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Drummer Joey Kramer Reveals His Favorite Aerosmith Album

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Image attributed to Joey Kramer

Joey Kramer

During a 2014 interview with Smashing Interviews Magazine, Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer was asked what made Rocks such a magical record.

"Rocks is probably my favorite Aerosmith album. I think we had come to a point, at that time, where the playing and the songwriting and the musicianship in the band was all really on the upswing, especially playing wise," Kramer stated.

"I think up until that time, it was probably the best record we had done technically or professionally. The songs speak for themselves because they withstood the test of time like all the others have. Rocks is the epitome of what Aerosmith is all about."

Rocks is the fourth studio album by Rock Hall of Famers Aerosmith. Released in May of 1976, the Jack Douglas produced record was one of the first ever to ship platinum. It was a commercial success, yielding three singles on the Billboard Hot 100 ("Back in the Saddle," "Last Child" and "Home Tonight"). In 2020, Rocks was ranked number 366 on Rolling Stone’s updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Many iconic musicians have cited Rocks as a favorite, including Kurt Cobain, James Hetfield and Slash, who told Rolling Stone in 2005 that the raucous Aerosmith record changed his life.

"My big awakening happened when I was fourteen. I'd been trying to get into this older girl's pants for a while, and she finally let me come over to her house. We hung out, smoked some pot and listened to Aerosmith's Rocks. It hit me like a fucking ton of bricks. I sat there listening to it over and over, and totally blew off this girl. I remember riding my bike back to my grandma's house knowing that my life had changed. Now I identified with something," Slash recalled.

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