With Aerosmith having just remixed, remastered, and re-released their self-titled 1973 debut album, they’re setting their sites on doing the same thing with their third, 1975’s Toys in the Attic.
Guitarist Joe Perry tells Billboard, “On that one we were definitely getting our studio legs together. It was definitely a state of mind and we were learning, I was learning everything I could about the recording part of it, like, ‘How come this know does that?’ and that kind of thing. I read about Jimmy Page; at 19 he was one of the most sought-after studio musicians, and he knew what he was doing when he went in to do [Led] Zeppelin. I, on the other hand, just know you put a mic in front of the amp and prayed.
“So Toys is when we started to become recording artists, I think, started to learn how to do that. We wrote some of those songs on the spot, and we were touring all the time, so the band was playing great and finding our own slot.”
Ironically, while he’s wanting another crack at Toys in the Attic, he says he didn’t see the need to re-release their first album.
“I was like, ‘Do we need to do this?’ because we’d put out remastered (versions of the album) before, and I never really noticed all that much difference. But this was different; going in and actually getting to listen to the multi-tracks… it was great to hear it on modern equipment. When everything was translated down to the vinyl (in 1973) it didn’t sound the same as when you’re standing in the room with the band. But these remixes sound like that to me. It’s the same record, the same performances, but it opens it up.
“We never liked the way the drums sounded on that first album. Now it’s like, ‘Holy crap, this is what it sounded like when we were first recording. So I think it’s definitely worth it. And the old one isn’t going anywhere. It’s still there.”
Perry also says he’d like to do a compilation album of some of his solo material.
“I would like to hear 15, 18 of my favorites of my songs, all in one place,” he says.
And as for Aerosmith ever returning to the road, he says, “The band is still kind of definitely not in touring mode, but there are certainly other options, so we stay in touch.
“You just never know It’s just been in the last six months that Steven’s [Tyler] started to get comfortable with singing; he literally had to take a year off before he was able to start stretching his vocal cords, and you’re always worried about re-injuring it. I learned a long time ago that everything we do is fragile… so we just take it day by day. You hope for the best. You just have to have the confidence and have that vision of positive in front of you. You can’t do it unless you envision it.”
Aerosmith haven’t performed since 2023 when Tyler fractured his larynx on stage in Long Island, New York.
Until then, Perry is gearing up for a European tour with the Hollywood Vampires, August 12th in London through September 10th in Poland.
