Album Review: 07 Toying In The Attic With Aerosmith

Album Review: 07

Toying in The Attic With Aerosmith

This review was originally posted on rateyourmusic. It was one of the reviews I was assigned in the "Go Review That Album" game on their community forums. This version of the review has had some editing and corrections.

Aerosmith Toys In The Attic

1975 Columbia Records CK 33479

***.5

“Backstroke lover always hidin’ ‘neath the covers

‘Til I talked to your daddy he say

He said you ain’t seen nothin’ ‘til you’re down on a muffin

Then you’re sure to be a changin’ your way” 

This classic rock album produced what would be two of Aerosmith's biggest world-wide hits Sweet Emotion and Walk This Way (which would be revived in the mid-1980s by Run-DMC's rap version cover of it.) It would also help put them onto the rock and roll map and help keep them on it. The album starts off fast with the title track, it loses a little bit of steam after Sweet Emotion though. It had been several years since I've listened to this album, before relistening to it for this review. That was in part due to being tired of hearing Sweet Emotion on the radio and the rap-a-sizing of Walk This Way. At first I didn't like the Run DMC cover but after it had een around for about 15 years I started to at least tolerate it.

An odd fact about this album is that the song Big Ten Inch Record came to the attention of the band via The Doctor Demento Show, Steven Tyler had heard the original recording of the song and the band played it for laughs and for their producer who liked it and wanted it on the album. As a result, in the album credits there is a thank you to Doctor Demento and that is the reason why.

It occurred to me while listening to the title track Toys In The Attic that the chorus harmonies sound very much like some Blue Oyster Cult songs. The style of the second song Uncle Salty near the beginning is similar to a Shania Twain song, I think it is Man, I Feel Like a Woman.

This album doesn't disappoint and if you consider yourself an Aerosmith fan it should be in your collection.

I reviewed the CD version of this, I also have it on Minidisc, but unfortunately I don't have a functioning minidisc player anymore, my portable one crapped out on me years ago. That's OK I only have 4 pre-recorded minidiscs. Someday I'd like to get a Sony minidisc deck for my stereo.