Yet, having said all that, all of these complaints and many others somehow seem to become completely null once you really get into the spirit of the album. The production is messy and muddy, especially when compared to the rather “clean” heaviness of Rocks. The compositions are arguably inferior, with the Tyler/Perry song-writing team credited only with three of them. What happens next? All recording sessions are done in an atmosphere of complete uncontrollable mess, and not so much as a unit, but with each individual member popping into the studio to add his own part.ĭo you have this picture in mind? Because if you do, and if you’re also familiar with Aerosmith’s previous material, you’ll have a fairly accurate idea of what Draw the Line sounds like. Now imagine their manager comes up with this idea for the next album: the band would relocate in an abandoned convent as a mean to keep them away from the show-biz excesses. Add extensive touring and press coverage to the mix, as well as the toll all of this takes on the interpersonal relationships within the group. Parties, drugs, booze and groupies are now the order of the day. Imagine a rock n’ roll band who just got catapulted into international stardom by their latest two albums. They throw a few curveballs, and there are some amusing diversions, but despite their best efforts it comes off sounding abrasive and unfocused, despite it's merits.Let’s do a fun little exercise. Through the haze of excess, they managed to pull off another big hit, but you can hear them falling apart at the seams. The whole production is very insular, but Aerosmith was in their own little world at the time, so it fits.
The guitar is often low in the mix, drowned out by the bass, and the riffs are much less inspired and less technical than anything on Rocks and Toys in the Attic. Milk Cow is actually probably one of the best tracks on the album, sporting several great solo's and a bouncy riff, along with some fun harmonica work.ĭraw the Line isn't a bad CD, but it's decidedly average by Aerosmith standards. Finally, Milk Cow Blues, continuing the blues-cover trend, finishes the album off. Rounding out the end is Sight For Sore Eyes, which is one of the stronger tracks, featuring an undeniable boogie and a cool, mid-song solo. There's a neat little solo bit near the end, though. The Hand That Feeds is a bit of a throwaway track, not really notable in any way whatsoever, it sounds like an Aerosmith song, that's about all your can say. The picked guitars play well into the song, and the guitar solo's are killer. It's a rather melancholy, heavy number, with low guitars and ominous lyrics. From there we bite into Kings and Queens, a bit of a deviation, to say the least from typical Aerosmith sleaze-rock. Needless to say, it's the weakest track on the album. Next up is Bright Light Fright, a track that apparently all the members of Aerosmith hated, but Joe Perry insisted on including. The chorus is immediately catchy, maybe the most catchy on the CD. The song is completely overblown, but it works, and is easily one of my favorite tracks.įrom there we get into the meat and potatoes of the album, starting with Get It Up, where Joe Perry slides and chops manically at his guitar, while Tyler laments not being able to get it up along with chipmunk backing vocals. The next track, Critical Mass, is an abnormality, and features a great bassline from Tom Hamilton, backwards guitars, harmonica solo's, doubletracked guitars and some bizarre storytelling from Tyler. It seems like the band wants to be having a good time, but that there just isn't anything fun going on Tyler sings of fame and misfortune behind the shuffle. The next track, I Wanna Know Why, is more reserved, but holds a distinct boogy. Draw the Line is a delicious slice of sleaze with a guitar riff that rumbles and roars like some kind of deranged beast while Steven Tyler screeches cocaine blues. Make no mistake, this is an Aerosmith album, which is wonderfully evident as soon as the record starts spinning. They took some time off and returned to the studio in 1977, releasing Draw the Line. Excessive and loud, Draw the Line is exactly the kind of album you'd except from a bunch of guys who could finally afford all their vices.Īfter the success of Rocks and Toys in the Attic, Aerosmith was riding high, literally. Review Summary: Aerosmith's premier recording at the peak of their drug years when they were still a cohesive whole.
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