This will involve a few parts in a series concerning Aerosmith and their records. First record, Aerosmith: Featuring Dream On (Columbia, 1973). Strange to name a single for an album, but they did. “Dream On” didn’t become a hit until 1975. This album features a starving, hard working quintet living in practical squaller. There was no plan B. Plan A for the “boys from Boston” was make it, or nothing. Indeed, that’s one of their songs on this album.
Recording virtually “live” in the studio, you can hear a very tightly packed band that had refined these tunes to perfection. There’s your “10,000 hours to get good” theory lost on our current generation. Aerosmith was a blue-collar band. Guts, grit, blood, hard work, countless hours of repetitive playing and gigging. This was the work ethic of the past, and these boys had it. Have a dream? A vision? That’s going to require work, and not 40 hours a week, either. Stamina, stick-to-it-at-all-costs. You hear this in every tune on the record.
Steven Tyler, the front man, who admittedly copied the likes of Plant and Jagger, nonetheless bravely attempts his own crooning to be heard as a stand out performer. As mentioned, they start their debut with, “Make It,” which echoes the feature song, “Dream On.”
Good evening people, welcome to the show
Got something here I want you all to know
When life and people bring on primal screams
You got to think of
What it’s going to take to make your dreams
This is pure Cognitive Behavior Therapy. You have to think of what it takes to make your dreams:
Better weather, pull yourself together
Don’t be catching the blues
Better weather, pull yourself together
What have you got to lose
You’re only paying your dues
That has the stink of hard work all over it. There’s a bit of humiliation in those words as well. You could go down the rabbit hole that you are useless, a good for nothing, a train wreck, but why “catch those blues” (slips into depression) when you can “pull yourself together”? After all, since you have nothing, what have you got to lose? Pay your dues, and “make it.”
Returning to this theme, in the featured song, “Dream On,” we hear this:
Every time that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone
Oh, it went by like dusk to dawn
Isn’t that the way?
Everybody’s got their dues in life to pay,
I know nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know it’s everybody’s sin
You got to lose to know how to win
There is a biblical bases for this New England, Protestant “work ethic” mentality (Max Webber, anyone?). The Ozark Mountain Daredevils had a song, “If You Wanna Get to Heaven,” then you have to “raise a little hell,” which, interestingly enough, came out in 1973 as well. The idea of being at the bottom, where the only way is “up,” is the stuff of dreams and visions. Or, you can just wallow in the muck, play the victim, blame “the man” and such as your life spins pathetically out of control. Choice is yours, and yours alone.
There are some folks who love to point out “what’s wrong” with everyone. These are people who think they have it all together (even though they obviously don’t). They think they have a keen insight of others. As these “others” actually go on to accomplish their dreams, these ever-gloomy pessimists never accomplish anything except for constant arm-chair criticism.
Tyler and the band have a word for a person like this:
Whole earth lover, keepin’ undercover
Never knowin’ where you’ve been
You’ve been fadin’, always out paradin’
Keep in touch with Mama Kin
Indeed. Your life is fading, but you are out there parading, becoming the very thing you despise in others. Jesus called it, “hypocrisy.” For Steven Tyler, “Mama Kin” was life’s energy. If you fail to keep in touch with it, then you will fade. Dreams lost. Constantly decrying the accomplishments of others success, while you are fading in your own, isn’t keeping in touch. It’s a loser pointing out the winners and complaining about their earned winnings. Let that sink in. Life never gave you a break? Is that your excuse? You ain’t knowin’ where you’ve been.
Being painfully brief, let me switch to another aspect of this record. It’s a tight rhythm and blues recording. Whitford, Kramer and Hamilton keep a near perfect beat, while Perry, at least at this point, plays a clean guitar. There isn’t any high production here. This has “debut album” written all over it. You won’t hear anything on the wax that would become Aerosmith in the nineties in terms of production. Nevertheless, this was their first issued statement even though it fell flat on the critics’ ears. We heard it, the tee-shirt and blue jean mid-west heard it. The kids whose dads worked in the factories and farms heard it. And we liked it. I remember a friend of mine who related a story to me about showing his dad the album cover, which featured all five members. His dad’s response: “these people look like bums.” Bums with a mission, a dream, and a vision.
In the song, “Movin Out” we find this little repose:
Level with God and you’re in tune with the universe
Talk with yourself and you’ll hear what you want to know
Got to rise above ’cause below it’s only getting worse
Life, in time, will take you where you want to go.
Here, again, we find the idea of “rags to riches” based on natural law. If you want something, then move and get it. What’s stopping you is only yourself. Of course, Aerosmith, having this work-ethic in mind (a Christian one, mind you), would become one of the worst examples of excess and indulgence ever imaginable. It’s one thing to work hard to get where you want to get, and another to reward yourself with the indulgences of sin once you get there. Start humble, remain humble. That’s the key. The Book of Ecclesiastes explores this all too human theme in spades (Al Pacino’s character, Tony Montana, blissfully displays it in Scarface). We work hard, we get what we want, then we blow it.
You can already hear this in the song, “Write Me A Letter”:
Well I’ve been away forever
Suicide’s crossing my mind
Well I’ll never, never, never, never, never
Get so far behind
I said, the ways of the night are evil
Without that Lord of Day
But I’ll never, never, never, never, never
Get so far away
Solomon, anyone? Already, Tyler’s “high” minded lyrics are foretelling what would become of the band within 6 years of this record. Abandon the “Lord of the Day” and you get what you get. “Level with God and you are in tune with the universe.” Indeed. But, this is what we forget, isn’t’ it? We need God to get there, we just don’t need God once we are there. We got it from here on out. Right? Wrong.
Final score for old time rockers like myself? Great record if you like early skip-on-the-digital-details music. Want to practice your chops? Definitely a metronomic practice record. Joey Kramer, the drummer, is as firm as any skin player can get. If you can play along with this on a guitar, a bass, or on drums, then you might “make it.” Just remember, you got to pay your dues. There are three “P’s” to success: Practice. Practice. And Practice. 10,000 hours. This is true in whatever you pursue.
Peace.
Vigilate et Orate 