Familiar band, not-so-familiar song.
But perhaps it should be more familiar. Sinister, sophisticated and beautiful in a evocative way, "Seasons Of Wither" represented a major advancement in the maturation of the then-fledgling band. In a time dominated by the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith served notice that they'll tip their hat to those superstar bands of gritty rock, but they weren't going to kneel at their alters (as in the way the heroes of Wayne's World paid homage to this band decades later).
"Seasons" was first introduced to the world buried in Aerosmith's 2nd album, 1974's Get Yor Wings, which followed their first hit "Dream On" (from the self-titled debut) in chronological sequence, but that song didn't really blossom on the airwaves for more than another year. Consequently, Wings never really took off because their breakthrough didn't happen until the following release Toys In The Attic.
It's too bad, too, because Aerosmith really came on their own, here. Never was there a stronger, more varied set of songs and it's here that the band transcended blues-rock without ever really abandoning it. From the funky struttin' of "Lord Of The Thighs" to the spirited blooz of "Train Kept A'Rollin," everything that made Aerosmith one of America's most beloved hard rocking bands was contained on these sides.
But the highlight amidst all the highlights begins with an ominous arpeggiated acoustic guitar figure comes into focus as the crowd noise that ends "Train" fades out. The extended instrumental into the first statement of electric guitar-led chorus, then it's back to that arpeggio figure but in the form of a truly dark four chord progression.
It's here where Steve Tyler enters with some aching and yet subdued vocals:
Article comments
1 - JC Mosquito
Interesting - I never paid a whole lot of attention to this particular song. I thought this second album was transitional - the first album was an r&b roots tribute, the third was a solid, modern rock album. Maybe I'll give it a closer listen tonight.
2 - Dean Sellers
Any Aerosmith fan that's ever heard this song will agree - it's one of their best.
Actually, I like the whole album better than I do Toys in the Attic. I think that "Toys" is beloved because it has "Walk This Way" on it (which I like but have heard too many times.) However, song for song, "Get Your Wings" rocks harder and had better hooks than Toys.