Get a Grip

Get a Grip is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in April 1993 by Geffen Records. Get a Grip was the band's last studio album to be released by Geffen before they returned to Columbia Records.

For the TV series of the same name, see Get a Grip (TV series).
Get a Grip
Studio album by
Aerosmith
ReleasedApril 20, 1993[1]
RecordedJanuary–February, September–November 1992
Studio
Genre
Length62:06 (US)
65:36 (UK and elsewhere)
LabelGeffen
ProducerBruce Fairbairn
Aerosmith chronology
Pump
(1989)		 Get a Grip
(1993)		 Nine Lives
(1997)
Singles from Get a Grip
  1. "Livin' on the Edge"
    Released: March 23, 1993
  2. "Eat the Rich"
    Released: April 17, 1993
  3. "Fever"
    Released: August 30, 1993
  4. "Cryin'"
    Released: October 5, 1993
  5. "Amazing"
    Released: November 1993
  6. "Shut Up and Dance"
    Released: January 1994 (UK)
  7. "Crazy"
    Released: May 3, 1994

Get a Grip featured guests including Don Henley, who sang backup on "Amazing", and Lenny Kravitz, who offered backup vocals and collaboration to "Line Up". As on Permanent Vacation and Pump, this album featured numerous song collaborators from outside the band including: Desmond Child, Jim Vallance, Mark Hudson, Richie Supa, Taylor Rhodes, Jack Blades, and Tommy Shaw.

Get a Grip became Aerosmith's best-selling studio album worldwide, achieving sales of over 20 million copies. The album became the band's first album to reach number one in the United States and tied with Pump for their second best-selling album in the U.S., selling over 7 million copies as of 1995 (Toys in the Attic leads with nine million).[4] This also made it their third consecutive album with U.S. sales of at least five million. Two songs from the album won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, in 1993 and 1994. The album was voted Album of the Year by Metal Edge readers in the magazine's 1993 Readers' Choice Awards, while "Livin' on the Edge" was voted Best Video.[5]

Production

The album originally had 12 songs and was scheduled to be released in the third quarter of 1992, but Geffen A&R executive John Kalodner listened to what had been recorded and thought it lacked variety and a radio-friendly song. So the band went back to write more songs with collaborators such as Child.[6]

Regarding songs that reflect on the band's history with drug abuse such as "Get a Grip" and "Amazing", Steven Tyler declared: "We were saying you can point it back to some of those old beliefs about the crossroads and signing up with the devil, that you can look at the drugs as that: It can be fun in the beginning but then it comes time to pay your debt, and if you're not sharp enough to see that it's taking you down, then it really will get you."[7]

Many songs were written and recorded for the album that were either used as B-sides or never released. "Don't Stop" and "Head First" were released as B-sides, as well as "Can't Stop Messin'", which also appears on several special editions of the album as an addition in the track list. Alternate versions of other songs recorded during the sessions including "Deuces Are Wild", "Lizard Love", "Devil's Got a New Disguise", and "Legendary Child" have since been released on various albums and soundtracks.

Other songs were listed on the official Aerosmith website in the late 1990s. "Black Cherry", "Dime Store Lover", "Meltdown", "Rocket 88", "Wham Bam", and "Yo Momma" were listed on the lyrics page of the website. In 2005, Kalodner confirmed the existence of several of these songs, as well as "Trouble", "Strange", "13", and "Keep on Movin'". "Deuces Are Wild" was possibly recorded again during these sessions. Several songs are also listed on copyright repertoires, including "Ain't Gonna Break My Heart", "Good Thang", and "Jake". These songs can be traced to the year 1991.

Cover art

Get a Grip's cover art, depicting an image of a cow with a captive bead nipple ring through its udder and a brand of the Aerosmith logo, was designed by noted album-cover artist Hugh Syme. Music critic Steven Hyden has referred to the album's cover art as "the worst album cover ever", expressing surprise that Syme was responsible for it given his other work.[8] An animal-rights group objected to the cover art, but the band confirmed the image had been digitally altered and did not depict an actual act of animal cruelty.[9]

A special edition of the album was released in a fabric-covered case made to resemble cowhide.[10][11]

First digital download

On June 27, 1994, Aerosmith became the first major artist to release a song as an exclusive digital download, making "Head First" available as a 4-megabyte WAV file to CompuServe subscribers.[12] Around 10,000 users downloaded the song in the first few days, even though at the time, most users accessed the service with a modem, meaning the download would have taken the better part of an hour. "Head First" was earlier used as the B-side for "Eat the Rich".[13]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Calgary HeraldA-[15]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA-[16]
NME4/10[17]
Q[18]
Rolling Stone[19]

Reviewing for Rolling Stone in 1993, Mark Coleman said he enjoyed the title song and compared the introductory track to the band's 1986 rendition of "Walk This Way" with Run–D.M.C. However, he found much of the rest unadventurous and too "somber", negatively comparing "Livin' on the Edge" to a Bon Jovi song, and lamenting the outside contributions from songwriters and collaborators. Ultimately, Coleman determined that, "for a spirited half-hour or so, Aerosmith pretty much gets over on sheer awe-inspiring technique".[19] Robert Christgau was more positive in a contemporaneous review for Playboy, saying that while it "occasionally exploits their rap connection", remains faithful to Aerosmith's template of "fast ones and slow ones; lyrically it's fuck me and fuck you", but with such superpro crunch and commitment that no good-timing headbanger will give a shit. Christgau highlighted "Cryin'" as "the classic" on the album, while saying that "the closest thing to a duff cut [is] the 'meaningful' Livin' on the Edge, which could be a hit anyway."[20] He later ranked it 64th on his "Dean's List" accompanying The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll of the year's best albums,[21] and assigned it an A-minus in his 2000 book Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s.[16]

Track listing
Get a Grip track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro"Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Jim Vallance0:24
2."Eat the Rich"Tyler, Perry, Vallance4:11
3."Get a Grip"Tyler, Perry, Vallance3:59
4."Fever"Tyler, Perry4:15
5."Livin' on the Edge"Tyler, Perry, Mark Hudson6:07
6."Flesh"Tyler, Perry, Desmond Child5:57
7."Walk On Down"Perry3:39
8."Shut Up and Dance"Tyler, Perry, Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw4:56
9."Cryin'"Tyler, Perry, Taylor Rhodes5:09
10."Gotta Love It"Tyler, Perry, Hudson5:58
11."Crazy"Tyler, Perry, Child5:14
12."Line Up"Tyler, Perry, Lenny Kravitz4:03
13."Amazing"Tyler, Richard Supa5:57
14."Boogie Man" (Instrumental)Tyler, Perry, Vallance2:17
Total length:1:02:06
International and limited editions
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Can't Stop Messin'"Tyler, Perry, Blades, Shaw3:30
Total length:1:05:36
  • Immediately after "Amazing," a snippet of "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well", by Lucky Millinder, is heard as if being tuned in on an old radio. Tyler says, "So from all of us at Aerosmith to all of you out there, wherever you are, remember: the light at the end of the tunnel may be you. Good night." The music then fades out.

Personnel

Aerosmith

  • Steven Tyler – lead vocals, keyboards, mandolin, harmonica, additional percussion, arranger
  • Joe Perry – guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Walk On Down"
  • Brad Whitford – guitar, lead guitar on “Fever”, “Gotta Love It”, and “Flesh”
  • Tom Hamilton – bass guitar, bass solo on “Gotta Love It”
  • Joey Kramer – drums

Additional personnel

  • David Campbell – orchestra arrangements on "Crazy" and "Amazing"
  • Desmond Child – keyboards on "Crazy"
  • John Webster – keyboards
  • Richard Supa – keyboards on "Amazing"
  • Don Henley – background vocals on "Amazing"
  • Lenny Kravitz – background vocals on "Line Up"
  • Paul Baron – trumpet
  • Tom Keenlyside – saxophone
  • Bruce Fairbairn – trumpet, production
  • Ian Putz – baritone saxophone
  • Bob Rogers – trombone
  • Liainaiala Tagaloa – log drums on "Eat the Rich"
  • Mapuhi T. Tekurio – log drums on "Eat the Rich"
  • Aladd Alationa Teofilo – log drums on "Eat the Rich"
  • Melvin Liufau – log drums on "Eat the Rich"
  • Wesey Mamea – log drums on "Eat the Rich"
  • Sandy Kanaeholo – log drums on "Eat the Rich"

Production

  • Engineers – John Aguto, Ed Korengo, Ken Lomas, Mike Plotnikoff, David Thoener, Karl Heilbron
  • Pre Production Engineer – Tony Lentini
  • Mixing – Brendan O'Brien
  • Mastering – Greg Fulginiti at Masterdisk
  • Mastering Supervisor – David Donnelly
  • Programming – John Webster
  • Production coordination – Debra Shallman
  • Guitar technician – Dan Murphy
  • Art direction – Michael Golob
  • Cover design – Hugh Syme
  • Photography – Edward Colver, William Hames
  • John Kalodner

Charts

Certifications and sales
Certifications and sales for Get a Grip
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[53] 3× Platinum 180,000^
Australia (ARIA)[54] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[55] Platinum 50,000*
Belgium (BEA)[53] Platinum 50,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[56] Gold 100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[57] Diamond 1,000,000^
Chile[53] Platinum 25,000[58]
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[59] 3× Platinum 60,000‡
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[60] Gold 33,759[60]
France (SNEP)[61] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[62] Platinum 500,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[53] Gold 10,000*
Indonesia[53] Gold 25,000[63]
Israel[64] Gold 20,000[64]
Japan (RIAJ)[53] 2× Platinum 400,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[65] Gold 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[66] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[53] Gold 7,500^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[53] Platinum 50,000*
Philippines (PARI)[67] Platinum 40,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[68] Gold 50,000*
Portugal (AFP)[53] Platinum 40,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[69] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[70] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[71] Gold 25,000^
Taiwan (RIT)[53] Gold 25,000[72]
Thailand[73] Gold 25,000[73]
United Kingdom (BPI)[74] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[75] 7× Platinum 7,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1993 "Livin' on the Edge" Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
1994 "Crazy" Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal

Metal Edge Readers' Choice Awards

Year Winner Category
1993 Get a Grip Album of the Year[5]
1993 "Livin' on the Edge" Best video

See also

References
  1. Huxley 2015, eBook,"Get a Grip, Geffen, April 1993".
  2. Big Ones (CD insert). Aerosmith. Geffen Records. 1994. GEFD-24716.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. Rivadavia, Eduardo (February 28, 2017). "Aerosmith Albums Ranked". Loudwire. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  4. "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  5. Metal Edge, June 1994
  6. Balk This Way Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, Entertainment Weekly. By David Browne | Feb 05, 1993
  7. Washburn, Jim (July 31, 1993). "Aerosmith: New Grip on Fame : Comeback Rockers, at Pacific Amphitheatre, Revel in Album's Success". Los Angeles Times.
  8. "It's the 25th Anniversary of 'Get a Grip,' the Worst Album Cover Ever". 17 April 2018.
  9. Davis, S. and Aerosmith: "Walk This Way", page 502-503. Avon, 1997
  10. "Dusting 'Em off: Aerosmith - Get a Grip". 20 April 2013.
  11. "REVIEW: Aerosmith – Get a Grip (1993 "cow hide" cover)". 2 April 2013.
  12. Schiff, Devin (June 27, 2014). "Go Aerosmith: How "Head First" Became the First Digitally Downloadable Song 20 Years Ago Today". Vice.com. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  13. "Aerosmith - Head First". www.jimvallance.com. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  14. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review at AllMusic. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  15. McEwen, Mary-Lynn (April 25, 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  16. Christgau, Robert (2000). "A". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the 90s. Griffin. ISBN 0312245602. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  17. Dalton, Stephen (May 1, 1993). "Long Play". NME. p. 34. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  18. Anon. (April 2001). "Get a Grip". Q. p. 92.
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  20. Christgau, Robert (May 1993). "Aerosmith, Butthole Surfers, Popinjays, Saint Etienne". Playboy. Retrieved February 15, 2022 – via robertchristgau.com.
  21. Christgau, Robert (March 1, 1994). "Pazz & Jop 1993: Dean's List". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 15, 2022 – via robertchristgau.com.
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  64. "Gold Record Awarded to John Kalonder". Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  65. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Aerosmith in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Get a Grip in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  66. "Dutch album certifications – Aerosmith – Get a Grip" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved November 27, 2019. Enter Get a Grip in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1994 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
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  73. "Presented to John Kalonder to conmemorate the sales of more than 25.000 copies in Thailand". Retrieved 15 January 2023.
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Bibliography
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