Aerosmith's Greatest Hits [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Aerosmith (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 7, 1993)
• Original Release Date: October 1980
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029B0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,595 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Even before their second fling with the pop mainstream, Aerosmith were one of Top 40's favorite hard-rock bands, so ubiquitous--and so funky--that Run-D.M.C. were vociferous fans. Their '70s output included at least three classic albums (Aerosmith, Toys in the Attic, and Rocks). This disc collects unstoppable singles into a horny, howling little piece of archaeology that makes even weak links like "Kings and Queens" sound great. And the truly great stuff here--"Sweet Emotion," "Last Child," "Dream On"--runs the gamut of style and feeling from swaggering freak-flag-flying to power-ballad roots that display a genuine ache. Your Aerosmith collection shouldn't end here, but this red-and-white bomb is a great place to start. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars AEROSMITH ROCKS! Shame On Columbia Records!, November 6, 2001

By	Michael G. King "skyyking" (LOUISVILLE, KY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

AEROSMITH'S GREATEST HITS is a 10 track collection of songs originally released in 1980, remastered in 1993, that included their biggest hits from 1973's AEROSMITH, 1974's GET YOUR WINGS, 1975's TOYS IN THE ATTIC, 1976's ROCKS, 1977's DRAW THE LINE, 1978's SEARGEANT PEPPER'S SOUNDTRACK, and 1979's NIGHT IN THE RUTS albums. PERMANENT VACATION, PUMP, etc. hadn't even been concieved yet. That having been said, let's focus on the material that is included here.

Track 1, DREAM ON, is really the only true worthy track from the AEROSMITH debut album. This is a classic that was re-released as a single in 1976 after the success of TOYS IN THE ATTIC. FM classic rock stations still play this one today.

Track 2, SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE, is the only track from the GET YOUR WINGS album. While this is a great song, TRAIN KEPT' A ROLLIN' would have been a better choice if they were only going to pick one for this album.

Track 3, SWEET EMOTION, from the TOYS IN THE ATTIC album has been butchered here. The track starts out already in progress. It's like switching the radio dial and finding an AEROSMITH song that had already started before you switched the dial. This track clocks in at 3:12, whereas the TOYS IN THE ATTIC version clocks in at 4:34.

Track 4, WALK THIS WAY, also from the TOYS IN THE ATTIC album, is essential on any AEROSMITH greatest hits collection. But just like SWEET EMOTION, it has been cut from it's original 3:40 to 3:12.

Track 5, LAST CHILD, from the ROCKS album is essential and is intact.

Track 6, BACK IN THE SADDLE, also from the ROCKS album is essential and is intact.

Track 7, DRAW THE LINE, from the DRAW THE LINE album, is one of two essential tracks from that album.

Track 8, KINGS AND QUEENS, also from the DRAW THE LINE album, is the other essential track. Like SWEET EMOTION, they've butchered it badly here - starting already in progress, and cut way short. Disappointing!

Track 9, COME TOGETHER, is essential from the band's participation in the SEARGEANT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND movie soundtrack. This was a very popular single that Aerosmith released in 1978.

Track 10, REMEMBER (WALKING IN THE SAND), from the NIGHT IN THE RUTS album was a popular single in 1979.

All in all, AEROSMITH'S GREATEST HITS is a very good representation of Aerosmith's work in the 70's. My biggest complaint is about the butchering of SWEET EMOTION, WALK THIS WAY, and KINGS AND QUEENS.

Start with TOYS IN THE ATTIC and ROCKS, and then build your collection from there. It'll cost more than the AEROSMITH'S GREATEST HITS CD, but it'll be worth it.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good place to start, March 26, 2001

By A Customer

You gotta look at this CD as more of a "primer" to test the waters to see if you want more early Aerosmith CD's than as the end-all CD to replace all their other 70's albums. It only has ten songs, true, but bear in mind this is a 1980 release. 10 songs was pretty much the industry standard for any album back then. It contains severely edited versions of several songs, the most horrible example being "Sweet Emotion", which deletes the cool talk-box guitar intro and the coda section where it really kicks back in (this version just fades out). Once again, like it or not, this is typical of "greatest hits" albums (hey, the "hit" radio versions of songs typically ARE shortened versions of what you get on the albums). But for those of you only familiar with "Walk This Way", "Sweet Emotion", and "Dream On" from their 70's heyday, you'll find some nice surprises here. "Back In The Saddle", with its galloping rhythm and cool 12-string bass lines, is one of the best things they've ever done, and "Last Child" is a catchy funky number featuring some great Steven Tyler yelps at the end. "Same Old Song And Dance" is another riff-driven rocker with horns (Aerosmith had to be one of the pioneers of combining hard rock with horns). "Draw The Line" is a good noise-rocker that features a great slide guitar riff. People have griped about the inclusion of "Come Together" here, but keep it mind it's not available on any other Aerosmith albums other than the pricey "Pandora's Box" (and it WAS a Top 40 hit - therefore a GREATEST HIT). "Kings & Queens" and "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" don't do much for me, but they at least show a softer side of the band, leaning more towards art rock and 60's R&B respectively. Get this, let it grow on you, then pick up "Toys In The Attic" and "Rocks". And then ROCK!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Short & Uneven Collection, August 8, 2001

By A Customer

Yes, it packs a punch - but a very short punch. Aerosmith had so many great songs and radio staples in this era, collecting a mere ten of them for a 'greatest hits' compilation just doesn't do the band justice. And a few selections simply don't belong:

"Come Together" was a nice, sleazy cover of the Beatles' classic but not one of the band's better recordings; and "(Remember) Walking in the Sand" is just plain weak. "Kings and Queens" is a good - though not particularly great - song that loses some of it's charm in this edited version.

Of course, there are some downright essential 70s hard rock tunes here, such as "Dream On", "Walk This Way", "Sweet Emotion", "Last Child", & "Back in the Saddle".

But the fact that other well-known gems like "Mama Kin", "Train' Kept a Rollin' and "Toys in the Attic" are left off is particularly disappointing given the inclusion of lesser songs and the extremely short running time. For Aerosmith, an album band that produced so many great tunes, a 'best of' compilation should have at least more than thirty minutes of stellar material.

'Greatest Hits' is a disappointment and casual fans looking for a decent overview of the band's early career should not purchase it without also picking up "Gems", a collection of more great vintage Aerosmith. For an even better experience you may want to delve into the actual albums ('Toys in the Attic' and 'Rocks' are outstanding, and their others are quite solid as well).