4 keepers
keeper avg .333
One important point about Permanent Vacation is that to make a true comeback the Toxic Twins (Tyler and Perry) needed some help, which came in the form of songwriters Desmond Child, Jim Vallance, and Holly Knight (I'll make special mention if a song DOESN'T include one of the three as a songwriter). Nevertheless, they did provide some magic sauce, as three top 20 hits put Aerosmith back on the map, the biggest being "Angel"*****, the very definition of 80's power-ballad. However saccharine Steve Tyler did co-write it and his poignant delivery helped make it a great signature Aerosmith song. There's quite a bit of filler before that point, as half of the album could very well be throwaway Bon Jovi or Night Ranger; opening track "Heart's Done Time" sounds like a rousing show-opener, but it as well as "Magic Touch", "Simoriah", and "Girl Keeps Coming Apart" are hopelessly generic. The peppy title song**** (penned by Tyler and Brad Whitford) isn't profound but at least it sounds more characteristically like Aerosmith, and it helps that it does sound good live. "Dude"**** (maybe a little offensive by today's standards) has one strong hook and showcases Tyler's vocal talents. The middle of the album hinges on two interesting diversions, the grungy, blues-y "St. John" (credited to Steve Tyler) and the similar but more-developed "Hangman Jury"****, an interesting combination of fake-traditional blues, Beatle-esque pop song structure, and Tyler's unique vocal ticks. It's surprising that "Rag Doll" needed help from Vallance and Knight as you would think Tyler's would have it covered with his "Walk This Way" verbal gymnastics. The album ends with an uninspired and unnecessary cover of The Beatles' "I'm Down" and an atmospheric full-band-credit instrumental "The Movie," 4-minutes of one cool-sounding riff. Hindsight allows me to conclude that Permanent Vacation was neither the commercial juggernaut nor the higher artistic plateau that its follow-up Pump turned out to be, but the handful of strong songs on Permanent Vacation are enough to warrant overlooking some filler.
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