BAND: Steven Tyler (vocals, piano, harmonica), Joe Perry (guitars), Brad Whitford (guitars), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1989) 10 songs clocking in at approximately 48 minutes. Included with the disc is a 6-page foldout containing band photos, song titles/credits, and thank you’s. Recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver BC, Canada. Label – Geffen.

COMMENTS: “Pump” is Aerosmith’s finest album of the 80’s. Absolutely positively no filler. As good as the mega hits are (“Janie’s Got A Gun”, “Love In An Elevator”), the deeper album cuts are what makes this album great. The opening 1-2 punch of rockers “Young Lust” and “F.I.N.E. (F**cked up, Insecure, Neurotic & Emotional)” set the tone of the album. “Monkey On My Back”, “The Other Side”, “My Girl” are wonderful songs proving the Toxic Twins were able to separate themselves from their past demons (in the late 70’s and early 80’s). One of my favorite obscure Aero tunes is here… “Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man”… great lyrics and layers upon layers of ultra heavy guitars. This latter day Aersomith feels the need to incorporate a power ballad into each album. Where its predecessor (“Permanent Vacation”) serenaded us with “Angel”, “Pump” scored an even bigger ballad hit with “What It Takes”. A good song, even if it is geared toward the female population. Later albums (i.e. “Get A Grip”, “Nine Lives”, “Just Push Play”) are simply saturated with the rock ballads… and I can’t and won’t rate them as high. Aerosmith is best when they’re rockin’ the house – bluesy raunch & roll style. Aerosmith got their act together after several sub-par albums (well, certainly not ‘classics’ anyway) in the late 70’s and early 80’s, and they’ve rebounded nicely. Dare I say they were almost starting from scratch after “Rock In A Hard Place” (1982). Thankfully Perry and Whitford rejoined the band and have been cranking out albums ever since. I don’t rank “Pump” as high as “Rocks” or “Toys In The Attic”, but it’s still in that special 1st tier of their albums. Classic Aerosmith 80’s style (4.5 stars).

Aerosmith made several excellent CDs along the way; and they still go strong with plenty of life left in them! This CD by Aerosmith, Pump, gives us an excellent collection of more instantly classic rock tunes and ballads by these masters of rock and roll.

The CD track set begins with “Young Lust.” The electric guitars work well to start off the number– and the CD–just right. Steven Tyler cries out and then starts singing about the lust we all experience when we’re young and spend time with someone we find really, really hot. The drums, percussion and guitars make a great musical arrangement that lets “Young Lust” take off like a jet! “F.I.N.E.*” rocks hard; the band performs this excellent number about how excited a young man is to spend time alone with his girlfriend. Great! Good subtle changes between major and minor chords, too.

“Love In An Elevator” starts with a few spoken lines to set the tone for this ballad about love, lust and romantic attraction between man and woman. Aerosmith compares love in an elevator to making love; the electric guitars, drums, percussion and bass work wonders for the arrangement. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry sing “Love In An Elevator” like the pros that they are! The band jams hard, too. Great! “Janie’s Got A Gun” begins with an eerie sounding intro that has some awesome minor chords; Aerosmith sings of a woman who’s been so abused by her father that she wants to use a gun to kill him. The drums make “Janie’s Got A Gun” even better; and Aerosmith does this ballad to perfection. The chorus is very well done; and the band jams, too. I predict that you will like “Janie’s Got A Gun” very much.

“Don’t Get Mad, Get Even” explores the hatred a person can feel for another after they’ve been wronged. Steven Tyler sings of a man who wants to “get even” with the person who hurt him without losing control of himself. The guitars work wonders for “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even.” This rock number also lets Steven Tyler show of his wide vocal range–awesome!

The final track is entitled “What It Takes.” This instant classic rock ballad explores the pain a man feels when he sees his former girlfriend with another man. He reminisces about their love and wonders what he could have done to keep their love alive. Steven Tyler delivers this passionately with all his heart and soul; and Joe Perry helps out on vocals, too. The harmonica adds a nice touch to the musical arrangement as the guitars rock hard with great percussion. “What It takes” provides a strong ending for this incredible album.

The liner notes include some fantastic artwork as well as the song credits.

Aerosmith put out many albums–and here’s hoping they will continue to do so for many years to come! Nevertheless, Pump glistens like shiny gold amongst all their CDs. I highly recommend this as a “must-have” for Aerosmith fans; and people who enjoy classic rock will cling on to this album for ages to come!

Rock on, guys! Great job!

Aerosmith’s 1989 release of PUMP following the success of “Permanent Vacation” (which I feel was the beginning of their second era) launched the band into the commercial mainstream for good. The album’s songs are slower and more rich with feeling and fun. “F.I.N.E.” is great track with Steven Tyler proving he hasn’t lost his voice just yet. The Powerful Ballas “Janie’s got a gun” about an abused woman is by far far the most moving and emotional song on the whole album, not to mention popular. “The Other Side” is a good modern day rocker that features some good songwriting and great rythym, compliments of guitarist Joe Perry. As with the album before this, not every song on PUMP is a diamond, but the ones that are shine enough to carry it through and stand out a bit in this rock bands large and diverse discography.

Hot on the heels of their successful “Permanent Vacation” and still enjoying a resurgence as rockers, Aerosmith cranked out “Pump.” It is, in my opinion, the best of their second successful run of albums. While “Vacation” set the table, “Pump” kicked things into high gear. From the opening track, “Young Lust,” Aerosmith does not let up with their bluesy, dirty, driving sound. Songs like “F.I.N.E.” and “My Girl” solidified this album as real rock, but it was the deep contrasts in their major releases that set this album apart from the pack. From the socially-conscious and touchy subject of “Janie’s Got A Gun” to the slow, emotional “What It Takes” to the raw, sex-laden “Love In An Elevator,” Aerosmith took this album in a million directions and managed to hold it all together. They also threw in a lot of experimental sounding segues as with “Dulcimer Stomp” and the wonderful “Hoodoo Voodoo Medicine Man.”

In short, if I had to pick one album from their second run in rock history, I’d have to go with “Pump.” It proved that older rockers could hang with the best of the young guys at the time and it came before their more homogenized and stale sounding albums like “Get A Grip.”

Highly recommended.

In 1987 Aerosmith made a huge comeback after being considered 70s has beens. Still riding high on Permnant Vacations success the band entered a studio in Vancouver. With the sessions done in 1989, Aerosmith unleashed another hardrocking masterpiece. This album recaptured their 70s swagger & took it to new levels. The band fires on all cylinders and this album contains no weak spots. This album is fun, fast, and is a goodtime like a rock album should be.1. Young Lust. 10/10 Starts the album with a bang. Great drum solo ending.2. F.I.N.E. 10/10 Great hard driving song. I love the sexual innuendo.3. Love in an Elevator. 10/10. Amazing guitar solos drive this song. Brillant sleazy lyrics, dripping with innuendo. One of their best ever.4. Monkey on my Back. 9/10 Another great hard driving rock song.5. Janie’s Got a Gun. 10/10 Covers the serious topic of child abuse and manages to flat out rock. Very gutsy, dark song, and a true masterpiece. I know people who hate Aerosmith but concede this is a great song.6. The Other Side. 10/10 Starts with some Dulcimers then they unleash on another great hard rock song.7. My Girl. 7/10 The album dips a bit at this point only because those first 6 songs were so blistering. This is still a good song just overshadowed by the preceding songs.8. Don’t Get Made Get Even. 8/10 Captures the attitude towards and ex.9. Vodoo Medicine Man. 7/10 Good song, but another one that is overpowered by the earlier better songs.10. What it Takes. 9/10 Very good album closer about surviving a break up & moving on. It is a power ballad but holds up unlike most 80s power ballads.Many consider this Aerosmith’s best album. It is their best after the 70s for sure. Must have for hardcore fans and a good place to start for those just getting into Aerosmith.