The Back-Burner: Aerosmith Outtakes & Demos

“Trouble” is an Aerosmith outtake written by Steven and Joe, with Richie Supa, during the 1992 sessions at the A&M Records, in Los Angeles, for the first attempt of the Get a Grip album with producer Bruce Fairburn, and later revisited during the initial 1996 sessions of Nine Lives with Glen Ballard.

This song is perhaps most famous for having been performed live during the two secret November 1995 show that Aerosmith played as the G-Spot at the Mama Kin and Middle East clubs in MA, featuring heavy 70’s material and a few unreleased songs. The band hadn’t played live in about a year, and had been working in pre-production so they were eager to hit the stage. Security was tight, so no bootlegs have ever leaked.

At the time, The Boston Herald said that the song “featured nasty guitar and nifty lifting from the blues tune “Born Under a Bad Sign”. Another review from The Boston Globe by Jim Sullivan quoted Tyler as saying:

“If I didn’t have trouble, I wouldn’t have nothing at all” wailed Tyler in a new one, Trouble.

According to “Bone to Bone”, member of the old AF1 forums who attended the shows, “Trouble was a slower song, not a rocker, maybe a little bluesy”, this seems to contradict the rocking nature of the 1992 demo, but does relate to the bluesy influence. John Bionelli’s “Report from the Road” from 2/24/2003 also mentioned the ’95 shows and remembered “Trouble” being played then.

The demo starts with a drum loop machine (replacing the hi-hat with the tom) until bass and guitar join for the intro riff. This leads to the chorus riff, followed by the verse. Verses are fast spoken, delivered in a “Walk this way” fashion, with interesting back vocals, intended for Joe to sing, and cut in between with riff fills. Chorus is heavy and repetitive over a riff in G and C. A bridge section shines with a happier-pop sound that at times feels out of place. The solo is clearly a Perry improvisation using his distinctive Get a Grip era pedal FX sound. The end of the song is just an alternation of the chorus and bridge sections.

A reason for the song to have been omitted is that it was clearly unfinished, Kramer obviously didn’t get to record his drums (it’s unclear if he completed his tracks during the 1996 sessions), and in general, the 1992 demo was not properly produced. At times it feels like unrelated riffs forced together, dis-ordered, and the contrast in styles between the bridge (which sounds pop/happy) to the rest of the song (more of a dark rocker); makes one wonder if this take was just experimentation with the structure. The unfinished lyrics seem to talk about a trouble-maker looking for sex, drugs and, obviously, more “trouble“.

Trouble
(Perry, Tyler, Supa)

I just had to read the paper,
And to check up on the news,
If your single, feel the fever in my pants,

We just sit talk some trash ’bout what’s going on,
Oh yeah the conversation that never seems to stop,

You wanna get high, but you can’t get stoned,
You wanna have sex, you got to do it alone,
Yeah, life is big business,
Like catch it Moncler,
All you want in your chamber,
Is to chase a bullet,

Trouble, it’s everywhere you look,
Trouble, it’s got everybody shook,
Trouble, if it wasn’t for trouble,
I wouldn’t be nothing at all…

All these rules and regulations,
You can stick them up to your ass, please,
Don’t believe a word I could relate to,

I need to have some pivot move,
And pour myself a beer,
But the rumour has it maybe it’s too late too,

Oh we cure an outgoing,
And the food can relate,
To steak a strike,
To streek and streak,
This current situation,
Got me wrapped up so tight,
I’d rather pull down wrong,
Big brother your right,

Trouble, it’s everywhere you look,
Trouble, steals you like a crow,
Trouble, if it wasn’t for trouble,
I wouldn’t have nothing at all… there ain’t,

Nothing but trouble,
(yeah, yeah)
Yeah, a whole lot of trouble,
(yeah, yeah)
Yeah, if it wasn’t for trouble,
(yeah, yeah)
Yeah, I wouldn’t have nothing at all…

(solo)

Trouble, it’s everywhere you look,
Trouble, it’s got everybody shook,
Trouble, if it wasn’t for trouble,
I wouldn’t be nothing at all…

There ain’t, nothing but trouble,
(yeah, yeah)
Yeah a whole lot of trouble,
(yeah, yeah)
Yeah, if it wasn’t for trouble,
(yeah, yeah)
Yeah, I wouldn’t have nothing at all…

Trouble, it’s everywhere you look,
Trouble, it’s got everybody shook,
Trouble, if it wasn’t for trouble,
I wouldn’t have nothing at all…

Nothing but trouble,
Nothing but trouble,
Nothing but trouble,
I wouldn’t have nothing at all…

Trouble,
Trouble,
Trouble…

Intro: D
Chorus: G – C x3 / D – F – G
Verse: G
Bridge: A – D – G – A