man tempted by sexual desire, attempts to seduce without getting it, no matter how hard he tries. The musical side creates an environment of freshness around the lyrics, inside of which the acoustic guitar is a very well selected element. You can tell the excellent design of the song, not only because of details as the guitar solos that appear in different moments and the harmonica sections, the latter played by Tyler, but also because of the several speed changes present, without ever losing the feeling of integrity.

S.O.S. (too bad)
The heaviest track on the album, always going direct to the point. A classic, definitely. The lyrics? Dark: the derailed kid, with a lot of anger on the inside due to the multiple familiar difficulties he has gone through all the time. The music? Unstoppable: mid-tempo hard rock riffs which, having arrived at a certain point, they reproduce themselves again and again, always starting with renewed strength. After listening to "S.O.S (too bad)" -and also the other tracks on the album-, you get the sense that the members of Aerosmith not only interpret their songs according to the composition, but they "live" every part of the story being told.

Train kept a rollin'
Initially written by Tiny Bradshaw and company in 1951, the song sounds great! The noise of the audience you can hear is an added element, meaning that the track was recorded in a studio. However, one way or another, the energy displayed by the band is incalculable. One always get to remember the "Train kept a rollin'...," and sings the "... all night long!", a huge explosion. Here we have an agile and lively rock rhythm, and clever lyrics in which the narrator, once again, lets themselves be caught by sexual instinct. A trademark, definitely -in the sense that Aerosmith picked this song-, and a great choice to perform at the end of the band's concerts.

Seasons of wither
As the noise of the audience fades, the wind starts blowing far away, and brings with it the notes of an acoustic guitar, played by Tyler, until the first drumbeat breaks the intro. The music creates and environment of melancholy, in which the narrator, in the first person, sings to a lady whose soul is sadden, and who, apparently, has caused many difficulties in other people's lives. The melodies heard belong to a power ballad and the lyrics become poetic. A great track, of course, in which the musical composition generates the perfect atmosphere for the story sung.

Pandora's box
The box of Pandora, probably something sexual; it could be many things actually. Without further ado in this regard, the song, despite not being so musically devastating, it shows the cleverness with which the band writes again. Furthermore, "Pandora's box" is very good closure for "Get your wings" due to the fact that, after having the music passed through several nuances along the album, it brings you back to that raw rock (or raw hard rock) sound so characteristic of Aerosmith during its first stage, with ingenious and well elaborated riffs. The song includes wind sections, although to a lesser degree than "Same old song and dance", and also the piano of Tyler.