10 Perfect Hard Rock Albums Of The 1970s
6. Rocks - Aerosmith
Like most bands in the '70s, Aerosmith started getting their rocks off by just mimicking the British blues musicians that came before them.
It's not like you can blame them either, with acts like the Rolling Stones teaching people in the States how to capture that kind of bluesy swagger in the rock genre. Much like other bands in the '70s though, Aerosmith knew they needed something a little more to rise to the big leagues.
After Toys in the Attic marked a proof of concept, Rocks sounds like Aerosmith reaching the peak of their boogie rock phase, making for songs that feel like they're ripped directly out of some seedy bar in the middle of the Heartland.
As much as songs like Back in the Saddle might have sounded heavy for the time, there was still a relentless sense of rhythm, with songs like Last Child keeping those arena crowds low to the ground and grooving.
There are still germs of something even heavier on here, with songs like Rats in the Cellar feeling like a sequel to Toys in the Attic with a shot of adrenaline and Nobody's Fault being a prime favorite among future hard rockers like Slash and the guys in Testament. Since the relics of the '60s were getting old, this is where you start to see blues rock passing the torch to the next generation.