The ultimate Aerosmith playlist

This classic romp gets Aerosmith’s 1976 tour de force "Rocks" off to a swinging start, with a heavy, rumbling Joe Perry riff – one of the band’s most instantly recognizable – and a magnetic performance by Steven Tyler, who’s at his most charismatically unhinged on the chorus.

Aerosmith’s late-‘80s bid for superstardom starts right here, with the lead single from 1987 comeback/breakthrough "Permanent Vacation." Steven Tyler and Joe Perry upgrade the band’s blue-collar blues- and soul-inspired rock for a new generation, with snazzy radio-friendly production and a horn section to complement a very weird (and surprisingly enthusiastic) tale of gender nonconformity – which interestingly enough, was inspired by Vince Neil of Motley Crue fame.

Aerosmith’s very first single, from 1973, is the highlight of the band’s self-titled debut album, and still ranks as one of their finest moments. Powered by a rambling R&B guitar riff and squalling saxophone, and famous for the surreal gutter poetry of its lyrics, “Mama Kin” hits the sweet spot right between "Exile on Main St." and the New York Dolls – a foreshadowing of Guns N’ Roses, who, appropriately enough, recorded a version of “Mama Kin” for an EP in the late 1980s.

Along with “Stairway to Heaven” and “Free Bird,” “Dream On” is one of the original power ballads – and even after years of being overplayed on classic-rock radio, it’s still a bracing showcase for Steven Tyler’s hard-rock/soul shriek. An edited version was released as a single in 1973, but the song didn’t become a hit until the longer version was released in 1976, following up on the success of the band’s 1975 breakthrough "Toys in the Attic."

“Chip Away the Stone” isn’t exactly a lost masterpiece, but the Rolling Stones-inspired juke joint workout is a highlight of Aerosmith’s late-’70s doldrums that’s only barely seen the light of day. The song first appeared on the band’s "Live! Bootleg" album in 1978; that live version was released as a single the same year. But “Chip Away” never made it onto an Aerosmith album – two different studio versions eventually appeared on greatest-hits compilations, though.

If the other big hits from "Permanent Vacation" showed Aerosmith adjusting its gritty style for a bigger audience, “Rag Doll” does just the opposite. With slide guitar, horns, and a scat breakdown by Steven Tyler, it’s among the rootsiest, rawest songs in the band’s catalog until the 2004 collection of blues covers, "Honkin’ on Bobo."

The best song on the 1986 would-be comeback album "Done With Mirrors" is often overlooked – when it was released, it sounded too much like classic ’70s Aerosmith, which had no place on the radio next to Madonna, Peter Gabriel, Robert Palmer, and the rising tide of hair metal. This lean, high-octane statement of purpose came at the wrong time, but it’s held up as the last hurrah from the band’s classic era.

Aerosmith was on the upswing in 1988 – Run-D.M.C.’s version of “Walk This Way” two years earlier had paved the way for the band’s official comeback after bottoming out in the early ’80s, and the success of their 1987 album "Permanent Vacation" confirmed their return to the top of the hard-rock heap. But it was the crossover success of the power ballad “Angel,” co-written with Desmond Child, that assured the band’s second act would be bigger than the first.

Aerosmith’s debt to funk bands like the Meters, the Bar-Kays, and Mother’s Finest is most apparent on this swampy, strutting 1976 single, a classic tale of a country boy trapped in the urban jungle. It’s one of the few Aerosmith songs written by rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford.

One of Aerosmith v. 2.0’s definitive songs, with a punchy, bluesy guitar riff, the sly single-entendre humor the band had always favored, and a gigantic chorus engineered for massive airplay.

A concentrated dose of Aerosmith at their swaggering best, from 1974 – a classic guitar riff, Steven Tyler’s reliably addled attitude, and a menacing atmosphere worthy of Bon Scott-era AC/DC. 

Purists may not appreciate ’90s Aerosmith – the streetwise stateside Mick-and-Keef act Steven Tyler and Joe Perry perfected in the early ’70s had given way to bombastic mainstream rock that owed more to Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams than the British Invasion or the barroom blues bands. And yet the over-the-top grandiosity of “Cryin’” captures the urgent hormonal melodrama of adolescence better than almost anything since Roy Orbison.

Aerosmith took a rare detour into social commentary with their final hit of the 1980s, a mid-paced ballad from "Pump" about child abuse that defied its dark subject matter to become one of the band’s highest-charting singles. It’s also a departure in sound, more like Jane’s Addiction than the swaggering sleaze rock the band had been known for.

The slinky bass riff and talking guitar of the intro make this 1975 hit (re-released in 1991) instantly recognizable, but “Sweet Emotion” is no mere novelty – it’s crisp, state-of-the-art hard rock, nearly a decade ahead of its time.

Aerosmith’s signature song brought the band back from obscurity in 1986 when Run-D.M.C. unleashed a (surprisingly faithful) cover version – with guitar and vocal guest spots by Joe Perry and Steven Tyler – that became a pop hit and MTV staple. It’s easy to see why the collaboration worked – the original “Walk This Way,” from 1975, is one of Aerosmith’s funkiest and catchiest songs.