Taking Sides: Patti Smith vs Aerosmith

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Who did greater work with Stones/Stooges/Dolls influences in the 70s? Patti was obviously more innovative and reached higher peaks but Aero were tighter, more consistent, and much better lyrically. At the moment, I'm rating intensity higher than consistency or proficiency so I'll give the nod to Patti.

― sundar subramanian, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I always considered her a histronic wannabe who cemented a career on the cool by association angle.

"I can say fuck right now, I am completely free"

no, you're a moron.

― mt, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Also, Aerosmith never appeared on Agents of Fortune. And they sucked harder and more ubiquitously when they got old. The original "Walk This Way" does make up for a lot though.

― sundar subramanian, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

patti every time, for inspiring rem, for pissing in the river and rocknroll nigger, for reviving rimbaud, and for giving mapplethorpe the impoteus to go gay and start taking photos...

aerosmith have inspired who?

― goeff, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Run-DMC. Therefore, Aerosmith invented hip-hop. Ole!

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The original "Walk This Way" does make up for a lot though.

You prefer the original?

― Ian, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I always did and thought it was obvious why anyone would. But those were much more rockist days. It's been many years since I've heard the collaboration so I can't really say now.

Aerosmith probably inspired Guns 'n' Roses, which may be another point in PS's favour. (Hmmm. . . Taking Sides: R. E. M. vs Guns 'n' Roses.) They must have also inspired the hair metal bands who weren't inspired by Boston and must have at least influenced a few grunge bands.

― sundar subramanian, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Both of them pale in comparison to Alice Cooper. I'd love to hear Patti's pronunciations of all those dead French guys' names. Also, the 'legendary' first line of 'Horses', pfffft - one of those Statements to which the only possible reply is "Yeah, so what?"

Aerosmith had a few moments of accidental comingtogetherness (chemical division). 'Rocks' is to garage rock what 'Exile' was to gospel music. 'Night in the Ruts' has some interesting what-the-fuck-were-they-on moments too.

― dave q, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

First of all, Patti by a mile.

But Aerosmith could rawk, in an illiterate sense. So they were cool for awhile (like 2 LPs worth) - until they started recycling every fucking thing. I hate Aerosmith soooo much. I can't think of a band that's less creative.

― Dave225, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

fucking yank shit. golden oldys. i love music from what ive seen board should be called i love shit cos thats all u talk about.

― XStatic Peace, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Aerosmith's second album -- "Get Your Wings" -- is an utter monster, and Tyler's vocals are magnificently seamy, dirty not in the leering/winking sense of modern-day Aerosmith but in a far more seductive/"evil"-sounding way. You are a correct voice crying in the wilderness when you point out that Tyler was once a very good rock lyricist. The album "Rocks" can go head-to-head with Patti Smith's "Radio Ethiopia" in a battle to determine Who Loves Pop Music More And Wants to Admit It Less? but after "Rocks" Aerosmith loses the plot completely. Smith's lyrics aspire to be Rimbaud and that's why they're not ever as good as Tyler's: Tyler just wants to write good lyrics.

Tough call, I'd say Aerosmith does more interesting stuff with the template & has listened to their fifties singles more closely than Smith/Kral have. "Radio Ethiopia," though, she was really onto something there. "Pumping (My Heart)." Jesus.

― John Darnielle, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Aerosmith, by light years.

I've never enjoyed Patti Smith. She reminds me of many regrettable literary habits I used to have as an undergraduate English student. The only album of hers I've kept is the one that has the beige background and where she's showing her underarm hair (Wave, I think). I like about two or three songs on it.

Aerosmith, on the other hand, are wonderful. Great production, lots of cool songs. I think they were good after Rocks. Draw the Line, in particular. It's a very evocative, decadent, 70s groove record.

And, here's a dirty little secret: I even like recent Aerosmith. I like the sellout period, where the band took on outside songwriters to get back into the charts. It's been miles better than Cheap Trick's sellout period, at least. Aerosmith's 90s ballads (like "Cryin'" or "Amazin'") are song-doctored like crazy and aimed straight at the lowest common denominator, but I like the prom night music vibe. There's some craft there. I can listen to that shit. And "Pink" was a good, surprisingly Beatle-esque radio pop song (it's from '97, offa the Nine Lives album).

I just think they're an entertaining band. Even when they're bad.

― Oliver, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Patti never visited Wayne Campbell's breakfast nook, so I suppose it's Aerosmith. Don't really care for either.

― Andy K., Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Patti Smith is one of my all-time favorite artists. There is no way I can express how much she means to me or how deeply she infuenced my teenage years. It's worth mentioning that Jack Douglas produced both Aerosmith and Patti Smith.

― Sean, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Patti Smith, please. Even at her worst, at her most obviously aiming for the mainstream gold...I'm thinking "Because the Night" here, folks...she's nowhere near the sheer awful depths of Aerosmith's collaborations with Dianne Warren and Jim Vallance. Okay, I'll give them stuff like "Dream On" and maybe the original "Walk This Way", but gee whiz, I get a brain hemorrhage every time I hear that vile wad of filth from the Armageddon soundtrack.

― Sean Carruthers, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This is why you turn off the radio.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

A second is all it takes
To make them blood vessels break

There were a few songs that followed me around everywhere. Maybe it's just Toronto, but when you walk up and down the streets, music is blasting out of the front of shops, and usually it's a radio station. That damn Aerosmith song followed me everywhere I went, as the Cher song "Believe" did shortly afterwards. I hate being stalked by music that wants to kill me.

― Sean Carruthers, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Patti retired to Detroit for early 80's. Aerosmith went to detox for the mid 80's.

Patti covered The Them's "Gloria" in her own inimitable style. Aerosmith covered The Shangri La's "Remember (Walking in the Sa-a- and)" in their own inimitable style.

Patti lets her kid play "Smoke on the Water" on stage. Steve Tyler lets his kid take her clothes off in his videos.

tie game.

― fritz, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Areosmith have much much more to answer for in their latter periods then Liv could ever make up for.
Patti indirectly was responsible for one of the wierder FOX tv moments when an XFiles spin off show (I forget the name, Not Space Above and Beyond) used all of Land for some wierd detox in a cabin scene. I was only expecting the first few minutes but it just kept going and going.

― Mr Noodles, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

(remove "pants" to email me.)

That TV show was Millenium. Awesome sequence rocked my socks off.

― julian, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well, I changed my vote. Patti Smith's career is meaningless to me, but Lenny Kaye was responsible for 'Nuggets', which AFAIC is the most important comp in the history of music. So Patti wins by association. (I'm serious about 'Nuggets' btw)

― dave q, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No arguments about the worth of Nuggets here...

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I wish Patti Smith had a best-of, then I might own somethng by her (I like "Ghost Dance," "Gloria," "Dancing Barefoot," a few others). I couldn't stand Horses. For a "punk" album, it sure sounds a lot like Bad Company.

― Mark, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

We're comparing apples and oranges here. Patti Smith is a relevant artist who is still putting out great music till this day. Aerosmith has not released ANYTHING worthwhile since the 70's. They are simply in it for the money now and anyone who really appreciates rock n roll looks at them as a bad joke. 50 year old men wrting songs geared for 14 year olds.

― Pump Wellington, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes, but is it art?

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mark: But how does it compare to Aerosmith?

― sundar subramanian, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Patti Smith seems like - or rather IS - an intellectual groupie.

― helenfordsdale, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I guess the real question is, why are we comparing Patti Smith and Aerosmith?? Why don't we just compare Neil Young with Donny Osmond.

― Pump Wellington, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Because they don't rhyme. Besides, Osmond's Stooges influences were fairly nil.

― Sterling Clover, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pump: The point is that - looking only at the 70s work of both artists - PS and Aerosmith came from almost exactly the same influence base (referred to in the question box) and took it in different ways (though not as different as some might have you believe). Christgau even pretty much acknowledged as much when reviewing Radio Ethiopia in his 70s record guide. I actually think it's a more fair comparison than Patti Smith vs Lydia Lunch or Siouxsie Sioux or something. It does PS a disservice that, as Mark's response suggests, a lot of people come to her 70s records expecting them to be wild punk records rather than the important inventive hard rock records they are. (Horses is far and away the least Bad Company-like of her first three. Give Easter a try sometime.) Plus, they rhyme.

― sundar subramanian, Sunday, 20 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I guess that meaningful points of comparison could be found between PS and Lydia Lunch or Siouxsie Sioux though. Never mind that part.

― sundar subramanian, Sunday, 20 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No, I agree; there's more of a meaningful comparison between Aerosmith than those other female singers. And I'm sure Patti herself would rather be grouped with "real" rock bands rather than arty singer-songwriters. Even tho Patti kind of IS an arty singer-songwriter. Especially in the early days, tho, she made a point of really trying to rock.

― Sean, Sunday, 20 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

One could also extrapolate bigger issues like tight songwriting vs more free expressions of personality, craft vs innovation . . . Which is sort of what I was getting at - two artists approaching the same influences in different ways.

(Keep in mind, Pump, that not only did she sing on a Blue Oyster Cult record but Allan Lanier played some of the solos on Horses. And her biggest hit was a collaboration with Bruce Springsteen with a solo that could practically fit on a Bon Jovi record. My sister used to ask "Is this Melissa Etheridge? Alannah Myles?" when I listened to Easter.)

― sundar subramanian, Sunday, 20 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

She was a poet who wanted to be a rocker. They were rockers who occasionally tried to write poetry.

― Sterling Clover, Sunday, 20 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Aerosmith are even worse than KISS, and they don't have as much entertainment value.

Patti Smith is even worse than Jim Morrison, and she's still alive.

― Justyn Dillingham, Monday, 21 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It does PS a disservice that, as Mark's response suggests, a lot of people come to her 70s records expecting them to be wild punk records rather than the important inventive hard rock records they are

I'll buy that. The punk aura was probably standing in the way of my enjoying Horses. I should listen to again as 70s hard rock some day, I mean, I do like that stuff. From what I know, though, I'll take Aerosmith. Better beats. I like their version of "Walk This Way" best, as well.

― Mark, Monday, 21 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

four years pass...

"I hate Aerosmith soooo much. I can't think of a band that's less creative"
Have you heard of Status Quo?
I liked aerosmith up till 'draw the line' and all 4 Patti smith group lps. Aerosmith descended into shmaltze rock and hair metal, and patti went solo and I've not listened to any of that stuff.
So the patti smith group wins for consistency

― babysquid (babysquid), Saturday, 24 June 2006 11:24 (nineteen years ago)

Both of them pale in comparison to Alice Cooper.

OMG, but if you could somehow genetically splice them together that's exactly what you'd have.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Saturday, 24 June 2006 11:34 (nineteen years ago)

Patti and Jim Carroll might have been a pretty good t/s. But going with the original question I'm gonna say Aerosmith. I don't know how many times I've been falling-down drunk, laughing with the mates, stoned outta my mind and enjoying them, but it's gotta be considerably more than Patti.

― jim wentworth (wench), Sunday, 25 June 2006 01:36 (nineteen years ago)

patti can be reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal embarrassing (even dating back to a couple of cringeworthy lyrics in "piss factory") but she's had so many classic songs it's hard for me to think ill of her in earnest.

― aimee semple mcmansion (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 25 June 2006 01:47 (nineteen years ago)

the cringe-factor is part of her charm! she lets it all hang out as the saying goes, firstthought/bestthought in a BEATnik stylee. tho I understand ppl not digging her, I'll always admire the old girl.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Sunday, 25 June 2006 10:23 (nineteen years ago)

Aerosmith are embarassing, dumb and gross. But they gots a good handful of classic choons, and most bands can't claim even that.

Patti Smith is embarassing, arty and pretentious. But she too has a (similarly small) clutch of truly great songs with which to spit her name in god's eye.

Have to admit that it's hard to imagine the circumstances under which you'd wanna listen to a whole album by either of these "artists" all the way through.

So, it depends on what yr. after...
If you value art-cred and gore-strewn romanticism: Patti.
If you value dick-swangin' and/or aging rocker pussy: Aerosmith.
If you value neither: something good.

― fuckfuckingfuckedfucker (fuckfuckingfuckedfucker), Monday, 26 June 2006 14:10 (nineteen years ago)

Even Aerosmith at their most yawnsomely squeaky clean are better than Patti Smith, who has ALWASY BEEN CRAP!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 26 June 2006 14:12 (nineteen years ago)

what's a "choon"?

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Monday, 26 June 2006 14:20 (nineteen years ago)

wow, i forgot i used to hate patti smith! i love her now. maybe i should give aerosmith another shot.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Monday, 26 June 2006 14:26 (nineteen years ago)

johnny fever otm!

i got alotta love for patti smith but aerosmith takes this pretty easy for me.

― j blount (papa la bas), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 02:54 (nineteen years ago)

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