A Whole Lot of Aerosmith: Money to Burn?

When the box set first came out, I being such a huge fan wanted it. But, I had to think rationally. I already had every album in some form, whether it be tape, CD, or whatever...which I'm sure many other fans had to consider as well. Sure, there's a lot of convenience in having all 12 albums on CD, but the price outweighed the convenience. So, as far as that dilemma goes, I recommend you make sure you truly love Aerosmith before you whip out the 100+ bucks to buy the set.

Alright, money and rationality aside, this is an awesome collection spanning from the band's birth up to 1988, when Gems (a compilation of previous album material) was released. My only gripe is that everything from 1988 to the present is excluded. I assume it's because Aerosmith signed with Geffen records starting with 1989's album, Pump. Most Aerosmith fans seem to embrace both eras - the rollicky, bluesy 1970's era and the power balladry, and resilience of the 1990's comeback era. While you don't get a dose of the 1990's, you get it all from the 1970's era. And to many fans, that is the best material.

Aerosmith's self-titled debut album sounds like an all-out jam session, which shows that the youngsters had something to prove. Get Your Wings improves with more blues-based rock and roll, especially on tracks like "Train Keepta Rollin" and "Same Old Song and Dance". Then, Aerosmith released one of its finest albums with Toys In The Attic, which features the funky "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion". The band rolled on with "Rocks", a hard-edged answer, further strengthening the band. And all of this was done from 1973 to 1976!

Unfortunately, the band succumbed to substance abuse, and suffered through difficult times. But, somehow, the band played on. Draw The Line was a strong album - all things considered. Night In The Ruts saw the band falling further into its abusive spiral. Greatest Hits was released in 1980, complete with a cover of "Come Together" the Beatles classic, and a cover of "Remember (Walking In The Sand)". In 1982, Steven Tyler, Joey Kramer, and Tom Hamilton released "Rock In A Hard Place" without the services of guitarists Brad Whitford and Joe Perry. It seemed to be the beginning of the end for the band. But, fortunately, the band got its act together, got cleaned up, and regrouped.

Aerosmith signed with Geffen and made a fresh start in 1985. The only other Colombia releases were 1988's hard rock compilation, Gems, and 1991's box set, Pandora's Box.

Personally, I feel Pandora's Box (a 3-disc set) is a better investment than Box of Fire, simply because there are so many rare tracks included. Pandora's Box is a must-have for any Aerosmith fan, while Box of Fire is basically something most Aerosmith fans already had.

Here's what you get and what I say about each:

Aerosmith (1973), Columbia - A solid start.
Get Your Wings (1974), Columbia - Getting a little better.
Toys in the Attic (1975), Columbia - Hailed as the band's finest.
Rocks (1976), Columbia - Yes, it rocks.
Draw the Line (1977), Columbia - Taking a bit of a fall.
Live! Bootleg (1978), Columbia - True esscence of Aerosmith.
Night in the Ruts (1979), Columbia - Decent collection.
Greatest Hits (1980), Columbia - The hits, plus some.
Rock in a Hard Place (1982), Columbia - Not the best.
Classics Live (1986), Columbia - More live stuff.
Classics Live II (1986), Columbia - Ok, Ok, enough live!
Gems (1988), Columbia - Cool compilation.