Aerosmith
Five guys from Boston who played so hard they nearly killed themselves, came back from the dead, and then sold more records than before. That's Aerosmith. Steven Tyler's mouth, Joe Perry's guitar, and a catalogue of riffs that spans five decades. They didn't just survive the excess of rock and roll — they turned the comeback into an art form.
Why It Works
Listen to Aerosmith's essential discography on Mixtuby — the 1973 debut, Toys in the Attic, Rocks, Permanent Vacation, Pump, and Get a Grip. 59 tracks from Dream On to Crazy, from Walk This Way to Janie's Got a Gun. No ads interrupting the guitar solo on Sweet Emotion. No shuffle breaking the Rocks album flow. Press play and the Toxic Twins are in your headphones.
Why Mixtuby
Unlike Spotify or Apple Music, Mixtuby doesn't need an account. Open the page, hit play, Dream On starts. We keep Aerosmith's catalog organised chronologically so you can follow the full story — the raw 70s blues-rock, the drug-fueled collapse, the miraculous Geffen-era comeback with Bruce Fairbairn and Desmond Child, and the massive 90s pop-rock peak. Two careers in one band.
Discography
Explore the complete Aerosmith studio albums. Click any album to see the full track list and listen.
Biography
Aerosmith formed in Boston in 1970 when vocalist Steven Tyler met guitarist Joe Perry at a club in Sunapee, New Hampshire. They added Brad Whitford on guitar, Tom Hamilton on bass, and Joey Kramer on drums — a lineup that stayed together, with brief interruptions, for over fifty years. They signed with Columbia Records in 1972.
The first three albums — Aerosmith (1973), Get Your Wings (1974), and Toys in the Attic (1975) — built them from a Stones-copying bar band into arena headliners. Dream On became their first hit. Walk This Way and Sweet Emotion made them superstars.
Rocks (1976) is the hard rock masterpiece — raw, aggressive, and Keith Richards himself called it his favourite American rock album.
Then drugs destroyed everything. Perry left in 1979. Whitford followed.
The early 80s were a wasteland. But sobriety and a Run-DMC collaboration on Walk This Way in 1986 relaunched the entire career. Permanent Vacation (1987), Pump (1989), and Get a Grip (1993) sold tens of millions of copies and produced a string of power ballads — Cryin', Crazy, Amazing — that dominated MTV.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Retirement in 2024 after Tyler's vocal cord injury. Over 150 million records sold.
History
The debut Aerosmith (January 1973) is a blues-rock album that lives or dies on Dream On — Steven Tyler's piano ballad that builds to one of the great rock screams. The rest is raw and unpolished, but Mama Kin and Walkin' the Dog show a band that worships the Rolling Stones and isn't shy about it.
Toys in the Attic (April 1975) is the breakthrough. Walk This Way — that funk-rock riff from Joe Perry, Tyler's rapid-fire lyrics — changed what rock radio could sound like. Sweet Emotion opens with one of the most recognisable bass lines in rock.
The album went eight times platinum.
Rocks (May 1976) is the one the musicians love. Back in the Saddle, Last Child, Nobody's Fault, Rats in the Cellar — it's meaner, dirtier, and more dangerous than anything before. Kurt Cobain called it one of his favourite albums.
Slash learned guitar playing along to it. This is the blueprint that Guns N' Roses would build Appetite for Destruction on.
After the lost years, Permanent Vacation (1987) marked the comeback: Dude (Looks Like a Lady), Rag Doll, Angel — polished hits produced by Bruce Fairbairn. Pump (1989) went deeper: Love in an Elevator, Janie's Got a Gun (about child abuse — brave for a hair metal era), What It Takes. Get a Grip (1993) was the commercial peak: Cryin', Crazy, Amazing, Livin' on the Edge — 20 million copies sold worldwide, Alicia Silverstone in every video.
Legacy & Influence
Aerosmith proved that a rock band can have two complete careers. The 70s version — raw, dangerous, drug-fueled — influenced Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, and every sleaze-rock band that followed. The comeback version — polished, sober, MTV-friendly — showed that reinvention doesn't have to mean selling out.
Walk This Way with Run-DMC in 1986 didn't just save Aerosmith's career — it broke the wall between rock and hip-hop. That collaboration is one of the most important singles in music history, opening doors that still haven't closed.
Steven Tyler's voice — that elastic, blues-screaming, impossibly wide range — is one of the great instruments in rock. Joe Perry's guitar tone sits somewhere between Keith Richards and Jimmy Page. Together they earned the nickname "the Toxic Twins" and delivered a songbook that spans from Dream On's quiet piano to Back in the Saddle's roaring distortion.
150 million records. Fifty years. Not bad for five guys from Boston.
Perfect For
How to Listen
Start with Greatest Hits — Dream On, Walk This Way, Sweet Emotion, Cryin', Janie's Got a Gun
Rocks (1976) is the musicians' album — raw, no filler, every track hits
Pump (1989) is the perfect comeback record — Janie's Got a Gun alone is worth it
Get a Grip is the commercial peak — Cryin', Crazy, Amazing in one album
Shop Aerosmith
Hand-picked vinyl, merch & gear for fans.
Aerosmith - Rocks (Vinyl LP)
Aerosmith Greatest Hits (CD)
Aerosmith T-Shirt (Official Wings Logo)
Audio-Technica AT-LP60X Turntable
Aerosmith Poster — Rocks Album Art
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Headphones
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Aerosmith — FAQ
Can I listen to Aerosmith free on Mixtuby?
Yes — Aerosmith's essential discography is free on Mixtuby with no account needed. Six albums from the 1973 debut to Get a Grip (1993), 59 tracks. Press play and it starts immediately.
What is Aerosmith's best album?
Rocks (1976) is the critics' and musicians' favourite — raw, aggressive, endlessly influential. Toys in the Attic (1975) has the biggest hits (Walk This Way, Sweet Emotion). Get a Grip (1993) is the commercial peak with Cryin', Crazy, and Amazing. Start with Toys in the Attic if you want the hits, Rocks if you want the grit.
Why did Aerosmith retire?
Aerosmith announced their retirement in August 2024 after Steven Tyler suffered a vocal cord injury during the Peace Out farewell tour in September 2023. Tyler's voice could not recover to performance level. The band had been active for over 50 years with the same core lineup — one of the longest runs in rock.
What is Walk This Way about?
Walk This Way was inspired by the movie Young Frankenstein — the "walk this way" joke. Steven Tyler wrote the lyrics backstage in Hawaii right before recording. The Run-DMC collaboration in 1986 — where the rappers performed over Joe Perry's original riff — is considered one of the most important crossover singles in music history, helping bring hip-hop to mainstream rock audiences.
Is Aerosmith good for working out?
Absolutely. The 70s material (Rocks, Toys in the Attic) is high-energy hard rock perfect for lifting. The comeback era (Pump, Get a Grip) has arena-sized hooks for running. Love in an Elevator, Eat the Rich, Back in the Saddle, Livin' on the Edge — all natural workout tracks.
Who are the members of Aerosmith?
The classic lineup stayed remarkably stable: Steven Tyler (vocals), Joe Perry (lead guitar), Brad Whitford (rhythm guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), and Joey Kramer (drums). Perry and Whitford briefly left in 1979-1984, but the original five reunited and stayed together from 1984 until the 2024 retirement.
What is Dream On about?
Dream On is about youth, ambition, and the fear of wasted time. Steven Tyler wrote it when he was just 17, though it wasn't recorded until 1973. The song builds from a quiet piano intro to one of the most famous vocal climaxes in rock — Tyler's scream on "Dream on!" became his signature moment. It was re-released after Walk This Way's success and reached #6 in 1976.
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