Our 10 Favorite Aerosmith Songs Of The 70s

Photo: By Julio Aprea (Steven & Joe) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Our 10 favorite Aerosmith songs of the 1970s present a list of songs that we grew up with during that wonderful decade of classic rock music. We love the music Aerosmith has delivered in every decade since they first started hitting the concert stage. However, we believe the heart of Aerosmith beat strongest during their hard-rocking, gritty 1970s albums. Those records helped the band develop a hardcore fan base that has remained loyally dedicated since the release of “Dream On” in 1973.

# 10 – Milk Cow Blues

Starting our Top 10 Aerosmith Songs list is the song that closes the great Draw the Line album. Aerosmith’s “Milk Cow Blues” was written and originally recorded by blues musician Kokomo Arnold in 1934. The song has since been recorded by numerous blues, country, and rock and roll artists.

The band was often compared to the Rolling Stones early in Aerosmith’s career. It was a fitting comparison because of the blues element that drove the band’s rhythm section. However, at times, Aerosmith’s groove tilted more toward the phrasing of Led Zeppelin. Aerosmith’s version of “Milk Cow Blues” teeters between those influences while reaffirming the blues inspiration that drove so many rock musicians of the period.

# 9 – Last Child

The 1970s gave birth to some of the greatest guitar riffs in classic rock history. Aerosmith fully participated in that process by delivering albums filled with glorious guitar riffs that hooked the masses into heavenly rock and roll bliss.

On Aerosmith’s recording of “Last Child,” Steven Tyler and Brad Whitford contributed one of the band’s greatest riffs to the classic rock catalog. The song was released on the Rocks album in 1976. “Last Child” was the first single released from the record and reached number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100.

# 8 – Sweet Emotion

With the release of the “Sweet Emotion” single on May 19, 1975, the world was introduced to a group that would become one of the most beloved bands in rock and roll history. “Sweet Emotion” was the lead single from Aerosmith’s blockbuster Toys in the Attic album.

The song was written by Steven Tyler and Tom Hamilton, which helps explain its unforgettable opening bass line. “Sweet Emotion” elevated the band onto the world stage and led the way for the eventual release of one of their biggest songs, “Walk This Way.” The success of “Sweet Emotion” and Toys in the Attic also encouraged Columbia Records to reissue “Dream On” from the band’s debut album.

# 7 – Train Kept a-Rollin’

Aerosmith’s version of the legendary rhythm and blues song “Train Kept a-Rollin’” was released on the band’s second album, Get Your Wings, in 1974. Tiny Bradshaw first recorded the song in 1951. The Rock and Roll Trio later transformed it into a guitar-driven rock and roll performance, and the Yardbirds created another influential version during the 1960s.

Aerosmith had performed the song in concert from the band’s early days and decided to record a studio version for their sophomore album. At the time, many listeners considered the Yardbirds’ recording the definitive rock version. However, Aerosmith’s recording has since become just as legendary.

# 6 – Back in the Saddle

After the enormous success of the Toys in the Attic album, Aerosmith faced the task of delivering a record that would satisfy their hardcore fans while maintaining their commercial success.

With the release of Rocks, it became apparent that Aerosmith was more concerned with artistic integrity than chart position. Rocks was a hard-rocking, intense masterpiece filled with delicious licks and striated grooves worthy of an album called Rocks. “Back in the Saddle” stood as the opening track and quickly annihilated any doubts that Aerosmith would have trouble following Toys in the Attic.

# 5 – Lick and a Promise

If you want to explain to a younger person what screaming classic rock guitar riffs and legendary dual-guitar solos are all about, all you have to do is play this tune. Holy smokes, does this thing rock.

There is nothing like starting a killer tune with a slamming drum introduction that blows your head off. Bam, that is what I am talking about, baby. “Lick and a Promise” was released on Rocks. If you do not own this album, you are doing something wrong with your life.

# 4 – Draw the Line

Aerosmith’s 1977 Draw the Line should be heralded as the band’s most underrated album. Perhaps that is because it stood in the shadows of Rocks and Toys in the Attic.

Regardless of the album’s place in the Aerosmith legacy, it presented fans with some of the strongest tracks of the band’s career. Two songs from the record appear on this list. After “Milk Cow Blues” opened the countdown, the album’s lead track, “Draw the Line,” comes in at number four. Tom Hamilton’s eminent bass line, doubled by the conspicuous guitar work of Brad Whitford and Joe Perry, helped give birth to one of Aerosmith’s most significant recordings.

# 3 – Walk This Way

Two of the top three songs on this Top 10 Aerosmith Songs list usually find their way to the top of most writers’ best-of-Aerosmith rankings. “Walk This Way” is the first. It can easily be argued that it was the most important song in the band’s history. The recording catapulted Aerosmith to superstardom alongside bands such as the Rolling Stones and the Who. For a band known for iconic rock and roll riffs, “Walk This Way” shines as perhaps their most recognizable.

The song was released as the second single from Toys in the Attic, following “Sweet Emotion.” The original Aerosmith recording reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977.

Run-D.M.C. recorded a new version with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry for the 1986 album Raising Hell. The success of that rap-rock collaboration helped revitalize Aerosmith after the band had faded from the commercial spotlight during the early 1980s.

# 2 – Dream On

It can easily be argued that Aerosmith’s “Dream On” was one of the first great heavy rock power ballads. The song was released on the band’s debut album in 1973. However, it did not become a major national hit until Columbia Records reissued it following the success of Toys in the Attic.

“Dream On” reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. It may be the most beloved Aerosmith song in the band’s catalog. Steven Tyler’s incomparable vocals, floating above those glorious piano and guitar changes, have left fans with one of rock and roll’s most celebrated and treasured songs.

# 1 – Nobody’s Fault

If we had to choose one song that defined the best qualities and attributes of Aerosmith, we would choose “Nobody’s Fault.” The song’s commercial popularity does not come close to that of the band’s multitude of hits. However, ask any hardcore Aerosmith fan to name the group’s best work, and chances are that person will point toward “Nobody’s Fault.”

The song was released on the Rocks album in 1976. It is not necessary to define all the reasons why this song stands as a true representation of the essence of Aerosmith. All it takes is one listen, and everything becomes completely clear.