Track Listing

1. Road Runner
2. Shame, Shame, Shame
3. Eyesight To The Blind
4. Baby, Please Don't Go
5. Never Loved A Girl
6. Back Back Train
7. You Gotta Move
8. The Grind
9. I'm Ready
10. Temperature
11. Stop Messin' Around
12. Jesus Is On The Mainline

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19829 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2004-03-30
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Amazon.com
Aerosmith are one of the few arena-sized bands still capable of playing it down-to-earth when the occasion calls. For Honkin' on Bobo, the boys return to their bar band roots (and fire a warning shot at Jack White) with this set of classic blues and soul covers generously peppered with harmonica, horns, and boogie-woogie piano. For years, Aerosmith sprinkled similar ditties on their LPs, but devoting a whole disc to material associated with John Lee Hooker, Mississippi Fred McDowell, et al? That takes chutzpah--and they've got it to spare here. "Shame, Shame, Shame" is a finger-waggin', hip-shakin' romp, while "Baby, Please Don't Go" starts out spooky, then escalates as Steven Tyler builds to a full-throttle holler with Joe Perry's guitar blazing his backside all the way. Tyler even snatches one signature song ("Never Loved A Girl") away from the Queen of Soul...at least for a few minutes. --Kurt B. Reighley

Customer Reviews

Blues-Rock, that is
I think it is funny that the record company and the band promoted this as a Blues record prior to its release. This is a blues record only in the sense that Disraeli Gears by Cream or Beck-Ola are blues records.

Honkin on Bobo is a Blooze-Rock record that Rocks with a capital R and would not have been out of place in the early 70's. This is a stunning return to rock and roll form for a band that has made way too many trips to the power-ballad ATM in recent years. Keep it coming guys, I love it.

The purist Aerosmith in years
First impression, strange name, but one of the best covers of all time, and the album is as advertised, Tyler puts his harp to good use in most songs on this album. Although the album contains 11 covers and only one original it sounds more like Aerosmith than Just Push Play did. Billed as an album where 'Aerosmith does the blues' do not expect a blues record. It is more closely comparible to the bands work in the 70s when you could still hear there obvious blues influences. Many of the tracks covered here are obscure as well, so the material sounds fresh and new.

The songs range from rockers like the first single Baby Please Don't Go and Shame Shame Shame to slower blues tunes such as Back Back Train sung by Joe Perry no less. In fact Perry lends lead vocals to two tracks on the album with the voice of the talented Tracy Bonham backing him up. This album is a welcome surprise from start to finish, fans of old Aerosmith will not be disappointed and fans of new Aerosmith will be introduced to a whole new world, with no boring power ballads (as good as Aerosmith does them) to break the mood.

In short, even if you haven't bought an Aerosmith album in years, this is the one to help renew your faith in the greatest Rock and Roll band of our time.

The Halcyon Days Revisited!
Just when I had written these guys off for selling out they reunited with producer Jack Douglas and created their best album since "Rocks". The new disk focuses on cover tunes instead of original material. Most of the tunes are blues covers or early rock and roll tunes. Even though there are some blues covers on the disk, they rock! Blues purists will balk but even though Aerosmith's music was blues influenced, the influences came via the second generation of British blues. The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, and early Fleetwood Mac appear to be more influential than Muddy Waters anyway. I do not know if it was the presence of Jack Douglas or lack of pressure for coming up with new hit material but the band sounds more inspired than they have in a number of years. I have seen them in concert a few times and the new disk sounds more like the excitement they can generate in concert.

There are no clinkers and the songs themselves are all interesting. My favorites include Bo Diddley's "Road Runner", Big Joe Williams "Baby, Please Don't Go", and Mississippi Fred McDowell's "You Gotta Move" and "Jesus Is On The Main Line". The sass that Steven Tyler injects into the songs is great. He also plays a lot of harmonica on the album. Joe Perry and Brad Whitford add a bluesy tinge to the proceedings with their vast array of guitars. Joe Perry even takes the lead vocals on Mississippi Fred McDowell's "Back Back Train" and Fleetwood Mac's "Stop Messin' Round". An example of the vibe the album emits would be to imagine an Aerosmith cd that contained "Walkin' The Dog", "Train Kept A Rollin'", "Big Ten Inch Record" and "Milkcow Blues" from Aerosmith's earlier career. My only regret is that the disk clocks in at only about 44 minutes. Hopefully, they have more high quality material in the can from these sessions that will be issued at a later date. I guess these guys really do have nine lives!