Pump (1989)
1.Young Lust
2.F.I.N.E.
3.Going Down/Love in an Elevator
4.Monkey on My Back
5.Water Song/Janie's Got a Gun
6.Dulcimer Stomp/The Other Side
7.My Girl
8.Don't Get Mad, Get Even
9.Hoodoo Voodoo/Medicine Man
10.What it Takes
It was apparent once this album was out that the comeback of 1987 was definitely not a one-time fluke. Aerosmith followed what was arguably their most successful release, Permanent Vacation , with quite arguably their best release of their career. They continue in much of the same direction here as before, only now they sound as though they have more confidence and more passion. Every song on here is flawless. The entire album demonstrates what everyone loves about this band - past and present.
Many of the recent Aerosmith albums that thudded, did so because the band focused too much on sounding hard and fast and, well - rock out, that they forgot how to write catchy melodies infused with their unique style. Consider the song Janie's Got a Gun. Yes, it does rock, but the band wisely injects it with powerful elements of sleaze, scariness and revenge. The subject matter - a young girl who takes revenge on her perv dad after repeated molestations - is a heavy topic, yet they manage to pull it off because of the style of the song. Had this song come out on an album seven or eight years ago, it would have had the same message, but nobody would have gotten it because it probably would have been droned out with everything else on whatever album it appeared. Of course, the whole album does rock, it's just easy to pull out your favorite tracks because they all sound so unique.
Also on a positive note, the band just sounds like their having fun. Of course no record is easy to make (ironically, the band released a very well made documentary of the making of this record - a great view that you never tire of watching), but all the elements gel quite nicely. You can even say that there's not even a radio friendly power ballad, although the last track (one of their strongest ever) What it Takes is definitely a heart wrenching song of love gone bad. A great sing-along. One of the biggest ironies is that the lead off single Love in an Elevator is probably one of the most generic cuts on the album. That's not to say it's a bad song, but it sounds very formulatic. Of course, maybe that's why so many love the song. What rock-n-roll fan wouldn't love a song about love (sex, actually) in an elevator? "Going Down!!! Oh Yeah!!!" All in all, a great listen from start to finish.