Permanent Vacation [LP] in Bloomington, MN

The much-ballyhooed reunion of the original
Aerosmith
lineup had pretty much fallen flat on its face after 1985's hit-and-miss
Done With Mirrors
. Realizing that the band simply couldn't do it alone, A&R guru
John Kalodner
capitalized on the runaway success of
Run-D.M.C.
's cover of
"Walk This Way"
and decided to draft in the day's top hired hands, including knob-twiddler extraordinaire
Bruce Fairbairn
and career-revitalizing song doctors
Desmond Child
and
Jim Vallance
. Together, they would help craft
Permanent Vacation
, the album which would reinvent
as '80s and '90s superstars. Yet, despite the mostly stellar songwriting, which makes it a strong effort overall, some of the album's nooks and crannies haven't aged all that well because of
Fairbairn
's overwrought production, featuring an exaggerated sleekness typical of most mid-'80s
pop-metal
albums. Furthermore,
's pedantic writing often compromises the timeliness of even the best material. On the other hand, pre-fab radio gems like
"Rag Doll"
"Dude (Looks Like a Lady)"
remain largely unassailable from a "delivering the goods" perspective. But remember kids, this is
, so that can only mean one thing: a guaranteed number of incredible tracks for any time and place. These include the earthy voodoo
blues
of
"St. John"
and the excellent hobo-harmonica fable of
"Hangman Jury."
And, although some of the remaining cuts lean to the filler side, both the awkwardly Caribbean title track and the cover of
the Beatles
'
"I'm Down"
are well executed. Finally, the crowd-pleasing schmaltz of
"Angel"
showcases the band at the peak of its power
ballad
cheese. A valiant effort, this album proved to be the crucial catalyst in reintroducing
to the masses, but if you're looking for an even better example of the band's renewed strength, check out
Pump
first. ~ John Franck & Ed Rivadavia