ALBUM: Get Your Wings (1974)
MVP Rating: 4.5/$$$$
This is a guitar hard rock album (though there is a saxophone on the first cut). Got this when I was living in Indiana at about 14 or 15. It was just the beginning of my record-buying ways. It was a time when I was listening to the Beatles, Stones, Who, Hendrix under the influence of my hippie foster (older) sister.
I also was drawn to other melodic hard rock such as UFO, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple and CCR to name a few. I also loved good old Top-40 radio (kind of secretly) as well as soul, Al Green, Wilson Pickett and JB.
On this 70’s record, when Steven Tyler did his now patented cat-hairball scream, it sounded so rock ‘n roll perfect. And when Tyler and boys were singing and living the rock n’ roll lifestyle, it seemed so cool. With all the expected touchstones: Sex (check), drugs (check), rock n’roll (check). And hey, they can play their instruments, especially Joe Perry on guitar. They’ve apparently weathered their self inflicted rock ‘n roll injuries and are still at it.
But check this earlier one out, if only to hear early Tyler screeches — before the throat surgeries.
He belts like a Jaggerized punk AB.
Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.