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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Rocks

Aerosmith

1976

Rocks
Album Summary

Rocks is the fourth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in 3 May 1976. AllMusic described Rocks as having "captured Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking." Rocks was ranked number 366 on the updated Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020. It has greatly influenced many hard rock and heavy metal artists, including Guns N' Roses, Metallica, and Nirvana. The album was a commercial success, charting three singles on the Billboard Hot 100, two of which reached the Top 40 ("Back in the Saddle" and "Last Child"). The album was one of the first to ship platinum when it was released, and has since gone quadruple platinum.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.12

Votes

10648
Genres
Hard Rock

Reviews

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Thu Jun 24 2021
4

Additional notes. Add them before you vote above.

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Sat Nov 26 2022
2

I'm listening to this hung over as a motherfucker, and all I can think of is that this is, in music archaeology terms, the missing link between heavy metal and hair metal. Last child has quite a funky bassline. Other than that - I got bored of it very quickly.

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Fri May 14 2021
4

3.75/5. This album rocks. It's some solid rock, I liked it.

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Thu Apr 07 2022
4

White boys rarely get this funky, so respect these horny greasers, whose sole purpose is to rivatalise your ass cheeks with the meanest boogie oogie woogie this side of the Stones. Just 35 minutes, but they're so tight--and every lick, riff, break and bridge so lean--that these songs feel like they last forever.

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Sat Aug 21 2021
5

Always have a soft spot for Aerosmith. Easy to forget the amazing guitar work that's overshadowed by the charismatic vocals, but this is a solid classic rock album that hits all the right buttons for me. Might be my favorite of there's, too.

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Fri Jan 22 2021
3

Similar feelings to my thoughts about the Aerosmith album that I had to listen to the other day. Mostly meh guitar rock with a few standouts.

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Thu Jun 24 2021
4

Robert Demery aimant jouer le hipster et fin connaisseur de la musique, ce petit malin s'est contenté de selectionner trois albums d'Aerosmith dans sa liste, dont deux qu'absolument personne ne connait. Néammoins, les chats ne faisant pas des chiens, l'album est evidemment excellent. Le vrai problème vient d'une information qui m'a été succurée a l'oreille par mon camarade l'humble robbouder: cet album n'aura reçu qu'une note de 3.15 de la part des fans, qui ont préféré sauver Quentin Mosimann en appelant au 3640. Une preuve de plus que vous qui me lisez ne connaissez rien à la musique, retournez sacraliser l'orgue inaudible de Manzarev et autres albums moyens qui vous donnent l'impression d'avoir une culture musicale.

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Sun Feb 07 2021
3

Aerosmith invented Screamo, change my mind. Lots of big yelling, lots of testosterone, and lots of rock. I was taken to an Aerosmith concert when I was younger fully expecting to hate it because it was a dad band, but just like this album I was pleasantly surprised. It isn't necessarily my jam but I can see how in the 70s that this was some serious hard rock. Very entertaining but not really inspiring.

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Thu Jan 04 2024
1

Aerosmith could have used a ghost song writer. The band is on fire and Steven Tyler is one of the greatest rock singers, but you expect the lyrics to be a professional firework show, but they are cap gun, at best. Also, whose idea was it to record Joe Perry's solos through two tin cans and a string? This would be best listed to while using a belt grinder, or mowing the lawn. Maybe over $5 computer speakers. Better equipment left me wanting.

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Mon Nov 15 2021
5

They’re BACK in the saddle againnnnn

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Fri Oct 14 2022
5

Top to bottom a fantastic record. For me, it's just behind Toys in the Attic.

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Mon Sep 14 2020
3

Classic mid-70s rock. Don't like it, but cant deny its effectiveness at being what it is

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Thu Jan 04 2024
3

These guys know how to rock out and they have a great vocalist, but the lyrics are surface level.

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Mon Oct 05 2020
5

Really enjoyed this album. Can definitely see their appeal.

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Tue May 25 2021
5

Never been much of a fan of Aerosmith but this is great

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Sun May 09 2021
5

70's Aerosmith always slays.

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Wed Oct 20 2021
5

This is just a really great rock and roll album. So good.

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Tue Nov 30 2021
5

Awesome album. Most of the older Aerosmith stuff I know were the Greatest Hits, so the first two tracks were expectedly great (love the whinnying and clip clops in the opening of “Back in the Saddle”). The rest of the album I wasn’t so familiar with, but I loved it all! The four times I listened to it today had me digging all the songs. It’s Aerosmith. I should have been listening to this album for most of life.

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Tue Nov 30 2021
5

Aerosmith! Yay! I don't know this album. (Is it just me or does the cover look cheap?) I love the build at the beginning of Back in the Saddle and there are some horse noises I've never noticed before...and some yodeling! Last Child is one of the songs that defines Aerosmith for me --- an edgy, hard-rocking blues sound where Steven Tyler gets to sing and screech. The rest of the songs are totally new to me. I do love Combination --- the lyrics have some clever rhymes and the chorus is hella catchy. When Nobody's Fault started, I had to check to see if I was still listening to Aerosmith. It's more heavy metal than blues-rock. Get the Lead Out is fun. (But why are you showing me your fist? is it to show off your new finger tattoos?) I love me a song with some na, na, na's, like Lick and a Promise. Home Tonight is a nice piano-heavy power ballad whose melody made me think of Chicago's Saturday in the Park. This was great fun!

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Thu Feb 24 2022
5

A classic. Their first five albums rank up there with any of the other great bands. They should have stopped recording after Draw The Line. Everything after that fifth album was either passable or recorded just so they could cash the checks.

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Thu May 12 2022
5

The best hard rock album of all time. AC who? Guns n what? A

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Sun Aug 14 2022
5

Очень драйвовый, крутой альбом. Нескучный, местами мелодичный и кайфовый.

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Fri Sep 09 2022
5

Alright I love this album and have listened to it heaps of times. Will listen again tonight and rate. Great

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Sun Oct 02 2022
5

This has been one of the more surprising listens so far. I apparently judged Aerosmith too harshly based on their later pop rock popularity, so I’ve slept on these early rock albums. After one listen, this is one of my favorite rock albums.

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Fri Nov 11 2022
5

Had expected either Toys in the Attic or Rocks or perhaps even both. The former album might be a bit stronger overall, but of course both are proper Aerosmith classics. Compare this to Pump (also in the 1001 list but just a solid rock album) and hear the difference!

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Thu Dec 08 2022
5

Right up my alley with great production quality

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Thu Dec 15 2022
5

Very happy about this one. First Aerosmith project i’ve heard but it kept me wanting more. Packed with very solid riffs and vocals, the album doesn’t really have any downs. Will definitely check out more of their discography.

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Tue Feb 21 2023
5

Yes. Now we're talking. Aerosmith. And this is a good album. No massive scene stealing songs, but all of them just rock.

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Thu Mar 16 2023
5

"Rocks" is the fourth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith. This album is known as a highlight of their career and capturing the band at their most raw and rocking despite their heavy drug use. It is without doubt a most rocking album. At the time, it received mixed reviews but later very positive reviews. And, it was a big commercial success in the US going quadruple platinum (4,000,000 copies). The album begins with the slow, creepy guitar build-up in "Back in the Saddle" which ends in a Steven Tyler scream. A bad-ass groove. Chunky guitar. Whips, clicking spurs and galloping horses. You can't go wrong singing about cowboys and sex. The first single "Last Child" opens with a classic heavy metal acoustic guitar. It transitions to a more rockin' sound. Tyler struttin'. Great guitar solo. "Rats in the Cellar" was their answer to "Toys in the Attic." This is harder and driving. Great layered guitars by Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. It's real life as things are coming apart within the band. "Sick as a Dog" is the most straight-forward rock song on the album. Catchy vocals and guitar chorus. A deeper cut and my favorite song on the album. "Nobody's Fault" is the band's favorite song on the album. It's heavier. Gun 'N' Roses were in the room and actually were quite literally as Slash cites this album as one of his inspirations. The album ends with the ballad "Home Tonight." Piano. Lap steel guitar. Foreshadowing of what was to come a decade later? This is great album. Focused. Rocks hard. Melody hooks. Great layered guitars. A tight, tight band despite what state they might have been in. I had to listen to "Toys in the Attic" again to verify but, without question, "Rocks" is their best album and a hard rock classic.

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Thu Mar 30 2023
5

Pretty good Aerosmith album. I know a couple of tunes off this one but never heard the full thing - I think before this project the only full Aerosmith albums I'd heard were their later stuff that's basically hair metal. As it is, this more or less sounds like appetite for destruction... 10 years earlier. Some really, really cool riffs coming at me here. Holy shit, I never realised that Testament song was a cover. Fuck, it was gonna be an easy 4, but I think it's now a 5/5...

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Wed Aug 09 2023
5

BEST SONGS: -Nobody's Fault -Home Tonight

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Fri Sep 29 2023
5

Can’t remember if I ever listened to this the whole way through. Deep cuts like “Combination” and “Nobody’s Fault” ring a bell, so odds are I did, as a wee lad of 17, when I was more interested in the 2003 Rolling Stone greatest album list. I might agree with that magazine’s assessment, that this is the best Aerosmith album. It probably doesn’t sound as vicious as it did in 1976, but the poppy harmonies, together with bitchin guitar riffs and Tyler’s vocal stylings, are what I like about the band, in concentrated form. Even "Get the Lead Out", the weakest track imo, still rollicks along and continues the momentum. HL: “Back in the Saddle”, “Sick as a Dog”, “Last Child”, “Nobody’s Fault” September 28, 2023

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Thu Oct 19 2023
5

Good album not many of their bigger hits and pretty short

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Thu Nov 23 2023
5

Upon receiving this, I uttered "... fuck." Aerosmith. The kind of band you'd like for a bit before burying them deep in the mind's recesses. Then, a bit of a thought process creeps in in regards to Rocks. It holds a sort of awed regard when it comes to the bands that came in its wake, the likes of Guns 'n' Roses and Nirvana who love this album. I had to dig in to understand why. Thirty plus minutes later and I understood why. For this thing is an unrelenting, fun ol' beast of a time. Aerosmith does not let up on Rocks and they keep you hooked, lined and sinker throughout. There are so many gems here, one would be remiss to at least discard one for the sake of doing so. Plenty in the Aerosmith fandom consider this to be their peak in creativity and, considering what came in its wake, I cannot help but agree. Rocks off!

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Fri Dec 29 2023
5

70s hard rock at its best. Despite drugs, internal struggles, and the pressure of following up the success of 'Toys in the Attic', the Boston band was unstoppable in 1976, as 'Rocks' proves

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Fri Jan 12 2024
5

Great rock album Standout tracks: Sick as a dog, nobody's fault

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Wed Jan 31 2024
5

Bad ASS! So Fun! sometimes you hear these records an you know how they got so famous

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Thu Feb 01 2024
5

One of my favorite rock bands.

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Thu Feb 22 2024
5

Always loved this album. Stone cold hard rock classic!!

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Sat Mar 09 2024
5

What the hell! Never thought I'd see the day I'd say that I like Aerosmith!! I should've checked this out way sooner. I actually dig Steven Tyler's voice on this album. And the production is ace. Great basswork, catchy guitars, and Joey Kramer is very underrated! Solid Rock & Roll, front to back. Standout tracks: Back In The Saddle, Last Child, Rats In The Cellar, Sick As A Dog, Nobody's Fault, Get The Lead Out, Lick And A Promise, Home Tonight. 9 out of 10

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Wed Mar 13 2024
5

The rokanrollest rokanrroll, si esque la gent pilla fama per algo. Fino fino

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Fri Mar 05 2021
4

Lidt mere klassisk Aerosmith, dog uden hits. Men god album og masser af power

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Sun Feb 07 2021
4

Back in the Saddle is a jam. I've never listened to a full Aerosmith album, and this was enjoyable for sure. It did feel like a stereotypical 'rock' album, for better or for worse. It did feel sort of like I've heard some of these songs before even though I haven't. Overall fun and would listen to again. Would probably give a 3.5, but rounded up.

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Sun Feb 07 2021
4

I was expecting to dislike this a lot more than I did. I have some premeditated distaste for Aerosmith, as cheesy bad rock. But I think that must come from distillations of late success band, Steven Tyler being weird, etc. this album rocked hard I loved the clear bluesy licks and rhythms. Still not a fave, but a clear step towards hard rock of the later 70s and 80s that I am more fond of. Way to prove me wrong, Aerosmith!

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Fri Feb 12 2021
4

Great album, though I would put Toys In The Attic well ahead of this one.

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Sun Jun 20 2021
4

This is one of the Aerosmith albums I'd never listened to before. This was pretty rocking. I liked it more than most of their recent stuff and better than their first two albums. Very short at about 30 mins so it's a quick listen. There's some tracks I'd be happy to listen to again. Nobody's Fault is a song I'd never heard before. The closing solo is good. Not the best guitar solo I've ever heard but good for them.

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Sun Feb 07 2021
4

Many of these songs were staples of my HS years - especially “Back in the Saddle” which was mandatory pre-game fire-up music for our SW conference football games. “Last Child” was another mixtape favorite. The rest of the album is pretty solid 70s rock n roll: “Nobody’s Fault” - great tune - although “Combination” and “Get the Lead Out”are pretty forgettable tracks. Gotta love the guitars and the plaintive wail of Steven Tyler’s voice on Home Tonight (which was probably the inspiration for “Home Sweet Home” by MogleyvCrue. Anyone else contemplate how “Rats in the Cellar” seems to reference Splinter from the TMNTs?

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Mon Jun 21 2021
4

Enjoyed this way more than I expected. Aerosmith usually has hits and shits on their albums. This was pretty solid all the way thru.

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Wed Jan 27 2021
4

Enjoyed this. Good fun. Back in the Saddle and Sick as a Dog standout tracks.

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Fri Apr 23 2021
4

So many good songs on this album

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Mon Jul 05 2021
4

Very classic rock sound but doesn't really feel like Aerosmith until the last few songs. Overall enjoyable with a strong first half.

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Fri Apr 16 2021
4

Really enjoyed this. Could tell how they've influenced a hole genre since. 4/5

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Sat Jun 12 2021
4

Of course I've heard their well-known hits plenty of times, but I never listened to an Aerosmith song outside of their hits before today. Turns out it's a lot better than I would have expected! Easy 4

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Tue Apr 13 2021
4

Buen album de rock. A pesar de no ser gran fan de Aerosmtih, es un álbum bien balanceado.

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Sun Apr 11 2021
4

i’m a big old fan of classic rock

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Wed Jun 02 2021
4

Great rock and roll album! Much better than the pop-rock they produced in the 90s.

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Fri May 21 2021
4

Aerosmith has an unmistakable sound and this album show cases it very well. Each song stands alone but contributes to the whole seamlessly. There were more than a handful of times during this album listen that made me perk up and got my attention.

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Mon Jun 21 2021
4

Aerosmith in the 70s sounds a lot like Aerosmith in the 90s :)

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Tue Jul 27 2021
4

Another classic rock classic.

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Thu Jul 29 2021
4

This one really does rock! Good hard punches without overdoing it and some great solos. Rats in the Cellar and Nobody's Fault stand out.

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Sun Aug 08 2021
4

Not my favorite Aerosmith album, but still solid.

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Wed Aug 18 2021
4

Classic Aerosmith. So much good here.

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Wed Aug 25 2021
4

Wow, I've never considered myself an Aerosmith fan, but I've got to hand it to them here. This is a solid album, full of fun, bluesy, dirty little rockers. It's the stuff the that made Aerosmith famous and is still totally playable today. Perry's licks are perfection and you can feel Tyler's charisma coming right through your speakers. There's a reason these guys have lasted so long. "Back in the Saddle" and "Last Child" rock, full stop, a perfect pair to start this album with. "Nobody's Fault" is surprisingly heavy (both musically and lyrically), love it. "Home Tonight" is a sweet way to close it out, and hints at those juggernaut pop hits we would get from the band in the 80s and 90s. Fave songs: Back in the Saddle, Last Child, Nobody's Fault, Home Tonight

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Mon Sep 06 2021
4

More fun and funky than I was expecting. Sounds late 80s so well ahead of it’s time

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Fri Sep 10 2021
4

The same guy that named the Tesla’s S, 3, X and Y must’ve named this album. I get it, Aerosmith Rocks, you are so clever. Unlike the Tesla models, the album name is accurate. Say what you want about Stephen Tyler’s lips, but they breath some great sound into this album that’s otherwise filled to the rim with smash-it-all, balls-to-the-wall rock and roll guitar. It’s hard to identify another mid 70’s alblum filled with so much losely tied cacophony in one spot. In fact, I think this was the last great rock album before the music industry fell in love with glam rock, poodle-heads and power ballads. Though this isn’t a daily listen album, I truly enjoyed the truth in advertising.

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Thu Sep 30 2021
4

Great album but not Aerosmith’s best work

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Tue Oct 19 2021
4

Good album, didn't know many tracks.

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Tue Oct 19 2021
4

I hadn’t heard any of the tracks before but it was classic Aerosmith and thoroughly enjoyable !

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Fri Oct 22 2021
4

Didn’t even know this album existed. Very good!

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Sat Nov 06 2021
4

Cool. Far more consistent quality than Pump

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Thu Nov 11 2021
4

Just a solid rock record. I enjoyed this one more than "Toys in The Attic". I feel like you can trace the lineage from Led Zepplin to Guns 'n' Roses through this record. Favorite tracks: "Back In The Saddle", "Last Child", "Rats In The Cellar", "Home Tonight"

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Fri Nov 12 2021
4

More twangy from the guitarist than I remember

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Tue Nov 16 2021
4

So this is how they rocked before I was born eh? Well, went into this with all kind of biases (blame Love in an Elevator for that) but this is a great album, full of actual rock music rather than screaming anthems. Top stuff.

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Mon Nov 22 2021
4

This album definitely rocks and a lot better than I expected. Not a favourite as the middle of the album dips in quality, especially Nobody's Fault. But the bookends of this (first three, last three songs) were fantastic. Back in the Saddle and Home Tonight were my favourites.

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Wed Nov 24 2021
4

Fuck me! Aerosmith are a lot older than i realized. Although it seems time hasn't improved their sound. This is actually really decent classic rock. Like the Bluesy rock guitar licks a lot. Less cliched then their later stuff and Tyler's vocal doesn't dominate as much. A surprisingly high 4/5

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Fri Nov 26 2021
4

Nostalgic. Prefer greatest hits albums for Aerosmith. Back in the Saddle is a good opener with a high-tempo glammish sound. Last Child has a really kicking bass rhythm and the vocals, whilst not as impressive as some songs, give it that typical Aerosmith. Rats in the Cellar could be a Guilty Gear BGM. Goods: Back in the Saddle, Rats in the Cellaer Bads:

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Sat Nov 27 2021
4

Like the Aerosmith album… I really like this. My impression has been stained by those awful ballads. This is good straight up rock with tunes!

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Mon Nov 29 2021
4

Better than expected. Early Aerosmith is solid

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Tue Nov 30 2021
4

I am familiar with Aerosmith, but not this album. I don't believe that I had heard any tune on the album previously. It did sound like Aerosmith...no surprises... Although I don't find myself seeking out an Aerosmith album for a listen all that often, there are a some songs that caught my ear and I am likely to revisit the album in the future.

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Tue Nov 30 2021
4

Again, I'm learning how much more I seem to enjoy classic hard rock than I thought. "Back in the Saddle" is an awesome triumphant anthem. I love the teasing intro, the growly bass line, and Steven Tyler's yodeling. "Last Child" gets bluesy and funky, and rhymes "south Tallahassee" with "sweet sassafrassy." You know we got "Rats in the Cellar"? This one is rockin' and chaotic. I like the duet of voices in "Combination." And the rest, as the title says, Rocks. It feels like rock 'n' roll oughta.

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Mon Dec 06 2021
4

80. Rocks - Aerosmith 9 tracks. Considering this goes back to 1976 it's no surprise that it's quite raw, (in a good way). It's punchy as you would expect, but you still see glimpses of Tyler's slowed down vocals/hook that they used to great effect later on. Very good. 👍 4/5

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