JOE PERRY - Leavin' Steven! Page 2
by Martin Popoff

Is this record perhaps an indication of a less complicated, less layered methodology that Aerosmith might adopt next time around?

"Well, this is kind of a one shot thing," cautions Perry, who basically assembled the album with a few close friends in his basement studio. "I had to make it sound live - I hope it does; I had to make it sound like a live band. But I definitely learned a lot, from doing the Bobo record, and having co-produced so many records with Steven, and having experienced, you know... what is that sixth thing in the room when five guys are playing? In a bigger way, doing Bobo put me in touch with that. And that side of it will definitely be a bigger component with the next Aerosmith record. But I think we'll always experiment with production and those kinds of things. But there's a lot of value to having that power and that energy from a band playing live and keeping it raw."

Joe has always presented a myriad of tones and styles on those big Aerosmith productions, resulting in a sort of everyman status as a guitarist - That Guy, essentially. But the one sound that has stuck out in recent years is this astringent, steely, twangy mid-range thing. As it turns out, this solo record really underscores and solidifies that as a style Perry will one day be widely remembered for. After all, so far, he's basically known for writing a good dozen of the most enduring 150 or so classic hard rock songs of all time, as well as bender of a handful of superlative riffs ('Walk This Way', 'Sweet Emotion', 'Draw The Line'), as well as his look and position in rock history - that of a less wrinkly Keith Richards. But yes, with more output like this, his tone just might move up those rankings.

JOE PERRY - Leavin' Steven! Page 3