It’s, along with 1982’s ‘Rock In A Hard Place,’ the most overlooked Aerosmith album in their entire catalog. By 1979 the band was burned out. Joe Perry was on his way out, but still active. Soon to be followed by Brad Whitford. The drugs were taking their toll as the band were off the rails and out of control. The formula that had worked so well three short years earlier was beginning to fail. Yet, despite all the hardships, Aerosmith managed to still release a pretty damn good album. 1979’s ‘Night In The Ruts.’
Originally titled ‘Right In The Nuts,’ the record company wasn’t pleased. So the band was forced to rename the record by switching the R and the N around. They still got around it with the inner sleeve on the vinyl. It’s also the only Aerosmith album besides the debut album and ‘Draw the Line’ to not feature some sort of winged emblem from the band. Which gives the album art a unique look. And like I said, despite all the turmoil in the band, they still managed to rally together to make a great record.
‘No Surprise’ holds up just as well as any other album opener. Starting the album off with typical Aerosmith heavy blues. The following ‘Chiquita’ is near perfect, streamlined, big band Aerosmith. With a particularly crunch guitar riff layered with horns. ‘Remember (Walking in the Sand)’ has that mysterious Steven Tyler vibe that he’s so good at creating. You can actually kind of hear where the future of the band would end up during the Geffen years on this track. ‘Cheese Cake’ contains that sexy, heavy vibe that Aerosmith are credited with creating.
The albums centerpiece ‘Three Mile Smile’ is one the strongest Aerosmith songs in their entire extensive catalog. It’s just such, pure Aerosmith. Immediate Perry and Tyler Collaboration. And it’s such a simple song. A simple, chromatic blues riff that goes a long long way. ‘Reefer Headed Woman’ is next, recalling the early years of the band covering blues tracks like ‘Mother Popcorn.’ ‘Bone to Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy)’ is exactly how it sounds. An agressive, funky ass mutha. Tracks like this were what would dominate Joe Perry’s upcoming solo album. The album closes out with a fun driving riffer entitled ‘Think About It.’ Followed by the ballad ‘Mia.’ It’s a strong way to close an excellent album
Overall ‘Night In The Ruts’ is one hell of a rock album. The band may have little memory of this time in their history. And the memories they do have seem to be generally negative. But through all the turmoil they still managed to release a terrific album. I think more than any other Aerosmith album, ‘Night In The Ruts’ displays how truly talented the band really is. Because through extreme haze, they still produced a near masterpiece.
