HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Get Your Wings – Aerosmith
In the aftermath of a cold reception to their self-titled debut album in 1973, AEROSMITH found themselves in a troublesome situation. A complete lack of acknowledgment of the album from the media had resulted in poor sales, leaving the future of their careers hanging in the balance and their record label (Columbia) less than satisfied with the outcome. With one more album left to release under their recording contract, Columbia cautioned AEROSMITH that just one more flop would mark the end of their fleeting music careers, which would have barely survived three years.
However, instead of admitting defeat to the music industry, the members of AEROSMITH were fuelled by this and more determined than ever to create something amazing. The band ended up moving back into one flat together, committing 24 hours a day to working on a new album that would get them back in Columbia’s good books. This new album would come to be Get Your Wings (1974), and AEROSMITH‘s first album produced by Jack Douglas, who would also go on to produce their next three albums.
The album was built on the foundations of tracks already in AEROSMITH‘s live repertoire. S.O.S. (Too Bad), Pandora’s Box, and the band’s now iconic cover of Train Kept A Rolling had been played live by the band for months prior, and Seasons Of Wither and Woman Of The World had also been written before starting the album. The only exceptions would be Lord Of The Thighs, Same Old Song And Dance, and Spaced, which were all created during various album-writing sessions.
Looking back on this album today, it could be said that Seasons Of Wither and Same Old Song And Dance have held up as favourites for the longest time, with both being featured in various compilations since. However, Lord Of The Thighs is a track that perfectly reflects the 70’s era that AEROSMITH found themselves in while writing this album.
The band needed just one more track for the album to be complete, so they locked themselves in Studio C at Record Plant in New York City to get it done. This is where the band felt inspired by the characters that frequented the area near their hotel on Eighth Avenue, and where Lord Of The Thighs came to fruition. Looking back on creating the track, Steven Tyler recounts that the song’s lyrics: “came from the seedy area where we recorded the album. Lord Of The Thighs was about a pimp and the wildlife out on the street.”
Building on this, producer Douglas previously explained: “You had a scene at night in the mid-70s; it was wall-to-wall hookers, pimps, drug addicts, drug dealers, hustlers of every kind, up 8th Avenue near the Times Square area. it was dangerous. It was reflected in the music, really. We would go for walks sometimes and listen to the sounds of the street, to get lyrics. You’d hear these just amazing phrases, whether it was a hooker, or a pimp, or a drug dealer, they had these phrases that you’d never heard before, and they ended up on Aerosmith records because Steven had an ear for that.”
With eight tracks ready, Get Your Wings was recorded at the Record Plant in New York City, between December 1973 and January 1974, with Jack Douglas as the proud producer. Douglas saw nothing but potential in the band, and despite previously working with the likes of JOHN LENNON, PATTI SMITH, and THE WHO he admiringly described AEROSMITH as being “killer musicians”, who “rocked so hard”.
One of the many things Douglas assisted with within the band was Steven Tyler’s vocals. His vocals as they are today aren’t present on the band’s debut album, so when it came to recording Get Your Wings, Douglas encouraged him to use his natural singing voice, instead. Expanding on this, Douglas explained: “I insisted that Steven sing with his real voice. On that first album, he had this voice that wasn’t even him. It was like a made-up voice that he thought sounded English or something. I said, ‘You gotta be kidding me. With the pipes that you have, there’s no way you are going to sing, “Dream On“, that way. Let’s get back to your real voice.’”.
Released on 15th March 1974 through Columbia Records, the album wasn’t necessarily considered an instant hit. Its chart position peaked at number 74, and it didn’t go gold until the spring of 1975. As well as this, not every music critic at the time understood what AEROSMITH was trying to do with their sound. Critic Robert Christgau wrote: “These prognathous New Englanders are musicianly (all things are relative) inheritors of the Grand Funk principle: if a band is going to be dumb, it might as well be American dumb. Here they’re loud and cunning enough to provide a real treat for the hearing-impaired, at least on side one. Have a sense of humour about themselves, too, assuming “Lord of the Thighs” is intended as a joke. With dumb bands, it’s always hard to tell”.
Besides this, Get Your Wings still put AEROSMITH on the track to rock n roll success. Retrospective reviews rightfully describe this album as being the first instance of the classic AEROSMITH trademark sound, and following this album the band has released a whopping 15 studio albums, six live albums, and 16 compilation albums.
Get Your Wings is now certified triple platinum, and the band has seen all manner of success in the following years. From being featured in major cinema, a Las Vegas residency, and even their own rollercoaster, it’s safe to say Get Your Wings definitely didn’t mark the predicted end of the road for AEROSMITH.
Get Your Wings was originally released on March 15, 1974 via Columbia Records.
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