Pumpis the tenth studio album by AmericanrockbandAerosmith.It was released on September 12, 1989, by Geffen Records. The album peaked at No. 5 on the US charts,[4]and was certified septuple platinum by the RIAA in 1995.[1]

Pump
The cover shows a black and white photograph of a smaller pickup truck on top of a larger pickup truck, both with their cargo beds removed. The word "PUMP" is marked on the smaller truck, while the word "F.I.N.E." is on the sides of the hoods in silver lettering. In the top of the image, and tilted, is the Aerosmith logo in purple.
Studio albumby
ReleasedSeptember 12, 1989[1]
RecordedJanuary–June 1989
StudioLittle Mountain Sound,Vancouver, Canada
Genre
Length47:44
LabelGeffen
ProducerBruce Fairbairn
Aerosmithchronology
Permanent Vacation
(1987)
Pump
(1989)
Get a Grip
(1993)
SinglesfromPump
  1. "Love in an Elevator"
    Released: August 15, 1989[3]
  2. "Janie's Got a Gun"
    Released: November 8, 1989[3]
  3. "What It Takes"
    Released: February 26, 1990[3]
  4. "The Other Side"
    Released: June 6, 1990[3]

The album contains the hit singles "Love in an Elevator","The Other Side","What It Takes","Janie's Got a Gun",which all entered the Top 40 of the Hot 100. It also has certified sales of seven million copies in the U.S. to date, and is tied with its successorGet a Gripas Aerosmith's second best-selling studio album in the U.S. (Toys in the Atticleads with nine million). It produced a variety of successes and "firsts" for the band including their firstGrammy Award( "Janie's Got a Gun").[5]"Love in an Elevator" became the first Aerosmith song to hit number one on theMainstream Rock Trackschart. The album was the fourth best-selling album of the year 1990.[6]

In the UK, it was the second Aerosmith album to be certified Silver (60,000 units sold) by theBritish Phonographic Industry,achieving this in September 1989.

Pumpwas the second of three sequentially recorded Aerosmith albums to feature producerBruce Fairbairnand engineers Mike Fraser and Ken Lomas atLittle Mountain Sound Studios.

Two video documentaries on the recording,Things That Go Pump in the NightandThe Making of Pump,were released onVHSandLaserDiscin 1990, with the latter also released onDVDin 1997.

Production

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In December 1988, Aerosmith got together at Rik Tinory Productions inCohasset, Massachusettsto rehearse and compose new songs, as the band members thought the isolated nature of the studio would help their creativity. Over 19 songs were written, split between an "A-list" with songs considered possible hits, such as "Love in an Elevator"and"What It Takes",and the" B-list "having songs yet to be developed such as" Voodoo Medicine Man ". ProducerBruce Fairbairnfocused on getting as manyhookson the songs as possible.[7]

Some songs proposed for the album, though never released in their original form, include "Girl's Got Somethin'", "Is Anybody Out There", "Guilty Kilt", "Rubber Bandit", "Sniffin'", and "Sedona Sunrise".Many songs also had alternate titles, for example," Voodoo Medicine Man "was originally titled" Buried Alive "and" News for Ya Baby ". The majority of these songs can be seen in photos of the studio's whiteboard and in footage fromThe Making of Pump.

In January 1989, the band went toVancouverto again record at Fairbairn's Little Mountain Sound, where the producer had helmedBon Jovi'sSlippery When WetandNew Jersey."I don't even listen to Bon Jovi,"Steven Tylerprotested, "so we didn't say, 'Oh, shit, they had a great album,' and go up there."[8]

Aerosmith were at Little Mountain Sound at the same time thatMötley Crüewere recording their albumDr. Feelgood.As a result, Steven Tyler and the Margarita Horns (Aerosmith's horn section) contributed backing vocals and instrumentation to several tracks on that album. During the vocal sessions,Mick Mars' guitar soundleakedfrom the room next door due to Mars' volume and many amplifiers.[9]

The intention with the album was exploring a rawness that had been glossed over for a commercial sound inPermanent Vacation.[10]Joe Perrydeclared that "When we went to do this album, we knew what we wanted, we wanted to strip off a little fat we felt on our last one. We didn't say 'We need a drug song or a child abuse song,' but when they fit, we used them. That's Aerosmith: we aren't bound by any rules." This escape from the rules led to the instrumental interludes between the songs.[11]The interludes were done with the collaboration of musicianRandy Raine-Reusch,who was brought to the studio after Perry and Tyler visited his house to search for unusual instruments to employ.[12]Many of the lyrics employ sexual themes, which Tyler attributed to having "making up for the lost time" he spent using drugs instead of having sex in the 1970s.[10]

On a 1989MTVspecial entitled "Aerosmith Sunday",Brad Whitfordexplained the album title with "Now that we're off drugs, we're all pumped up."[14]

Steven Tyler regretted not putting lyrics in the album booklet, something that happened because Geffen was afraid theParents Music Resource Centerwould protest over lyrical content with many sex and drugs references.[15]To remedy this omission, the lyrics were included in the tour program. The album cover features a black and white photo of a smallerInternational K Seriestruck on top of a largerInternational KB Seriestruck, both with their cargo beds removed. The chrome International markings on the hoods have been replaced with the letters "F.I.N.E.", short for "Fucked Up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional" as stated in the album's liner notes.

Lawsuit

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Aerosmith found themselves in a lawsuit after a small rock band named Pump sued Aerosmith's management company for service mark infringement.[16]Aerosmith won the case.[14]Aerosmith also found themselves in legal trouble when the songwriting teamHolland–Dozier–Hollandthreatened to sue the band over the main melody in Aerosmith's song "The Other Side"which sounded similar to the melody in the song"Standing in the Shadows of Love".As part of the settlement, Aerosmith agreed to add" Holland–Dozier–Holland "in the songwriting credits for" The Other Side ".

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Blender[18]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[19]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[20]
The Great Rock Discography8/10[21]
MusicHound4/5[22]
Q[23]
Rolling Stone[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[24]
Spinfavorable[25]

The album received mostly positive reception, and has since been called "a high-water mark of theglam metalera ", that" stands toe to toe against Aerosmith's undisputed mid-'70s classics. "Many critics noted its more classic hard rock sound than the pop metal of its predecessor.[26]

"At a time when young guns fromMötley CrüetoPoisonwere doing their level best to hoist the heavy metal crown from the likes ofDef LeppardandBon Jovi,"notedQ,"it took a bunch of hoary, addled old stagers like Aerosmith to come up with the year's best metal album."[27]

"Aerosmith is still the reigning king of the hard-rockdouble entendre,"wroteRolling Stone."ButPump– like, real subtle – has more going for it than locker-room laughs, such as the vintage high-speed crunch (circaToys in the Attic) of 'Young Lust', the sassy slap 'n' tickle of 'My Girl' and the kitchen-sink sound of 'Janie's Got A Gun'. "[28]

"If fried brains is your idea of a rock dream, the first side will do the job at least as good as whatever raging slab is also your idea of a rock dream," wroteRobert Christgau."For five songs, everything loud and acrid about them just keeps on coming--not even tune doctors can stave off the juggernaut. Of course, this band's idea of a rock dream is also the traditional 'Young Lust' and 'Love in an Elevator'--OK as far as it goes, but I could do with more 'Janie's Got a Gun,' in which an abused teenager offs her dad."[29]

"Messrs Tyler and Perry" observedHi-Fi News & Record Review,"have cleaned up their act, hoovered their nostrils, added a few more items ofchoice veg to their cod-piecesand come up with a stonker. "[30]

Spinplaced it at No. 279 on their list of "The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years", and said "Aerosmith gets no respect for locating that perfect sweet spot between the shamelessness of ‘80s sleaze-metal and the self-aware wink of proto-ironic ‘90s MTV culture".[31]The album was also included in the book1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[32]

Loudwireranked the album fourth in their ranking of Aerosmith studio albums, and said, "'Pump,' like its multiplatinum predecessor, 'Permanent Vacation,' unabashedly catered to '80s hair metal trends with glossy mega-productions like" Love in an Elevator "and the Grammy-winning" Janie's Got a Gun, "but it also did a commendable job of reviving the vintage Aerosmith style on loads of amazing tunes".[33]

Track listing

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Pumptrack listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Young Lust"Steven Tyler,Joe Perry,Jim Vallance4:19
2."F.I.N.E.*"Tyler, Perry,Desmond Child4:08
3."Going Down/Love in an Elevator"Tyler, Perry5:38
4."Monkey on My Back"Tyler, Perry3:56
5."Water Song/Janie's Got a Gun"Tyler,Tom Hamilton5:40
6."Dulcimer Stomp/The Other Side"Tyler, Vallance,Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland[34][35]4:56
7."My Girl"Tyler, Perry3:10
8."Don't Get Mad, Get Even"Tyler, Perry4:48
9."Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man"Tyler,Brad Whitford4:41
10."What It Takes"(Includes an instrumental hidden track composed & performed byRandy Raine-Reusch)Tyler, Perry, Child6:28
Total length:47:44
Japanese version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Ain't Enough"Tyler, Perry5:02
Total length:52:46

Personnel

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Aerosmith

  • Steven Tyler– lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica
  • Joe Perry– guitar: second solo on "Love in an Elevator", slide guitar on "Monkey on My Back", backing vocals
  • Brad Whitford– guitar: lead guitar on "Voodoo Medicine Man" and first solo on "Love in an Elevator"
  • Tom Hamilton– bass guitar, backing vocals on "Love in an Elevator"
  • Joey Kramer– drums

Additional personnel

  • Bob Dowd – backing vocals on "Love in an Elevator"
  • Catherine Epps – spoken intro (Elevator Operator) on "Love in an Elevator"
  • Bruce Fairbairn– trumpet, backing vocals on "Love in an Elevator"
  • The Margarita Horns (Bruce Fairbairn, Henry Christian, Ian Putz,Tom Keenlyside) – brass instruments, saxophones
  • John Webster– keyboards
  • Randy Raine-Reusch – musical interludes (glass harmonicaon "Water Song",Appalachian dulcimeron "Dulcimer Stomp",didgeridooon "Don't Get Mad, Get Even", and Thaikhaenon "Hoodoo" ), plusnaw(gourd mouth organ of theLahu peopleofNorthern Thailand) starting at 5:19 in the hidden track contained in "What It Takes"

Production

  • Producer: Bruce Fairbairn
  • Engineers: Michael Fraser, Ken Lomas
  • Mi xing:Mike Fraser
  • Mastering:Greg Fulginiti
  • Mastering Supervisor: David Donnelly
  • Art direction: Kim Champagne, Gabrielle Raumberger
  • Logo design: Andy Engel
  • Photography: Norman Seeff
  • Tattoo art:Mark Ryden
  • John Kalodner:John Kalodner

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications forPump
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[55] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[56] 7× Platinum 700,000^
Germany (BVMI)[57] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[58] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[60] 7× Platinum 7,000,000^

^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Pump - RIAA: Gold & Platinum".RIAA.RetrievedJune 23,2021.
  2. ^Brackett, Nathan;Hoard, Christian David(2004).The New Rolling Stone Album Guide.Simon and Schuster.p.8.ISBN978-0-7432-0169-8.
  3. ^abcd"Aerosmith - Singles".hitparade.ch.RetrievedJune 23,2021.Click on individual song pages for dates.
  4. ^"Billboard 200".Billboard.RetrievedJune 23,2021.
  5. ^abNeely, Kim (October 19, 1989)."Pump".Rolling Stone.
  6. ^"Billboard - Year End Charts - Year-end Albums - The Billboard 200".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon April 1, 2013.
  7. ^The Making of Pump.Sony Music. 1990.
  8. ^Rolling Stone1989 retrospective, precise date unknown
  9. ^Bosso, Joe (October 27, 2022)."Mick Mars on his favorite Mötley Crüe solo, how he (unintentionally) ended up on Aerosmith's Pump, and the Dr. Feelgood Garnet amp".guitarworld.RetrievedDecember 3,2023.
  10. ^abBienstock, Richard (September 15, 2011).Aerosmith.Voyageur Press.ISBN9781610597692– via Google Books.
  11. ^Hinckley, David (January 19, 1990)."Aerosmith's All 'Pumped' Up".New York Daily News.Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2016.
  12. ^"Randy Raine-Reusch - Aerosmith, Cranberries, Yes".asza.
  13. ^Fricke, David(April 27, 2011)."Talk This Way: Rolling Stone's 1994 Interview With Aerosmith's Steven Tyler".Rolling Stone.RetrievedFebruary 18,2021.
  14. ^abPump, Inc. v. Collins ManagementArchivedApril 1, 2016, at theWayback Machine,746 F. Supp. 1159 (D. Mass. 1990)
  15. ^"SPIN".SPIN Media LLC. December 14, 1990 – via Google Books.
  16. ^Stim, Richard (2006).Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business.Berkeley, California: Nolo. p. 208.ISBN1-4133-0517-2.
  17. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas.ReviewatAllMusic.Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  18. ^Mitchell, Ben (October 26, 2004)."Aerosmith —Pumpreview ".Blender.Archived fromthe originalon October 26, 2004.RetrievedOctober 18,2024.
  19. ^Christgau, Robert(1990)."A".Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s.Pantheon Books.ISBN0-679-73015-X.RetrievedAugust 16,2020– via robertchristgau.
  20. ^Larkin, Colin(1998). "Aerosmith".Encyclopedia of Popular Music.Groves Dictionaries.pp. 82–83.ISBN1-561-59237-4.
  21. ^Strong, Martin C.(2004). "Aerosmith".The Great Rock Discography(7th ed.).Canongate Books.p. 9–10.ISBN1-84195-615-5.
  22. ^Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "Aerosmith".MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide.Visible Ink Press. p. 12].ISBN1-57859-061-2.
  23. ^04/01/2001
  24. ^Kot, Greg(2004). "Aerosmith". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.).The Rolling Stone Album Guide(4th ed.).Simon & Schuster.pp.8.ISBN0-7432-0169-8.
  25. ^Blashiff, Pat (November 1989)."Reviews: Aerosmith - Pump".Spin.Vol. 5, no. 8. SPIN Media LLC.
  26. ^Rolli, Bryan (July 1, 2021)."Top 30 Glam Metal Albums".Ultimate Classic Rock.RetrievedJuly 1,2021.
  27. ^Q,January 1990
  28. ^Rolling Stone,December 14–28, 1989
  29. ^Robert Christgau: CG: Aerosmith
  30. ^Hi-Fi News & Record Review,November 1989
  31. ^"The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985-2014)".Spin.May 11, 2015.RetrievedJune 21,2021.
  32. ^MacDonald, Bruno (2006). "Aerosmith:Pump".In Dimery, Robert (ed.).1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.Universe Publishing.p.625.ISBN978-0-7893-1371-3.
  33. ^Rivadavia, Eduardo (February 28, 2017)."Aerosmith Albums Ranked".Loudwire.RetrievedFebruary 9,2021.
  34. ^"BMI Songwriting Credits: Other Side - Aerosmith".
  35. ^"ACE Repertory".ascap.
  36. ^"Australiancharts – Aerosmith – Pump".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  37. ^"Top RPM Albums: Issue 6624".RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  38. ^"Dutchcharts.nl – Aerosmith – Pump"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  39. ^Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Aerosmith".Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021(PDF)(in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 10.
  40. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Aerosmith – Pump"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  41. ^"Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1991. 38. hét"(in Hungarian).MAHASZ.Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  42. ^"Classifiche".Musica e Dischi(in Italian).RetrievedJune 2,2022.Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Pump".
  43. ^"エアロスミス の アルバム bán thượng ランキング".ORICON NEWS.RetrievedJune 23,2021.
  44. ^"Charts.nz – Aerosmith – Pump".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  45. ^"Norwegiancharts – Aerosmith – Pump".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  46. ^"Swedishcharts – Aerosmith – Pump".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  47. ^"Swisscharts – Aerosmith – Pump".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  48. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  49. ^"Aerosmith Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  50. ^"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  51. ^"ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1990".Australian Recording Industry Association.RetrievedFebruary 15,2022.
  52. ^"Top Selling Albums of 1990".Recorded Music NZ.RetrievedFebruary 15,2022.
  53. ^"Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon January 23, 2015.RetrievedFebruary 15,2022.
  54. ^Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999).1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s.Billboard.RetrievedOctober 15,2010.
  55. ^Ryan, Gavin (2011).Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010(PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 9.
  56. ^"Canadian album certifications – Aerosmith – Pump".Music Canada.
  57. ^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Aerosmith;'Pump') "(in German).Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  58. ^"New Zealand album certifications – Aerosmith – Pump".Recorded Music NZ.RetrievedNovember 20,2024.
  59. ^"British album certifications – Aerosmith – Pump".British Phonographic Industry.
  60. ^"American album certifications – Aerosmith – Pump".Recording Industry Association of America.