2000 Great Songs #1322: Sweet Emotion

It presumably comes as no surprise to regular visitors here that Aerosmith ain't my bag. Still, they played a role in my formative years and it's hard to shake the nostalgia value (and, fine, the excitement) of their early singles. When I first started obsessing over pop radio in late 75/early 76, "Dream On" was inescapable (that was actually the song's second go-round; originally on the band's 1973 debut, the single was re-released at the end of 1975 and quickly climbed the charts). And I was ok with it, though Steven Tyler's wail was a bit much. 

But the success of the single meant the local radio stations continued to spin a couple singles from earlier in 1975: "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way," both from Toys In The Attic. And while the latter was catnip for a hormonal pre-teen, I particularly liked the former. As much a hard rocker as the other tunes, that psychedelic intro bit with the harmonies over the slow bass groove was just too fucking cool. Still is.

Kinda creepy video:

Live 1976:

Live 2012:

Phish's Mike Gordon with Leo Kottke:

Cool goth-y version from Rosetta Stone:

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