| Live! Bootleg | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | October 1978 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 1973, 1977, 1978 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 75:39 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Aerosmith live chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Live! Bootleg | ||||
| ||||
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.
During their 1978 tour, several of the band's concerts were professionally recorded by producer Jack Douglas for radio broadcast, and subsequently bootlegged. Douglas remembers, "At the same time that we were recording that album [Draw the Line], we were doing live radio broadcasts. Right over the air, man. There were some amazing bootlegs made from those broadcasts." [2] In an effort to combat the illegal records, the band's management asked Douglas to compile the double live album. The design of the album is intended to imitate the poor production of contemporary bootleg records, even going so far as to give an incorrect track listing: the song "Draw the Line" is included on the record but does not appear listed; the track is a hidden track after "Mother Popcorn".
In addition to previously unrecorded covers "I Ain't Got You" and "Mother Popcorn", the album also features a version of "Train Kept A-Rollin'" which inserts an uncredited "Strangers in the Night". The record also features the first record appearance of Richie Supa's "Chip Away the Stone" (the studio version of this song would later be released on a 1980 reissue of the "Draw the Line" single), and one of their first live performances of the Beatles "Come Together", which they recorded for the soundtrack album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band .
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10 [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
The back of the CD cover includes two coffee stains over the picture of Joe Perry playing before a live audience. The original LP cover had the coffee stains, but not the picture of Perry, which was part of the gatefold artwork.
In the band memoir Walk this Way , Perry recalls, "I didn't want to do a live album at the time because there were so many perfect live albums coming out, all doctored and fixed and overdubbed. Big deal. Double live album - 'standard of the industry'. I felt like we had to avoid that and do a real live album like Live at Leeds or Get Yer Ya Ya's Out or that old Kinks album." [6] In his own 2014 memoir Rocks, Perry said that the idea behind the LP confounded their label Columbia: "We were working on Live! Bootleg!, an album of old shows that we intentionally wanted to sound bootlegged. A couple of those tracks were recorded off air onto a cassette. It had hiss all over it. We left on the hiss because the hiss was real. But I'm not sure Columbia ever understood our concept. They wanted a clean sound, but we wanted to keep it real. That's the thrill of a real bootleg." [7] Singer Tyler states, "The album is a reflection of the band, as we feel and sound. It features material and experiences taken from all types of concerts we've played. It's really the essence of the whole band." [8]
Guns 'n' Roses guitarist Slash has expressed his affection for the album. He explains,
That was the big one for me. Live! Bootleg is one of the most underrated albums of all time, one of the best live Rock 'n' Roll albums ever made. It started the trend for me to go out and discover new bands by buying their live albums, because that way I could get all the best songs and for me the whole live thing was the most exciting thing in the world. The way that Live! Bootleg starts with "Back In The Saddle", that whole intro with the crowd going crazy and the flash-pots going off, that whole build-up, made it so exciting to me. [9]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back in the Saddle" (Indianapolis, IN, July 4, 1977) | Steven Tyler, Joe Perry | 4:25 |
| 2. | "Sweet Emotion" (Chicago, IL, March 23, 1978) | Tyler, Tom Hamilton | 4:42 |
| 3. | "Lord of the Thighs" (Chicago, IL, March 23, 1978) | Tyler | 7:18 |
| 4. | "Toys in the Attic" (Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA, March 28, 1978) | Tyler, Perry | 3:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Last Child" (The Paradise Club, Boston, MA, August 9, 1978) | Tyler, Brad Whitford | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Come Together" (The Wherehouse, Waltham, MA, August 21, 1978) | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | 4:51 |
| 7. | "Walk This Way" (Detroit, MI, April 2, 1978) | Tyler, Perry | 3:46 |
| 8. | "Sick as a Dog" (Indianapolis, IN, July 4, 1977) | Tyler, Hamilton | 4:42 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dream On" (Louisville, KY, July 3, 1977) | Tyler | 4:31 |
| 2. | "Chip Away the Stone" (Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA, April 8, 1978) | Richard Supa | 4:12 |
| 3. | "Sight for Sore Eyes" (Columbus, OH, March 24, 1978) | Tyler, Perry, Jack Douglas, David Johansen | 3:18 |
| 4. | "Mama Kin" (Indianapolis, IN, July 4, 1977) | Tyler | 3:43 |
| 5. | "S.O.S. (Too Bad)" (Indianapolis, IN, July 4, 1977) | Tyler | 2:46 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "I Ain't Got You" (Paul's Mall, Boston, MA, April 23, 1973; WBCN-FM radio simulcast) | Calvin Carter [10] | 3:57 |
| 7. | "Mother Popcorn" / "Draw the Line [*]" (Paul's Mall, Boston, MA, April 23, 1973; WBCN-FM radio simulcast / Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia, PA, March 26, 1978) | James Brown, Pee Wee Ellis / Tyler, Perry | 11:35 |
| 8. | "Train Kept A-Rollin'" / "Strangers in the Night" (Detroit, MI, April 2, 1978) | Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, Lois Mann / Bert Kaempfert, Charlie Singleton, Eddie Snyder | 4:51 |
[*] "Draw the Line" is featured as a hidden track at the end of "Mother Popcorn"
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada) [17] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA) [18] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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".
Rocks is the fourth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on 3 May 1976. AllMusic described Rocks as having "captured Aerosmith at their most raw and rocking." Rocks was ranked number 366 on the updated Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020. It has influenced many hard rock and heavy metal artists, including Guns N' Roses, Metallica, and Nirvana. The album was a commercial success, charting three singles on the Billboard Hot 100, two of which reached the Top 40. The album was one of the first to ship platinum when it was released, and has since gone quadruple platinum.
Toys in the Attic is the third studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on April 8, 1975, by Columbia Records. Its first single, "Sweet Emotion", was released on May 19 and the original version of "Walk This Way" followed on August 28 in the same year. The album is the band's most commercially successful studio LP in the United States, with nine million copies sold, according to the RIAA. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 228 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album's title track and their collaboration with Run-DMC on a cover version of "Walk This Way" are included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".
Draw the Line is the fifth studio album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released on December 9, 1977. It was recorded between June–October in an abandoned convent near New York City. The portrait of the band on the album cover was drawn by the celebrity caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.
Night in the Ruts is the sixth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 16, 1979, by Columbia Records. Guitarist Joe Perry left the band midway through the album's recording.
Aerosmith is the debut studio album by the American rock band Aerosmith, released on January 5, 1973, by Columbia Records. "Dream On", originally released as a single in 1973, became an American top ten hit when re-released on 27 December 1975. The album peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard 200 album chart in 1976.
Get Your Wings is the second studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on March 15, 1974. The album was their first to be produced by Jack Douglas, who also was responsible for the band's next three albums. Three singles were released from the album, but none reached the singles charts.
Done with Mirrors is the eighth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 4, 1985. It marked the return to the band of guitarists Joe Perry, who left in 1979 and Brad Whitford, who departed in 1981. The band's first album on Geffen Records, it was intended as their ‘comeback’. However, the record failed to live up to commercial expectations despite positive reviews.
"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.
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.
Jack Douglas is an American record producer. He is known for his work with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, and the New York Dolls, among other rock artists in the 1970s and 1980s; notably he produced four successful albums for Aerosmith.
Jimmy Crespo is an American guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for Aerosmith from 1979 until 1984. He co-wrote "Rock in a Hard Place" with Steven Tyler, and has performed or recorded with Rod Stewart, Billy Squier, Meat Loaf, Stevie Nicks, Robert Fleischman, Rough Cutt, Renegade, Flame and others.
"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.
"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.
"Kings and Queens" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Jack Douglas, their producer, who helped the band write many of the songs on Draw the Line. Douglas also played the mandolin featured in the song. The song first appeared on the album Draw the Line in December 1977 and was released as a single on February 21, 1978. The song was also used as a B-side to Aerosmith's version of The Beatles' "Come Together", released to promote the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film and soundtrack.
"Mother Popcorn (You Got to Have a Mother for Me)" is a song recorded by James Brown and released as a two-part single in 1969. A #1 R&B and #11 Pop hit, it was the highest-charting of a series of recordings inspired by the popular dance the Popcorn which Brown made that year, including "The Popcorn", "Lowdown Popcorn", and "Let a Man Come In and Do the Popcorn". The "mother" of the song's title was, in the words of biographer RJ Smith, "[Brown's] honorific for a big butt".
"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. 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."
Music from Another Dimension! is the fifteenth and latest studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on November 6, 2012, by Columbia Records. Their first studio album since 2004's Honkin' on Bobo, as well as the first to feature all-new material since 2001's Just Push Play, its release marks the longest gap between Aerosmith's studio albums. The album was released in a single CD edition, along with a deluxe version. It is the last album in Aerosmith's recording contract with Sony/Columbia Records and was produced by Jack Douglas, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Marti Frederiksen. It is also their longest studio album with total track time of nearly 68 minutes.
"Get It Up" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, the song features Karen Lawrence, singer of the band L.A. Jets, on the chorus. It was released in 1978 as the third and final single from their album Draw the Line. The single also included "Milk Cow Blues" as a B-side. The single failed to break into the singles chart. The guitar is noted for its usage of slide guitar. The single had a reference to the next track on the album, "Bright Light Fright". The song was played occasionally by the band during the Aerosmith Express Tour from 1977 to 1978 in support of the Draw the Line album.
...1978...joined by keyboardist and backing vocalist Mark Radice
