Dive into the glory and the chaos of Aerosmiths first seven albumsan era of ambition, anthems, and near destruction that forged one of rocks greatest stories.

By 1972, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer had forged a lineup built for legendand in 1973, their debut album on Columbia Records lit the fuse with the timeless ballad Dream On.

What followed was a blistering run:Get Your Wingssharpened their sound,Toys in the AtticandRockslaunched them into the stratosphere, and songs like Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way, and Back in the Saddle became the soundtrack of a generation, personified by the apocryphal blue-jean army of middle America.

But success came at a price. The late 70s brought tension, excess, and unraveling bonds. By the timeNight in the Ruts(1979) andRock in a Hard Place(1982) arrived, the cracks had widened, and Aerosmiths future hung in the balance.

This is the electrifying story of the creation of these legendary recordings and the band that clawed its way from high schools and Boston clubs to arenas and stadiums, in the end running on fumes and mental and physical collapseand even deaththreatening at every whirlwind tour stop.[AuthorName]By Martin Popoff[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Martin Popoffhas penned approximately 140 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock, prog, punk, and record collecting. He was editor in chief of the now-retiredBrave Words & Bloody Knucklesand has also contributed toRevolver,Guitar World,Goldmine, andRecord Collector.
[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]110 color and b/w photos[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle]The Columbia Years[/SubTitle][ColorPattern]110 color and b/w photos[/ColorPattern]