Get Your Wings

The sophomore record produced by Jack Douglas where Aerosmith moved past the blues and wrote on the clock.

Get Your Wings is the second studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on March 1, 1974. Marking their first collaboration with producer Jack Douglas, this record would establish a creative partnership that extended through the band's next three albums. While three singles were issued from the project, only 'Same Old Song and Dance' managed to reach the Billboard charts, peaking at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was made available in both stereo and quadraphonic formats and has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA. Recorded at New York's Record Plant between December 1973 and January 1974, it followed a period of extensive touring designed to build their fanbase after a debut that received virtually no press or radio play.

Quick Facts

Artist

Aerosmith

Released

March 15, 1974

Studio

Record Plant, New York City

Genre

Hard rock; blues rock

Length

38:04

Label

Columbia

Producer

Jack Douglas
Ray Colcord
Bob Ezrin (executive)

Lore & Background

After releasing their debut in January 1973 to what guitarist Joe Perry described as "no nothing at all," the group toured extensively before taking a break in December 1973 to record. They moved into an apartment in Brookline, rehearsing in a dungeon-like basement of a store called Drummer's Image on Newbury Street, and later a restaurant backroom in Boston's North End. The sessions were intense; Perry recalled writing the riff for "Same Old Song and Dance" one night in their Beacon Street apartment while Steven Tyler sang along. Some tracks like "Train Kept A-Rollin'," "S.O.S. (Too Bad)," and "Pandora's Box" had been part of their live set since September 1973 or earlier, but the band also had to write on the clock for this record. "Lord of the Thighs" was the final song written, created after they locked themselves in Studio C at the Record Plant to find an additional track based on the unsavory characters near their hotel on Eighth Avenue. Tyler noted the lyrics came from that seedy area, describing a pimp and the street wildlife.

Reader's Guide

Listeners should note that Get Your Wings was the first Aerosmith album to feature a mix of rehearsed concert staples and songs written specifically during the sessions. The tracklist includes "Train Kept A-Rollin'," which had been a show closer since their first gig in 1970, and "Lord of the Thighs," a pun on Lord of the Flies that critics reportedly hated for its literary reference. Tyler plays piano on this track, with an opening beat similar to Kramer's later work on "Walk This Way." "Seasons of Wither" remains a standout ballad that Perry cited as his favorite among Aerosmith's ballads. Although three singles were released from the album, none charted. The record was engineered by Jay Messina and produced by Jack Douglas at the Record Plant in New York City. It stands as their first triple platinum certification and their first quadraphonic release, capturing a transition where the band moved beyond "sophomore blues" to write fresh material under pressure.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1	Same Old Song and Dance	Steven Tyler, Joe Perry	3:53
2	Lord of the Thighs	Tyler	4:14
3	Spaced	Tyler, Perry	4:21
4	Woman of the World	Tyler, Don Solomon	5:49

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1	S.O.S. (Too Bad)	Tyler	2:51
2	Train Kept A Rollin	Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, Lois Mann	5:33
3	Seasons of Wither	Tyler	5:38
4	Pandora's Box	Tyler, Joey Kramer	5:43

Did You Know?

Steven Tyler wrote the music for 'Seasons of Wither' on a warped acoustic guitar with only four strings that Joey Kramer had found in the garbage.
Joe Perry saw Jimmy Page play 'Train Kept A-Rollin'' with the Yardbirds in Westport, Connecticut, on October 22, 1966.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was Get Your Wings recorded?

The band recorded this project at New York's Record Plant studio during late 1973 and early 1974. This location served as the creative hub where they refined their signature hard rock style with producer Jack Douglas.

What formats was Get Your Wings released in?

Upon its initial release, the album was made available to listeners in both standard stereo and quadraphonic sound formats. These versions allowed fans to experience the new production techniques of the era through different audio setups.