With 1987's Permanent Vacation successfully restoring Aerosmith's reputation as one of hard rock's finest, Columbia Records (their first record company) decided the time was right to issue a follow-up of sorts to their 1980 compilation, Greatest Hits.
The result, 1988's Gems, features almost all the tracks that were missing from the first collection, focusing more on their harder-rocking album cuts instead of the hits.
Such favorites as their superb cover of "Train Kept a Rollin'" (a perennial concert showstopper) and the early classic "Mama Kin" are included, as well as tracks unfamiliar to the casual fan.
Three selections are featured from their definitive album, Rocks ("Rats in the Cellar," "Lick and a Promise," and "Nobody's Fault"), plus other '70s highlights: "No Surprize," "Adam's Apple," "Round and Round," "Critical Mass," and "Lord of the Thighs." And a previously unreleased studio version of "Chip Away the Stone" will undoubtedly interest hardcore fans (only a live version from Live Bootleg had been issued before).
Like the Stones and Zeppelin, Aerosmith's album cuts often eclipsed their more renowned material, making Gems an indispensable collection.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rats in the CellarJoe Perry, Steven Tyler | Aerosmith | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 2 | Lick and a PromiseJoe Perry, Steven Tyler | Aerosmith | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 3 | Chip Away the StoneRichard Supa, Richie Supa | Aerosmith | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | No SurprizeJoe Perry, Steven Tyler | Aerosmith | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | Mama KinSteven Tyler | Aerosmith | Play | 04:28 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 6 | Adam's AppleSteven Tyler | Aerosmith | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 7 | Nobody's FaultSteven Tyler, Brad Whitford | Aerosmith | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | Round and RoundSteven Tyler, Brad Whitford | Aerosmith | Play | 05:06 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 9 | Critical MassJack Douglas, Tom Hamilton, Steven Tyler | Aerosmith | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 10 | Lord of the ThighsSteven Tyler | Aerosmith | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 11 | JailbaitJimmy Crespo, Steven Tyler | Aerosmith | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Train Kept a Rollin'Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, Howie Kay, Lois Mann | Aerosmith | Play | 05:41 | 13 MB | 36 MB |
| 53 mins | 123 MB | |||||
| 49 mins | 316 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aerosmith | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 2 | Vic Anesini | Digital Mastering |
| 3 | Steve Aprea | Creative Supervision |
| 4 | Adrian Barber | Producer |
| 5 | Tony Bongiovi | Producer |
| 6 | Tiny Bradshaw | Composer |
| 7 | Ray Colcord | Producer |
| 8 | Tim Collins | Management |
| 9 | Jimmy Crespo | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Electric) |
| 10 | Scott Cushnie | Piano |
| 11 | Don DeVito | Digital Producer |
| 12 | James Diener | Marketing, Project Director |
| 13 | Jack Douglas | Composer, Producer |
| 14 | Rick Dufay | Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm) |
| 15 | Ken Fredette | Design, Package Design |
| 16 | Keith Garde | Creative Supervision |
| 17 | Caroline Greyshock | Photography |
| 18 | Tom Hamilton | Composer, Group Member, Guitar (Bass) |
| 19 | Jimmy Ienner, Jr. | Photography |
| 20 | John Ingrassia | Project Administrator |
| 21 | Howard Kay | Composer |
| 22 | Howie Kay | Composer |
| 23 | Joey Kramer | Drums, Group Member, Percussion |
| 24 | David Krebs | Executive Producer |
| 25 | Leslie Lambert | Collage |
| 26 | Steve Leber | Executive Producer |
| 27 | Gary Lyons | Producer |
| 28 | Lois Mann | Composer |
| 29 | Ted Morrison | Photography |
| 30 | Joe Perry | Composer, Group Member, Guitar, Vocals (Background) |
| 31 | Lisa Sparagano | Design, Package Design |
| 32 | Richard Supa | Composer, Piano |
| 33 | Richie Supa | Composer, Piano |
| 34 | Steven Tyler | Composer, Group Member, Harmonica, Piano, Producer, Vocals |
| 35 | Brad Whitford | Composer, Group Member, Guitar |
| 36 | Mark Wilder | Assembly, Digital Mastering, Engineer |
| 37 | Darren S. Winston | Creative Consultant |
| 38 | David Woodford | Saxophone |
| 39 | Joel Zimmerman | Art Supervisor |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |