Pandora's Box (album)

Last updated
Pandora's Box
Aerosmith - Pandora's Box.jpg
Original box cover, 1991
Box set by
ReleasedNovember 19, 1991
Recorded1966 ("When I Needed You"), 1971–1982
Genre Hard rock, blues rock
Length230:53
Label Columbia
Producer Various
Aerosmith compilation chronology
Gems
(1988)
Pandora's Box
(1991)
Pandora's Toys
(1994)
Singles from Pandora's Box
  1. "Sweet Emotion"
    Released: 1991 (re-issue)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Entertainment Weekly (B) [2]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Pandora's Box is a compilation album, released on November 19, 1991, [4] by Aerosmith. Issued by Columbia Records to capitalize on the band's newfound success with Geffen, the box set consists of three discs that cover Aerosmith's output from the 1970s and early 1980s. Alongside alternate versions, previously unreleased songs, live renditions and remixes, Pandora's Box features previously released studio material.

Contents

The original issue was as a long cardboard box, containing three CDs (each in its own jewel-case, with inserts) and a booklet that detailed the tracks and had comments from the band members. Later issues did away with the outer box, utilizing a cardboard slipcase, but reproduced the booklet in 'CD-size'.

The cover version of "Helter Skelter" is Aerosmith's third commercially released Beatles cover (after "Come Together" from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack and "I'm Down" from Permanent Vacation ), despite being the first they recorded.

Track listing

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When I Needed You" (Steven Tyler, pre-Aerosmith, with the band The Strangeurs/Chain Reaction)Barry Shapiro, Steven Tallarico, Don Solomon, Alan Strohmayer, Peter Stahl2:34
2."Make It" (from Aerosmith , with false start, 1973) Steven Tyler 3:45
3."Movin' Out" (previously unreleased alternate version from the Aerosmith sessions)Tyler, Joe Perry 5:42
4."One Way Street" (from Aerosmith)Tyler6:59
5."On the Road Again" (previously unreleased song from the Aerosmith sessions) John Sebastian [5] 3:36
6."Mama Kin" (from Aerosmith)Tyler4:25
7."Same Old Song and Dance" (from Get Your Wings , 1974)Tyler, Perry3:53
8."Train Kept A-Rollin'" (from Get Your Wings) Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, Lois Mann5:33
9."Seasons of Wither" (from Get Your Wings)Tyler5:39
10."Write Me a Letter" (previously unreleased live version)Tyler4:18
11."Dream On" (from Aerosmith)Tyler4:25
12."Pandora's Box" (from Get Your Wings)Tyler, Joey Kramer 5:42
13."Rattlesnake Shake" (previously unreleased live radio broadcast aired on WKRQ, Cincinnati) Peter Green 10:28
14."Walkin' the Dog" (previously unreleased live radio broadcast aired on WKRQ, Cincinnati) Rufus Thomas 3:13
15."Lord of the Thighs" (previously unreleased live version from Texxas Jam, Cottonbowl, Dallas, July 4, 1978)Tyler7:13
Total length:1:17:44
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Toys in the Attic" (from Toys in the Attic , 1975)Tyler, Perry3:05
2."Round and Round" (from Toys in the Attic)Tyler, Brad Whitford 5:02
3."Krawhitham" (from the Draw the Line sessions, 1977)Kramer, Whitford, Tom Hamilton 3:59
4."You See Me Crying" (from Toys in the Attic)Tyler, Don Solomon5:12
5."Sweet Emotion" (from Toys in the Attic)Tyler, Hamilton4:34
6."No More No More" (from Toys in the Attic)Tyler, Perry4:33
7."Walk This Way" (from Toys in the Attic)Tyler, Perry3:40
8."I Wanna Know Why" (previously unreleased live version from Texxas Jam, Cottonbowl, Dallas, 1978-07-04)Tyler, Perry3:04
9."Big Ten-Inch Record" (previously unreleased live version from Texxas Jam, Cottonbowl, Dallas, 1978-07-04)Fred Weismantel4:01
10."Rats in the Cellar" (From Rocks , 1976)Tyler, Perry4:06
11."Last Child" (remix of the original version from Rocks)Tyler, Whitford3:52
12."All Your Love" (previously unreleased song. Recorded at the Cenacle, Armonk, New York, May 1977) Otis Rush 5:27
13."Soul Saver" (previously unreleased rehearsal from the Toys in the Attic sessions)Tyler, Whitford0:53
14."Nobody's Fault" (from Rocks)Tyler, Whitford4:22
15."Lick and a Promise" (from Rocks)Tyler, Perry3:05
16."Adam's Apple" (previously unreleased live version recorded on tour in Indianapolis, Indiana, 1977-07-04)Tyler4:48
17."Draw the Line" (remix of the original version from Draw the Line, 1977)Tyler, Perry3:43
18."Critical Mass" (from Draw the Line)Tyler, Hamilton, Jack Douglas 4:51
Total length:1:12:38
Disc three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Kings and Queens" (from Classics Live , 1986)Tyler, Hamilton, Whitford, Kramer, Douglas5:33
2."Milkcow Blues" (from Draw the Line) Kokomo Arnold 4:15
3."I Live in Connecticut" (previously unreleased rehearsal of "Three Mile Smile" from the Night in the Ruts sessions, 1979)Tyler, Perry0:56
4."Three Mile Smile" (from Night in the Ruts)Tyler, Perry3:45
5."Let It Slide" (previously unreleased rehearsal of "Cheese Cake" from the Night in the Ruts sessions)Tyler, Perry2:55
6."Cheese Cake" (from Night in the Ruts)Tyler, Perry4:16
7."Bone to Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy)" (from Night in the Ruts)Tyler, Perry3:01
8."No Surprize" (from Night in the Ruts)Tyler, Perry4:27
9."Come Together" (from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack, 1978) John Lennon, Paul McCartney 3:46
10."Downtown Charlie" (previously unreleased song from the Night in the Ruts sessions) Aerosmith 2:34
11."Sharpshooter" (from the album Whitford/St. Holmes , 1981)Whitford, Derek St. Holmes 5:32
12."Shit House Shuffle" (previously unreleased rehearsal)Perry0:36
13."South Station Blues" (from the album I've Got the Rock'n'Rolls Again by The Joe Perry Project, 1981)Perry4:11
14."Riff & Roll" (previously unreleased song from the Rock in a Hard Place sessions, 1981–82)Tyler, Jimmy Crespo 3:18
15."Jailbait" (from Rock in a Hard Place, 1982)Tyler, Crespo4:40
16."Major Barbara" (previously unreleased alternate version, original version on Classics Live)Tyler5:06
17."Chip Away the Stone" (previously unreleased alternate version, studio version on Gems , 1988)Tyler, Perry, Richard Supa 4:07
18."Helter Skelter" (previously unreleased song from the Toys in the Attic sessions)Lennon, McCartney3:16
19."Back in the Saddle" (from Rocks)Tyler, Perry4:49
20."Circle Jerk" (previously unreleased instrumental, not listed)Whitford3:44
Total length:1:14:47

Recording locations

Reception

"Pandora's Box has 31 previously released songs and 21 live cuts, alternate takes and rarities," noted Mat Snow in Q . "Will this latter stuff be made separately available for the fan doesn't fancy shelling out for tracks already owned? Probably not… Despite high times aplenty, Pandora's Box is a career overview which offers a patchy, expensive introduction to the newcomer, and falls irritatingly between the stools of rarities collection and definitive compilation." [3]

See also

Charts

Chart (1991)Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [6] 82
US Billboard 200 [7] 45

Certification

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [8] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormatTracksLabelCatalog #BarcodeEditionSeriesNotes
USANov 19, 1991CD x 353Columbia/SMEI C3K 46209074644620924DeluxeLongbox; 64-page booklet [9]
USANov 19, 1991Cassette x 353Columbia/SMEIC3T 46209074644620948DeluxeLongbox; 64-page booklet [10]
USAMar 18, 1997CD x 353Columbia/SMEIC3K 67995074646799529Slipcase; double jewel case; 36-page booklet [11]
USAAug 6, 2002CD x 353Columbia/SMEIC3K 86567696998656727DeluxeDigibook; booklet [12]
USAFeb 1, 2008MP3 256k53Columbia/SBME C3K 46209074644620924album only [13] [14]
USAFeb 1, 2008MP3 256k53Columbia/SBMEC3K 86567696998656727album only [15] [16]
USAJul 1, 2009MP3 192k53Columbia/SME C3K 86567696998656727album only [17] [18]
USAOct 6, 2009MP3 320k53Columbia/SMEC3K 46209074644620924indiv. tracks; approx. date; issued between Oct 6 - Nov 28, 2009 [19] [20] [21]
USAOct 6, 2009MP3 320k53Columbia/SMEC3K 86567696998656727album only; approx. date; issued between Oct 6 - Nov 28, 2009 [20] [22]
USAAug 26, 2011MP3 256k53Columbia/SMEC3K 4620907464462092451 indiv. tracks, 2 album only [23] [24]
USAAug 26, 2011MP3 320k53Columbia/SMEC3K 4620907464462092452 indiv. tracks, 1 album only [25]
USASep 6, 2011AAC 256k53Columbia/SMEC3K 4620907464462092451 indiv. tracks, 2 album only [26] [27]
USADec 2014MP3 320k + AAC 320k53Columbia/SMEC3K 4620907464462092451 indiv. tracks, 2 album only; approx. date; issued between Dec 11 - 17, 2014 [28] [29] [30]
USADec 2014FLAC 44.1/1653Columbia/SMEC3K 4620907464462092451 indiv. tracks, 2 album only; approx. date; issued between Dec 11 - 17, 2014 [28] [29] [30]

References

  1. Pandora's Box at AllMusic
  2. Bill Wyman (1991-12-06). "Pandora's Box Review". EW.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2008. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  3. 1 2 Snow, Mat (March 1992). "Tough". Q . p. 84.
  4. "Pandora's box". Amazon.
  5. "Original versions of On the Road Again by Aerosmith | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  6. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2041". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  7. "Aerosmith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  8. "American album certifications – Aerosmith – Pandora's Box". Recording Industry Association of America.
  9. "Pandora's Box, Box Set". Amazon.
  10. "Pandora's Box, Box Set". Amazon.
  11. "Pandora's Box, Box Set". Amazon.
  12. "Pandora's Box, Display Box, Box Set". Amazon.
  13. "Pandora's Box". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2008-02-15.
  14. "Pandora's Box [BOX SET]". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  15. "Pandora's Box (Display Box)". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2008-04-20.
  16. "Pandora's Box (Dlx) [BOX SET]". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2008-01-04.
  17. Masnick, Mike (Jul 2, 2009). "Even More eMusic Features Disabled?". techdirt.
  18. "Pandora's Box (Display Box". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2009-07-06.
  19. "7digital Launches In North America, With LA Head". socalTECH.com. October 6, 2009.
  20. 1 2 "Aerosmith". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2009-11-28.
  21. "Pandora's Box". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2010-03-14.
  22. "Pandora's Box (Display Box)". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2010-04-09.
  23. "MP3 Albums". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  24. "Pandora's Box". Armadillo Music.
  25. "Pandora's Box". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2011-11-02.
  26. "Aerosmith's Classic Columbia Records Catalog (1973-1987) to Debut on the iTunes Store Tuesday, September 6". Sony.
  27. "Aerosmith". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2011-12-26.
  28. 1 2 "Pandora's Box". 7Digital.
  29. 1 2 "Tom Waits: Latest Releases". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2014-12-11.
  30. 1 2 "7DIGITAL UNITED STATES". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2014-12-17.