Aerosmith - Rocks (1976)
This album was a game changer for me. Back in my early youth I grew up hearing nothing but country music on the radio my parents listened to. When I finally got my own radio and stereo it was stuff like ELO and KC and the Sunshine Band that found their way into the start of my record collection. But I started really listening to the rock station on the radio and started hearing stuff like Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy and Blue Oyster Cult and there was the Who and Golden Earring and Bad Company… visits to my cousin’s house found Kiss posters and albums playing in my cousin Kevin’s room and then there was the poster from inside Aerosmith’s “Rocks” album on my cousin John’s wall.
So I caught the rock and roll bug. This was stuff that really hooked me. One night on the radio the DJ said they were playing an album every night going through the alphabet. That night they were on the letter “R.” The DJ said the album choice for R was Aerosmith “Rocks.” I got my little tape recorder. Yep, tape recorder, I’m old, ok! I put in a blank tape and recorded the entire “Rocks” album. BOOM. Mind Blown.
I listened to that tape until it wore out and got chewed up in the tape deck. This was kick-ass rock and roll. This was Aerosmith at the absolute top of their game. They never matched this perfection again. And that is saying something from a band that previously released albums like “Get Your Wings” and “Toys in the Attic.” To hell with what they became in the mid eighties with all the rock ballads, this right here is my album of choice for Aerosmith.
Favorite songs from the album? All of them.
This is the album that made me go out and buy every record that Aerosmith had released at that point. This is the first record that I owned that I still, to this day, listen to on a regular basis. This opened the door for me to jump into AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
One of my all time favorites. Enjoy.





