Rocks (album)
Encyclopedia
Rocks is the fourth album by American rock
band Aerosmith
, released May 3, 1976. Allmusic described Rocks as having "captured Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking". Rocks also ranked #176 on Rolling Stone
s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Additionally, it has greatly influenced several people in the hard rock
and heavy metal
community, including members of Guns N' Roses
and Metallica
.
The album was also a commercial success, charting three singles on the Billboard Hot 100
, two of which reached the Top 40 ("Back in the Saddle
" and "Last Child
"). The album also was one of the first albums to ship platinum when it was released. The album has since gone quadruple platinum.
, and was released as a single
on March 22, 1977. The song was covered by former Skid Row-vocalist Sebastian Bach
on his 2007 album Angel Down
, as a duet with Guns N' Roses
-singer Axl Rose
.
and guitarist Brad Whitford. The lyrics contain many clever double-entendre lyrics from Tyler, and he breaks new ground by rhyming "Tallahassee" with "Sassafrasse." The song wasn't a hit, but remains a favorite among many Aerosmith fans. It is said that Brad Whitford created the riff after listening to The Meters
, and that the band wrote the rest in the studio. Live, Whitford plays lead guitar on the song. The song was also included in the music rhythm game
Guitar Hero II
. The song was released as a single on May 27, 1976 and features Paul Prestopino playing a banjo
.
describes it, "taking this thing The Yardbirds
created, and making it balls to the wall", it was also conceived as a counterpart to Toys in the Attic
. It was also inspired by the death of the group's drug dealer.
instead of an electric bass
and features both Joe Perry and Steven Tyler on electric bass.
), "Nobody's Fault" is one of former Guns N' Roses
guitarist Slash
's favorite Aerosmith songs, as well as that of Metallica
leader James Hetfield
. Thrash metal
band Testament
covered this song on their 1988 album, The New Order
, as well as L.A. Guns
contributing a cover of the song for their 2004 covers
album Rips the Covers Off
. Mötley Crüe
vocalist Vince Neil
covered this song on his 2010 solo album Tattoos & Tequila
.
This song is an important contribution to the band's catalogue by Brad Whitford, who cites it as his favorite Aerosmith song. Joey Kramer has also cited "Nobody's Fault" as his favorite Aerosmith song (along with "Lord of the Thighs
). It has also been said that the song is about earthquakes.
and has Joey Kramer
, Tom Hamilton
and Jack Douglas
performing background vocals
.
song, he also said the album was more "raw" then Toys in the Attic, and thinks overall Rocks is better than its predecessor. Ben Mitchell of Blender
magazine, said that the group members drug-use actually helped Rocks and he also called the album "raw." Robert Christgau
said that with Rocks, Aerosmith was doing a good job imitating Led Zeppelin
and after Rocks the band began to lose steam.
Musicians
Production
Singles
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, released May 3, 1976. Allmusic described Rocks as having "captured Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking". Rocks also ranked #176 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Additionally, it has greatly influenced several people in the hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
community, including members of Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
and Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
.
The album was also a commercial success, charting three singles on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, two of which reached the Top 40 ("Back in the Saddle
Back in the Saddle
"Back in the Saddle" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It is the first song on Aerosmith's pinnacle hard rock album Rocks released in 1976. The song was released as the third single from the album in 1977...
" and "Last Child
Last Child
"Last Child" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Brad Whitford. It was released as the first single from the band's hard rock album Rocks in 1976...
"). The album also was one of the first albums to ship platinum when it was released. The album has since gone quadruple platinum.
"Back in the Saddle"
The song features Joe Perry playing a six-string bassExtended-range bass
Extended-range bass refers to an electric bass guitar with greater frequency range than the standard 4-string bass guitar. Bass guitars tuned one octave lower than a standard four-string instrument are also considered an extended-range bass...
, and was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on March 22, 1977. The song was covered by former Skid Row-vocalist Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted within Broadway plays, and leads a successful solo career.-Early life:Bach was born Sebastian...
on his 2007 album Angel Down
Angel Down
- DVD :The Angel Down DVD features a documentary titled "Roadrage" which was made by Sebastian Bach himself and features a close look at the making of the album and also includes backstage vision with The Trailer Park Boys....
, as a duet with Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
-singer Axl Rose
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
.
"Last Child"
A blues and funk -fused tune, which was partly written by lead singer Steven TylerSteven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
and guitarist Brad Whitford. The lyrics contain many clever double-entendre lyrics from Tyler, and he breaks new ground by rhyming "Tallahassee" with "Sassafrasse." The song wasn't a hit, but remains a favorite among many Aerosmith fans. It is said that Brad Whitford created the riff after listening to The Meters
The Meters
The Meters are an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977...
, and that the band wrote the rest in the studio. Live, Whitford plays lead guitar on the song. The song was also included in the music rhythm game
Rhythm game
Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press buttons in a sequence dictated on the screen...
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero...
. The song was released as a single on May 27, 1976 and features Paul Prestopino playing a banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
.
"Rats in the Cellar"
Written as Tom HamiltonTom Hamilton (musician)
Thomas William "Tom" Hamilton is an American musician, best known as the bassist of hard rock band Aerosmith. He has co-written two of Aerosmith's hits, "Sweet Emotion" and "Janie's Got a Gun". Hamilton occasionally plays guitar and sings backing vocals Thomas William "Tom" Hamilton (born...
describes it, "taking this thing The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
created, and making it balls to the wall", it was also conceived as a counterpart to Toys in the Attic
Toys in the Attic (song)
"Toys in the Attic" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, it is the first song and title track from the band's third album Toys in the Attic, their bestselling studio album in the United States. The song is three minutes, five seconds long...
. It was also inspired by the death of the group's drug dealer.
"Sick as a Dog"
"Sick as a Dog" is the only song on Rocks that features Tom Hamilton playing a guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
instead of an electric bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and features both Joe Perry and Steven Tyler on electric bass.
"Nobody's Fault"
With "Back in the Saddle", one of the heaviest songs on the album (as "Round and Round" had been on Toys in the AtticToys in the Attic (album)
For his review of Toys in the Attic for Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album's style a mix of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones riffs and was filled with songs about sex with a different style than there ever was before. Greg Kot called the album a landmark of hard rock...
), "Nobody's Fault" is one of former Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
guitarist Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
's favorite Aerosmith songs, as well as that of Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
leader James Hetfield
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
. Thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
covered this song on their 1988 album, The New Order
The New Order
The New Order is the second album by American heavy metal band Testament, released on May 10, 1988. It is the album that broke Testament into the thrash metal mainstream, with singles "Trial by Fire" and "The Preacher"...
, as well as L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...
contributing a cover of the song for their 2004 covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
album Rips the Covers Off
Rips the Covers Off
Rips the Covers Off, some copies of which are titled Rips Off the Covers, is an album by Phil Lewis's version of L.A. Guns, their first with guitarist Stacey Blades....
. Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
vocalist Vince Neil
Vince Neil
Vincent Neil Wharton is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Early life:Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton...
covered this song on his 2010 solo album Tattoos & Tequila
Tattoos & Tequila
Tattoos & Tequila is the third solo studio album by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil. It is Neil's first solo release in 7 years since the live album Live at the Whisky: One Night Only in 2003 and the first solo studio album in 15 years since 1995's Carved in Stone.The album is largely made up of...
.
This song is an important contribution to the band's catalogue by Brad Whitford, who cites it as his favorite Aerosmith song. Joey Kramer has also cited "Nobody's Fault" as his favorite Aerosmith song (along with "Lord of the Thighs
Lord of the Thighs
"Lord of the Thighs" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by frontman Steven Tyler, and released on the band's 1974 album Get Your Wings. Drummer Joey Kramer has said it is his favorite song to perform live. Kramer and singer Steven Tyler have each said that he...
). It has also been said that the song is about earthquakes.
"Lick and a Promise"
"Lick and a Promise" is a hard rocking song about "going out there and putting on a great show.""Home Tonight"
This song features Joe Perry on a lap steel guitarLap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
and has Joey Kramer
Joey Kramer
Joseph Michael "Joey" Kramer is the drummer for the American hard rock band Aerosmith....
, Tom Hamilton
Tom Hamilton (musician)
Thomas William "Tom" Hamilton is an American musician, best known as the bassist of hard rock band Aerosmith. He has co-written two of Aerosmith's hits, "Sweet Emotion" and "Janie's Got a Gun". Hamilton occasionally plays guitar and sings backing vocals Thomas William "Tom" Hamilton (born...
and Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas may refer to:* Jack Douglas , British actor and comedian* Jack Douglas , American record producer* Jack Douglas , American comedy writer...
performing background vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
.
Influence in music
- SlashSlash (musician)Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
says that "Rocks" was the album that inspired him to learn guitar. - Rocks was one of Kurt CobainKurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
's favorite albums, as he listed in his JournalsJournals (Cobain)Journals is a collection of writings and drawings by Kurt Cobain, lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana. Though the content is undated, it is arranged in an approximation of chronological order, starting with a letter Cobain wrote to Dale Crover in 1988, and ending with a rant about...
. - In 2003, the album was ranked number 176 on Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all timeThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
. - Mötley CrüeMötley CrüeMötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
songwriter and bassist Nikki SixxNikki SixxNikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
refers to it frequently in his book The Heroin DiariesThe Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock StarThe Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star is a book co-written by Nikki Sixx, bassist of the rock band Mötley Crüe, and Ian Gittins. Additional reflections on the period from Sixx and others are interspersed throughout the book. The book also includes many black-and-white...
. - MetallicaMetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
leader James HetfieldJames HetfieldJames Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
has identified "Rocks", as well as Aerosmith, to have been important influences in his music, stating that Aerosmith was the reason why he wanted to learn guitar.
Appearances in other media
- The song "Last Child" is a playable song in the video game Guitar Hero IIGuitar Hero IIGuitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero...
. - Also released as a 4-channel quadraphonicQuadraphonicQuadraphonic sound – the most widely used early term for what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of the listening space, reproducing signals that are independent of one another...
mix. - "Back in the Saddle", "Nobody's Fault", "Rats in the Cellar" and "Combination" are playable songs on Guitar Hero: AerosmithGuitar Hero: AerosmithGuitar Hero: Aerosmith is a music video game developed by Neversoft and distributed by Activision. It was released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, with a Wii version developed by Vicarious Visions, a PlayStation 2 version by Budcat Creations and with a PC and Mac version by Aspyr Media...
. "Back in the Saddle" is the only playable song from Guitar Hero: Aerosmith that appears in Guitar Hero: Smash Hits. - Professional wrestler Chris BenoitChris BenoitChristopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
used "Back in the Saddle" as his entrance theme while he was contracted to Extreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
from 1994 to 1995. - "Back in the Saddle" was also featured in the movies RedRed (2010 film)RED is a 2010 American action comedy film loosely inspired by the three-issue comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage...
and The Fighter.
Reception
Greg Prato of Allmusic said that the best songs on Rocks were "Back in the Saddle" and "Last Child", he compared the Joe Perry composition, "Combination", to a Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
song, he also said the album was more "raw" then Toys in the Attic, and thinks overall Rocks is better than its predecessor. Ben Mitchell of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
magazine, said that the group members drug-use actually helped Rocks and he also called the album "raw." Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
said that with Rocks, Aerosmith was doing a good job imitating Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and after Rocks the band began to lose steam.
Track listing
Personnel
Per sleeve notesMusicians
- Steven TylerSteven TylerSteven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
– lead vocals - Joe PerryJoe Perry (musician)Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He is influenced by many rock artists especially The Rolling Stones and The Beatles...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Brad WhitfordBrad WhitfordBradford Ernest Whitford is the rhythm guitarist for the hard rock band Aerosmith. He graduated Reading Memorial High School in 1970.-Career:...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Tom HamiltonTom Hamilton (musician)Thomas William "Tom" Hamilton is an American musician, best known as the bassist of hard rock band Aerosmith. He has co-written two of Aerosmith's hits, "Sweet Emotion" and "Janie's Got a Gun". Hamilton occasionally plays guitar and sings backing vocals Thomas William "Tom" Hamilton (born...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Joey KramerJoey KramerJoseph Michael "Joey" Kramer is the drummer for the American hard rock band Aerosmith....
– drums, percussion
Production
- Jack DouglasJack Douglas (record producer)Jack Douglas is an American record producer. He was born in New York City. Starting out as folk musician and performer, he worked on Robert Kennedy's senatorial campaign as a song-writer. Douglas then moved to England and joined a succession of bands before returning to New York to attend the...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents... - AerosmithAerosmithAerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
– producer, arrangement - Jay MessinaJay MessinaJay Messina is an American audio engineer, mastering and mixing engineer and music producer. He started out recording sessions for legendary arranger Don Ellion and quickly promoted to A&R Recording. He later moved to the Record Plant when it opened in 1968...
– engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Rod O'Brien – assistant engineer
- Sam Ginsburg – assistant engineer
- David Krebs – directionManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
- Steve Leber – direction
- Pacific Eye & Ear – album designDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
Charts
Album| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Top Albums) |
14 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... ) |
46 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
3 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Home Tonight Home Tonight "Home Tonight" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, the song is a ballad and is the last track on Aerosmith's hard rock album Rocks... " |
The Billboard Hot 100 | 71 |
| "Last Child Last Child "Last Child" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Brad Whitford. It was released as the first single from the band's hard rock album Rocks in 1976... " |
The Billboard Hot 100 | 21 | |
| 1977 | "Back in the Saddle Back in the Saddle "Back in the Saddle" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It is the first song on Aerosmith's pinnacle hard rock album Rocks released in 1976. The song was released as the third single from the album in 1977... " |
The Billboard Hot 100 | 38 |
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA - USA | Gold | May 21, 1976 |
| Platinum | July 9, 1976 | |
| 2× Platinum | October 19, 1984 | |
| 3× Platinum | December 21, 1988 | |
| 4× Platinum | February 26, 2001 | |
| CIA – Canada | Gold | Sep 01, 1976 |
| Platinum | Nov 01, 1976 |