By rights, Steven Tyler shouldn’t be alive. Like Ozzy Osbourne, the Aerosmith singer has taken every drug and drunk every drink known to humanity.
Inhaling amyl nitrate on a big dipper with Jimi Hendrix was just a starter. He’s collapsed on stage countless times and been in and out of rehab since the 80s.
Yet despite all that reckless depravity, Tyler’s musical legacy is immaculate.
This career-spanning collection features 44 tracks (in its priciest edition) covering the Grammy-winning Boston band’s journey from raw 70s rock ’n’ roll to radio-friendly 90s ballads.
Wrongly dismissed as Rolling Stones copyists, Aerosmith broke through with their third album, 1975’s Toys In The Attic.
It spawned two stunning US hits – Sweet Emotion, built on Tom Hamilton’s driving bass line, and the rocking masterpiece Walk This Way, memorably re-recorded years later in collaboration with Run DMC, bringing hip-hop into the mainstream and resurrecting Aerosmith’s then-flagging career.
The song was a perfect illustration of the band’s majestic magic. It married a simple, effective Joe Perry guitar riff to Tyler’s lecherous, arrested adolescent lyrics and Joey Kramer’s instantly recognisable drum groove.
Their next three albums, Permanent Vacation, Pump and Get A Grip went multi-platinum and generated global mega-hits like 1989’s Love In An Elevator – their first UK Top 15 single – followed by Dude (Looks Like A Lady), Cryin’, and Crazy.
Their biggest smash was 1998’s I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing, from the Armageddon film soundtrack.
All those winners are here along with tougher favourites like Rag Doll, which still sounds grittier than a council gritting lorry, and their very first power ballad, Dream On.
This collection is available as a 10-track LP, an 18-track CD, or as the full 44-track super-deluxe version with colour vinyl.