'I've Got the Rock 'n' Rolls Again'

It’s been a couple of years ago that I posted about the Joe Perry Project, Joe’s ill-fated band during his early 80’s hiatus from Aerosmith. Despite releasing three albums that, in my opinion can stand against most Aerosmith releases, the JPP never got beyond cult status. By the mid-80’s, as we know, Joe was back in the Aerosmith fold.

Not long ago, I found a JPP live recording, taken from a show in Joe’s hometown of Boston. Although the date on the file puts this show in April 1982, based on the band line-up and the set list, it was likely a late 1983 show. In an interview before the show, Joe says the band members are singer Cowboy Mach Bell, bassist Danny Hargrove and drummer Joe Pet. Brad Whitford, who didn’t start appearing with the them until 1983, also joins the Project onstage.

In a 2000 interview with the Website d-filed.com, Mach Bell looked back on his tenure with “one of the most famous guitar players in the business.” “Joe took us on the road – and I mean road – no more Lear jets and pampering lackeys,” Bell said. “Our crew hoisted the Jolly Roger and crisscrossed the continent in rental cars and vans. We ate together at Denny’s and slept in the Motel 6 ... and had more fun than I thought was humanly possible.”

This show was probably one of the Joe Perry Project’s last, and they sound musically tight, despite the wear and tear. But there’s also the feeling that, despite it being a Boston show, the band is simply going through the motions. I’ve heard recordings of Aerosmith in Boston and the band always seemed a lot more up for the home crowd. I think that by this point in the JPP story, things were close to an end and maybe Joe felt that, despite his talk of a fourth album and further tours.

Interview, pt. 1.mp3
Intro / Toys in the Attic.mp3
No Substitute (for Arrogance).mp3
Heartbreak Hotel.mp3
Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker.mp3
Going Down.mp3
Buzz Buzz.mp3
Black Velvet Pants.mp3
I’ve Got the Rock ‘n’ Rolls Again.mp3
East Coast, West Coast.mp3
Let the Music Do the Talking.mp3
Interview, pt. 2.mp3

Labels: Aerosmith, classic rock, covers, guitar heroes, live music

posted by aikin @ 12:04 PM