Steven Tyler and Joe Perry draw in the majority of fans of Aerosmith’s music. Although the rest of the band has their moments, the inherent chemistry of ‘The Toxic Twins‘ has endeared them to fans for years, who can’t get enough of their onstage telepathy. When the band became more experienced, they no longer felt the need to rely on traditional roles.
Perry initially left the band to pursue a solo career after a massive blow-up at a show in 1979. The rest of the band soldiered on with albums like Rock in a Hard Place. It was difficult to deny the fact that magic had faded. Tyler was becoming a husk trying to come up with song lyrics.
As Perry’s solo career began to falter, his manager Tim Collins assisted in reuniting the musical soulmates, recommending that they begin rebuilding their relationship. Tyler and Perry’s return would take some time to fully take off after they had left their hangups in the past.
While Done With Mirrors was well received, it wasn’t until Aerosmith collaborated with Run-D.M.C. on a remake of ‘Walk This Way‘ that they truly found their calling. On their commercial comeback, Permanent Vacation, the band collaborated with outside songwriters on future hits like ‘Rag Doll,’ positioning themselves alongside hair metal acts of the time. Tyler stepped away from the microphone for the first time as their career resurgence continued.
Even though the band had originally planned an instrumental called ‘The Movie‘ as the album’s final track, Tyler’s presence behind the keyboard kept his spirit alive even without his howling register. As the 1990s progressed, Perry felt confident enough to perform his song on the 1993 album Get A Grip.
Perry sang backup for Tyler whenever they performed live. The frontman was usually on the studio version of every song. Steven Tyler provides fiery background vocals to Perry’s usual 12-bar blues on ‘Bright Light Fright,’ despite Perry’s lead vocal debut.
Perry’s register works wonders on the track ‘Walk On Down‘, fresh off his solo work. Perry’s tough-guy cadence, which has a slightly deeper register than Tyler’s, is a departure from Tyler’s usual schtick. When compared to other Aerosmith hits, this one feels like a throwback to Fleetwood Mac’s high-energy days, with Perry channeling his inner Peter Green.
Perry would make a habit of singing lead on a few songs over the next few years. He returned to the mic for the song ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous‘ on Just Push Play. He delivered a plodding ballad on ‘Something’ from Music From Another Dimension! Perry’s ease in front of the microphone prompted him to relaunch his solo career. It was so by releasing a few albums with his band in the 2000s. Tyler and Perry have long been compared to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. But Perry’s tougher voice has the same cadence as Keef’s rare vocal appearances.
