SirAlex's Full Review: Night in the Ruts by Aerosmith
Edited 5-4-00
Ah, the break up album. That's what I always think whenever I listen to this album. Personally, this is one of my favorite Aerosmith albums. It doesn’t have the rock and roll sound of Get Your Wings or Toys in the Attic, but it seems to be a tribute album of sorts to bands like the Yardbirds or the Shangri-Las. Two of the cover songs here are from those groups. What this album does have is a dark, almost melancholy, blues tone throughout. It seems fitting when you know the story behind the record. Joe Perry walked out in the middle of recording this album.
The band used many of Perry’s basic tracks and demos to finish the songs. They hired Jimmy Crespo to replace Joe and he even contributed to some songs. He recorded the solo to "Three Mile Smile", much to Brad Whitford's chagrin (Steven Tyler liked Crespo's better). Little conflicts like those were very common in the Aerosmith camp around this time.
There are no weaknesses on this album. It opens with "No Surprize", which has some extremely cool riffs (especially the chorus). The lyrics are basically Steven Tyler telling the story of the band. Whenever the band is allowed to just open up and rock, their songs are at their best. This is also evident in “Chiquita”. The guitar riffs are hot, the bass is heavy, and the subtle use of a horn section gives this song a whole lot of attitude. An incredible cover version of the Shangri-Las’ “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” is the third song. Aerosmith has always been a great blues band, and on this song you can truly believe Steven Tyler is feeling regret over a lost love.
“Cheesecake” and “Three Mile Smile” are the two best songs on the album, as well as being two of my favorite Aerosmith songs of all time. On “Cheesecake” we are treated to Joe Perry’s unparalleled slide guitar playing. He goes from a six-string guitar to a lap steel guitar and back in one take without overdubs. Pretty impressive, although it was one of the last things he did with the band before he left. “Three Mile Smile” is simply one of Aerosmith’s best rock songs. There is a whole lot of Yardbirds influence on this song, but Perry and Tyler make this better than anything the Yardbirds ever wrote.
“Three Mile Smile” segues into the album’s other blues song, “Reefer Head Woman”. This song is a straight 12-bar blues with a fantastic Steven Tyler harmonica solo. "Bone to Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy)" is a cool song whose title evidently refers to a condom floating down the Hudson River (a Coney Island White Fish in the parlance of New England).
The guitar work of this song as well as on the band’s interpretation of the Yardbirds’ tune “Think About It” make the second half of the album come alive. Night in the Ruts closes with a lullaby dedicated to Tyler's daughter, Mia, which is appropriately titled "Mia". On “Mia” the guitars are sparse, but Tyler’s voice and his piano are in fine form.
Trust me when I say that this is a great album. One of the songs made it to the greatest hits package ("Remember (Walking in the Sand)"), so it's not like every song is unknown. I think it's a little sad when you know the story behind this album. Night in the Ruts didn't have the big single that record companies like, and with the departure of Perry, it looked like the end of Aerosmith. Of course we all know that they came back and conquered the world again. But just knowing that this album could have been their last makes me very appreciative of it. It also demonstrates how fickle and twisted the music industry can be. A band that has proven themselves in the past to be true megastars releases an album that is essentially ignored. Fans of Aerosmith of 70’s blues based rock in general should love this album.
Song Selection:
1. No Surprize
2. Chiquita
3. Remember (Walking in the Sand)
4. Cheese Cake
5. Three Mile Smile
6. Reefer Head Woman
7. Bone to Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy)
8. Think About It
9. Mia
Top picks: Cheese Cake, Three Mile Smile, No Surprize, Chiquita
Band Members:
Steven Tyler: vocals, harmonica, keyboards
Joe Perry: guitars
Brad Whitford: guitars
Tom Hamilton: bass
Joey Kramer: drums
Jimmy Crespo: guitars
Additional Musicians:
Richard Supa: guitars
Neil Thompson: guitars
Barry Rogers: trombone
George Young, Lou Delgotto, and Lou Marini: saxophones
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