Honkin' on Bobo
Studio album by
Aerosmith
ReleasedMarch 30, 2004 (2004-03-30)[1]
Recorded2003
Studio
  • The Boneyard
  • The Bryer Patch
  • Pandora's Box
Genre
Length43:57
LabelColumbia
Producer
Aerosmith chronology
Just Push Play
(2001)		 Honkin' on Bobo
(2004)		 Music from Another Dimension!
(2012)
Singles from Honkin' on Bobo
  1. "Baby, Please Don't Go"
    Released: 2004

Honkin' on Bobo is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released on March 30, 2004, by Columbia Records.[1] The album includes 11 covers of blues and blues rock songs from the 1950s and 1960s, with one new song, "The Grind". The album pays tribute to Aerosmith's earliest influences and showcases a rawer sound when compared to their more recent commercial efforts. Honkin' on Bobo was produced by Jack Douglas, who was Aerosmith's producer on a vast majority of their 1970s output.

The album sold over 160,000 copies in its first week, reaching number five on the Billboard 200.[2] Honkin' on Bobo was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on May 11, 2004.[3]

Background

After their departure from Geffen Records in 1994, the band wanted their next record to be a blues album. "Then," said singer Steven Tyler, "we caught wind that Clapton was doing it, and we went, 'Fuck!'… We did such incredible research for this album, too… We also thought about our roots, about paying homage to the stuff we loved: early Yardbirds and all. Some of Little Walter's early stuff. Really obscure names… I did some digging around myself in Chicago. We had some great songs to work with – and then Clapton came along and did it."[4]

Honkin' on Bobo was recorded in Joe Perry's ranch near Boston, with the band committing to playing only when they were in a good mood. "We wanted to do something we haven't done before and that excites us," Perry said. "That's what makes us want to do another record. Otherwise, we'd say, 'OK, we've done everything we can do, so why bother even going in again?’"

The album title was suggested by Tyler, who had heard the phrase before, possibly the song by Canadian country/bluegrass band The Good Brothers, and amused the band with it.[5] Perry stated during a radio interview, "We just know that it's a phrase that sounds ... jazzish, nastyish, so it works for us."[6]

Many tracks feature harmonica by Tyler, including Little Walter's "Temperature". This was played on an episode of the House of Blues Radio Hour that was about the harmonica.[7] A harmonica keychain was included with the limited edition version.[8] Provisional artwork featured the cover's harmonica stuffed into a model's denim cutoffs. This was vetoed, said its proponent Tyler, "because I'm in a band with four other guys."[9]

"Stop Messin' Around" – a Fleetwood Mac cover, sung by Perry – had never before appeared on an Aerosmith album, despite being a staple of the band's concerts for more than ten years.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [8]
Blender[11]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
USA Today[14]

Metacritic gave the album a score of 69 out of 100 based on 12 generally favorable reviews.[10] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that the album is the best the band has done since Pump in 1989, and that it cannot be called a "blues" album because it is a rock album. He called the album a "surprise" in that, even though the album's artwork and title are bad, it marks a return to Aerosmith.[8] In his Blender magazine review of the album, Jon Pareles said that the band did their blues album different from most others because, instead of making "respectable" cover versions, they make quite unrespectable cover versions like "You Gotta Move". The album, to him, proves that Aerosmith can still rock.[11] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly felt that the album didn't live up to what it should be because it is too loud, but some songs on the album are good.[12]

David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine wrote an article for the magazine comparing and contrasting Aerosmith's Honkin' on Bobo and Eric Clapton's Me and Mr. Johnson which also explored blues influences. He said that Clapton's album was mostly about pain, while Aerosmith's album was about sex and running away from lovers. He also considers Bobo to be a double-tribute album – one tribute to the original musicians and one tribute for 1960s blues-rock bands – and considers the album to be overdone, which is what Aerosmith is good at.[13]

Track listing

Honkin' on Bobo track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Road Runner" (Bo Diddley cover)Ellas McDaniel a.k.a. Bo Diddley3:46
2."Shame, Shame, Shame" (Billy Williams cover)Ruby Fisher, Kenyon Hopkins2:15
3."Eyesight to the Blind" (Sonny Boy Williamson II cover)Sonny Boy Williamson II3:09
4."Baby, Please Don't Go" (Joe Williams cover)Joe Williams3:24
5."Never Loved a Girl" (Aretha Franklin cover)Ronny Shannon3:12
6."Back Back Train" (Mississippi Fred McDowell cover)Fred McDowell4:23
7."You Gotta Move" (Mississippi Fred McDowell cover)Rev. Gary Davis, Fred McDowell5:30
8."The Grind"Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Marti Frederiksen3:46
9."I'm Ready" (Muddy Waters cover)Willie Dixon4:13
10."Temperature" (Little Walter cover)Joel Michael Cohen, Walter Jacobs2:52
11."Stop Messin' Around" (Fleetwood Mac cover)Clifford Adams, Peter Green4:29
12."Jesus Is on the Main Line" (Mississippi Fred McDowell cover)(Traditional, arr. by F. McDowell)2:51
Japanese edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Jaded"Tyler, Marti Frederiksen3:34

Personnel

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Honkin' on Bobo
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[35] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[3] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Furniss 2012, eBook.
  2. ↑ "Aerosmith Bask in the Blues". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "American album certifications – Aerosmith – Honkin' on Bobo". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  4. ↑ Fricke, David (3 November 1994). "Talk this way – the Rolling Stone interview with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler". Rolling Stone. p. 60.
  5. ↑ AEROSMITH BLUES ALBUM INSPIRED BY BIKE CRASHES AND FUNNY PHRASES
  6. ↑ Aerosmith - Making of Honkin' On Bobo Pt. 1 on YouTube
  7. ↑ Archived October 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  9. ↑ Higginbotham, Adam (May 2004). "Dear Superstar – Steven Tyler". Blender. p. 58.
  10. 1 2 "Honkin' On Bobo Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  11. 1 2 Pareles, Jon. "Review : Honkin' on Bobo". Blender.com. United States: Alpha Media Group. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Willman, Chris (April 2, 2004). "Review : Honkin' on Bobo". Entertainment Weekly.com.
  13. 1 2 Fricke, David (April 15, 2004). "Review : Honkin' on Bobo". Rolling Stone.
  14. ↑ Edna Gundersen (March 29, 2004). "Clapton, Aerosmith dabble in the blues". USA Today. Gannett Company.
  15. ↑ "The ARIA Report (Issue 737)" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Australian Web Archive. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2004-04-06. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Aerosmith – Honkin' on Bobo" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Aerosmith – Honkin' on Bobo" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Aerosmith Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Aerosmith – Honkin' on Bobo" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Aerosmith: Honkin' on Bobo" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Aerosmith – Honkin' on Bobo". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Aerosmith – Honkin' on Bobo" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Aerosmith". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Aerosmith – Honkin' on Bobo". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  25. ↑ 2004年04月第2週の邦楽アルバムランキング情報 (PHP). Oricon Style (in Japanese). Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  27. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  28. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Aerosmith – Honkin' on Bobo". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Aerosmith – Honkin' on Bobo". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Aerosmith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Aerosmith Chart History (Top Blues Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – エアロスミス – ホンキン・オン・ボーボゥ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2004年3月 on the drop-down menu

Sources

  • Furniss, Matters (2012). Aerosmith: Uncensored on the Record. Warwickshire, UK: Coda Books. ISBN 978-1781580141.
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