Customer Reviews

Gems

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

At the end of the 1970's, Columbia Records released Aerosmith's Greatest Hits. At the time of its release, just about everyone thought their best days were behind them, thus the release of a greatest hits album. Although the album had all the hits, it didn't quite tell the whole story. The beauty of Aerosmith's '70s albums was that the album tracks were just as strong as their singles, especially on Toys In The Attic and Rocks. So with Aerosmith at the beginning of their near impossible comeback of the late '80s with Geffen Records, Columbia hopped on the money train and released Gems, a stellar collection of their best album tracks.

Although this collection was released strictly for profit, it showed fans that came during the late '80s that they were more than the band that did "Dream On" and "Walk This Way." Most of the tracks here are top notch, with 8 of the collection's 12 cuts coming from their first four classic albums. These tracks are the strongest ones here, with the tracks "Rats In The Cellar", "Train Kept A Rollin", and "Mama Kin" still getting regular airplay on classic rock radio. The remaining cuts from these albums ("Lord of the Thighs", "Nobody's Fault", "Lick And A Promise", "Round And Round", and "Adam's Apple") are also excellent tracks. "Critical Mass", "No Surprize", and "Jailbait" are all strong tracks that are salvaged from their albums after Rocks, which were noticeably weaker as dissention and hard living affected the band's creativity. Also featured here is the excellent studio version of "Chip Away The Stone", which was originally only available as a live track from their Live Bootleg album. This is a strong collection of their lesser known album tracks. It definitely blows away everything they recorded after Pump. If you like the tracks on Gems, I'd highly recommend Rocks and Toys In The Attic, their best albums, and some of the best hard rock recorded in the '70s.

Gems is Aerosmiths greatest hits part 2, it has everything that was left off of part one but should have really been on there. This is kinda point less cause every Aerosmith fan already owns these songs in one form or another, but I am a die hard so I had to have this. from beginning to end this is jam packed full of Aerosmith Classics 'Rats In The Cellar' 'Train Kept A Rollin' ' Lick And A Promice' and many more, this is nothing but the best of Americas, no make that the worlds greatest rock and roll band of all time! If you are a casual Aerosmith fan you might just want to get O Yeah! Ultamate Aerosmith Hits, but if you are a die hard like my self you must own Gems!

When paired with the better-known "Greatest Hits", "Gems" is the second half on an excellent primer to pre-comeback Aerosmith. However, much like any compilation package, this is only supposed to begin the journey. The ideal end result for the label is that you purchase more old Aerosmith albums. And, honestly, that's what you should do. In the interests of space (the album only clocks in at 53 minutes, average length by 1988 standards), a number of classic Aerosmith songs have been left off - there is no "Big Ten-Inch Record", "Seasons Of Wither", or "No More, No More" on here. But "Gems" is what it is - a jumping-off point for the Aerosmith novice, and a boarding pass for an amazing journey. Buy this.

This album was released in 1988 by Aerosmith's old label (now their current label again) to cash in on their big "Permanent Vacation" comeback. It was intended to be sort of a "Greatest Hits Volume 2", and there are a handful of songs on here that definitely deserves such status - "Mama Kin", "Train Kept A-Rollin'", "Lord of The Thighs", and the rare single "Chip Away The Stone" are bona fide Aerosmith classics. There are a few more second-tier classics here, like "Jailbait", "No Surprize" and "Rats In The Cellar" which are also quite worthy of inclusion. As for the rest of them, it's baffling what criteria they used in picking the songs. There are so many great Aerosmith songs which inexplicably didn't make the cut, and a bunch that are here that only provoke the question "Why?" Where's "Toys In The Attic"? "Big Ten Inch Record"? "No More, No More"? "Lightning Strikes"? "Sick As A Dog"? How do ho-hum songs like "Critical Mass" or "Adam's Apple" get on here over any of those? Two obscure songs here that I really like are "Nobody's Fault" and "Round And Round", two of the heaviest songs they've ever done, but those two still should've been shelved in favor of some of the more well-known tunes. Some have described this as "Aerosmith's Hard Rock Greatest Hits" album since some of the songs are heavier than their more well-known hits, but then again songs like "Mama Kin", "Lord of the Thighs", "Lick And A Promise" and "Critical Mass" hardly fall into that category. They're pretty straightforward commerical sounding 70's rock. A perplexing compilation, really only worthy for the otherwise hard-to-get "Chip Away The Stone" (it is also available on the pricey "Pandora's Box"). I would personally pass on this and get all of Aerosmith's first seven albums. You won't go wrong.

Although Gems was created purely for money-making purposes (well sorta) it is worthwhile if you don't already own these songs. This is sorta a collection of some of Aerosmith's most underrated songs (the band chose them), with "Round And Round" and one of the band's better but underrated cuts "Nobody's Fault" among others on the album. This, like I said before, is a good album if you don't already own these songs, but if you do, then the only reason you'd want it is to complete your Aerosmith album collection.

"Gems", the 1988 Columbia release from Aerosmith, has come to be known to diehard Aeroheads as the "hard-rock greatest hits album", and the disk surely lives up to this title. While practically everyone in the world owns "Greatest Hits" (1980,Columbia Records)and the comeback compilation "Big Ones" (1994,Geffen Records), "Gems" is the lesser known of the three greatest hits packages but, is no less impressive. In fact, for longtime Aerosmith fans, the tracks on "Gems" blow the "Big Ones" right out of the water. The album begins with the all-out hard rock of "Rats in the Cellar" and closes with the classic "Train Kept A Rollin'", a Yardbirds cover that is actually more closely associated with Aerosmith than the Yardbirds themselves. As far as filling goes, "Gems" does not dissapoint - "Lick and a Promise", "No Surprize", and the excellent "Lord of the Thighs" are certified classics that are a joy to listen to over and over again. Also here si the really rare studio version of the awesome "Chip Away At the Stone", which sports some great licks and harmonies. One of the heaviest hitters is the immortal Mama Kin, which includes one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time and a different but cool vocal from Steven. Yes, there is some garbage here too. "Jailbait" is a desperate attempt to recapture some of the spirit from the "Rocks" (1976,Columbia Records) era but is barely able to keep the listener interested. Overall, though, this is one great package of lesser-known, yet still powerful Aerosmith songs that will delight the ears of both longtime and newer fans.

THIS IS NOT A GREATEST HITS ALBUM. BUT, AN ATTEMPT TO CASH IN ON SOME OF AEROSMITH'S 1970S SONGS. 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.

When paired with the better-known "Greatest Hits", "Gems" is the second half on an excellent primer to pre-comeback Aerosmith. However, much like any compilation package, this is only supposed to begin the journey. The ideal end result for the label is that you purchase more old Aerosmith albums. And, honestly, that's what you should do. In the interests of space (the album only clocks in at 53 minutes, average length by 1988 standards), a number of classic Aerosmith songs have been left off - there is no "Big Ten-Inch Record", "Seasons Of Wither", or "No More, No More" on here. But "Gems" is what it is - a jumping-off point for the Aerosmith novice, and a boarding pass for an amazing journey. Buy this.

I just purchased "Gems", and I love this CD. I listened to it the whole way through, and the album was terrific. I wanted something by Aerosmith, and I was looking and tonight came across "Gems", and I am glad I bought it, it is worth every penny. Steven Tyler's voice is so raw, powerful and different, that I wondered if it was the same Tyler. The songs sound incredible, I will admit I am not that familiar with Aerosmith's older recordings, but with "Gems" I think I am going to take the trip back and purchase more of their older material. Some songs that stand out it my mind are "Lord Of The Thighs", "Adam's Apple", and "Round And Round" just to name a few. It's amazing how long Aerosmith has been releasing quality material. I became a true fan of Aerosmith's in 1987, when "Permanent Vacation" was released and I haven't stopped listening. The earlier material I was never really into, but with material like "Gems", it won't hurt to go back. I also can't believe how good Steven Tyler's voice still holds up and how the band still sound amazing. I though I wasn't going to like this album but once again Aerosmith proves me wrong. This album gets an A+.

A Great complaiton of Aerosmith`s lesser known songs. Perfect for crusin in my car. Especally with songs like chip away the stone, and nobody`s fault. This is a must for any Aerosmth fan All these classic gems are the prime cuts of Aerosmith`s carrer.