Steven Tyler and Joe Perry have always been the main songwriters for Aerosmith, but that doesn’t mean the band hasn’t delivered a few rockin’ covers through the years. The band hasn’t covered that many songs, but the tracks they’ve put their own spin on have been some of their best. Here are three of the best Aerosmith songs that weren’t written by the band!
1. “Big Ten Inch Record”
The R&B classic “Big Ten Inch Record” was originally written by Fred Weismantel and initially recorded by Bull Moose Jackson in 1952. Aerosmith covered the song in 1975 for the album Toys In The Attic. It’s a classic double entendre song that Aerosmith put a harder rock edge to with their cover, and it’s one of their most popular songs to date.
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2. “Train Kept A-Rollin’”
“Train Kept A-Rollin’” is another Aerosmith cover that was originally recorded by Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. It’s a jazzy R&B track originally performed in the “jump blues” style. Aerosmith covered the song for the 1974 album Get Your Wings. And they weren’t the first to put a new spin on it. The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin covered the track first, and the Yardbirds version is widely considered to be one of the first proto-metal songs.
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3. “Remember”
When it comes to Aerosmith songs that weren’t written by the band, this track is one of their lesser-known releases. “Remember (Walking In The Sand)” was written by George “Shadow” Morton for the pop girl group The Shangri-Las in 1964. The song put The Shangri-Las on the map in the 1960s. However, Aerosmith’s cover of the song in 1979 was met with only minor success. Still, we think it’s an underrated cover from the band, who managed to take a pop song and turn it into something undeniably rock-and-roll.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives
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