Rating: 
Summary: Must read for all Aerosmith fans.
Review: "We believed anything worth doing was worth overdoing." Those words are spoken from the famous mouth of the ever talkative, ever charismatic Steven Tyler, frontman of the East Coast rock band, Aerosmith. Indeed, that seems to be the underlying current of thought running through the pages of the recently released autobiography, Walk This Way. Overindulgence is an understatement for these Boston Bad Boys. Why then, should their ever faithful "Blue Army" of fans be any different? Aerosmith is a potent drug themselves. They keep you wheedling for more, whether it be a dying thirst for their exciting, blues-influenced brand of rock, to the ache of withdrawal you feel when they're not breezing into your nearest town with one of their awesome live shows. Once you get hooked, you can't even pick up their massive autobiography and be able to put it down, even when going back for seconds.Walk This Way is a surprising expose from five guys who knew the story best -- Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer -- the guys who lived through it. To fill in the gaps of consciousness are wives, ex-wives, managers, roadies, friends, and peers from the entertainment field. The journey of Walk This Way takes you back to Tallahassee, sort to speak. It starts where it should: from the beginning, from the childhood years of all five guys in the band, their family background, and their influences that helped pave the way for their musical direction. It portrays their struggles, their frustrations, their hopes and ambitions, and even their starry-eyed dreams. Even Steven Tyler, as a young lad, had his idols as he sat for hours in front of hotels to meet the members of The Rolling Stones -- much like his fans do today. The journey called Aerosmith is one full of clouds, full of bumps, full of fights, full of brotherhood, full of triumph, and full of ideals and goals. The book takes you through the pages of history when Aerosmith got their first record deal with their self titled album, and through their second, Get Your Wings, as a band trying to make their mark in the rock and roll universe. It takes you through their countless determination in building a following by playing club after club, and being persistent. It takes you through their first big taste of success when their next two albums, Toys In The Attic and Rocks hit the public smack in the head. Suddenly they were somebody and success, money and fame walked right into their door. Along with that fame and success came a slow destruction that was caused by the excesses of life: drugs, drinking, women, and endless touring and being on the road. The devil of drugs started to play puppet master with the band, causing what appeared to be a slow and imminent death of a band that had the chance to be destined for greatness. This cancer took hold when Draw The Line was made, and escalated during the making of Night In The Ruts. A wedge was finally driven between the two soul brothers of the band, Steven Tyler, and guitarist Joe Perry. Joe left in the middle of recording NITR. The fighting, the drugs, and the band members significant others, pried the band apart, leaving their fans wondering if rock and roll would ever be the same. Joe Perry branched out on his own, forming the Joe Perry Project, and releasing two cult hit records, Let The Music Do The Talking and I've Got The Rock 'N' Rolls Again. Aerosmith plunged on and started recording Rock In A Hard Place when Brad Whitford decided to leave the fold. The band continued to crash and burn, losing money, cars, their homes, and their relationships. Aerosmith hit bottom and seemed to be continuing on their path of destruction when the members of the band seemed to get brought together again. Joe Perry and Brad Whitford returned, along with a new manager, Tim Collins. Trying to clean up their act, they recorded their next album, Done With Mirrors, which didn't make as much noise as it should have. It wasn't until the release of Permanent Vacation and a commitment to a sober lifestyle by all parties involved that caused Aerosmith to rise from the ashes. They were back with a vengeance with the biggest album of their career, and continued thereafter to hit the concert trails and reach even higher numbers on the charts with the release of their next two albums, Pump and Get A Grip. There was a new Aerosmith on the rise, and they were going to steamroll anyone who got in their way. The born-again Boston Bad Boys were newly sober and loving life, and the world embraced them. The last chapter winds up at the present, with their current tour and release of Nine Lives, as they continue their successful jaunt. This book is more than a book about the drugs and the women. It is more than a book about the fame, the money, and losing it all. It digs deeper than the tantrums, the in-fighting, the "business" part of the entertainment field, and the distrust. This book covers all of that, but it has a deeper message. The pain, the struggle, the love for music that brought these five very different personalities together like brothers, and the inspirations that drove them first to the top of the world, and then to the bottom of hell, then back up to an even higher plateau . . . all of that is here in black and white. It's a frank, honest, sometimes amusing, and sometimes painful story about how each member thinks and what makes each of them tick. It is written in such a way that their personalities burn through each page. It lets you peek in on their hopes and dreams. Most of all, it is a book about survival. Aerosmith survived when others didn't. While they indeed fell as many of their peers had, it wasn't a final fall for them, and they got back up. Today, they are still standing, while others didn't get a second chance once they fell. That, I believe, is the crux of what makes Aerosmith tick. Not many lived through what they have and still be around to tell their story. With a nod of thanks in having nine lives, these five men are still on their journey, meeting their destinations a little at a time, but never stopping too long to miss the train. May they continue down that road of magic called music for a long time to come, continuing to win the smiles of millions along the way who have felt some happiness because of them.
Rating:
Summary: Talk About A Bumpy Ride...
Review: This book should have been titled, "Drugged Up and Can't Walk." Told in interviews with all of Aerosmith, their girlfriends, wives, ex-wives and others, this book will knock your brains out. After Joe Perry and Elyssa were divorced, the man woke up and eventually went on to make great music with Steven and have happiness with his now wife Billie. I have new respect for rock bands. If any band lasts more than 10 years you know they went through hell to stay together. For the first 20 years of their lives, Aerosmith were drugged to their teeth. But for the Grace of God they are still alive. What I liked about this book as it is told in their own words. I liked reading how they wrote their songs and what it took to get a song written, all their hardships when they were first together and the craziness they survived. I have a renewed respect for all rock and roll bands after reading this book. The grueling schedule of touring, the sacrifices they make just to put on a show for the masses is unbelievable. I was thrilled to read that they are now off drugs. I went out and bought a tape of their greatest hits just to hear the music I read about. The book is full of pictures which I kept referring to as I read the book. I loved the book and if you love rock and roll you've got to, got to, got to read this one!
Rating:
Summary: This book is so mind blowing
Review: When I saw this book at Barnes and Noble for $7.95, I was tempted cause I was starting to become a huge Aerosmith fan at the time and I bought one of their CD's a few months earlier and I loved it, and fortunately I had enough money for this book and it's a really good book and we get to see each of the band member's childhoods which makes the book more interesting and the interviews with each band member, producer, managers, roadies, the band member's wives and friends and this book is really even and consistent, I read this book no matter what mood I am and this book will make you laugh and cry as well and it gets better when Aerosmith reaches their peak in the 70's and their comeback in the late 80's, if you're a fan of the newer Aerosmith, I still think that you should get this book although it focuses more on their old stuff and this book ends in 1998 when they scored a #1 hit with I Don't Want to Miss a Thing. If you love to read or if you're a fan of rock 'n roll and you want to see what they were like on and off stage, then you gotta read this book and you're Aerosmith collection won't be complete without this book cause it is that good, I would give this book 10 stars instead of 5.
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Summary: True Kings of Rock 'n' Roll Decandence
Review: I have read the Motley Crue book, and was so surprised at how decadent that group was, until I read WALK THIS WAY. Aerosmith makes Motley Crue look like a bunch of choir boys and saints. I love Aerosmith's music and was very happy to see them rise to the top once again. The book travels with the band from their humble beginnings in New Hampshire to their rise to the top of the mountain till the drugs and alcohol had them all crash and lose it all. The book ends with the release of the NINE LIVES Cd. With this book we get straight from the band members themselves the stories behind writing the hit songs, all the internal conflicts that destroyed the band, all the drug use, girlfriends, everything is covered here in this book with no one being protected. No names have changed. This book will keep you hooked as you go from one story to the next. While some of the members have different recollections of some of the events, they are not that far off and you get to whole inside look into the greatest american band their has ever been. So I suggest that if you like reading about the bands you dig, you go out and get this book. You will not be disappointed
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Summary: Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith
Review: THE DEFINITIVE BOOK ON AEROSMITH: Not so much a book, but a series of quotes & interview type responses from all the band members from their very beginnings to their later reclimbing the ladder & making it to the number one slot in the late 90's. Once you get past the first few pages & get into the vibe of the quote style of story telling you get sucked right in. Its all so believable because you are learning all this Beautiful, Sick, & Funny history of their rise & Fall & reclimb up the ladder right from Steven, Joe, Brad, Tom, & Joey's own personal experiences & recollections. If you think you know Aerosmith, think again. You should read this Fantastic & Twisted story, told in their own words, of their drug addictions, songwriting, Tours, & just what it takes to be one of the best American Rock & Roll bands of all time! Overall: Funny, Witty, Insightful, Sarcastic, Introspective, tales of Debauchery from the Boys themselves. Could not have been done any other way. Big book, never a dull moment. At the end you truly feel as if you know the band & were let in on some very private secrets & thoughts from the badboys of New Hampshire & what kind of hell they went through to get where they are today.
Rating: 
Summary: Walk, even unsteadily
Review: Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. Those three things make up the bulk of "Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith." And amazingly, that repetition doesn't make it bad. Rather it just adds a guilty pleasure tinge to one of the better rock band biographies out there. They were some young boys from Boston who wanted to make music, but nobody could have guessed that they would become one of the biggest rock bands of the 70s. Girlfriends and wives, drugs of all kinds (one rock wife used cocaine as eyeliner), plenty of concerts and devoted fans, and a life of reckless excess caught to Aerosmith. They partied hard, and it almost destroyed them. Somehow they got their act back together, cleaned up, and are back rocking onstage. Unlike the disappointing autobiography by the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith's book has a feeling of authenticity. You get the feeling that because of their wild pasts, this is a bit of a confession for them -- "I was bad and this was what I did, and now I know I was an idiot." They give a sense of the day-to-day life of a major rock band, both the good and the bad. The level of detail is simply astounding -- and many little questions are answered. Wanna know why Steven started putting scarves on his mike stands? This book will tell you! There are extensive, insightful interviews not only with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry other Aerosmith members, but with just about everyone they spent any time with during those years. Bebe Buell (mom of Steven's first daughter, movie star Liv), Teresa Tyler, Tim Collins, Liz Derringer, Jack Douglas, Elissa Perry, somebody called Rabbit, and lots of others. In fact, it gets a bit difficult to tell the not-so-prominent people apart at times. But it's good to see many different viewpoints, the best way of determining what kind of people they are. Music aficionados, 70s buffs and Aerosmith fans will devour "Walk This Way." It's not just a guilty pleasure, but a mesmerizingly grubby look at Aerosmith's pheonix-like life, destruction and resurrection. (Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll!)
Rating: 
Summary: How did these guys survive without dying?
Review: This book is a very good book on the life & times of Aerosmith. It particularly deals with the early years of the band, how they formed, their dreams and aspirations, etc.
It seems to not go into as much depth with the advent of their re-emergence into the pop scene in the mid 80's. The book tends to go over 10-12 years very quickly. It sheds a lot of light on little things the band went through or did, and never stays on one subject for too long. How they are all alive is beyond me!! Their drug use is gone over in a great bit of detail. Actually it isn't use for them, it was blatant abuse till your poor. Everything was just looking for the next high, which is a shame in a way.
Now for the bad news. The book can tend to be tedious at times. If your a die hard Aerosmith fan, then these parts will not be boring as you will want to know everything you can about them. I'm just a mediocre fan, and the book seemed to get lagged down at times. Primarily because, to me, it seemed to jump ahead too much. They are going into a story, and then it goes off on a tangent, and I was asking myself why that tangent was even in the book. Or at least in the place that it was.
Overall, the book was worth reading. I learned a few things about the band and the record business by reading this. It just wasn't a riviting story to follow, which kept it tedious at times. But, it does detail the beginnings of this band very well.
Rating:
Summary: Too much
Review: Most of this book consists of interview snippets with the band, their wives, ex-wives, ex-girlfriends, roadies, and various other associates, and that is actually a pretty good idea. Many of them come off quite sympathetic, but others don't, and getting through the middle part of the book, which is mainly about doing drugs and destroying hotel rooms, can be a chore. Aerosmith at their 70s peak come off as self-indulgent, especially Steven Tyler, and "Walk This Way" is too often tasteless or even distasteful...I don't need to know about Steven Tyler in his mid-twenties taking dope with his 14-year-old girlfriend, or read about a disgusting sub-human roadie who brags about having at least two women a day, and exchanging backstage passes for sexual favours from schoolgirls. Ew! "Walk This Way" is too long and monotonous, and it could have done with some serious editing. It redeems itself a bit towards the end, but it's not one that I'll take off the shelf and re-red every year.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read For All Aerosmith Fans
Review: This is the real deal ladies and gentlemen. This books has it all and tells the reader exactly how it all happen. I could not put this book down for one minute. It is by far the greatest autobigraphy ever written of a rock band that exploded in the music world in the the 1970's, succeeded beyond their wildest dreams and came crashing down hard. AEROSMITH, was in the 70's possibly the greatest rock and roll band in the world. They had it all and then some. This book is almost a day to day account of their spectacular journey into the heights of rock stardom but living the rock and roll dream proved to be far tougher than they would imagine it would be. All five members of the band tell their story from their beginnings to now. Very interesting and detailed account of their years growing up in Boston and pounding the pavement trying to make a name for themselves in a very tough business. SEX,DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL AND THEN MORE DRUGS. That is basically what this book talks about in a nutshell. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, were known in the 70's as the toxic twins because they did and overdid every drug known to mankind. Cocaine and Heroin especially filled both their lives on a daily basis and after awhile when the drugs took over the band and the great music and their amazing live performances took a back seat and it wasn't really ever the same. WALK THIS WAY, The Autobiography of AEROSMITH, will leave you brathless from the first page to the last the book is almost 500 pages long but it is so well written by author Stephen Davies and the members of Aerosmith that you don't really wanted to end. This is the best autobiography I have ever read on a rock and roll band and it's all up front and in your face without hiding anything. Everything that they went through and lived through they tell it straight out. It's a miracle that these guys are still alive after the hell that they went through with their drug addictions and it is really sad how they self destruct. All I can say is that you have to read this book it is fantastic and even if you're not a fan of Aerosmith, you will love this book because it tells the truth it's a little scary too but nobody said that rock and roll was all glamour. It shows the downside of the music business with all its excess. Relive the amazing life story of one of the greatest rock and roll bands in the world. This is an excellent book and I couldn't put it down as I said before, it is a real page turner. Superbly written and presented with a lot of great pictures of the band from different stages of their legendary career. This is the monster of all rock bios without a doubt.
Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: Aerosmith is the worlds greatest band, and they sure did live that way back in the 70's! Joe Perry, Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer make up Aerosmith and this book lets them tell how they all grew to the top of the music world lost it all anf then got it all back faster then you can say 'Dream On' This book tells about the drugs, the sex, the love, the hate, oh and the music. This is a must have for true music loves and if you even kinda sorta like Aerosmith you willl love this book its a what next book. You will never get board with this, you wount wanna put it down, If you didnt know before you will know after you read this why Aerosmith is the best band and that they partied the hardest and almost came to a total crash, Steven was just as bad as Ozzy, and Keith Richards but the difference is he put an end to it quicker the they did. Get this you'll love it and I can promice you that much, your only regret is not owning it sooner then now!
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