For a brief moment, Aerosmith – Legendary Edition appeared on Rough Trade… and then vanished just as quickly. Screenshots circulated, listings were cached, and suddenly fans were staring at what looks like a three-CD deluxe reissue of the band’s 1973 debut, tentatively dated for March 1.
If the listing was accurate, this would be no ordinary repackage.
CD 1 would feature the original album, newly remastered in 2024.
CD 2 ups the ante with a full 2024 remix of the same tracklist.
CD 3 dives into history: the complete Paul’s Mall performance from March 20, 1973, plus a generous batch of session and rehearsal bonus tracks.
The live material is familiar territory for long-time collectors, but the bonus tracks raise eyebrows in a good way. Alternate takes of Make It and Write Me a Letter, a rehearsal run-through, and deeper cuts like Harmonica Bass Jam Jelly and Joined at the Hip (Aerojam) suggest the vault has been opened—at least a crack. Joe Perry has hinted for years that more early-era material exists, and this aligns with that narrative.
What’s missing is just as interesting. The two Pandora’s Box tracks from this era—On the Road Again and the alternate Movin’ Out—are absent. There’s also no sign of additional alternates for songs like Somebody or One Way Street, and still no studio recording of the mysterious up-tempo 1973 blues song “Whit’s Tip”, often called “Downtown Baby / Lay Down Susie.”
The biggest question, though, is technical: how is a full remix even possible? By the mid-2000s, it was widely believed that the original multitrack masters were lost—so much so that parts reportedly had to be recreated for Guitar Hero. If this remix is real, either the tapes resurfaced, or the team used modern separation tools to rebuild the mixes. Either option would be a major development.
For now, all of this lives firmly in speculation territory. But the fact that a detailed product page existed—even briefly—feels different from pure rumour. Something is clearly moving in the Aerosmith archives.
Whether this “Legendary Edition” resurfaces officially or morphs into something else, one thing’s certain: after years of silence, the early-’70s vault door finally seems to be rattling.
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