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Liner Notes: Aerosmith without Steven Tyler is a terrible idea
A weekly column by Tribune pop music critic Curtis Ross
Associated Press file photo (1994)
Every negative thing anyone's ever written or said about Steven Tyler may be true, but he's still the face and voice of Aerosmith.
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Published: November 11, 2009
Updated: 11/12/2009 04:33 pm
In 1982, Aerosmith released "Rock In a Hard Place," an album made without original guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. Although I'm sure this album has its fans, my college roommate at the time was not one of them. He was as big an Aerosmith fan as I've ever known and he said it wasn't very good. Actually, I can't print what he said about it but suffice to say it was a lot stronger than "it wasn't very good."
I thought about "Rock In a Hard Place" this week when I read reports that singer Steven Tyler was exiting Aerosmith.
He's not, he now says, and that's good, because the rest of the band announced it would start looking for a new singer.
That was not a good idea. That was a really bad idea. That was a Gary Cherone joining Van Halen bad idea.
It wouldn't matter who they got. It won't be Aerosmith. Every negative thing anyone's ever written or said about Tyler may be true, but he's still the face and voice of Aerosmith.
And let's face it. Aerosmith's best days are behind it. This wouldn't be AC/DC on the cusp of superstardom in 1980. There isn't going to be a new, rejuvenated Aerosmith. These are men nearing retirement age.
Aerosmith's suffered some indignities over the years -- recording that sappy Diane Warren-penned "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing," sharing a Super Bowl stage with 'N Sync and Britney Spears, every album since "Pump," for that matter. Thank the gods of rock they've dodged this bullet.
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