Will Steven Tyler and Joe Perry be making 'sweet emotions' together again? Time will tell. © James Palmer/Retna Ltd./Corbis
Joe Perry has announced that Aerosmith - and that includes singer Steven Tyler! - will enter the studio next month to begin work on a new album, their first record of original material in 10 years.
In a post on Twitter, Perry wrote: "Whole band has plans to go into the studio with [producer] Jack Douglas second week of July to work on new Aero CD." Perry added an update, saying, "Laying down some new tracks this week. Been listening to fans' comments over last couple of years putting that in creative blender."
The combination of Aerosmith and Jack Douglas is an interesting and potentially important one: The group's classic albums Get Your Wings, Toys In The Attic and Rocks were all produced by Douglas (he last worked with the band in 2004 on their collection of blues covers, Honkin' On Bobo). Aerosmith will record their new material in a Massachusetts studio they built six years ago, expressly to work with Douglas.
But that wasn't always the plan. Several years ago, the group attempted to record with producer Brendan O'Brien. In a May 2009 interview with MusicRadar, Perry said, "We made some good headway with Brendan. But all these health issues came up - I had knee surgery, Steven got pneumonia. But we've got some really rocking songs written, and I'm excited. It's going to be our fiercest record since back in the day."
Later that year, while promoting a solo album, Perry couldn't hide his annoyance over the state of Aerosmith. The band was forced to end their summer tour prematurely after Steven Tyler fell from a stage in South Dakota. "I am irritated the new Aerosmith album isn't done," Perry told MusicRadar. "I wish the tour we just did - and that certainly didn't turn out the way I had hoped - was to back up a new record. I don't want do go out and play the same songs over and over again, although maybe some people only want us to do that."
Still, the guitarist added that "the band still has their best record in them. I know people say that all the time, but I firmly believe that. But it's going to take some doing to get there. Everybody's got to chill out, take a breather and then we'll have dialogues."
Last year, drummer Joey Kramer spoke to MusicRadar and weighed in with his feelings: "A couple of years ago, we started to work with Brendan O'Brien, but we never got down to actually recording with him. We still have to decide on firm plans, but I'd like to make this next record the same way we did Rocks and Toys In The Attic. I want to make an old-school Aerosmith album.
"It would mean us writing it together, playing together, being in the same room," he continued. "I think everybody's up for that at this point. We did Honkin' On Bobo that way, and that was a killer record. We just have to get down to being Aerosmith."
It's been a tumultuous year for the band, that's for sure. But even though Steven Tyler has gotten just what he wanted and has become a TV star thanks to American Idol, Aerosmith have South American concert dates booked for the fall. Apparently, they're serious about remaining a group, and with Jack Douglas back behind the board, it's more than likely that an album - an 'old-school' one - could be a reality.
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