Customer Reviews

Night In The Ruts

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm with the last reveiwer that Chip Away The Stone should have been included on this album, rather than on the cutting room floor. I compare this album to my favorite Aerosmith album, Get Your Wings. Every song here is true Aerosmith, rotten to the core. Check out Three Mile Smile, No Suprise, Cheese Cake and of course, REEFER HEADED WOMAN. This album rocks and was almost completely overlooked. There was a slight hit with Remember (Walking In The Sand) an old Shangra-La's song.

Do yourself a favor, don't think about it, just buy this album. You'll love it.

I've been an Aerosmith fan since 1979 and through it all I've stuck with'm. I haven't reviewed the more popular Aerodiscs yet as I've found it more interesting to comment on the records the real dedicated fans have. I'll let the bandwagoneers handle their 5 star shout fests on the more wellknown albums "Toys" "Rocks" and the like. This record "Night in the Ruts" effectionatly known as "Right in the Nuts" is one of the most overlooked. Joe Perry had left during it's making and was doomed by the industry from that point even before it's release in '79. The old school critics couldn't wait to knock it from the day it came out. As bad as Steven T was in those days(D-R-U-G-S) he could write those hard rockers like noone else before or since. Songs such as "No Surprise""Chiquita" and "Three Mile Smile" are umung boys best, yes they are as good as any on "Rocks". There I've said it. I love "Coney Island Whitefish Boy" almost as much and the cover of "Think About It" is flawless. I've heard the original YARDBIRDS version of it and they owe a debt of gratitude to Aerosmith for recreating it into pure perfection, even better than the cover of "Train Kepta Rollin'" another YARDBIRDS remake off "Get Your Wings" from '74. Steven may have changed his mind since but he's gone so far as to call "No Surprise" is his favorite Aerosmith song. It's up there for me and I love alot of them. I may be alone on this one but this record is only a couple songs away from being a "10" (or 5 stars in this case). "Nights" is awesome but it's too short. If you think your a real fan buy it, live it, love it.

If you like the newer, more pop-rock Aerosmith you may not like this. This was the last album they recorded before Joe Perry allegedly physically fought with Steven Tyler over Tyler's drug addiction and left the band. There's no Rag Doll, no Dude Looks Like A Lady, and especially no sappy Don't Wanna Miss A Thing movie song here. Just good old-fashioned American hard-driving rock & roll, powerful and true. Even their cover of Remember (Walking In The Sand) on this disc had a good edge to it. I love every song, my personal favorites are the first two, No Surprize and Chiquita. Chiquita features a tough, gritty Joe Perry guitar riff, and Joey Kramer hits 'em so hard it sounds like he'll put the sticks thru 'em. If you want to hear the REAL Aerosmith, before they went Hollywood, give this one a listen.

From top to bottom, I consider this one of Aerosmith's best albums, and certainly up there with 'Rocks' (which is probably the best), 'Get Your Wings', and their first, underrated self-titled album 'Aerosmith' (Dream On).

If you are new to Aerosmith, then before you get any of these, you should get the *excellent* single-disc first greatest hits collection, entitled "Aerosmith's Greatest Hits". It's the one that has the Aerosmith logo on a red background. That album has all great songs and absolutely no filler.

Because of when in Aerosmith's history this record was made, it doesn't get enough credit. Due to drugs and burnout, Aerosmith's albums were getting progressively more uneven, hitting an alltime low with 'Draw the Line'. This album is surprisingly, WAY better.

Though bluesy with a few slow, tasty numbers like "Reefer Headed Woman", the expressive "Mia", and the surprise hit "(Remember) Walking in the Sand", this is a rockin' album with some straight ahead rock tunes like "Think About It", "Chiquita", "Cheese Cake", "Three Mile Smile", and "Bone to Bone". The latter two sound like they could have easily come off the excellent "Rocks" album.

Even the turgid "No Surprize" is catchy in its own way. And while it doesn't appeal to all Aerosmith fans, "Think About It" is actually my favorite song on the record. For fans of Aerosmith at their hardest, most aggressive, it doesn't get any better than this.

For those of you who only know this album because of the hit "(Remember) Walking in the Sand", there is so much more to this album than that song. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that it is the weakest song on the record. It's also a cover of an old Shangri-Las song and not even an Aerosmith original!

In summary, fans of early vintage Aerosmith should check this record out if they haven't already. It's up there with 'Rocks', the first self-titled record, and 'Get Your Wings', and it's better than the rest of them.

One thing I never understood about general opinion is that somehow Night in the Ruts is supposed to be a weaker recording by Aerosmith. Like the amount of drugs they were doing at the time supposedly made the music worse. What? Really? My ears say apparently the drugs made them even BETTER because there's honestly not a single weak moment here.

In fact, every single song completely smears that overrated "Sweet Emotion" nonsense (I never understood the appeal of that one) and even "Walk This Way" as far as vocal melodies are concerned. In regards to just letting loose and rocking the house down... WOW!

I know I'm not the biggest Aerosmith fan in the world, and I even like to rip Toys in the Attic a new rear end because I really don't think it's anything special (not when there's five OTHER Aerosmith albums that are easily better, all from the 70's no less) but my oh my, Rocks, Draw the Line and Night in the Ruts are definitely pretty solid hard rock late 70's albums. Meanwhile the debut is ROCK solid and Get Your Wings is mostly great.

The drugs honestly improved the songwriting for Night in the Ruts. I don't know *how* exactly, but it really feels like an overall better album than Toys in the Attic. My only problem is that it's really hard to understand Steven Tyler's lyrics because his voice sounds like it's hidden in the background. This is probably more an issue with the way the album was recorded and nothing to do with the drugs, however.

My favorites are the highly energetic and melodic vocal excitement featured in "No Surprize", the ultra fun party atmosphere of "Chiquita", and the near-Beatles level pop melody of "Remember (Walking in the Sand"). "Cheese Cake" reminds me of "Chiquita" in the *fun* department, and perhaps it's even heavier.

I swear, side two is even better. Really!!! "Three Mile Smile" all the way to "Think About it" is pure rip-roaring insanely catchy and heavy, loud and exploding guitar rock. Just a fantastic flow of great songs. The album even ends with a ballad I actually *like* in "Mia". THIS is a great example of a hard rock band creating a ballad- it has atmosphere (similar to "Dream On" in regards to feeling haunting and ominous) and a great vocal melody.

I just don't believe everyone who immediately criticizes this album and somehow hears faults. I don't hear anything wrong with it. Tight album.

The band got in a fist-fight & broke up, after releasing this album. The fight apparently had something to do with their drug-abuse. This is their last album that has a true garage-door band nitty-gritty sound. A few years later, when the band reconciled their differences & got back together, their music had changed & had become main-stream classic-rock. What can I say? Fame & fortune always spoils a good thing?

Like Draw The Line, this is another Aerosmith gem that often gets overlooked. Part of the whole "the drugs were ruining 'em in the late '70s" campaign. But really this is a solid slab of straight-up rocking (with a few funky moments per usual). People also think of this as the first album without Joe Perry. But he's actually on most of the tracks and a driving force behind the album's best moments ("No Suprize", "Chiquita", "Cheese Cake" and "Three Mile Smile"). Hell, even the few cuts without him are decent. I like their staggering, weary version of "Remember (Walking In The Sand)". Overall, the album has a smoky, dark and majestic quality I really dig. These late '70s albums of Aerosmith are exactly the kind the Stones should have been recording after Exile.

People overlook this bit like crazy, and then go and carve Draw The Line into their desks at school. Whats up? Draw The Line is pretty flat and mainly B-grade Aerosmith. RUTS is a trashy rock and roll sleaze party from its rip rawkin open to its boozed out finish. The rock songs KICK with a sleazy groove that defines who they are (theres no metal songs, but they ain't a metal band, they are sleaze blues, and thats what they are puttin down here...) The ballads are dark and foggy but they still groove, and they still maintain an equal amount of sleaze.

I've praised this album before and got slammed by other reviewers for it. Hear me cry people! With every passing year, I realize more and more how cool the music on this disc is. SO they weren't riting hits, and a third of the songs are cover songs... so what? THINK ABOUT IT, the Yardbirds cover, is absolutely bone chilling at first, then it slams on the gas and partys down! REEFER HEAD WOMAN is blues at its finest... one of A-smiths BEST stoned send ups. The originals are anything but lackluster either... THREE MILE SMILE makes my floorboards shake... Aerosmith delivered one more true booze rock album with RUTS. Don't forget it. Aerosmiths gig in Summer 2009 is to play full albums in the concert mix. I already know they are doing Toys in my town... but I've decided that live RUTS would be hella sweet. HELLA SWEET! This album always gets better!

I'm glad to see that the majority of the reviewers of this CD have given it the accolades it deserves. I actually think it's a step above the previous album, "Draw the Line". The songs are consistently stronger with only "Remember" (an interesting curiosity, but not worthy of the rest of the session) and "Think About It" not being quite up to snuff. "No Surprize" and "Three Mile Smile" are well-developed rockers with the band seemingly clicking on all cylinders. "Chiquita" and "Cheese Cake" are only one step behind.

My biggest disappointment with this CD is that the band left "Chip Away the Stone" off the final version. The song was recorded at the same time as the rest of "Right in the Nuts". "CAATS" is one of my all time favorite Aerosmith tunes. For my regularly listening, I've burned a copy of "Right in the Nuts" with "Chip Away the Stone" sequenced between "Reefer Headed Woman" and "Bone to Bone". It really rounds out the disc, and improves the overall experience.

My first concert ever was "Monsters of Rock" in Oakland, CA, on July 21st, 1979. Aerosmith was on the bill with Mahogany Rush, AC/DC (on the "Highway to Hell" tour with Bon Scott) and Ted Nugent. Not a bad way to start one's concert-going career, eh? Aerosmith had not yet released "Right in the Nuts", but played "Think About It", "Bone to Bone" and "Chip Away the Stone". The band was ragged and strung-out and barely standing upright. In the context of this burn-out, it's a wonder that "Right in the Nuts" came out as well as it did. In retrospect, it is the final product of Aerosmith's "classic" period, and well worth your hard-earned cash.

The band was pretty much on the verge of collapsing at this point. In fact, the scheduled concert in my hometown was cancelled. Something to do with drug issues in the band(duh). The album in general was very good. The guitar playing was excellent and seemed to be energetic. I never did understand why they would do a cover of "Walking in the Sand".That would have fit GnR's The Spaghetti Incident" that you find in the $2 cd pile at Walmart.