Chip Away the Stone

Last updated
"Chip Away the Stone"
Aerosmith-Chip-Away-The-Sto-808.jpg
Single by Aerosmith
from the album Live! Bootleg
B-side
  • 1. "S.O.S. (Too Bad)" (Live version)
  • 2. "Chip Away the Stone" (Live version)
ReleasedDecember 8, 1978
1989 (re-issue)
RecordedApril 8, 1978 at Santa Monica
June 4, 1978 at Long View Farms
Genre
Length4:02
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Richard Supa
Producer(s) Jack Douglas
Aerosmith singles chronology
"Come Together"
(1978)
"Chip Away the Stone"
(1978)
"Remember (Walking in the Sand)"
(1980)

"Chip Away the Stone" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Written by Richie Supa, a friend and sometime collaborator with the band, it was released in 1978 as the only single to support the band's live album Live! Bootleg . It also appeared on the Cal Jam II live album, despite being the same recording from Live! Bootleg at Santa Monica. [2] The lyrics describe the narrator's attempt to seduce a beautiful woman who is "actin' like a prima donna [and] playin' so hard to get", and who is attracting the attention of men who compete for her attention: "while the boys all promenade."

Contents

The live version that appears on Live! Bootleg was recorded in Santa Monica on April 8, 1978. The single also featured a studio version of the track, which was recorded at Long View Farm studio in Massachusetts on June 4, 1978, with the single's B-side being live versions of both "Chip Away the Stone" and "S.O.S. (Too Bad)" from their 1974 album Get Your Wings . The front and back cover of Night in the Ruts come from a photoshoot originally intended for the cover of this single. [3] "Chip Away the Stone" peaked at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978, breaking the band's run of Top-40 charting singles in the United States at the time.

The song was also included on the albums Gems in 1988 (studio version - its first appearance on an Aerosmith album), Pandora's Box in 1991 (alternate studio version), and Greatest Hits 1973–1988 in 2004. Live video is also featured on Aerosmith Video Scrapbook . The song re-charted in 1988 at #13 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, when it was included on the collection Gems, 10 years after its initial release. The 1989 single contains the original studio version of "S.O.S (Too Bad)" as the B side.

The song was a regular part of the setlist in Aerosmith concerts in 1978, but only occasionally played live after that year.

35 years after its release, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry performed this song with Randy Jackson and members of the house band on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on January 20, 2012.

Music video

A music video, directed by Arnold Levine, was produced to promote the original single. A different video, consisting of excerpts from Aerosmith concerts over the years, was produced ten years later to promote the Gems album in 1988.

Cover versions

Humble Pie covered the song on their 1981 album Go for the Throat .

New Bomb Turks covered the song on their 2003 album Switchblade Tongues, Butterknife Brains.

Vince Neil, Blues Saraceno, Ricky Phillips, Pat Torpey and Paul Taylor covered the song for the Aerosmith tribute album Not the Same Old Song and Dance (Eagle Records, 1999). Backing vocals were by David Glen Eisley.

The Hot Club of Cowtown did a tongue-in-cheek country-style version on their 2002 album Ghost Train.

Guns N' Roses covered part of the song during their Up Close and Personal Tour. [4]

RagDolls, an all female Aerosmith tribute band, performed the song as part of their set during their premier performance in October 2020.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerosmith</span> American rock band

Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums), and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has also incorporated elements of pop rock, heavy metal, glam metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequent rock artists. Aerosmith is sometimes referred to as "the Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". The primary songwriting team of Tyler and Perry is sometimes referred to as the "Toxic Twins".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Come Together</span> 1969 single by the Beatles

"Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on the band's 1969 album Abbey Road and was also released as a double A-side single with "Something". The song reached the top of the charts in the United States and Australia but peaked at No. 4 in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Emotion</span> 1975 single by Aerosmith

"Sweet Emotion" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1975 on their third studio album Toys in the Attic by Columbia Records. It was released as a single on May 19, 1975. The song began a string of pop hits and large-scale success for the band that would continue for the remainder of the 1970s. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and bassist Tom Hamilton, produced by Jack Douglas and recorded at Record Plant studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Cold Crazy</span> 1974 song by Queen

"Stone Cold Crazy" is a song written and performed by British rock band Queen for their 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack. It is a rare, early example of all four members sharing a writing credit. Although the song was not released as a single at the time, it was performed live at almost every Queen concert from 1974 to 1978. "Stone Cold Crazy" is included on the band's 1992 compilation album, Classic Queen and was released as a promo single in that year by Hollywood Records.

<i>Gems</i> (Aerosmith album) 1988 compilation album by Aerosmith

Gems is a compilation album released by Aerosmith in 1988 under the label Columbia. It was the first compilation of studio material since 1980's Greatest Hits. Concentrating mainly on heavier material than the radio-friendly singles output on Greatest Hits, the album is noted for the inclusion of the 1978 studio version of "Chip Away The Stone" – previously released as a single from 1978's Live! Bootleg, only a live rendition of the song was released at the time. Originally scheduled for release on November 8, 1988, the album was delayed one week and issued on November 15, 1988.

Classics Live and Classics Live II are a set of albums by American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1986 and 1987, respectively. Together, they constitute the band's second live offering, after Live! Bootleg. Classics Live I has gone platinum while Classics Live II has gone gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dream On (Aerosmith song)</span> 1973 single by Aerosmith

"Dream On" is a power ballad by American rock band Aerosmith, from their 1973 eponymous debut album. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, this song was their first major hit and became a classic rock radio staple. Released in June 1973, it peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 but hit big in the band's native Boston, where it was the number one single of the year on WBZ-FM, number five for the year on WRKO and number 16 on WMEX (AM). The song also received immediate heavy airplay on the former WVBF (FM), often showing up in the #1 position on "The Top Five at Five" in June 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock and Roll All Nite</span> 1975 single by Kiss

"Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1975 album Dressed to Kill. It was released as the A-side of their fifth single, with the album track "Getaway". The studio version of the song peaked at No. 68 on the Billboard singles chart, besting the band's previous charting single, "Kissin' Time" (#89). A subsequent live version, released as a single in October 1975, eventually reached No. 12 in early 1976, the first of six Top 20 songs for Kiss in the 1970s. "Rock and Roll All Nite" became Kiss's signature song and has served as the group's closing concert number in almost every concert since 1976. In 2008, it was named the 16th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mama Kin</span> 1973 single by Aerosmith

"Mama Kin" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith, which appears on their 1973 self-titled debut album. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler. It was a staple of Aerosmith concerts and appeared on several live albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Draw the Line (song)</span> Song by Aerosmith

"Draw the Line" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, and was released in 1977 as the first single from the album Draw the Line. It peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was included on their album Greatest Hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Train Kept A-Rollin'</span> Song first recorded by Tiny Bradshaw in 1951

"Train Kept A-Rollin'" is a song first recorded by American jazz and rhythm and blues musician Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. Originally performed in the style of a jump blues, Bradshaw borrowed lyrics from an earlier song and set them to an upbeat shuffle arrangement that inspired other musicians to perform and record it. Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio made an important contribution in 1956 – they reworked it as a guitar riff-driven song, which features an early use of intentionally distorted guitar in rock music.

<i>Live! Bootleg</i> 1978 live album by Aerosmith

Live! Bootleg is a double live album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released in October 1978. While most of the performances were drawn from concerts in 1977 and 1978, "I Ain't Got You" and "Mother Popcorn" were taken from a radio broadcast of a Boston performance on March 20, 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Last Child</span> Song by Aerosmith

"Last Child" is a song by American rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Brad Whitford and released as the first single from the album Rocks in 1976. It peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, one of a string of hits for the band in the mid-1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Over Now (Alice in Chains song)</span> 1996 single by Alice in Chains

"Over Now" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. Written by Jerry Cantrell, who also sings lead vocals, the song is the last track on the band's third studio album, Alice in Chains (1995), and it is about the 1995 breakup of the band. The song closed the televised broadcast of Alice in Chains' MTV Unplugged performance, and that version was released as a single in 1996. The B-side is the original studio version. The single peaked at No. 4 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and at No. 24 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1996. The song was included on the live album Unplugged (1996), on the box set Music Bank (1999), and the compilation album The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). The MTV Unplugged concert was the first and only time that Alice in Chains performed the song. It was performed again 23 years later at Jerry Cantrell's solo concert at the Pico Union Project in Los Angeles on December 6, 2019.

"Lord of the Thighs" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith. It was written by frontman Steven Tyler, and released on the band's 1974 album Get Your Wings. Drummer Joey Kramer has said it is his favorite song to perform live. Kramer and singer Steven Tyler have each said that he alone was the subject of the song's title. The song has remained a live staple since its release.

<i>Made in America</i> (EP) 1997 EP by Aerosmith

Made In America is an EP by Aerosmith, originally released on March 18, 1997, by Columbia/Sony Music. The EP was sold exclusively at Wal-Marts in Canada and the United States to coincide with the release of the Nine Lives album. On February 8, 2001, Columbia/Sony reissued the EP in the US for general release. This release was also exported to many different countries including Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Far Away Eyes</span> 1978 single by the Rolling Stones

"Far Away Eyes" is the sixth track from the English rock band the Rolling Stones' 1978 album, Some Girls. It was released, as the B-side of the single "Miss You", on Rolling Stones Records, on 9 June 1978. Rolling Stone magazine made it the 73rd song on their list of 100 Greatest Rolling Stone's Songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toys in the Attic (song)</span> 1975 single by Aerosmith

"Toys in the Attic" is a song by American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, it is the first song and title track from the band's third album Toys in the Attic, their bestselling studio album in the United States. It was released as the B-side to the "You See Me Crying" single in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No More Sorrow</span> 2007 promotional single by Linkin Park

"No More Sorrow" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song serves as eighth track from their third studio album, Minutes to Midnight. The song was performed live and was included in the live album Road to Revolution: Live at Milton Keynes. The live version of the song was released as a promotional single in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let Rock Rule Tour</span> 2014 concert tour by Aerosmith

The Let Rock Rule Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Aerosmith that featured Slash as the opening act. The tour sent both acts to various locations across North America from July to September 2014 and included two festival concerts and eighteen regular concerts. In addition, Aerosmith performed a private show in the middle of the tour. Slash with Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators did not perform at Rock Fest in Wisconsin or at the private show, but performed at all of the other concerts.

References

  1. 1 2 Eddy, Chuck (22 March 1997). "The Power Ballad Revolution". The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 58. ISBN   0-306-80741-6.
  2. Davis, p. 328
  3. Davis, p. 320
  4. "Guns N' Roses Concert Setlist at The O2 Arena, London on June 1, 2012". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 2016-10-13.