Fifty-plus years on, Aerosmith’s self-titled debut still hits like a freight train, and now it sounds better than ever. Aerosmith (Legendary Edition) is out now via Capitol Records/UMe, the first time the Boston rock legends have assembled a truly definitive version of the multi-platinum 1973 record that started everything. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry worked alongside Grammy Award-nominated producer Zakk Cervini and Grammy Award-winning producer Steve Berkowitz to newly mix the original recordings from the source tapes.
The release comes in multiple configurations, anchored by a stunning five-LP Legendary Collector’s Edition box set featuring the remastered original album, the 2024 Album Mix, a previously unreleased 1973 live performance from Paul’s Mall, and a collection of unheard studio tracks. Creative direction and photography come from Ross Halfin, with liner notes by Rick Florino drawing on new interviews with all five original members. Testimonials from Dolly Parton, Slash, Jerry Cantrell, Mike McCready, Corey Taylor, Chris Robinson, Sully Erna, and others round out a package that treats the album with the reverence it deserves.
The buried treasures are worth the price alone. The “Harmonica Bass Jam Jelly,” an unfiltered rehearsal take of “Make It,” and the nearly six-minute “Joined At The Hip” have never been heard publicly until now. That last one even previews the nascent lick that would become “Sweet Emotion,” a detail that will send devoted fans straight to repeat.
The album’s story is one of rock’s great slow burns. Released January 5, 1973, it took two years of relentless touring before “Dream On” finally cracked the Top 10. The song has since surpassed 1.5 billion streams on Spotify and earned induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018. The record itself was later certified double platinum by the RIAA.
Aerosmith recently collaborated with Yungblud on the One More Time EP, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Rock & Alternative Albums Chart and No. 9 on the Billboard 200, making them only the fifth act ever to place a Top 10 album in each of the last six decades. The Legendary Edition arrives at exactly the right moment.
‘Aerosmith (Legendary Edition)’ Track Listing:
CD 1: Original Album Remastered 2024
- “Make It” (2024 Remaster)
- “Somebody” (2024 Remaster)
- “Dream On” (2024 Remaster)
- “One Way Street” (2024 Remaster)
- “Mama Kin” (2024 Remaster)
- “Write Me A Letter” (2024 Remaster)
- “Movin’ Out” (2024 Remaster)
- “Walkin’ The Dog” (2024 Remaster)
CD 2: Original Album Remixed 2024
- “Make It” (2024 Mix)
- “Somebody” (2024 Mix)
- “Dream On” (2024 Mix)
- “One Way Street” (2024 Mix)
- “Mama Kin” (2024 Mix)
- “Write Me A Letter” (2024 Mix)
- “Movin’ Out” (2024 Mix)
- “Walkin’ The Dog” (2024 Mix)
CD 3: Paul’s Mall Live Performance March 20, 1973 + Bonus Tracks
- “Introduction” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “Make It” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “One Way Street” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “Somebody” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “Write Me A Letter” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “I Ain’t Got You” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “Mother Popcorn” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “Movin’ Out” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “Walkin’ The Dog” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “Train Kept A Rollin'” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “Mama Kin” (Live at Paul’s Mall, 1973)
- “Train Kept A Rollin'” (Session Take)
- “Make It” (Rehearsal Take)
- “Make It” (Alternate Take)
- “Write Me A Letter” (Alternate Take)
- “Harmonica Bass Jam Jelly” (Session Take)
- “Joined At The Hip” (Aerojam)