Aerosmith - Pump

These days, we don’t have records like this. What constitutes a “record like this,” you ask? By that I mean three things; sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Actually, the drugs part has been excised for Aerosmith’s eighth studio album, Pump, and as Steven Tyler himself said, “that leaves more room for the other two.” Indeed, sex in all its forms (except, oddly, the totally pure kind that exists in a loving marriage) is the centerpiece of this album, and there is no shortage of rock and roll. That’s one of the languages of sex, after all, so it’s not surprising. Heck, even Anberlin sings about the complications involved with sex, and they’re a Christian band. Sooner or later, it all comes back to that subject. It is, after all, one of the basic human drives (or so it is purported by some).

Aerosmith take a tack with it, however, that is sadly not really used anymore, and that is being so freaking clever about it that you only realize the incredibly bawdy nature of what he’s saying when you stop for a second to think about it. “She’s got a new kind of jelly in her jelly roll.” Innocent seeming, but when applied in a certain way, really gross. In a strange way, I long for the days when music artists actually did this; couched their libidinous words in metaphor and twisting avenues. Nowadays, the rap and R&B artists just state it plain, and that makes for not only a somewhat disturbing musical experience, but an uninteresting one, as well.

Pump starts off on a very high note, one that’s in fact the highest of the entire album. “Young Lust” is a real stomper, and you can’t help but be swept away with its intensity and driving beat. “Young Lust” also starts a trend that continues for two more songs, which is an unabashed celebration of sex. “F.I.N.E.” and “Love In an Elevator” both are jubilant, happy songs about a very base and simple subject, but they work because of the (sometimes) roundabout route that they take. Remember, Aerosmith are just five working class guys with pretty down-to-earth desires: they want chicks. They’re not brooding, tortured, or pessimistic. They did a brand of rock music that isn’t really done anymore: swaggering around like you’re the sexiest thing God ever created, his gift to women. But here’s the funny thing, the thing that most bands today forget: when you really and truly believe you’re the sexiest guy in the room, you are. Aerosmith had no shortage of girlfriends, let me tell you. Some may try to deny it, but that’s the initial aim of playing rock music in the first place. It’s why I went to the girls’ lounge with my guitar my first week of college. To get chicks.

However, Aerosmith cover more ground that just makin’ with the love. “Monkey On My Back” shows how far they have come, being an indictment of the drug culture. They were all totally clean and drug-free for this album and every one after it, as well as Permanent Vacation before it. “Janie’s Got a Gun” makes a strong if somewhat simple-minded statement about child abuse, and “What It Takes” shows that Aerosmith still know how to write a sensitive and tender song about a heart done wrong. And all the while, even though they’re dealing with somewhat weighty subjects, they never stop delivering the blues-based rock and roll that they’re famous for. Steven Tyler really only knows how to sing one way, so it’s good that he sticks to what he does best.

I was 8 when Pump came out, but I didn’t discover it till I was 12. I had to hide it from my parents that I even listened to Aerosmith, and had some major hell to pay when they found out. And you know, Aerosmith still has the appeal that they did back then. They remind me of a time when rock stars picked out a girl from the audience and gave her a smile, and that was all they had to do to make her swoon. If only it were that easy.

Prime Cuts:
Young Lust
What It Takes
The Other Side
Love In an Elevator

22 Rating: 12