Aerosmith – ‘Rattlesnake Shake’ (Live at Countpart Studios – New York 1974) – Album Review (The Aerosmith CollectioN Series) – 2 Loud 2 Old Music

In my quest for Aerosmith vinyl, I stumbled across this gem of a bootleg from very early on the band’s career. It is called Rattlesnake Shake: Live at Counterpart Studios in New York 1974. The bootleg vinyl was released in 1977 by Slipped Disc Records and like most bootlegs there is an error. Counterpart Studios is actually a radio station called WKRQ out of Cincinnati, OH. And the show was not recorded in 1974, it was actually on September 26, 1973. which I guess is close.

Aerosmith had not broken big yet as they would do with ‘Toys in the Attic’ in 1975, but so far all they had out was the debut and ‘Get Your Wings’ wouldn’t come out for about another 6 months. The band was Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton as they would stay for years to come. One cool thing that I found inside of the album jacket was an envelope to a DIR Broadcasting Corporation on Park Avenue in New York City. And they are just that, a broadcasting company. If they are still in business I do not know, but I think they are no longer on Park Avenue.

The album kicks off with the song “Make It” which is the opening track to the debut album. The sound is a little muddy and thick, but still sounds really great. The bass is heavy in the this one and the guitars rip. A bluesy little track that has Tyler sounding amazing. Almost as good as the album. They go in to “Somebody” and which has a killer opening riff that gets lost in the sound. Bass is still heavy, but those riffs are what is cool about this one. Another bluesy track that they do so well.

After a little noodling around and a quick introduction to the song, we get a song called “Write Me” per the label, but it is really “Write Me A Letter”. It opens with some nice Kramer drumming and then the nasty guitars. A straight-ahead rock song and not the most exciting one they’ve done. Live might be better though as the guitar playing is exceptional and a highlight. I do love Steven’s harmonica as it adds some flavor. Then we get to what might the best song they’ve ever written and that is “Dream On”. The song is driven by a piano and Tyler sings the hell out of it. Can he hit those notes on the studio track live? Hell yeah he can. The vocals are magic to this song and those screams he hits will send chills up and down your spine. It is an awe-inspiring track.

The first side ends with “One Way Street” and it is a pure jam session.  Steven gets everyone clapping along and then right in to it. The studio is piano driven but this one is all guitar and harmonica. It feels like blues and straight-up rock and roll as well as one bit that feels a little honky tonk. The solo on this one is handled by Brad Whitford and there is a nice little jam section as this song goes on for an extended amount of time and it is all worth it. Side 2 says it kicks off with “Walking the Dog”, but that ain’t the truth. It actually ends Side 1 and it ends it in style. I mentioned the studio version has a whole Led Zeppelin vibe and think that holds true here, but it is also Aerosmith blues rock too and that is cool enough.

“Pandora’s Box” actually opens Side 2 and this one is from their upcoming album. But before he goes in to the song, Steven mentions it is off their new album named “Night in the Rut”, but as we know it is “Get Your Wings”…they save that title for a later album. There is no Motown here as the studio, this is pure Rock & Roll. The song is long as they jam some more on this one too and all I can say is thank you very much.

The album cover mentions “Rattlesnake” and then we get the bluesy cover of “Rattlesnake Shake” and it is bluesy. It is slow and they play it so nasty and it is great. The band lets loose and they are killing, the bass lines are stunning and the guitar licks are insane. The drum solo at the end to wrap it up is crazy as well. Holy crap do these guys slay live.

Next is the new track, “Train Kept A Rollin’” but it is a cover made famous by the Yardbirds, but Aerosmith have made it their own. The guitar work is again sensational and that solo, damn!! More pounding on the drums as he goes crazy for two songs in a row. The song bleeds right in to “Mama Kin” and the band closes out the song in style. No saxophone here like the studio track, nope. Just more wicked guitars, bass and drums and Steven Tyler’s vocals. What more do you really need.

And that is the bootleg “RattleSnake Shake”. As I said the sound is a little muddy to start, but that cleared up quickly and it all sounds great. You hear all the instruments and thank goodness because these guys were young and hungry and damn they could play. Steven’s vocals are in prime form and he hits every note. This early stuff from the is the best. Nothing better then a band in their prime and to think, they’d only get better over the next couple albums at least until the drugs kicked in. This is one you should seek out and grab if you are an Aerosmith fan. How this hasn’t been officially released is crazy. My Overall Score is a 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars. Might be some muddy sound, but none of it bothered me in the least. Just listen to their playing and nothing else matters.

THE AEROSMITH COLLECTION SERIES:

1. ‘Aerosmith’ (1973)
2. ‘Get Your Wings’ (1974)
3. ‘Rattlesnake Shake’ (Live at Counterpart Studios, New York 1974) – (Bootleg)
4. ‘Toys in the Attic’ (1975)
5. ‘Rocks’ (1976)
6. ‘Draw the Line’ (1977)
7. ‘Live! Bootleg’ (1978)
8. ‘Night in the Ruts’ (1979)
9. ‘Greatest Hits’ (1980)
10. ‘Rock in a Hard Place’ (1982)
11. ‘Done With Mirrors’ (1985)
12. Run DMC – “Walk This Way” 12″ Single (1986)
13. ‘Classics Live!’ (1986)
14. ‘Classics Live! II’ (1987)
15. ‘Permanent Vacation’ (1987)
16. “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” (1987) – 7″ Single & 12″ Maxi-Single (Bonus Edition)
17. “Angel” (1988) – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
18. “Rag Doll” (1988) – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
19. ‘Gems’ (1988)
20. ‘Pump’ (1989)
21. ‘Pandora’s Box’ (1991)
22. ‘Get a Grip’ (1993)
23. ‘Nine Lives’ (1997)
24. “Pink” (1997) – CD Single
25. ‘Made in America’ (1997)
26. ‘A Little South of Sanity’ (1998)
27. ‘Just Push Play’ (2001)
28. ‘Honkin on Bobo’ (2004)
29. ‘Rockin’ The Joint (2005)
30. ‘Music From Another Dimension’ (2012)
31. ‘1971: The Road Starts Hear’ (2021)
32. The Albums Ranked Worst To First