4 out of 5 Stars!

Although for reasons I can’t quite fathom, many Aerosmith fans detest this particular album, the only one to feature the underrated guitar team of Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay, but I never had any problems with it. Indeed, I enjoy Rock in a Hard Place a hell of a lot more than anything the band produced during its “drug-free” (and “commercial sell-out”) era from Permanent Vacation onward. In other words, I always preferred “Boston’s Bad Boys” before the band cleaned up its act, during the days when Aerosmith still delivered no-frills, raunchy, and sleazy rock ‘n’ roll prior to releasing the string of overproduced, ballad-heavy, mostly mundane, and way-too-generic albums from the late ’80s and into the modern age.

I’m sure many fans will disagree with me, but then again, I don’t care a flying fig. Give me the slamming and rowdy concoction of tracks such as “Bitch’s Brew,” “Jailbait,” and “Lightning Strikes” that appear on this album any ol’ day of the week over the slick and orchestrated fare such as “Angel,” “Janie’s Got A Gun,” or “Cryin'” that would become Aerosmith’s future.

Get The Album Now!