Steven Tyler remembers the day vividly in his autobiography: being introduced to Diane Warren by John Kalodner, and soon sitting in her Malibu house facing a piano that looked out over the ocean. “She played me a couple things, mostly ballady and it wasn’t working. That’s when I sat down and carved out that beginning … More DEVIL’S GOT A NEW DISGUISE: How a 1988 Aerosmith Riff Survived to 2006
Among the many curiosities from Aerosmith’s prolific late-’80s period is “Fake Fight”, a working title from the Pump sessions. The name appeared on a whiteboard of song ideas during initial pre-production at Rik Tinory’s studio, before the band moved to Little Mountain Sound in Vancouver with producer Bruce Fairbairn. Rough versions of the track were … More FAKE FIGHT – Aerosmith’s Lost Pump-Era Jam
“One Time” is one of those mysterious tracks that never made it onto an official Aerosmith album but continues to intrigue fans decades later. Recorded during the Permanent Vacation sessions, it was one of the many songs that didn’t make the final cut but still left its mark on the bootleg circuit. One particular version … More ‘ONE TIME’: Aerosmith’s Hidden Funky Gem from the Permanent Vacation Sessions
“Guilty Kilt” stands as one of Aerosmith’s most intriguing unreleased tracks, originating from the early stages of the band’s work on their 1989 album, Pump. Despite its potential, the song remained an instrumental piece, with Steven Tyler never fully completing the lyrics. This left “Guilty Kilt” on the “B list” of songs, ultimately leading to … More From ‘Guilty Kilt’ to ‘Out Go the Lights’: A 24-Year Musical Journey for an Aerosmith funky rock song
“Major Barbara” stands as one of Aerosmith’s most intriguing and elusive tracks—a song that, despite its early prominence in the band’s repertoire, remained unreleased on a studio album for years. This Steven Tyler composition not only showcases a different facet of the band’s musicality but also reflects the tensions and decisions that shaped Aerosmith’s early … More ‘MAJOR BARBARA’: Revisiting an Unreleased Piece of Aerosmith’s Origins
Aerosmith, one of the most iconic rock bands in history, has an extensive catalog of hits that have defined generations. However, among their myriad of popular songs lies an enigmatic outtake titled “Hollywood.” This song’s journey through different production phases, lyrics, and ultimately its omission from any official album makes it a fascinating subject for … More “HOLLYWOOD”: The Many Faces of AEROSMIT’s Industry-Critical Outtake
“Once Is Enough/One Time Too Many” is a song written by Richard Supa and Steven Tallarico in 1987. It was demoed and recorded in Vancouver during the Permanent Vacations sessions. A tape dated 2/16/1987 included a demo, which is likely the slower version that leaked during the mid 1990s in the Permanent Outtakes bootleg. Since … More ONCE IS ENOUGH / ONE TIME TOO MANY the lost Aerosmith country duet with Willie Nelson that remained unreleased for 16 years!
“Got to Find a Way” is an intriguing Aerosmith outtake from their 1987 sessions for the Permanent Vacation album. Also known by its alternative titles, “Mishugas” or “Mishegoss,” the song’s first verse introduces us to the Yiddish term “mishegoss,” which suggests a sense of craziness or idiosyncrasy. While the exact writing credits remain unclear, the … More “GOT TO FIND A WAY” a raunchy song with words in Yiddish and French that AEROSMITH left out of Permanent Vacations!
“Sleepy Sickness” is an Aerosmith outtake from the 1987 sessions for Permanent Vacations. During the production process, different titles were used to refer to the song in its different takes and iterations including “Sleeping Sickness”, “Feel the Pain” and “Scream In Pain”, as taken from different parts of the lyrics, each with small variations in … More “SLEEPY SICKNESS” Steven Tyler’s Beethoven inspired dark ballad rejected in three iterations for AEROSMITH’s pop comeback album!
“Wait for the Night” is a song Joe Perry wrote with Brad Withford when Withford joined the Joe Perry project for some time in 1982/83. Perry narrates on their 1997 autobiography “Walk this Way”: “…The one good thing was that Brad Withford started to work with me. We started doing three dates with him in … More “WAIT FOR THE NIGHT” the Perry/Withford early reunion song
According to Steven Tyler, 8 songs were left from the Done with Mirrors sessions: “We wrote Done with Mirrors in thee or four weeks. Teddy flew in to see us three times. When we finally flew to California, we had seventeen songs. Getting it down to nine was the hardest part.” Steven Tyler 1997, Walk … More “DONE WITH MIRRORS” possible outtakes and demos
“Written in Stone” is a song based on a Rick Dufay riff that Aerosmith used to jam to while on their tour bus. It was part of a few pre-production sessions that took place after RIAHP was released, but with the replacement members (Crespo and Dufay), thinking of the “next album” for THAT lineup of … More “WRITTEN IN STONE” the Rick Dufay riff the band jammed to while on the tour bus
“Painted On My Heart” is a song written by Diane Warren, who offered the song to Aerosmith after the success they had with IDWMAT. In April 2000 MTV News reported Aerosmith had recorded the song for the upcoming Nicolas Cage movie ”Gone in 60 Seconds”. Columbia was supposed to do the soundtrack with Matt Serletic … More “PAINTED ON MY HEART” the Diane Warren song AEROSMITH denied ever recording!
A short jam appeared on a tape labelled “Done with Mirrors” test pressing. The majority of the tape is the “Done With Mirrors” album out of sequence, but in finished form, sans for a few count-ins. But this curious guitar-based jam is first up, unfinished and doesn’t sound like anything on the album. The riffs … More “UNTITLED JAM” from 1985 that could be a Tyler/Perry pre-production session
A Band at a Crossroads The year was 1984, and Aerosmith was at its lowest point. Their 1982 album Rock in a Hard Place had failed to recapture the magic of their earlier work, and the tour that followed struggled with poor attendance. With Joe Perry and Brad Whitford out of the picture, the band’s … More The Lost Follow-Up to Aerosmith’s “ROCK IN A HARD PLACE” SEQUEL alt line up album sessions
Part 1: 2001-2005: The Struggle for Direction From the release of “Just Push Play” in 2001, Aerosmith faced a challenging period marked by critical reception issues and evolving musical directions. A follow-up album using leftover songs was discarded in 2002 due to poor reception. Instead, the band recorded “Girls of Summer” and “Lay it Down” … More BRENDAN O’BRIEN 2009 AEROSMITH sessions, why they fail and were considered a nightmare!
“Yo Mamma” is an amazingly fun rock & blues song believed to be left from the 1992 Get a Grip sessions. It made it almost all the way to the end of the production process during the albums first attempt at the A&M studios. The song starts with Joe’s guitar hitting the E chord, with … More “YO MAMMA” a fun, sexy and playful song about ‘doing your mother’ that screams of Aerosmith’s style
“Whit’s Tip” is an unreleased song Aerosmith performed live on at least two known occasions: Frolic, Salisbury Beach MA, August 16, 1973, and University of Maine, Orono ME, September 30th 1973. This blues-rocker rarity was brought to the band by Brad Whitford. While it’s good work, it never really fully catches fire, a sing that … More “WHIT’s TIP/DOWNTOWN BABY/LAY DOWN SUSIE” the unknown Up-tempo 1973 Blues Song
“Hot Toddy” is an Aerosmith demo worked on during the 1989 sessions for Pump. The song is the pre-incarnation of what would later become the (also rejected) Get a Grip outtake “Black Cherry“. Hot Toddy is just a bit slower and more mellow than the later full rocker version with alt lyrics. While the name … More “HOT TODDY” the mellow predecessor to Black Cherry based on a drink and/or sex
“Take it Easy” is a song Aerosmith considered during the recording process of their 1987 album, Permanent Vacations. The song may have started production in early 1986 during an aborted session with producer Rick Rubin (rather than with Bruce Fairbairn). It’s an upbeat 205BPM song driven by a Hamilton/Kramer jam, the song runs the same bass … More “TAKE IT EASY” the Karmer/Hamilton jam that got played live a full tour!
The Back-Burner: Aerosmith Outtakes & Demos 