Aerosmith

Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology (Geffen)
by Martin Popoff

Two discs and 34 tracks of corporate swagger confront those who visit this Super Bowl of songs. It’s amazing, the crazy run Aerosmith have had. I’m cryin’, really. Not sure what the shabby but charming “My Fist Your Face” and “Shame On You” are doing here, but the rest is all gleaming, expensive hits along with a handful of intriguing rarities. Before we examine the nuggets, let me just say that this is one clean and artful booklet. There’s a huge band history from noted Edge scribe Gerri Miller, but all credibility is lost when in the first paragraph she says Aerosmith “rock harder after 30 years of music-making than just about any band in the business.” Just push eject. They don’t rock harder than any band in the business (Immortal’s pretty heavy; so’s Cryptopsy), and, of course, there was once a band called Aerosmith that did rock harder… That band only had five guys, two of whom certainly played guitar. The rest of her essay is a nice synopsis of all the major events, not a lot you didn’t know, but efficiently recapped as befits the booklet’s clinical annual report packaging. The goodies: Japanese b-side for “Pump,” “Ain’t Enough” is a zippy pinhead of a “La Grange” rocker, high-quality stuff as is always the case with this band and extended band. The brunt of the grunt and why you should care: B-sides “Don’t Stop,” “Can’t Stop Messin'” and “Head First,” all three arguably three of the best, oh, 15 songs from the Geffen years. Heavy, complex of melody, inspiring. Elsewhere we get a few mellow-side alt. versions, but also the stellar “Blind Man” and “Walk on Water,” arguably two of the best, oh, ten songs from the Geffen years. “Deuces Are Wild” and the Doors’ “Love Me Two Times” are also rescued from soundtrack oblivion and well, that’s it, but that’s quite a bit.
(www.aerosmith.com)