Aerosmith…one of the greatest American Rock & Roll Bands. From the early 70’s the band has delivered, solid, good time, bluesy rock & roll. With 15 Studio albums, numerous live albums and compilations, they are a beloved American Icon. From the rough and raw days of the early Boston Bar band to the well-polished Stadium filled rock & roll band, they are as American apple pie.

Now the band has had issues, but for a majority of the career it has been Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer. Yes, some members went away for awhile, but the magic was always these five original guys. Alone, they are not the same…together they are magic. To celebrate this band, I went through all the albums in my collection (which was around 28 posts) and now we are going to rank their studio albums from Worst to First. So sit back, relax and get ready to be rocked like only Aerosmith can do it.

THE WORST – ‘MUSIC FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION (2012):

This album is so bloated with 16 tracks and at around 68 minutes and that is before the 3 bonus tracks on the 2nd disc which we will get to soon.  First off, yes, the packaging is better than the album.  The album does nothing for me but reinforce how tired I am of anything of Aerosmith’s past ‘Done With Mirrors’.  This series has reenforced that for me…big time.  Although I could pull out ‘Honkin’ on Bobo’.  The album is too much of everything and not enough of Aerosmith if that makes sense.  If this ends up being the last studio album, it is a shame. My Overall Score is 2.0 out of 5.0 Stars.  I didn’t enjoy this one and it didn’t get better with each listen. Sorry.

#14 – ‘JUST PUSH PLAY’ (2001):

The album is so over-produced. It is so obvious the band is trying to be cool and relevant and pandering to a hipper and younger crowd while leaving their diehard fan base behind.  This is probably the worst album I’ve heard by them so far and we are 13 studio albums in at this point.  What was lacking for me, were songs obviously, but the band. This didn’t sound like Aerosmith. The guitars took a backseat and even Joey’s drumming was muted.  Disgraceful.  There is nothing redeeming about this album other than “Jaded” for me.  It is obvious why the first single was a hit and the rest of the album died a painfully slow death.  Hard to believe but a platinum selling album could be a disappointment, but this one was.  My Overall Score is a 2.0 out of 5.0 Stars.

#13 – ‘NIGHT IN THE RUTS’ (1979):

With only 9 songs on the album and 3 of those are covers, you can see that the band was not in any shape to make a record. They couldn’t even come up with more than 6 songs for the album and those 6 were not up to par with songs from the past. I found this overall it be a very poor album. It felt uninspiring, it felt disjointed and it felt lost at times. The first side is definitely better than the back side although the back side did have two killer tracks. Out of all the albums so far with Aerosmith, this was the one I was least familiar with and now I see why. It never connected with me and still doesn’t today. For all that, I give is a Score of 2.5 out of 5.0 Stars. Not their best work, but still some cool songs.

#12 – ‘HONKIN’ ON BOBO’ (2005):

Now, I know a lot of people don’t like this album, but I think compared to the over-produced same old shit from the last couple albums, this at least a nice change.  A step back to why they got in to music in the first place. Their first love.  They got in to the room together again and played the album live in the studio to capture the magic that had been missing for years.  No, this isn’t a true traditional blues album and it doesn’t all work, but it as blues as Aerosmith is going to get.  And I am okay with that. It took me back to their earlier days and that is my favorite era of the band. For the My Overall Score is a 3.0 out of 5.0 Stars.  I dug it, I got what they are trying to do and I respect them for that. At this point in their career, they can do whatever the hell they want and here, they did just that!  This album was for them and why not.

#11 – ‘NINE LIVES’ (1997):

Like ‘Music From Another Dimension’, way too many songs and just because your CD can hold 62 minutes doesn’t mean it should and this is a prime example.  The whole production process was a mess with 2 different producers and 2 totally separate recording processes which was not what they needed. It is unfocused at times and all over the place at others. While it does have some great moments, I won’t deny that I am still lukewarm on the whole thing, but the first half is way stronger than the second and a couple songs on here I would call some of their best, but in the end it isn’t their best work. My Overall Score is a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars as it still is a good album even if it has too many songs and some of those way too long.  Cut this down to 9-10 songs and this is a totally different conversation.

#10 – ‘DRAW THE LINE’ (1977):

They still managed a couple classics with “Draw the Line” and definitely with “Kings and Queens”, no doubt. The first half of the album is 10x better than the back half as the filler does get thrown in towards the end. The album shows the effects of being drug addicts first and musician seconds, but still a lot to like and that is why the score won’t be terrible just not up to the standards of what we had seen previously. I am going with a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars thanks mostly to “Kings and Queens” as that is too good not to give the album a little extra bonus point. 

#9 – ‘ROCK IN A HARD PLACE’ (1982):

I have to say the first half of the album is way better than the second half.  The first three tracks might be one of their best opening salvo of songs and it really gets you in to it.  But by the back half, you feel the band had run out of steam and were not up to their best as I am sure the drugs were not helping. I think I like this more than some people, but I do see why it usually winds up out of the band’s Top 10 albums.  They experimented a lot and not all was successful, but what did work is worth a listen.  And like I said, “Lightning Strikes” is one of their best songs ever, thank you very much!!  My Overall Score is only a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars. I think it just missed being something great.  But Aerosmith will get their groove back soon enough.

#8 – ‘GET A GRIP’ (1993):

The album might have been successful and the sold a lot of copies but that doesn’t mean it is their best album. I do like a lot of it don’t get me wrong. It is heavy on the ballads in the second half which is a weaker side overall, there is some filler and I feel it is missing some of the rawness and heart of earlier Aerosmith.  However, the songs on here that are good, are really good and those three opening tracks are stellar and get you really into a groove.  I don’t feel they maintained that groove the whole way through.  My Overall Score might be surprising to most as I only give it a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars.  I liked the first couple songs when the album came out, but I quickly lost interest in the band and that continued for some time to come as this was the last one I bought for a long, long time.

#7 – ‘DONE WITH MIRRORS’ (1985):

The album isn’t that good.  The quality is a little rough around the edges.  The songs aren’t the best thing they’ve done (well, not all of them). I am partial to the album, but I know it isn’t up there with their best stuff.  I like the rough and rawness Ted Templeman was shooting for and he captured some of it, but the drum sound isn’t the best and the songs aren’t fully flushed out. Some don’t quite feel like enough time was spent making them better. But we get what we get and I’m not pitching a fit.  I will rate it a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars because it doesn’t speak to me on some level and it was my first!!  First I bought, as my brothers had the 70’s albums and I spent a lot of time growing up with Bootleg and Toys.

#6 – ‘PUMP’ (1989):

 It is another solid album by the band and that is two in row on the comeback trail.  With four singles, four Top 40 hits and 7 million sold, I think they found their way back to the top.  Yes, the album is over-produced, too commercialized and yet, it works on so many levels.  There is still some old Aerosmith in their, but this is the late 80’s and they have evolved with the times without completely losing their identity.  Do I like it as much as the 70’s stuff, no, but that doesn’t make it any less good.  My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars as they are killing it with this one, but still not my favorite work by the band.  However, I can’t deny the impact the had on the music scene and how excited everyone was that Aerosmith still had some life left in those old bones.

#5 – ‘AEROSMITH’ (1973):

Overall, the songs on this album are top notch. The sound, however, is not. I think the production of this album takes away from some of the enjoyment, but not much. This is a solid debut album with two classic Aerosmith tracks with “Dream On” and “Mama Kin”. The dual guitar work of Perry and Whitford is blast and that rhythm section of Kramer and Hamiltion is one of the best. But for me, it has always been Tyler’s vocals as there is no one out there like him and never will be. I love the blues influenced sound and the straight-up bar like rawness of the band’s sound. There was only one bad song and the production to ding it so that isn’t bad. My Score is 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars and what a way to kick off a career.

#4 – ‘PERMANENT VACATION’ (1987):

 The boys are back and in a good way.  The production quality is as good as it gets as a team like Fairbarin, Fraser and Rock is probably the best you can ever get. Songwriters like Desmond Child and Jim Vallance didn’t ruin the band, it enhanced them.  Being sober helped as they seemed focused and determined.  It was the right time for the band.  And being ’87 with bands like Def Leppard, Guns ‘N Roses and Whitesnake ruling the roost, it really is amazing anyone noticed at all, but with such a good album, how could they not.  My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. It isn’t their best, but it is a step in the right direction.

#3 – ‘GET YOUR WINGS’ (1974):

The band were starting to hone in on who they were and I think they found it. Their songwriting was improving, their playing and Steven was finally relaxing and giving us his real voice which he didn’t do on the debut. This was the album that paved the to greater things for the band. Jack Douglas was a great producer to hone in this wild kids and get them to deliver what the debut lacked and that was solid production and heart. And now that I think about it, the album title “Get Your Wings” is just that. The band got their wings and have now learned to fly. I get it the title now. The band found that here. My Overall Score is 4.25 out of 5.0 Stars. Well, 4.5 was too much and a 4.0 didn’t seem like enough. 

#2 – ‘ROCKS’ (1976):

The rawness, the energy, the vibe are all perfect on this release. The band was hitting on all cylinders despite the massive drug use and fighting (fighting between Joe and Steven mostly). Producer Jack Douglas captured the band in their element, on their home turf at the Wherehouse and was able to get the boys to gel in to a perfect rock & roll machine. The rocked it hard and borderlined it with some metal, but all-in-all the band delivered an album that would be tough to top…if they ever do. The album title, ‘Rocks’, is quite fitting for this release. If there is one album you need to hear that represents what this band is all about, then do yourself a favor and pick this one up. It is an easy 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars!!

#1 – ‘TOYS IN THE ATTIC’ (1975):

This album for me is the benchmark against all the other Aerosmith albums. The band, I believe, found who they were with this album. Their songwriting has matured and grown more sophisticated and they pushed themselves to the limits to bring new and exciting songs. I would say they succeeded beyond anyone’s imagination. With such classics as the title track, “Sweet Emotion, “Walk This Way” and “Big Ten Inch Record” and then throw in something as creative as “You See Me Crying” you can hear and see they were on to something great with this one. My Overall Score on this one is really easy…it is 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars and going to be a tough one to beat.

And there you have it, the Aerosmith studio albums in order of how I rank them from the worst to the best.  Let me know what you think.  Where did we differ and where did we agree.  What is fun about these list is how differently each album impacts people. What I like, you might not, but we like the same artist and that is all that matters really. And if as a result, you find something new, then my job is done!!!

And that is The End of the Aerosmith Collection Series. I hope you enjoyed it. Come back and check out as we are still working on the Cheap Trick Collection Series and the Jeff Scott Soto Series. Coming after the Cheap Trick Series ends, it is The Scorpions Collection Series as we will go through all Scorpions albums in my collection…and I have a few. Until then, thanks for hanging and have a great day.

THE END!

THE AEROSMITH COLLECTION SERIES:

1. ‘Aerosmith’ (1973)
2. ‘Get Your Wings’ (1974)
3. ‘Toys in the Attic’ (1975)
4. ‘Rocks’ (1976)
5. ‘Draw the Line’ (1977)
6. ‘Live! Bootleg’ (1978)
7. ‘Night in the Ruts’ (1979)
8. ‘Greatest Hits’ (1980)
9. ‘Rock in a Hard Place’ (1982)
10. ‘Done With Mirrors’ (1985)
11. Run DMC – “Walk This Way” 12″ Single (1986)
12. ‘Classics Live!’ (1986)
13. ‘Classics Live! II’ (1987)
14. ‘Permanent Vacation’ (1987)
15. “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” (1987) – 7″ Single & 12″ Maxi-Single (Bonus Edition)
16. “Angel” (1988) – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
17. “Rag Doll” (1988) – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
18. ‘Gems’ (1988)
19. ‘Pump’ (1989)
20. ‘Pandora’s Box’ (1991)
21. ‘Get a Grip’ (1993)
22. ‘Nine Lives’ (1997)
23. ‘A Little South of Sanity’ (1998)
24. ‘Just Push Play’ (2001)
25. ‘Honkin on Bobo’ (2004)
26. ‘Rockin’ The Joint (2005)
27. ‘Music From Another Dimension’ (2012)
28. ‘1971: The Road Starts Hear’ (2021)
29. The Albums Ranked Worst To First