Audio CD review:
Aerosmith - Gems

Aerosmith - Gems

Band: Aerosmith Title: Gems Rating: Release Date: 07 September, 1993 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Rats In The Cellar 2: Lick And A Promise 3: Chip Away The Stone 4: No Surprize 5: Mama Kin 6: Adam's Apple 7: Nobody's Fault 8: Round And Round 9: Critical Mass 10: Lord Of The Thighs 11: Jailbait 12: Train Kept A Rolin'

Customer Reviews A collection of material that is just that...some gems to enjoy! The songs found on this particular album are perhaps the most metal/strongest to date. With "Gems", Aerosmith gives us some more of their backlog of hits that were screaming "don't forget about us!" during the bands commercial explosiveness of the late 80's and beyond. Powerful, gritty and raw, yet still smoothe enough to keep up with the growling, signature screeching that frontman Steven Tyler screeches throughout the record. "Lick and a Promise" and "Chip away the stone" are great lil rock gems that aren't to fast or to slow, and get the message across. The most prolific rock songs to me coming from this album are "No Surprize" which have an awesome sounding crescendo when Tyler speaks to us "Midnight lady,Situation fetal,Vaccinate your a** with your phonograph needle. . " and WHAM in comes the signature guitar lick from Perry that I never tire of hearing! "Critical Mass" and "Nobodies Fault" are also great raw rollicking tunes as well. Gems is aptly named, as we can relish some of the bands earlier sometimes blasting rockers coupled with a Blues feel on the slower tracks. . Good, but almost useless It contains the band's selected records from their self-titled debut (1973) to Rock In A Hard Place (1982). Released in 1988, this compilation is a set of Aerosmith lesser known, but still excellent songs. So, You've got the no-hits, but rockin' gems here like No Surprize, Lick And A Promise, one of Aerosmith's most underrated songs Rats In The Cellar, and also the more known two, Train Kept A Rollin' and Mama Kin, just to mention a few. This album also includes very rare studio version of Chip Away The Stone. After all, there's still something to be desired. I'm a bit disappointed by the track selection. Where's Big 10 Inch Record, Write Me A Letter, Milk Cow Blues, or Reefer Head Woman? It would be better to replace weird Round And Round or the famous Mama Kin with some of those tunes. After all, this compilation is just useless. All of those songs have been already released on the original albums. Even Chip Away The Stone has already appeared on Live! Bootleg and though version included here is a cool gem to own, You can go on without it. So, instead of getting this, I advise getting their 70s albums instead - You won't regret the money and You'll see there are many more gems in Aerosmith's catalogue. . ONE OF THE ONLY 2 AEROSMITH CDS I OWN BUT, AN ATTEMPT TO CASH IN ON SOME OF AEROSMITH'S 1970S SONGS. THIS IS NOT A GREATEST HITS ALBUM. EVEN THOUGH IT'S JUST A COLLECTION OF OLD AEROSMITH SONGS WITH NO NEW MATERIAL AT ALL. BUT, IT IS A VERY GOOD CD TO HAVE FOR ANY AEROSMITH FAN. THE MOST POPULAR SONG ON THIS CD IS ''MAMA KIN''. OTHER THAN THAT, THE REST OF THE SONGS ARE JUST OLD ALBUM TRACKS THAT NEVER WERE SINGLES. THE SONGS I LIKED THE MOST ARE OF COURSE ''MAMA KIN'', ''CHIP AWAY THE STONE'', ''RATS IN THE CELLAR'', AND ''LICK IN A PROMISE''. THESE ARE ALL GREAT SONGS FROM THE BEST TIME PERIOD OF AEROSMITH'S CAREER, WHICH WAS THE 1970S. A GREAT BUY FOR ANY AEROSMITH FAN. AND TO MAKE THINGS BETTER, IT'S PRETTY CHEAP NOW. . . You can see a complete list of all Aerosmith discography, or go back to the Aerosmith tabs