Aerosmith - Big Ones (1994)

I'm probably way off in my memory, but here's how I remember Aerosmith: a bunch of Rolling Stone wannabes from Boston had some classic hits in the '70s (Walk this Way, Sweet Emotion, Toys In The Attic), then faded away in the latter part of the decade. In the mid-80's, they had a comeback of sorts when Run-DMC covered Walk This Way and was gracious enough to include the band. That led to their bigger comeback in the late '80s - early '90s, which I'll call their "Alicia Silverstone" era. Admittedly, it was one of the most remarkable comebacks in rock & roll history. Their biggest hit, I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, came around in 1998. It was from the movie Armageddon and wasn't written by the band. After that, the band had the occasional single here and there, then lead singer Steven Tyler, not wanting to age gracefully, became a judge on a game show.

Long story short (I know it's too late for that), this is the greatest hits compilation from the Alicia Silverstone era and it's the only Aerosmith CD I own (although I do own the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith video game if that counts). I shoulda bought their 1980 greatest hits compilation instead because their best stuff was in the '70s. Sure they were Rolling Stones wannabes, but they were really good Rolling Stones wannabes.

CashBox, November 19, 1994, p. 9

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #6 (Nov 19, 1994)

Tracks: I like Love In An Elevator and Janie's Got A Gun, the latter being their best post-1980 song. I can tolerate Rag Doll, Dude (Looks Like A Lady), Livin' On The Edge, and Eat The Rich. I'm not a fan of power ballads, so I really take a beating on this disc with 7 of the 15 tracks being power ballads (What It Takes, Cryin', Amazing, Blind Man, Deuces Are Wild, Crazy, and Angel).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I'm reminded of driving a black Ford Explorer down Jones Maltsburger Rd sometime in 1994.