Permanent Vacation (Aerosmith album)

Permanent Vacation is the ninth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released by Geffen Records on August 25, 1987.[8] The album marks the band's shift to a pop-metal sound that they would maintain up to 1993's Get a Grip.[9]

Permanent Vacation
Studio album by
Aerosmith
ReleasedAugust 25, 1987 (1987-08-25) [1]
RecordedMarch – May 1987
Studio
GenreGlam metal
Length51:46
LabelGeffen
ProducerBruce Fairbairn
Aerosmith chronology
Done with Mirrors
(1985)		 Permanent Vacation
(1987)		 Pump
(1989)
Singles from Permanent Vacation
  1. "Hangman Jury"
    Released: August 18, 1987[2]
  2. "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)"
    Released: September 22, 1987[2]
  3. "Angel"
    Released: January 5, 1988[2]
  4. "Rag Doll"
    Released: May 3, 1988[2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[4]
Metal Forces9.9/10[5]
Rolling Stone(unfavorable)[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

Three hit singles were released from the album, "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", "Angel", and "Rag Doll". It was their first to employ songwriters outside the band, instead of featuring songs solely composed by them.[6] This came at the suggestion of executive John Kalodner. He also pushed the band to work with producer Bruce Fairbairn, who remained with them for another two albums. It was also the first Aerosmith album to be promoted by heavy music video airplay on MTV. Though Done with Mirrors was intended to mark Aerosmith's comeback, Permanent Vacation is often considered their true comeback, as it was the band's first truly popular album since their reunion. "Rag Doll", "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", and "Angel" became major hits (all three charted in the Top 20) and helped Permanent Vacation become the band's greatest success in a decade.

Permanent Vacation has sold over five million copies in the U.S.[10]

In the UK, it was the first Aerosmith album to attain both Silver (60,000 units sold) and Gold (100,000 units sold) certification by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving these in July 1989 and March 1990 respectively.[11]

Reception

The album received mixed-to-positive reviews. In a retrospective assessment AllMusic gave the album four stars, and said "despite the mostly stellar songwriting, which makes it a strong effort overall, some of the album's nooks and crannies haven't aged all that well because of Fairbairn's overwrought production, featuring an exaggerated sleekness typical of most mid-'80s pop-metal albums".[3] Dave Reynolds from Metal Forces magazine called the album "a shit hot album and one I’m gonna play the hell out of".[5] Robert Christgau graded the album a C+, saying Aerosmith were "running out of gas again already".[4]

Loudwire ranked the album as Aerosmith's 6th best album explaining the ranking with, "its lavish '80s production has definitely dated, but 'Permanent Vacation' still ranks among the greatest musical comebacks of all time".[9] Loudersound placed the album on their list of the 20 best albums from 1987 and called it a "collection of sublime pop-metal".[12]

Track listing
Permanent Vacation track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heart's Done Time"
4:42
2."Magic Touch"
4:40
3."Rag Doll"
4:21
4."Simoriah"
  • Tyler
  • Perry
  • Vallance
3:22
5."Dude (Looks Like a Lady)"
  • Tyler
  • Perry
  • Child
4:23
6."St. John"Tyler4:12
7."Hangman Jury"
  • Tyler
  • Perry
  • Vallance
5:33
8."Girl Keeps Coming Apart"
  • Tyler
  • Perry
4:12
9."Angel"
  • Tyler
  • Child
5:10
10."Permanent Vacation"
4:52
11."I'm Down" (The Beatles cover)
2:20
12."The Movie"
4:00
Total length:51:47

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes[13] and AllMusic.[14] Track numbers refer to CD and digital releases of the album.

Aerosmith

Charts
Chart performance for Permanent Vacation
Chart (1987–1988) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[15] 42
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[16] 16
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[17] 50
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 37
US Billboard 200[19] 11

Certifications
Certifications for Permanent Vacation
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[20] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[21] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[23] 5× Platinum 5,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. "RIAA certifications". Recording Industry Association of America.
  2. Strong, Martin (2002) [First published in 1994]. The Great Rock Discography (Sixth ed.). United Kingdom: Canongate Books. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
  3. Franck, John. Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  4. Christgau, Robert (1990). "A". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved August 16, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. Reynolds, Dave (1987). "Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation". Metal Forces (25). Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  6. Frost, Deborah (1987-10-22). "Permanent Vacation". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
  7. "Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
  8. John Franck & Eduardo Rivadavia. "Permanent Vacation - Aerosmith > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  9. Rivadavia, Eduardo (February 28, 2017). "Aerosmith Albums Ranked". Loudwire. Retrieved March 16, 2021. 2001's 'Push Play' was Aerosmith's fifth straight exercise in the sort of widescreen pop metal inaugurated by 'Permanent Vacation,' all of 14 years prior.
  10. "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  11. "Search for "Aerosmith"". Bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  12. "The 20 best albums from 1987". loudersound. October 9, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  13. Big Ones (CD insert). Aerosmith. United States: Geffen Records. 1994. GEFD-24716.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. "Permanent Vacation - Aerosmith > Credits". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  16. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0907". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22April 2018.
  17. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  18. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  19. "Aerosmith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  20. "Canadian album certifications – Aerosmith – Permanent Vacation". Music Canada. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  21. "Japanese album certifications – エアロスミス – パーマネント・ヴァケイション" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1995年4月 on the drop-down menu
  22. "British album certifications – Aerosmith – Permanent Vacation". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  23. "American album certifications – Aerosmith – Permanent Vacation". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
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