Why Aerosmith Headed Into the Blues for ‘Honkin’ on Bobo’
Aerosmith decided to reward the loyalty of old-school fans who weren't thrilled with the band's recent pop-influenced material on March 30, 2004 by releasing a straight-blues cover record.
The previous decade had seen Aerosmith dominate the charts in a way that few other rock groups had ever done before, as they released two No. 1 records and a third that just barely missed the top position. The band managed to achieve such a staggering run of success partially by foregoing the balls out blues-based rock sound that had defined and endeared Aerosmith to so many in the ‘70s.
In exchange, there was an increasing reliance on sappier pop-based ballads. This move resulted in some great songs, such as "What It Takes" and "Cryin,'" but it also left many of their most dedicated longtime fans somewhat disconcerted.
Honkin' on Bobo featured only one original song written by lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, "The Grind," and was stacked with rearranged high-tempo takes on some of the world’s most heralded blues tracks. Among the numbers selected for inclusion were Willie Dixon’s "I’m Ready," Sonny Boy Williamson’s "Eyesight to the Blind" and the traditional "You Gotta Move."
“You know I've been talking about [this back-to-blues concept] for ages," Perry told Music Radar in 2004. "It was always just this 'side project' we'd come back to ... until we changed our mind when we were promoting [2001's] Just Push Play.
"The band hardly played together in the studio on that record: It was just all bits and pieces, guitar overdubs and extra drum parts one at a time," Perry added. "I realized then that what I really wanted to do was a record with the band playing live."
Listen to Aerosmith Perform 'The Grind'
To return to their old rocking ways, Aerosmith brought Jack Douglas back into the fold. He'd previously produced classic albums such as Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attic, Rocks and Draw the Line.
"Jack turned up, Joey [Kramer] had his old Ludwig kit, Brad [Whitford] and I had small combos, so did Tom [Hamilton],” Perry said. “We had a couple of [vocal shields] around Steven so there wasn't too much leakage, and it started to sound good. We even did the guitar solos live and Steven was singing his ass off! The real work was just mixing it."
The title of the record left some scratching their heads: "We just know that it's a phrase that sounds ... jazzish, nastyish, so it works for us,” Perry later explained. Still, Honkin' on Bobo went on to become a decent critical and commercial success, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200.
Unfortunately, Honkin’ on Bobo was followed by nearly eight years of studio silence from Aerosmith. During that time the band seemingly underwent an existential crisis, and were the subject of incessant break-up rumors – partially as a result of Tyler and Perry trading public barbs and even knocking each other offstage.
Luckily, it was a precipice they were ultimately able to walk back from, finally releasing the all-original Music From Another Dimension in 2012.
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