Tuesday, April 8th, marks the 50th anniversary of Aerosmith releasing their breakthrough album, 1975's ‘Toys in the Attic.’ The iconic album, produced by Jack Douglas, features timeless classics such as "Walk This Way," "Sweet Emotion," and the title track. It's hard to believe it's been half a century since these songs first rocked the airwaves and solidified Aerosmith's place in rock history.
In his memoir, Rocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith, Joe Perry reflects on the creation of Toys in the Attic. He shares, "Our first two albums were basically comprised of songs we'd been playing for years live in the clubs. With Toys, we started from scratch. Making this record, we learned to be recording artists and write songs on a deadline. In the process, we began to see just what Aerosmith could accomplish. With everyone throwing in ideas, Toys was our breakthrough. That breakthrough was facilitated by [producer] Jack Douglas … In the studio he moved into the slot of the sixth member of the band."
Jack Douglas adds, "Aerosmith was a different band when we started the third album. They'd been playing Get Your Wings on the road for a year and had become better players - different. It showed in the riffs that Joe and Brad Whitford brought back from the road for the next album. Toys in the Attic was a much more sophisticated record than the other stuff they'd done." Toys in the Attic peaked at 11 on the Billboard 200 and remains their most successful album, having sold over nine million copies in the U.S.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]