Aerosmith – Honkin’ On Bobo – 2004
Aerosmith goes back to its roots and becomes…The J. Geils Band?
If you go wayyyy back into the Geils catalog you’ll discover that they were one of the best blues bar bands in the country. Also from Boston, their live record Full House is a dynamic explosion of rockin’ blues.
Aerosmith’s last album isn’t live. And, while it is an album of straight ahead blues covers (except for one track, “The Grind”) it has that sleazy Tyler/Perry goo all over it.
And it’s their best record in a while.
From the opening track, “Road Runner” by Bo Diddly, straight on to the penultimate song, “Stop Messin’ Around”, with Sonny Boy Williamson and Willie Dixon songs among the blues breakers in the middle, it’s a blast. Even the last song, “Jesus on the Mainline” sounds like everyone involved is having a grand time.
Except for that god awful title, which sounds more like a euphemism for sex with a drunken, fugly stripper instead of a nickname for Tyler’s harmonica, Honkin’ On Bobo is a blast.
Grade: B+
A-Side: Road Runner
BlindSide: Really the rest of the record.
