As a man from Boston, of the right age and demographic, liking Aerosmith is almost a prerequistite. Your iPod should have at least two albums worth of Aerosmith music in it and at some point you own an AeroForce One t-shirt. When it comes to the pantheon of rock bands that called Boston home: J. Geils, The Cars, Boston, Extreme and the Dropkick Murphys all find home on our playlists. As does, Aerosmith.
To mark the 40 years of the Bad Boys from Boston, Aerosmith: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Boston Bad Boys chronicles the assembly, rise and turbulent, but prolific career of Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Joey Kramer and Brad Witford.
Boston as the Hub for the quartet of rockers is an important part of the band’s story. NYC can chew up and spit out legions of talented, but under leveraged bands. Is it the place where stars are made? Yes. But Boston, especially of the 1970s, was a place that spawed tough, smart and divergent musical acts. Aerosmith, as captured in the snippets of history througout the book, shows how Boston was the place the band called home, fought and reunited.
Aerosmith: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Boston Bad Boys is an amazing time capsule of ticket stubs, posters and backstage passes. As a fan, only the most well connected or affluent collector could dream of gathering all the piece of ephemera that mark the history of Aerosmith. As a result, Bienstock’s book becomes a great collection of momentos as well as textual history.
The size and number of stunning images of the band are jaw dropping, with each decade of Aerosmith’s career captured superbly. From early pics at small venues, to their halcyon days, through their drought and phoenix like rise, the images that fill the book are superb.
No fan could hope to catch all those moments, spread across the globe and decades. The book is a musical time machine.
The coffee table book is a fantastic conversation starter when left for folks to see. It also has a clear plastic jacket that amps up the credibility of the book from band bio to something closer to art.
Aerosmith fans, buy this book, consume it from cover to cover, and make sure you leave it out to show others the majesty that is your favorite band.
Aerosmith: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Boston Bad Boys by Rich Bienstock was received for free by Boston Book Bums
