10 Most Underrated Aerosmith Songs
4. Rats In The Cellar - Rocks
Most diehard Aerosmith fans normally point to Toys in the Attic as their masterpiece...and it's not all that hard to see why. Across just a handful of tracks, these guys broke free from the Stones comparisons and developed their own unique sense of boogie, along with scoring massive hits like Sweet Emotion. While Toys may have set them up for rock stardom, Rocks is where things got a lot nastier.
Make no mistake, there are still some standout singles on Rocks like Back in the Saddle and Last Child, and yet one of the best cuts in the track listing is probably the least indicative Aerosmith song of the time. Compared to the more groovy feel of something like Child, Rats in the Cellar is an audio smack in the mouth, with a riff that sounds like the Stones on hyperspeed.
Even though it keeps within the confines of the traditional rock and roll formula, this song could have been qualified as a punk tune if it were released a little later, as Joe Perry's off-the-rails solo feels both meticulously planned out and improvised all at the same time. Toys may have been the album where Aerosmith got their sea legs, but tracks like this was when these guys really found their swagger.