10 Bands That Saved Their Career With One Album
8. Permanent Vacation - Aerosmith
Every sensible rock fan would have thought that Aerosmith was down for the count at the beginning of the '80s. After a massive blowup between band members, guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford parted ways with the group, leaving the band a shadow of what they once were. It looked it was time to pack it in, but no one could have guessed that the band would end up redefining themselves for a new generation.
As the band patched things up with their guitarists, Perry and Whitford returned to the fold for Done With Mirrors, a hard rock effort that was left at the door. Though the return to form wasn't happening just yet, the band's collaboration with Run-DMC on their version of "Walk This Way" left fans curious as to what would come next. Dropping in the midst of hair metal, Permanent Vacation set the Bad Boys from Boston up with the Mötley Crües of the world in prime fashion.
Though it may seem like a controversial decision now, the band's use of outside songwriters made songs like "Rag Doll" and "Angel" some of the biggest tunes of their career. It may have been a step towards poppier material, but that gritty energy from the band's early days made them superstars all over again.