The Great Relisteninging 3: Aerosmith to The Alarm
Next up: Aerosmith, with Aerosmith Rocks. Though I am not 100% sure where this album came from. It’s old and in terrible shape. I suspect it was one of the 4 crates of LPs I got from one of my Silver Sneakers ladies when I taught in a gym—totally true story—but I know I didn’t buy it and my husband swears it wasn’t his first.
Apparently, the writing on this album owes a large degree of thanks to cocaine and heroin, and the title represents the drug nugs the band would operate on. This album came in hot on the heels of the success of Toys in the Attic and a massive US tour, and is one of the first albums with an initial pressing and shipment that made it platinum. It does, indeed, rock. Noisily and with great aggression. And it’s miles above the pop metal sound the band shifted to in the 1990s, though I know those LPs were gazillion-sellers and I’m sure I offended somebody with this.
And then there’s a-ha.
Note: The above is one of my prized possessions, a 45 of “Take On Me” with a jacket design that shows the comic book images from the video. I love this thing.
a-ha’s Hunting High and Low is a masterclass in 1980s synth-pop, with a little bit of a twist. There’s an odd gloominess to it, with song lyrics inspired by existentialist poets. Nordic Noir you can dance to.
“Take On Me” is one of the most recognizable songs on the planet. The rest of the album doesn’t quite have the same energy but there are some surprising quirks. You want an example? “The Blue Sky” has a vocal pattern that reminds me of “Benny the Bouncer” by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. It’s slower than ELP, but the style is still there. I didn’t expect that.
Also, mad love to lead singer Morten Harket as he negotiates his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
And at last, we move on to The Alarm.
This is their self-titled 1983 US EP release. It most notably does NOT have “68 Guns” on it; for that, US consumers would have to wait for 1984’s Declaration, which we will get to in the next post.
These guys? Are some of the most earnest musicians that ever existed. I just BELIEEEEEEVE them. And “The Stand” may be one of the best songs written about a Stephen King novel. Find me a better one. I’ll wait.
Also, RIP Mike Peters, who I have heard was one of the nicest people in the notoriously carnivorous music industry. Thirty years of fighting lymphoma. You put up a good fight, man.
Albums covered:
Aerosmith, Rocks
a-ha, Hunting High and Low
The Alarm, self-titled 1983 EP (US release)