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Our list of Aerosmith<\/a> Album Opening Songs Ranked shows that over the course of a 50-year career filled with ups and downs,\u00a0they never forgot how to make a grand entrance.<\/p>\n From their humble origins as a glorified bar band to their commercial reign as MTV superstars, the Boston rockers always kicked off their albums with strong tracks, even if the accompanying full-lengths varied in quality.<\/p>\n And even though Aerosmith’s career can be clearly cleaved in two \u2014 their pre- and post-sobriety eras \u2014 this\u00a0ranking is far from chronological. Even the staunchest ’70s purists would struggle to deny the\u00a0hard-rocking\u00a0pleasures of the ’80s and ’90s cuts on this list.<\/p>\n Read on to see our list of Aerosmith Album Opening Songs Ranked.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Aerosmith Ballads: Their 20 Best Tearjerkers<\/a><\/p>\n 15. “Luv XXX”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Music From Another Dimension!<\/em><\/a> (2012)<\/p>\n If you can get past the\u00a0Twilight Zone<\/i>-esque narration and\u00a0annoyingly juvenile title, “Luv XXX” opens Aerosmith’s most recent studio album to date in impressive fashion.\u00a0Joey Kramer<\/a>‘s drums sound like a wrecking ball, and the Beatlesque vocal harmonies offset the old-school hard rock riffs. Steven Tyler<\/a>‘s voice sounds ever-so-slightly weathered compared to previous works, but he and his\u00a0band of fellow\u00a0sexagenarians\u00a0still set a mighty high bar.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 14. “Road Runner”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Honkin’ on Bobo<\/em><\/a> (2004)<\/p>\n Aerosmith purported to get back to their raw blues-rock roots on the covers album\u00a0Honkin’ on Bobo<\/em>. They don’t quite make good on\u00a0their\u00a0promise \u2014 this is a 21st-century Aerosmith album, after all, with all the bluster and baggage that come with\u00a0that designation \u2014 but they certainly rock hard and sound like they’re having a good time, especially on the rollicking rendition of Bo Diddley’s “Road Runner” that opens the album.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 13. “Beyond Beautiful”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Just Push Play<\/em><\/a> (2001)<\/p>\n The opening track on\u00a0Just Push Play<\/em> gives listeners a false sense of security before the rest of the album veers off into garish rap-rock and schmaltzy power ballads. By contrast, “Beyond Beautiful” tastefully incorporates modern sonic flourishes\u00a0amid its slamming drums and jagged riffs. Tyler’s superb vocals help mask the cliche lyrics, and a fiery guitar solo\u00a0pushes the track over the top.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 12. “Jailbait”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Rock in a Hard Place<\/em><\/a> (1982)<\/p>\n “Jailbait” has all the hallmarks of a classic Aerosmith song \u2014 raunchy riffs, driving rhythms, Tyler’s lewd, raspy snarl \u2014 they just feel somewhat … diminished. That’s partly because guitarists Joe Perry<\/a> and Brad Whitford<\/a> had both jumped ship, and partly because Tyler was so strung out\u00a0he could barely stand, let alone write and record an album. Despite the dysfunction that plagued Aerosmith at the time, “Jailbait” kicks off the uneven\u00a0Rock in a Hard Place<\/em> on a promising note.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 11. “Heart’s Done Time”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Permanent Vacation<\/em><\/a> (1987)<\/p>\n “Heart’s Done Time”\u00a0sums up all the\u00a0elements that made\u00a0Permanent Vacation<\/em> \u2014 and the next decade of Aerosmith’s career \u2014 such a commercial juggernaut, even as it alienated some of the band’s old-school fans.\u00a0Sinewy riffs, titanic drums and soaring vocal harmonies abound on this slick, mid-tempo rocker, polished to a blinding sheen by producer Bruce Fairbairn. It’s a bit too self-conscious to match their best work, but\u00a0an impressive opening volley nonetheless.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Top 15 ’80s Aerosmith Songs<\/a><\/p>\n 10. “Nine Lives”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Nine Lives<\/em><\/a> (1997)<\/p>\n Often regarded as the album where\u00a0Aerosmith’s multi-platinum comeback formula began to feel stale,\u00a0Nine Lives<\/em>\u00a0is more sonically diverse than its\u00a0handful of\u00a0power ballads would suggest.\u00a0The title track opens the album in blistering fashion with one of Tyler’s wildest screams, backed by greasy riffs and an urgent, almost punkish groove. These cats still had a few\u00a0lives left to spend.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 9. “Intro \/ Eat the Rich”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Get a Grip<\/em><\/a> (1993)<\/p>\n Aerosmith nods cheekily to their ’70s heyday in the\u00a0hip-hop intro to “Eat the Rich,” which quickly gives way to one of the hottest riffs they ever concocted.\u00a0The song is a perfect blend of\u00a0sleazy, monolithic hard rock and soaring, radio-friendly hooks, and its irreverent lyrics (“So take your Grey Poupon, my friend, and shove it up your ass!<\/em>“) assured listeners that even as Aerosmith grew older, they had no interest in growing up.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 8. “Make It”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Aerosmith<\/em><\/a> (1973)<\/p>\n Aerosmith still sounded like a glorified bar band on their self-titled debut album. But even in their infancy, they already had a large-scale, cinematic ambition. Tyler\u00a0introduces the band\u00a0like a fast-talking ringmaster (“Good evening, people, welcome to the show<\/em>“), detailing his dreams of stardom and exhorting his bandmates to “make it, don’t break it<\/em>.” Aerosmith would soon go on to do plenty of both.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 7. “Let the Music Do the Talking”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Done With Mirrors<\/em><\/a> (1985)<\/p>\n After\u00a0years in the wilderness, Aerosmith had a lot to prove when their classic lineup reunited for\u00a0Done With Mirrors<\/em>.\u00a0Although the album underperformed commercially, its opening\u00a0song “Let the Music Do the Talking” offered a thundering statement of purpose.\u00a0A remake of a Joe Perry Project song featuring updated lyrics from Tyler, the\u00a0track rocks with clarity and braggadocio, setting the stage for their proper comeback\u00a0on 1987’s\u00a0Permanent Vacation<\/em>. It was good to have\u00a0the real Aerosmith\u00a0back in the saddle.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/strong>: Top 15 ’90s Aerosmith Songs<\/a><\/p>\n 6. “No Surprize”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Night in the Ruts<\/em><\/a> (1979)<\/p>\n On the brink of collapse at the end of the decade, Aerosmith\u00a0made the savvy move to\u00a0recount their hardscrabble origins on “No Surprize.” The lyrics overflow with snappy one-liners (“Vaccinate your ass with a phonograph needle<\/em>“)\u00a0while the\u00a0raucous guitars evoke the band’s glory days from just a few years earlier. Too bad it was all about to go to hell.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 5. “Same Old Song and Dance”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Get Your Wings<\/em><\/a> (1974)<\/p>\n The night-and-day difference between Aerosmith’s self-titled debut and\u00a0Get Your Wings<\/em>\u00a0becomes apparent as soon as the needle drops on “Same Old Song and Dance.” Gritty and groovy, with a driving backbeat and saxophone solo highlighting their R&B influences, it revealed a lean, focused hard rock band on the verge of\u00a0world domination.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 4. “Draw the Line”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Draw the Line<\/em><\/a> (1977)<\/p>\n If\u00a0Draw the Line<\/em> as a whole marked the beginning of Aerosmith’s downward spiral into debilitating addiction and dysfunction, then the title track represented their last shot at glory. Rife with swampy riffs, raucous slide guitar and one of Tyler’s\u00a0filthiest, raspiest vocals, it shows the Boston rockers at their ragged, hedonistic best \u2014 right before they\u00a0crossed that proverbial line into oblivion.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 3. “Young Lust”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Pump<\/em><\/a> (1989)<\/p>\n Permanent Vacation<\/em> gave Aerosmith their desperately needed comeback;\u00a0Pump<\/em> proved they could still kick ass. “Young Lust” takes\u00a0all the\u00a0strongest elements from the band’s ’70s prime and recontextualizes them for the glam metal era. Kramer bangs the drums incessantly as Perry and Whitford trade slinky riffs,\u00a0while\u00a0Tyler’s vocal cords\u00a0and libido work in\u00a0dual overdrive. It’s a breathless tour de force full of indelible hooks \u2014 an appropriate introduction to Aerosmith’s best comeback-era album by a long shot.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2. “Toys in the Attic”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Toys in the Attic<\/em><\/a> (1975)<\/p>\n Aerosmith\u00a0entered the big leagues with\u00a0Toys in the Attic<\/em>, and the album-opening title track offers all the proof needed as to why. Melding punk rock ferocity, heavy metal riffage and sublime vocal harmonies, the song flexes the quintet’s ever-growing chemistry and musical playfulness as they transformed into one of the preeminent hard rock bands of the decade. “Toys in\u00a0the Attic” wasn’t even a single, but it resonates like a greatest hit.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 1. “Back in the Saddle”<\/strong><\/p>\n From:\u00a0Rocks<\/em><\/a> (1976)<\/p>\n Following the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Aerosmith doubled down on the star-making elements of\u00a0Toys in the Attic<\/em> and delivered another platinum-plated masterpiece with\u00a0Rocks<\/em>.\u00a0The album contains many of the most vicious rockers they ever recorded, including opening track “Back in the Saddle.” The galloping rhythms and growling guitar and bass riffs propel the song, but\u00a0Tyler’s the real star here, honing his trademark scream to a razor sharp, blood-curdling point. It doesn’t get tougher than this.<\/p>\n Any worst-to-best ranking of\u00a0Aerosmith\u00a0must deal with two distinct eras: their sleazy ’70s work and the slicker, more successful ’80s comeback. But which one was better?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAerosmith Albums Ranked <\/h2>\n