Book Review: Aerosmith: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Boston Bad Boys

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2011
Images from the Internet

Aerosmith: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Boston Bad Boys
By Richard Bienstock
Voyageur Press (Minneapolis), 2011
224 pages; USD $35.00 / CAN $39.00
ISBN: 978-0-7603-4106-3
Voyageurpress.com

The only time I’ve ever seen Aerosmith live was May 31, 1974, at the Felt Forum (now blandly known as the Theater at Madison Square Garden), opening for the band we actually went to see, Slade. I was musically unformed then, and all I really remember is the ear-piercing volume, which was louder than the headliner. And we were sitting pretty far toward the back. This was especially true during the harmonica solos. Now, however, I would like to see that concert again, and rejudge it. Oh, I did once see Tyler’s house on Lake Sunapee, NH (from the water), but I digress…

Part of a series of illustrated history books of bands and musicians from Voyageur Press (such as AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, and Eric Clapton), Aerosmith takes front and center stage this time. As with the others in the series, the tomes are oversized hardcover, the size and heft of a coffeetable book, but along with the images is a nicely comprehensive history of the band and its members. In Leon Uris fashion, Bienstock introduces us to one of the musicians (vocalist Tyler is naturally the first, as he also is the one who had any real career previous to Aerosmith) and we learn about his life up to the point of meeting the next future ‘Smither, then we read their story, and so on until all five are caught up to the point of being the band.

Aerosmith is a band whose early output was released faster than they gained fame, so it’s not until about the third or fourth album that they started to really get known beyond their own Bostonian back yard.

The basic history of the band is legend: from fame to overindulgences (alcohol, sex, drugs…) to practical paralysis and stagnation, leading to Run DMC covering “Walk This Way,” followed by an even larger resurgence for the band (also thanks to smart marketing, musical hooks that can bite into your brain for days, and especially well-made videos on the then music channel, MTV – and having Alicia Silverstone and Tyler’s daughter Liv star in them didn’t hurt, either) and a good forced cleaning out (aka rehab) led to years of the band at the top of their game, only to fall (possibly) fall apart again in just the past couple of years.

Certainly, I am not giving away anything in their history there, nor am I stepping on Bienstock’s shoes because this book kept this particular non-fan interested throughout. Without using this as a personal muck-raking excuse, he tell the story of the band and its members, relying more on their musical history than marriages, relationships, affairs, etc.; in fact, the only photo of any family member is of Bebe Buell, Liv’s mom (who has a new album out, FYI). There isn’t even any mention of how Perry won the heart of Willie Alexander’s wife, Billie Montgomery (who appears with Willie in his “Bass Rocks” video), who became Perry’s second spouse. Rather, we learn about where they recorded what, on what instruments, produced by whom and the relationship of the band with their producers, engineers and management (the last is occasionally tricky). Yes, the egos shine through as the band is much quoted, mostly taken from period interviews.

Along with all the text are the photos, of course; after all this is an ultimate illustrated history. There are a multitude of reproductions of the band as they go through the many, many, many years, including instruments played, show posters, buttons, tee-shirts, and especially tons of backstage passes and entry stubs; 400 images in all, each crisp and clear. There are even pages of the Revolutionary Comics history of the band. [As yet another sidebar, one thing I would have liked to have seen included was the Max’s Kansas City Comics cartoon drawn by Shari Szaba (she worked there) where she has Steven Tyler, David Johansen and Mick Jagger all come to Max’s on the same night!]

As with the other books in this series, many of the subject’s albums are sectioned out and dissected and reviewed into what went into them and their influence on culture. Similarly to the AC/DC book, the breakouts are mostly written by numerous other well known critics, such as Chuck Eddy, Martin Popoff, Ramones’ ex-manager (etc.) Danny Fields, and even Phil Sutcliffe (who wrote the AC/DC Ultimate Illustrated History).

While these breakouts are interesting, per se, a lot of them hold redundant information from the rest of the book, which occasionally gets tiring. Similarly, many of the captions for the images are just quotes (or paraphrasing) of the text in the book proper, so again, it gets monotonous at times, but that’s just tributaries. The main text retains its level of high quality throughout.

There is a lot of info here that I didn’t know about the band that really raised an eye. For example, at some point when Joe Perry leaves to form his Project, he is temporarily replaced by Jimmy Crespo. At first I was wondering, “I know that name, but from where?” Then Beinstock explains how he was the guitarist of Brooklyn’s own almost-and-should-have-been-famous rockers Flame (saw them at Zappz on their home turf in 1977 or ‘78, and were a blast; they are worth checking out. Okay, okay, back to Aerosmith…), and in fact, when Tyler’s addiction starts to really get the better of him, there is talk of him being replaced by Flame’s vocalist, the excellent Marge Raymond. Now that woulda been something! There are lots of juicy tidbits like that throughout that don’t even need to be salacious.

The book is very up-to-date, not only mentioning Tyler’s role on American Idol, but the reaction of the audience throughout the season, as Tyler grabs the reins of the show and becomes de facto judge leader, with the most on the ball (as he did early on with Aerosmith). And even though the Slade show I attended at MSG is unmentioned, their performance on the “Wayne’s World” segment of Saturday Night Live is in the telling (it was a brilliant moment).

There is certainly enough information here to keep any of the blue army happy, and even some of us who are just curious about the band that captured the ear of so many.

Bonus Videos:
[Note that from this point on, I will avoid Vevo as much as possible]






And, of course:


Extra Bonus Video:

Book Review: Dead Letters: The Very Best Grateful Dead Fan Mail

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2011
Image from the Internet


Dead Letters: The Very Best Grateful Dead Fan Mail
By Paul Grushkin
Forward by Bill Walton
Voyageur Press (Minneapolis), 2011
232 pages; USD $29.95 / CAN $33.00
ISBN: 978-0-7603-3854-4
Voyageurpress.com
Dead.net

I’m tellin’ ya, they’re freakin’ everywhere, maaaan, in every corner of our culture from high to low, infiltrating the very fabric of society. Just a couple of years ago, my religious, worldwide-advertising-products-company-owning, living-in-a-gated-community-that’s-on-a-golf-course cousin confessed to me that he is a Dead Head. But the thing is, ya see, you don’t need to be a Dead Head to enjoy this book.

There are a number of ways to approach this volume. The first is it being about the Grateful Dead. There is a lot of information about the band in the text, though most of it I’m assuming a real Dead Head (DH) probably knows, such as how the band picked the name, or which songs were the most played live (including the number of times) by the band. But then the author throws in his own recollections of living down the street from the band’s space (owned by Jay and the Americans) in Englewood, NJ, during the failed taping of their second LP in New York.

Speaking of the author, Grushkin is no stranger to the Dead world, especially its fans, having previously written (or co-wrote) Grateful Dead: The Official Book of the Dead Heads (1983), along with a number of other books about commercial rock art and merchandising, such as the classic The Art of Rock: Posters from Presley to Punk (1987). However, being a stalwart in the rock merchandising biz (as well as once having worked for Bill Graham), most of his previous work has to do with the literal objects side of music, such as tee-shirt designs and paraphernalia. Here, however, Grushkin digs for something different.

Which brings us to a second way to approach this new release: the main focus here is on art. When the band took back their ticket sales from those who would sell large chunks of seats to scalpers (the story is related in the book about how someone was first on line after waiting for hours, and ended up in row 50, a story we all know well), fans realized that they could attract the attention of the Dead’s mail order ticket office - who would receive hundreds of requests per seat – by artistically designing the request envelope. Over the years, over 10,000 of them have been saved in an archive at the University of California – Santa Cruz, from which the more than 500 images in this book are culled.

While there are reproductions of some shots of art produced by the band, et al., such as album covers or influences for the personalized envelopes, the majority of the book is focused on the actual fan-designed talent. Sometimes it is the full envelope (either front or back), or little parts that are enlarged, they are replicated in vibrant color on thick stock paper, giving a beautiful rendition. The ability of the requesters varies, but there are so many shockingly beautiful drawings, sketches and even painted ones that your eye will wander over them again and again.

The chapters are mostly broken up into themes, such as “Skulls & Skeletons,” “Bears & Terrapins,” “Dead Head Transportation,” “Shrooms, Tie Dye & Flying Eyeballs,” and “The Band Members.” Yes, the skull and lightning bolt (referred to as the “Stealie”) logo that everyone recognizes from a mile away is represented, as well. Each chapter also includes a relatively lengthy introduction by Grushkin, filled with trivia, and just why any of the particular themes have relevance.

For a third choice of ways to look at this book, I must use myself as an example: as a non-DH, I pick the option of “all of the above,” because I still found the whole book damn fascinating, for the information of a band I didn’t follow, and especially for the amazing (and volumous) art renditions that fill this hardback.

There is no denying that the Grateful Dead fans are among the most loyal and fanatical in the world, comparable with those who love Elvis, the Beatles, and yes, the Monkees, whose affection goes beyond the course of their idols career.