In August, Aerosmith announced that their already-postponed farewell tour was canceled and that they were retiring from touring as a result of lead singer Steven Tyler’s vocal injury. This broke my heart. Aerosmith was the first rock band I ever loved. “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” “Crazy,” “Dream On,” “Walk This Way” … it just didn’t get any better. I remain a steadfast Aerosmith fan to this day and was crushed when I found out I would never see them on tour. This week, I’ve decided to review the 1986 record Permanent Vacation to pay homage to Aerosmith’s legacy and Steven Tyler’s incredible voice.
Permanent Vacation begins with the electrifying “Heart’s Done Time” in what I would unabashedly deem one of the most energizing openers to a hard rock album ever. Although the song is lyrically simplistic, it’s amazingly effective. Tyler punctuates the song with his signature belts, showcasing right off the bat what his voice can do, and Joe Perry’s guitar only enhances its power. Next is “Magic Touch” which Tyler admitted felt “a little stupid, commercial,” but I personally really enjoy it. It’s nothing super out of the ordinary — it’s catchy and fun, which we already knew Aerosmith could do, but Tyler’s crazy vocals make it sound special. Though I have to confess — when he sings “You better get it while it’s hot now, babe / ‘Cause I can’t let go” I couldn’t help but think of Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” … sorry, but it had to be said.
“Magic Touch” is followed up by “Rag Doll,” a bluesy track that strangely opens with the chorus. Tyler has the perfect amount of rasp in his voice — as he is wont to do — and Perry delivers an absolutely smashing guitar break — as he is also wont to do. If that wasn’t enough, Tyler also gifts us with some amusing scatting on the outro. Tyler shows off his vocal ability even more on “Simoriah,” a track even more intoxicating than Tyler finds the woman that it’s about.
“Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” is one of the most iconic songs off Permanent Vacation, and for good reason — it’s just so singable and has such an interesting backstory. Desmond Child, who worked with the band on this song, explained that “[Tyler] got the idea because [Aerosmith] had gone to a bar and had seen a girl at the end of the bar with ginormous blonde rock hair, and the girl turned around and it ended up being Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe. So then they started making fun of him and started saying, ‘That dude looks like a lady…’”
“St. John” features Perry’s grungy, deep guitar at center stage and a repetition-heavy chorus that just works. Tyler lays off the vocal gymnastics here and takes a lower tone, allowing Perry to have his moment. “Hangman Jury” starts with a folksy, almost bluegrassy intro and progressively gets bigger and louder. It’s a bit eclectic and really goes to show how Aerosmith can make any instruments sound like they belong together.
The band takes a swing in the other direction of genre with “Girl Keeps Coming Apart,” an upbeat, rousing track that gains a bit of a big band component with the addition of trumpets. And, as usual, Perry’s guitar hits just right. “‘Girl Keeps Coming Apart’ was fun and a great workout,” he said of the song. “When I started playing the riff, that’s exactly what I envisioned — something funky with wild horns pumping away. But when we played it live, it went right over our fans’ heads. Phshew! … our audience is not like that. They wanna hear rock ‘n’ roll.”
“Angel” is one of my all time favorite Aerosmith songs. It rouses you from the very first note, and Tyler’s vocals are just beautiful. He demonstrates how flexible his voice is with some exemplary vocal flips as he begs: “I’ve suffered and I’ve seen the light / Baby, you’re my angel / Come and save me tonight / You’re my angel / Come and make it alright.” “Permanent Vacation” is another song like “Heart’s Done Time” that isn’t exactly lyrically complex but is still a fun listen. “I’m Down” is short, sweet and honest: “How can you laugh when you know I’m down?” Tyler asks. You just can’t help but head bop to this one. The album closes out with “The Movie,” an intense instrumental piece that is engaging even without lyrics and includes a dollop of Gaelic in the middle — an intriguing choice, but one I would be willing to get behind for Aerosmith.
Listening to Permanent Vacation only solidified what I already knew: Aerosmith was the best foray into rock music I could have asked for as a child. After re-listening, I feel especially grateful for the music Aerosmith has given us, but above all I feel grateful Tyler is putting his health first.
Test Spins is a weekly throwback column reviewing and recommending classic and underrated albums from the past. It runs every Friday.
Sydney Levinton is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].