Aerosmith’s third studio album, Toys in the Attic, was released on April 8th, 1975. Taking an entirely different route from their previous projects, at least according to producer, Jack Douglas, this album was either going to be a hit or miss. Commercially, it is safe to say this album was a sheer success. It racked up nine million copies sold domestically, making the album a certified nine times platinum. This is also their most commercially successful album in their catalog. Producing some of the most iconic songs of the 70s is no easy feat, yet Aerosmith managed to do it here. Backed by Steven Tyler on vocals, this band created a name for themselves throughout the decade. Not to mention Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums), and Brad Whitford (guitar), the band consisted of some of the greatest musicians ever. With this project coming in at nine songs with thirty-seven minutes of run time, is this album solely commercially successful, or does it succeed as an album?
It is easily both.
Introduction
Toys in the Attic certainly was more than just a commercial success. The album is a phenomenal display of excellence in the rock genre. One of my favorite features of this project is that it isn’t just one style of song. There is something for almost every rock lover here. On top of this, the production here is certainly to be talked about. The band wonderfully creates a collection of songs that are top notch, mainly based on the different styles of production. In addition, Steven Tyler’s vocals throughout the album are great, and he certainly proves himself as a top name in the genre. Many of the songs have different tactics used to fulfill the tracks, which is something I haven’t seen in many rock projects. All in all, the album is a great display of diversity by Aerosmith, and certainly paves the way for them to cement their name in the rock scene forever.
Vocal Performance
I talked brief on Steven Tyler’s vocals, and they certainly are a highlight here. While this is considered a rock album, there are aspects of the project that stray away from this concept. A song that truly depicts this is “Big Ten Inch Record.” Steven brings a much softer voice on this song, to match the style needed. The song is a cover of the 1952 Bull Moose Jackson song of the same name, and definitely sounds like a song from the fifties. While Steven brings his all on this track, it doesn’t necessarily fit here, which makes it a weaker track. Apart from this diversion of style, Steven brings his all when on true rock beats, bringing a very high pitch voice. He sounds absolutely great in this kind of style, which certainly elevates those tracks to the top. All this in mind, Steven does bring his A game on this project, and with that, starts the album on the right track.
Production
The production is where the album truly succeeds. There are many different tactics that elevate Toys in the Attic. One of these was the base rock drums and guitar which were brought by Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer respectively, sound great together. Specifically, on songs like “Walk This Way” and “No More No More” it is shown that they were not messing around creating this this project. The one area of the production that lacks, however, is the simple structure. Many projects in the rock genre suffer from this, and this album follows this suit. Every song follows the exact same structure as the prior, except for a few differences here and there. This doesn’t detract from the album, however, can feel repetitive at times.
Going along with the different tactics, I feel it is almost necessary to devote a whole paragraph to “Sweet Emotion.” This song is notable for the production style here, and Steven Tyler really broke it down. Right out of the gate, the listener is met with a fantastic bass intro, which is complemented by vibraphone slaps. Notoriously, the vibraphone breaks during the midst of recording the song, and it was kept in the final take. In addition, the most unique aspect of this song is the use of sugar packets to create sound for the instrumental, replacing the maracas. I have personally never heard of this being the case, and definitely gave this song a different character than I had prior known it for.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Toys in the Attic, was a wonderful display of excellent production brought by Aerosmith. This also certified Stven Tyler as one of the brightest minds in rock and made his voice familiar to all rock lovers. This album has a rating of 8.2/10 as it sticks in all aspects of what I had prior said, making for a classic rock album.
Weakest Track: The weakest track here is “Round and Round.” It gets repetitive very fast and is longer than the average song here. Not very fitting as part of this album, the runtime of the song seems too long, and I just wanted the song to end.
Strongest Track: Not surprisingly, the most known song on the album, “Walk This Way,” is the strongest track here. It has a very catchy instrumental which was wonderfully crafted. Match this with clever lyricism and Steven’s great vocals, and this song has cemented its name in music forever.
Song Rankings:
- “Walk This Way”
- “Toys in the Attic”
- “Sweet Emotion”
- “Adam’s Apple”
- “No More No More”
- “Uncle Salty”
- “Big Ten Inch Records”
- “You See Me Crying”
- “Round and Round”
Final Notes
Song rankings are always subject to change over time, so don’t take these too to heart. They also are just my opinion. With that being said, I would love to hear your opinions, so leave them in the comment section below. We also suggest subscribing to our blog. To do so, go under the tab “Contact” and fill out the form. That will allow you to receive emails of new blogs and maybe get them ahead of time. Finally, go give Toys in the Attic a listen for yourself, as I highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoys rock, with multiple different styles.