Pump
Aerosmith
1989
Album Summary
Pump is the tenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith. It was released on September 12, 1989, by Geffen Records. The album peaked at No. 5 on the US charts, and was certified septuple platinum by the RIAA in 1995.The album contains the hit singles "Love in an Elevator", "The Other Side", "What It Takes", "Janie's Got a Gun", which all entered the Top 40 of the Hot 100. It also has certified sales of seven million copies in the U.S. to date, and is tied with its successor Get a Grip as Aerosmith's second best-selling studio album in the U.S. (Toys in the Attic leads with nine million). It produced a variety of successes and "firsts" for the band including their first Grammy Award ("Janie's Got a Gun"). "Love in an Elevator" became the first Aerosmith song to hit number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The album was the fourth best-selling album of the year 1990.In the UK, it was the second Aerosmith album to be certified Silver (60,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in September 1989. Pump was the second of three sequentially recorded Aerosmith albums to feature producer Bruce Fairbairn and engineers Mike Fraser and Ken Lomas at Little Mountain Sound Studios. A video documentary on the recording, The Making of Pump, was released in 1990.
WikipediaI kind of hate this Hard Rock Cafe shit. It just always seems to lack authenticity. I know that this was sort of a second coming for Aerosmith and they were rock n roll in the 70s🤘🤘🤘🤘, and well done from them for coming back from the abyss, but it on the surface it all seems very cliché. Like someone has thrown up a cocktail of leather, big hair, motorcycles, Jack Daniels and guitar solos. About as cool as the Hell's Angels with all the edges polished. Having said that, this was actually alright musically. Energetic and pulsating at times, but whimsical and tongue in cheek in moments. Maybe they are completely aware that they're this caricature, uber glam rock behemoth and are happy to live up to it, without believing it themselves....but then again, maybe they aren't and believe they are bodafide rock gods here to save us all from a grey, lifeless world. I haven't quite decided.
Awful lyrics, completely dated sound, no place on any greatest albums of all time list
Even the ballard is decent. Its got its hit that you all know, but most of the songs are energetic, musically interesting and Steven Tylers lyrics are either really funny or horrifying. Only reason it couldnt get 5/5 is I cant really see how this album had an impact on music in general or influenced/changed anything. I did read this was the only album that every member of Aerosmith was sober for, and I could definitely see that. Prolly one of their top 2 albums
Super cool album. Has real identity. Unbridled masculine rock and roll, but presented in a fun way. Surprisingly listenable
everything is about sex???? wheres the math? wheres the physics? Take me home mom, I'm scared.
Dude - finally! I was just saying that we needed some Aerosmith on this list! So I came late to the Aerosmith party - back in the late 80s when this album came out, Aerosmith was "hood" music - you know, the kids with the jean jackets full of patches with long hair who frequented the school's smoking section during lunch. Basically Eddie from Stranger Things. The rest of us "preppy" kids (maybe??) were all about the C&C, some Cathy Dennis (I think this is the second time I've referenced her in a review), or whatever the latest Michael W. Smith "Saddam Hussein" remix was (remember those? Super patriotic Gulf War remixes that filled local radio? There was even a Bette Midler "From a Distance" version)...I knew some of their stuff, of course, but would never have considered myself a fan. But here's the thing - other than some weird sexist themes that were par for the course for music from this time - this stuff doesn't age! It's its own genre. Unlike most genres, where it's relatively easy to pin down a time frame (REM could ONLY be late 80s/early 90s; Boston could ONLY be mid-late 70s; Cathy Dennis (again!) could only be 1990/1991), but not Aerosmith. No siree. Early 80s? Late 80's? I don't want to miss a thing? Just Aerosmith. I loved this whole album - some tunes more than others, of course - but it's all 100% pure Aerosmith. Makes me want to go to Hollywood Studios and get launched into some Rockin' Rollercoaster awesomeness...
This is an impressive piece of work by the standards I have for Aerosmith. It might be a memory blip, but I don't think I had heard any of these songs before; Yet almost all of them had great pop potential. The exceptions are most obviously the instrumental interludes, but I enjoyed those as exhibits of as much of a concept as the album has. The integration of American folk stylings was great, if a bit inconsistent. As always, I'm a sucker for strings. And, when it comes to glam, unapologetic sleaze.
Not a huge fan of Aerosmith and their brand of classic rock, but this album is a great example of it. Very listenable and list worthy.
En plena segona época daurada de la banda es treuen de la màniga un dels seus millors discos, amb algunes de les seves millors cançons, com 'Love in an Elevator' (al seu moment pensàvem que era un clàssic dels '70 d'ells!), 'Janie's Got a Gun', 'What It Takes'... se'ls nota amb un plus d'energia i savoir faire que els situava un cap per sobre de la nova generació de bandes metaleres del moment
Over polished, derivative, boring. Work-shopped and honed within an inch of its life. Cliche ridden. I've seen this described as one of the high points of 80s hair metal. And that is damning with very faint praise. I never want o hear this corporate rock drivel again as long as I live.
I adore Aerosmith, they are probably my favorite classic rock band. Steven Tyler is such a G. This albums got a few hits. My favorite has to be Going Down/ Love In An Elevator.
So many gems in that album. Loved the re-listen. Definitely from my youth.
Stone cold classic - had me grinning ear to ear as hadn’t listened right through in years and won’t leave it as long in the future
80s rock executed to perfection , brilliant songs ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous in terms of subject but leaves me grinning ear to ear and singing along without fail and hey isn’t that what it’s supposed to do
I couldn’t help but love this album! It’s like Aerosmith was challenged to write the greatest 80s inspired rock album and they said “hold my beer”. They take all of the best parts of 80s rock and incorporate it with their own vibe to make an incredibly varied and enjoyable album.
Aerosmith is one of the best. Don't think they have a song I won't listen to.
Great rock album with massive radio songs, but not without some criticism for their loss of some credibility for turning to pop to resurrect their career.
Aerosmith was my first favorite rock band and the nostalgia here is overwhelming. Did not know what FINE stood for until I read this article but makes more sense now as an adult. Love so many of these songs.
I knew and really liked several songs off this album. “F.I.N.E.” and “The Other Side” came to my attention several years ago on the Aerosmith Rockin’ Roller Coaster at Disney World. I love both - how unexpectedly cool is “The Dulcimer Stomp”?! - but “F.I.N.E” instantly became one of my favorites and is maybe my favorite on the album. “Going Down/Love In An Elevator” was a song you couldn’t miss from my college days. It still sounds as good as ever. And “Water Song/Janie’s Got a Gun” is such a classic! Really love this song. “What it Takes” rounds out the songs that I went in knowing. It’s great as well. As for the tracks that were new to me, “Young Lust” is really great Aerosmith. What an album opener! “Monkey On My Back” features some incredible groaning and screaming from Steven Tyler. I love this song. “My Girl” is a ton of fun. I love that after dulcimers they pulled out the didgeridoos for “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even”. Really appreciate these unique touches. “Hoodoo/Voodoo” keep the quality high on this album. This is such a great Aerosmith album. Filled with double-entendre (or single entendre) shenanigans that Aerosmith can do and still be totally endearing. Even though I’m 30 years late to this party it’s still rockin’ hard!
I had this on cassette, I think. It was super fun to listen again after so many years and hear timeless lyrics like, "Even the Tipper thinks I'm all right." Super. Fun.
This Aerosmith of the late 80s is the Aerosmith that I became a fan of (in the late 80s). So, for me, this is Aerosmith...and I love it!
Listening to this album after listening to and reviewing several other rock albums through this site has given me new appreciation for Aerosmith. I never really noticed how polished their sound is; it feels like every riff and backup vocal is done with purposeful precision. I also find the amount of layered vocals and almost rock opera-like key changes pleasantly surprising for the type of rock band Aerosmith is. Sure, a couple tracks aren't as great as the rest, but overall, this is a beautiful collection.
Todo un discazo de rock desde el inicio hasta el final. Con temas muy reconocidos y con gran pegada
-"Young Lust" is homonymous with "Young Lust" by Pink Floyd. Also is is a super catchy, upbeat song to kick off the album -Intro to "F.I.N.E." almost sounds like heavy metal -I appreciate the dumb pun of "Going Down/Love In An Elevator -"My Girl" is another high-intensity track -The intro to "Don't Get Mad, Get Even" is a great thumping rhythm -Low voice jam at the end of "Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man" is very cool -A lot of songs with slashes in the titles -Great album with solid, catchy tracks, only two songs I didn't like super enjoy ("Water Song/Jamie's Got A Gun" and "What It Takes"). Probably a lower 5 but it is certainly way stronger than lots of 4's so I will give it the 5 stars
Classic album, classic cover. Right up there with my other favorite Aerosmith album, "Get a Grip." "Love in an Elevator," "Janie's Got a Gun," "The Other Side," and "What It Takes" are all greatest hits material—which is why they're all on "Big Ones."
This album has tons of energy right from the first second of the first track. Lots of known hits, including "What it Takes", "Love in an Elevator", and "Janie's Got a Gun". "Young Lust" and "F.I.N.E." were nice surprises; love Aerosmith. 9/10.
What an awesome album. Aerosmith tend to be hit or miss for me, but pretty much all of these songs were hits. I couldn't get enough of it. Favorite track: F.I.N.E.
One of the first CDs I owned was the Armageddon soundtrack my parents got me for Christmas. I hadn’t even seen the movie. The album was mostly Aerosmith or Aerosmith adjacent bands. Honestly didn’t expect this album to come up but it makes sense. This has all their second wave big hits. I will say though listening to this album in the head of January winter makes no sense. This is made for June driving.
I love how someone has gone through the reviews here and upvoted all the anti-hair metal sentiment he could find. "oh it's just so INAUTHENTIC I can't stand it!" ha ha ha. I rub my nipples at your frustration. This album rules. Big fucking dumb songs about cliche hair metal topics. Aerosmith might have been playing catch up at this point after a bunch of bands that were influenced by them, but to come around and make one of the best hair metal albums in their 40s? I'm guessing they were in their 40s by this point. And STILL carrying on like horny teenagers? Fuck yeah. The whole thing pretty much smokes from start to finish. This book needs more albums that actually deserve to be in it. Albums like Pump. 5/5.
1/12 Great Rock album. Standout Tracks: F.I.N.E., Going Down / Love In An Elevator, Water Song / Jamie’s Got A Gun, My Girl
Another prominent player in the late 80s Friday Night Videos era. Pulls off the "wall of anthem" of the Bon Jovi but with more wit and whimsy.
Good album, possibly the last good before Aerosmith starting making songs that all sound the same (1990's). I remember listening to this as a teen and digging the sound a great deal. Good album, start to finish.
Très entraînant. Je savais pas trop à quoi m'attendre mais j'ai bien aimé. Les vocals sont écoeurant. Hit: Hoodoo/voodoo medicine man
I was so determined after my listening to give it a 5. But several hours later I can't feel it. There are some great songs, however I don't think it deserves a 5.
This is the second time this has come up on one of my groups. First time I thought it was just okay. I now think this is a vinyl pickup. Superb tunes.
An unashamedly, swaggering bluesy hard rock album. Steven Tyler’s staggering vocals and Joe Perry’s beautiful tones and licks combine brilliantly (making a strong case as the new Jagger and Richards) but it’s also an album of simply brilliant rock songs. Bruce Fairbairn’s production manages to make everything sounds amazing and every instrument (including Steve’s voice) shine at once. There is nothing new on here, it’s just executed perfectly.
Actually massively enjoyed this, recognised that they've influenced more modern bands, but also really liked that you can hear the real American Blues-ey and rock n roll influences, and the other instruments like piano and harmonica. 4/5
Да ниче, в общем-то, круто. В Манки он май бэк спиздили риффак у Лед Зеппелин только (но вроде видоизменили). И концовочный трек не слишком зашёл, особенно какая-то кантри хуйня. Но в остальном даже балдеж, интересные решения во многих треках есть. Подумывал даже о пятере время от времени, но кринжатура в текстах вкупе с последней песней как-то убили настрой, 8/10
i feel like this is as classic as classic rock gets. def a good time, easy listening. makes me want to be at an outdoor concert. not my favorite thing in the world to listen to but i definitely appreciate it's place in history.
I love Aerosmith. I don't recall if I've listened to this entire album, but I'm looking forward to it. I at least know a few of the songs. Yeah, good album. Both recognizable songs and some I haven't heard. Giving a 4 cuz I didn't like some of the lyrics.
Really liked this. Listened to a lot of Aerosmith in our house growing up and this is the era I know best (although I've never listened to the album all the way through before). I think this album shows Aerosmith really are versatile. There was only really one song I didn't like (Monkey On My Back). I do think songs like Love In An Elevator really play to the strengths of the band and that song really is a classic imo.
I definitely thought I was going to hate this album but it was surprisingly enjoyable. Good late 80s/early 90s rock. Steven Tyler is ok....in small doses.
Gonna be honest. I saw this cover and thought I was in for a rough time. Now I think have a new favorite Aerosmith album. The runner up being Toys In the Attic. Gave me a lot of Damn Yankees vibes and I loved it because of that. I actually enjoyed Aerosmith for once. The album carried great energy and the songs were good as well .Definitely gonna give this another listen. Jamies got a gun is actually a lot of fun to listen to within the context of the album. I used to hate the song when it came on the radio. Favorite track: Hard to tell they were all pretty good.
Fire! 2 heaters in Love in an Elevator and Janie’s Got a Gun. Real deal blues rock. The Other Side also has some replay value. I’ll be back to this record.
A few well known tracks on this album. Ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would.
Man pretty much all of these tracks were super catchy. Very listenable, complete with dulcimer. And now I finally understand that they were saying "Love in an Elevator" all this time. Makes a lot more sense than "Lovin' it in La Vida"
Classic Aerosmith sound! Hardly a weak track on the whole album - like it!
I enjoyed it, it's definitely good at what it does, wasn't expecting to give it a high rating. Some of the lyrics are a little much though..
Well I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I might. Will have to listen to some more Aerosmith
In the begging it sounded slightly common or basic, but then, after approximately the 4th song, it become something interesting. 4 stay because of boring beggining
Pump contains a trio of legitimately classic jams in “Love in an Elevator”, “Janie’s Got a Gun”, and “The Other Side”. The rest of the LP is pretty tight, too. (7/10) Favourite Tracks: See above
Just a nice and solid rock album that is no groundbreaker by any means but instead is a catchy album that is very easy listening
Pretty solid album, liked most songs but there were a couple I didn't really care for.
Hard rock, hard cock. Well sort of, I'd say it gives me a semi at best.
This is not the late era Aerosmith I would have chosen for the list. Try “Permanent Vacation” album sometime. Overall good Rock and I’m debating 3 vs 4 stars. Rounding up.
It may not be the most influential album, or even my favourite Aerosmith album, but really enjoyed my whole time listening