Aerosmith Greatest Hits (1972-1979) CD

This reissue includes new deluxe packaging with original release liner notes, photos, and artwork.
Aerosmith: Steven Tyler (vocals, harmonica, piano); Joe Perry (guitar, background vocals); Brad Whitford (guitar); Tom Hamilton (bass); Joey Kramer (drums, percussion).
Producers include: Aerosmith, Adrian Barber, Jack Douglas, Ray Colcord, George Martin.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Steven Tyler (harmonica, keyboards, percussion).
Directors: Steve Leber; David Krebs.
Photographer: Jimmy Ienner, Jr.
Arrangers: Jack Douglas; Aerosmith.
Longtime Aerosmith fans are likely to quibble about the set list here. How to pare down one of rock's all-time greatest and longest-running rock bands to 18 songs? Even so, 2006's DEVIL'S GOT A NEW DISGUISE: THE VERY BEST OF AEROSMITH does an admirable job, offering a single-disc crash course in the group's biggest and best-known tunes.
Ranging from the their 1970s heyday throughout their astonishing late '80s comeback and beyond, DEVIL'S plays like a feel-good hard-rock radio revival. Old-schoolers will be happy to find the staples--"Dream On," "Walk This Way," and "Sweet Emotion"--while second-generation Aerosmith fans will find blockbuster MTV fare like "Cryin'" and "Crazy." The band's patented boogie shuffle is accounted for on "Back in the Saddle" and "Rag Doll," among others. Two new tracks, one of which gives the album its title, are also included.
A new Aerosmith "greatest-hits" collection is about as newsworthy as the common cold, and Sony's The Very Best of Aerosmith is no exception. The 18 tracks, two of which ("Devil's Got a New Disguise" and "Sedona Sunrise") are new, are comprised of the usual suspects like "Dream On," "Sweet Emotion," "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Cryin'," and "Crazy," with an emphasis on later material. ~ James Christopher Monger
This Australian two-fer Greatest Hits 1973-1988/Classics Live! features an expanded version of Aerosmith's lauded 1980 Greatest Hits collection, as well as 1986's Classics Live. Both discs are remastered, but it's the welcome addition of fan favorites like "Mama Kin," "Big Ten-Inch Record," "Lightning Strikes," "Seasons of Wither," and "Chip Away the Bone" to the Greatest Hits package that makes this pre-Permanent Vacation overview worth having. ~ James Christopher Monger
A new Aerosmith "greatest-hits" collection is about as newsworthy as the common cold, and Sony's The Very Best of Aerosmith is no exception. The 18 tracks, two of which ("Devil's Got a New Disguise" and "Sedona Sunrise") are new, are comprised of the usual suspects like "Dream On," "Sweet Emotion," "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Cryin'," and "Crazy," with an emphasis on later material. Fans looking for a more comprehensive overview of the legendary Boston band's career should pick up Columbia's superior O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits anthology. ~ James Christopher Monger
Aerosmith's Greatest Hits remains one of the most popular and enduring best-of collections by any rock band, selling nearly ten million copies in the U.S. alone since its release. But when it was issued in 1980, the band had just about reached its nadir. With original guitarist Joe Perry gone (and Brad Whitford soon to follow), Aerosmith had turned into a directionless, time-consuming ghost of its former self. Since there would be a three-year gap between 1979's Night in the Ruts and 1982's Rock in a Hard Place, Greatest Hits was assembled, more or less, to fill the void and buy the band some time. With the album clocking in at only 37 and a half minutes, many Aerosmith classics are not included, such as what many consider the band's quintessential track, their cover of "Train Kept a Rollin'." The only poor selection is the forgettable "Remember (Walking in the Sand)," but nine out of ten are bona fide classics -- "Dream On," "Same Old Song and Dance," "Sweet Emotion," "Walk this Way," "Last Child," "Back in the Saddle," and "Draw the Line." Als