The best Geffen-era Aerosmith record
5
By Greasy Italian
In 1987, after Run DMC covered “Walk this Way”, Aerosmith was reborn with Permanent Vacation. Permanent Vacation brought a new era to the band; finally bringing their sound into the 1980’s after 1985’s half-hearted “Done With Mirrors” and after all five members of the band had overcome substance abuse. The band was finally back on top with Permanent Vacation and had a more commercial 80’s rock sound a la Bon Jovi.
Pump takes the fundamentals from Permanent Vacation and strips a lot of the fat off it. The songs are less commercial, more focused, but just as catchy. Songs like “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even” and “My Girl” attest to this. The lyrics are witty, incredibly well written; packed with a load of double entendres and dirty jokes. This has to be Aerosmith’s “dirtiest” record to date. Fun fact: In 1989, there was no lyric book released with this record because of how explicit many of the songs were considered to be. Take a listen to songs like “Young Lust”, “F.I.N.E.”, and “Love in an Elevator” to see what I mean...
The album also takes a more serious turn in comparison to Permanent Vacation with songs like “Monkey on my Back” and “Janie’s Got a Gun”. “Monkey on my Back” talks about lead singer Steven Tyler’s struggle with drug addiction, with the songs title being a metaphor for addiction. “Janie’s Got a Gun”, however, speaks about sexual abuse and gun violence, and this song is where I feel the album comes together. Co-written by Steven Tyler and bassist Tom Hamilton, the song manages to take on a very serious subject and bring it to mainstream radio as this song became a giant hit for the band and an instant classic. Steven Tyler would later go on to create the “Janie’s Got a Gun fund”, which helps victims of sexual abuse.
If you want chart topping classic arena-rock hits, Pump has it. Take a listen to “The Other Side” and “Love in an Elevator”. Fun fact: Six of the ten songs from Pump were chart toppers in 1989 and 1990.
Of course, in typical Aerosmith fashion, Pump ends off with a ballad. Pump’s ballad, “What It Takes” is in my opinion, one of the best Aerosmith ballads of all time.
The band sounds huge on this record thanks to incredible production, seismic guitar interplay between Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, impeccable drumming by Joey Kramer, and the infamous demon of screamin’ voice of Steven Tyler.
But the real star of the album here is bassist Tom Hamilton. Besides “Get a Grip”, which followed Permanent Vacation, this is Tom Hamilton’s best bass tone of his career. Tom’s superb playing from his MusicMan StingRay bass makes for a very prominent, punchy, and percussive bass tone across Pump which significantly adds to its listening experience. Take a listen to “Young Lust”, “F.I.N.E.”, “Love in an Elevator”, “Monkey on my Back”, and “Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man” to absorb every fiber of Tom’s playing.
A making-of film of Pump was also released and is very much worth a watch if you’re a big Aerosmith fan. It dives into the nitty-gritty of the making of Pump and shows one what struggles a band goes through to make a record.
Overall, this is the best Geffen-era Aerosmith record. Any true rock and roll fan should have it in their playlist.
