Aerosmith
Live Unplugged

THE REVIEW

It’s been a while since I was last on Debaser as a reviewer; I decided to return with my favorite hard rock group, Aerosmith (not that it was obvious, right?). The album discussed here is quite rare (I stumbled upon it by chance on eMule), and I’ll say right away that this is not meant to be just another review to keep up with appearances, but rather it seemed right to me to write something about this little-known unplugged session, also to talk about work that not everyone knows and perhaps might pique someone’s curiosity...

I’ll start by saying that MTV’s operations have never particularly appealed to me, especially the unplugged live sessions (in an acoustic version) and I consider the only one I’ve listened to in full and enjoyed quite a bit is the now-famous “Unplugged in New York” by Nirvana, where an intense pathos between the audience and the band is created. From Nirvana we go to our subject, Aerosmith. I’ll note that I found very little news coverage on the product, just that it was recorded in New York during the year 1990, not even the certainty that it was organized by MTV.

Upon listening, the first thing one realizes is that the band is certainly not suited for an event of this type: in fact, for almost the entire duration of the performance, that pathos which, in my opinion, should be the main feature in an acoustic live session is not created. The most disoriented is Tyler, who struggles to keep his voice lower so as not to overpower the guitars, and doesn’t always succeed. Joey Kramer on the drums has more or less the same problem, hitting too violently at times. The strength of the group lies in the string instruments, with Tom Hamilton on bass and Brad Whitford on rhythm guitar being commendable, and I’d dare to say exceptional for Joe Perry on lead guitar; he's the one who manages to give the occasion its original touch.

Another point in favor is that thanks to the acoustic guitars, a more classic blues-rock'n'roll imprint is achieved in most of the songs performed. Especially the usual covers of the group, namely "Train Kept a Rollin", "Smokestack Lightning", "Big Ten Inch Record", "Love Me Two Times", and "Walkin' the Dog", draw even closer to the originals. Surely curious, but neither admirable nor condemnable, are "Last Child" and "Hangman Jury". In a revised blues version, we find "One Way Street" (exceptional) and "Milk Cow Blues". The only moments where pathos reaches directly to the heart are "Dream On", very fast, and "Season of Wither", where you find a Tyler that hits the brain with his voice. Curious, but undoubtedly out of place, are "Monkey On My Back" and "Toys in the Attic", where there was no attempt at smart arrangement, marking the lowest points of the album.

To conclude, I’ll say that Aerosmith is not suited for live sessions of this kind; they need to unleash energy, and the singer shows he is not very comfortable singing lower, unlike hitting those very high notes.