Classics Live and Classics Live II are a set of albums by American rock band Aerosmith, released in 1986 and 1987, respectively. Together, they constitute the band's second live offering, after Live! Bootleg. Classics Live I has gone platinum while Classics Live II has gone gold.
Classics Live
| Classics Live | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | April 1986[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1977–1983 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 36:03 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Paul O'Neill, Tony Bongiovi | |||
| Aerosmith live chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Classics Live! is made up of concert recordings from 1978 and 1984. Some of the recordings include guitarists Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay, who had temporarily replaced Joe Perry and Brad Whitford respectively. Different live versions of most of these songs had already been released on Live! Bootleg in 1978. Venues and dates are not listed on the sleeve, and there is only the all-encompassing and vague statement "These songs were recorded at various concerts between 1977 and 1983." It is not listed which of the four guitarists played on which tracks.
The studio track "Major Barbra" was originally recorded for the album Get Your Wings but remained unreleased. An alternate version is available on the compilation Pandora's Box.
Track listing
All songs recorded at the Orpheum Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, February 14, 1984, except where noted.
All tracks are written by Steven Tyler, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Train Kept A-Rollin'" | Tiny Bradshaw, Lois Mann, Howard Kay | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Kings and Queens" (Boston Music Hall in Boston, MA March 28, 1978[source?] and re-recorded[what does this mean?]. Original recording appears on the compilation Pandora's Box) | Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Jack Douglas | 4:46 |
| 3. | "Sweet Emotion" (Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, WV, Dec. 12, 1982[source?]) | Tyler, Hamilton | 5:13 |
| 4. | "Dream On" (Capital Center, Largo, MD, Nov. 9, 1978[source?]) | 4:50 | |
| 5. | "Mama Kin" | 3:41 | |
| 6. | "Three Mile Smile / Reefer Head Woman" | Tyler, Joe Perry / Lester Melrose, J. Bennett, Jazz Gillum | 4:54 |
| 7. | "Lord of the Thighs" | 7:05 | |
| 8. | "Major Barbra" (Studio Outtake) | 4:02 |
| Classics Live II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | June 1987[4] | |||
| Recorded | 1978–1986 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 38:47 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Paul O'Neill, Aerosmith | |||
| Aerosmith live chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [5] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[6] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[7] | 84 |
Certification
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Classics Live II
Classics Live! II mainly features tracks recorded at a New Year's Eve show in 1984, with all five original members once again reunited. The other two tracks were the first track of 1985s Done with Mirrors, "Let the Music Do the Talking", and a rendition of 1977s "Draw the Line" from California Jam II. Aerosmith photography by Paul McAlpine
Track listing
All Songs recorded at the Orpheum Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, December 31, 1984, except where noted.
All tracks are written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back in the Saddle" | 4:40 | |
| 2. | "Walk This Way" | 4:21 | |
| 3. | "Movin' Out" | 5:44 | |
| 4. | "Draw the Line" (California Jam Festival, Ontario Speedway, Ontario, CA, March 18, 1978) | 4:46 | |
| 5. | "Same Old Song and Dance" | 5:45 | |
| 6. | "Last Child" | Tyler, Whitford | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Let the Music Do the Talking" (Worcester Centrum, Worcester, MA, March 12, 1986) | Perry | 5:44 |
| 8. | "Toys in the Attic" | 4:03 |
Certification
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[9] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Classics Live Complete
In 1998, Classics Live! Complete was released outside the U.S, compiling the two albums on one CD.
| Classics Live: Complete | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Live album by | |
| Released | August 1998 |
| Recorded | 1977–1986 |
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock |
| Length | 76:50 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Producer | Paul O'Neill, Tony Bongiovi |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [10] |
References
- ↑ Huxley, Martin (2015). Aerosmith: The Fall and the Rise of Rock's Greatest Band. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1250096531.
- ↑ "Classics Live I". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
- 1 2 "Aerosmith: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
- ↑ Huxley, Martin (2015). Classics Live! II. Columbia.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ↑ Prato, Greg. "Classics Live!, Vol. 2 – Aerosmith". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (1990). "A". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved August 16, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ↑ "Aerosmith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Aerosmith – Classics Live!". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Aerosmith – Classics Live II". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ↑ Thomas, Stephen. "Classics Live!: Complete – Aerosmith". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
Bibliography
- Huxley, Martin (2015). Aerosmith: The Fall and the Rise of Rock's Greatest Band. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1250096531.
