Aerosmith- Pump

At the end of the 80's there were not many signs that stockholders in Aqua-net and the Leather Pants industry would see steep declines in their quarterly dividends. Motley Crue had released Dr. Feelgood, Guns N' Roses were still riding high on Appetite For Destruction and Lies, and Poison had Mary Kay on retainer. Even a group that was 15 years older than their respective peers and had already snorted more cocaine than Keith Richards and used their arms as a pincushions had just released one of their best albums ever.

The name of that band? Aerosmith. The album? Pump.

In 1986 Aerosmith kick-started their career from beyond the dead by pairing up with RUN D.M.C. to redo their classic song "Walk This Way." The now iconic video brought their music to a new generation and they soon released their first hit album in over a decade called Permanent Vacation. The hits "Dude Looks Like a Lady" , "Rag Doll", and "Angel" helped then sell millions of albums and their successors, GNR, toured with them all over the world.

While Permanent Vacation was popular, it wasn't really that good and does not stand the test of time. Pump, however, is in the ranks of Toys in the Attic and Rocks. Arguably, it's Aerosmith's best AND LAST great album.

Rock and roll is first and foremost about sex and power. Always has been, always will. No matter what bastard genre the industry spawns, it's all about hooks, licks, and riffs. And Pump hits on all cylinders.

I wasn't completely sold on Aerosmith until I bought this album. At this time, I was 15 and only really knew them from RUN D.M.C. and was not thrilled with Permanent Vacation. Then I saw video for "Love in an Elevator" and saw the album cover. Done and done. The black and white picture with a truck mounting another truck said it all. I handed over my hard earned $8.99 from mowing lawns and de-tasseling corn. I ripped the cassette open and saw the second picture symbolizing sex; a gas pump being shoved in a tank. Then I saw what the acronym
FINE stood for.

Fucked Up, Insecure, Neurotic, Emotional.

Genius!

I rode my bike back home, slammed the tape in my double cassette jambox, and wore it out that summer while shooting hoops .

This album is now 20 years old and has not aged or seem dated AT ALL. From the songs you know to the best tracks on the album ( Young Lust, F.I.N.E.) it does not disappoint. Sure, you know the hits (Janie's got a gun, What it Takes, The other side) but as a time capsule of rock it's simply incredible. Every song blends into the next and it's the only Aerosmith album with instrumental interludes that ties all the songs together. My Walkman and my Jambox destroyed this album due to excessive use.

I suggest you do the same. Download it, buy it on Amazon, whatever. Just own it.