Monday, July 16, 2007
THREE AND OUT
In 1979 when Joe Perry left Aerosmith in the middle of the recording of 'Night In the Ruts', it seems to me, and I have no source to cite, that he took with him the best song they had for that record; 'Let the Music Do the Talking'.
I picture Joe, much like the cover of the record that would bear that title, in a board room playing the demo of the tune for Columbia execs.
They must have liked it, or liked the dollar signs they saw on Joe, because they gave him, a drug addled none too brighter, a solo deal, apparently a three record deal, because that's how many Joe Perry Project records there are.
In Joe's defense, the first record, hell the second one too, are good Rock records, maybe not as good as 'Night In the Ruts', but better than Aerosmith's 1982 sans Joe (and Brad) record 'A Rock In a Hard Place'.
The third? Well I guess the third time is not always the charm.
I can't blame him. He had a habit, and well, he's not a mental giant.
Also, I bought it, I bought them all.
The first one, 198o's 'Let the Music Do the Talking', sold the best, and is the best of the three. Apparently he had begun recording it prior to his official jetting from the Aerosmith camp.
The second, 1981's 'I've Got The Rock and Rolls Again', featuring mostly the same band, is a decent record, but Columbia, in an effort to push Joe back into the Aerosmith fold, didn't promote it, it didn't sell, and they dropped Joe.
Joe wasn't ready to make nice with Steve yet, so he pushed on. He might have had trouble finding Steve at any rate. After 'A Rock In a Hard Place' failed to sell up to par, Columbia tired of the drug addicted bandleader, and subsequently dropped Aerosmith. Steve burned through what cash he had left, and was seen in Lower Manhattan selling his Corvette for dope.
In a highly questionable move Joe fired the decent band he had, signed to MCA (again questionable), and put together the worst motley assortment of lackluster talent loosely termed a 'band' featuring an Ohio born 'singer' from Mars called 'Cowboy Mach Bell'.
Joe was on drugs, we've covered that, right?
The LP to follow, 1983's 'Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker', is probably one of the worst records I ever bought. A lame, but somehow amusing cover of 'Get It On (Bang a Gong)' got it a few spins on my turntable, but not in, like, 20 years has it been taken out of it's jacket.
On the tour in support of that record, Joe was joined by his old buddy Brad Whitford, who's post Aerosmith career began and ended with the one off Columbia release 'Whitford St. Homes' with former Ted Nugent sideman Derek St. Homes.
Yes, I own that one too. I don't think it even got a second spin.
The next year would be a fence mending one. Brad and Joe would re-join their Aerosmith brothers, and the first thing they would lay down for their initial Geffen release? 'Let the Music Do the Talking'
Comments:
Most excellent post. I saw the Project many times with that freak singer and it was always comical and sad. Joe drank and then fell down. Show over. It was never good. I do remember the records, at least the Talkin' record being decent. You will of course have to play some of the bombs off the others once I'm in town.
In late '79 and early '80 Aerosmith had scheduled and cancelled enough shows on me that I pretty much hated them, that and the fact that "Right in the Nuts" was a total heep of an album.
In 1982, me and some buddies saw Joe Perry in a very small club in Richmond, VA. He was awful and could barely function. We jeered him. Beer bottles actually flew at the stage.
By then we were all fans of Motorhead anyhow. How about a profile of dear, sweet, Lemmy?
In 1982, me and some buddies saw Joe Perry in a very small club in Richmond, VA. He was awful and could barely function. We jeered him. Beer bottles actually flew at the stage.
By then we were all fans of Motorhead anyhow. How about a profile of dear, sweet, Lemmy?
Second one is good too.....
I have posted about Motorhead several times, but hey, who can ever get enough Lemmy.
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I have posted about Motorhead several times, but hey, who can ever get enough Lemmy.
