Customer Reviews

Have Guitar Will Travel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Have Guitar, Will Travel, Joe Perrys second solo album was recorded in mid 2009 when Aerosmith had tons of downtime due to injuries and Steven Tylers lack of inspiration for the band. While it isn't as strong as his first solo album, or even as good as his best album with The Joe Perry Project, Have Guitar, Will Travel is still a fine rock n' roll record.

The lead single 'We've Got A long Way To Go' rocks like Aerosmith use to, 'Slingshot' rivals that of 'Walk On Down' and 'Combination' as Perrys greatest musical contribution. 'Somebodys Gonna Get (Their Head Kicked In Tonite)' reminds us why Perry is the legendary guitar God he is. 'Wooden Ships' which was dedicated to Les Paul is the guitar tour de force us Perry fanatics have been waiting for. 'Freedom' sounds rehashed but is still better than the majority of Aerosmiths out-put in the last 15 years.

Leaning mainly on his slide work, as does most of his work outside of Aerosmith Perry lets the world know that while Aerosmith may be down and out, the Admiral sure as hell ain't.

I'll go along with Dax's review! Makes sense that one rack star would support another! Carry on Joe!! Stick it to em!

I rediscovered Joe Perry's music as a result of his Tweet in support of Ron Paul. I'm glad there are still some rockers out there telling people to stick it to the man!

Joe Perry is a genius, I love this album! I am here to show my support for your music and show that a friend of Ron Paul is a friend of mine!

Dr. Ron Paul 2012!

A quote from Perry on the release of this solo album, "because you can get out there and do whatever you want and you don't have to answer to anybody."

I find this true about many things in life. Turn off the TV and look around, you'll know what I'm talking about.

This album ROCKS! I saw his debut pre-tour show in Plymouth, Mass. on 9/20. Going to see him again on 11/13 at Hampton Beach Casino in New Hampshire! Did I say this album ROCKS?! If you love Joe Perry, just buy it and CRANK IT! Trust me, he's havin' a BALL on this one and it shows! There's no guitar player like him! Thanks Joe!

So...well, well, well...lets put down some facts.Lets put down some facts.
Ever since I was 12 - and I am 46 now - I was/am and will be a Joe Perry Fan. I grew up on the greats of Page, Nugent, Marino, Perry, Whitford, and so many...many more...some lost some still there.
Growing up in Cape Cod and Marshfield Mass, Aerosmith was our neighborhood Band ....listening to tons of Joe Perry Project - and I still believe that "Life at a glance" holds the best lyric of all times: "Driving down Mass Pike 4 AM blue lights from behind me its my friends again"...
So...why am I telling all this? Well, because I am a Fan. I live in Europe now and when I heard of Joe Perry and Tab playing in New York 1st of march 2008 - I flew over just for that gig and flew back right after...and then...well, all the crap going on in the Aerosmith Camp kind of makes me angry to see the guys going apart. It is a fact. I flew over to see Brad Whitford playing Hendrix and all of the sudden it dawned on me again....Jesus is he good.... With guitar players such as Joe and Brad...in one Band...just think of what Aerosmith could do...unreal.
But it just aint happening. And that brings me to Joe Perry and his new Album. I ordered 6 Albums all together...don't ask why...I hand it out to friends and I always keep to unwrapped.
This Album is not a creativity act - it is a solid 70s Rock Album and you need to get into it. It took me three goes and here I am - This Album is really excellent. I don't really think that the mastering went too well...but then again...who cares. This thing is to be played loud and it reminds me of the Band Jeez Louise. Joe Perry is a blues based guitar craftsman who brings together Rock, Blues and Punk riffs. This is not a Satriani orgasm, this is a very, very cool Album that will all in all satisfy the People who once got off on Rocks, Toys and them greats. I am asking Brad Whitford to please, please do a Solo Album...man...use your ability...
My greatest whish of all times? Let Joe and Brad do one together. Wow! Right after listening to Joe's new Album - 3 times in a row - I went to my record collection - got out "Live Bootleg" and put on "Lord of the Thighs" - tears coming down...thanks for the Album Joe and Brad...please get going!

One cannot listen to Joe Perry's fifth studio album Have Guitar, Will Travel without thinking what could have been of Aerosmith. Since 1987, Aerosmith has utilized professional songwriters or "song doctors" to author much of their musical output. It can be argued that Desmond Child, Mark Hudson, Jim Vallance, Taylor Rhodes, Glen Ballard, Diane Warren, Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw and Marti Frederiksen (who co-wrote "Do You Wonder?" on this album) have been the driving force behind Aerosmith's musical direction for over two decades. In 2004, Aerosmith seemed to make a much needed change by reuniting with producer Jack Douglas who produced many of their 1970s efforts to record an album of blues covers foolishly titled Honkin' on Bobo. While some songs seemed a little stale, Aerosmith's ditching of the song doctors except on ("The Grind" written with Frederiksen) was successful idea and practice. However, Aerosmith would suffer many setbacks and injuries along the way afterward.

Instead of resting from their hard touring schedule since their late-1980s comeback, the band needlessly toured with nothing new to offer fans set-list wise. From 2005 to 2009, Aerosmith continued to exhaust themselves with every single member of the band (except for Steven Tyler) missing shows due to injuries ranging from knee surgery to head injuries. Then the band suffered a setback they couldn't move on from: Steven Tyler falls off a stage effectively ending a tour that should not have been in the first place. With Aerosmith seemingly fracturing, Joe Perry used the downtime to return to solo work. Unlike his self-titled solo album in 2005, Have Guitar Will Travel is a looser affair with a band-like atmosphere particularly with the addition of German vocalist Hagen, bassist David Hull, guitarist Paul Santo, and drummer Marty Richards. The first song and single "We've Still Got a Long Way to Go" opens with an electronic synth beginning that almost scared me into thinking Joe Perry went the Chris Cornell route and was working with Timbaland. However, Hagen's vocals start and Perry rips his guitar. What is being heard is Joe Perry being imaginative with such a guitar riff and he seems like he's having fun with a vocalist committed to a project.

At first I thought Hagen was contributing vocals to the entire album but Perry sings as well. However, Hagen is heard on "Do You Wonder," a song Perry hoped to record with Aerosmith and it would have worked perfectly. Still, Hagen does a good job with the song and even reminds you of Steven Tyler at times. Hagen also appears on "No Surprise," another song that would have been well suited for Aerosmith. Perry highlights his own playing on "Heaven and Hell" and the superb instrumental "Wooden Ships," which has their share of valuable guitar riffs. Through the album, Perry sounds classic yet new at the same time with his use of professional songwriters kept to a minimum and a stripped-down production style that Aerosmith long abandoned for over-produced efforts like Nine Lives (1997) and Just Push Play (2001). With the musical breakthrough Perry has hit with Have Guitar Will Travel, one would hope that Perry can knock some sense into Steven Tyler, the man he hasn't written a song with in the same room for over a decade. Have Guitar, Will Travel should serve as a glimpse of what Aerosmith could be as well as starting point of the talents of the brilliant vocalist in Steven Tyler, Perry's rhythmic counterpart Brad Whitford, the "Sweet Emotion" bassist Tom Hamilton and the straightforward drumming of Joey Kramer.

With this album, Joe Perry realizes that it's about the music. At age 59, there's no need for another hit. He knows that he can stay true to himself with a body of work that speaks for itself. Aerosmith is running on 40-years in 2010 and such musical honesty as heard on Have Guitar, Will Travel would do the band and their fans the justice they've deserved for several years now.

This album was a bit dissappointing, and I can't say I'm sold on the added female focals. Perry's not an outstanding vocalist, but it suited is past efforts quite nice and made his phenominal guitar talent stand out, instead of making it hard to disect. I'd have to say that this is a little over produced and will look forward to hearing future recordings where Joe gets back to his roots.

This record was a letdown. It was experimental in some ways, had some good guitar playing,BUT IT NEVER ROCKS!!!! Why couldn't you rock us Joe? Oh well maybe you and Steven can get and straight and rock us again. I am a big Joe Perry fan, Just not this record.