Maps of Music

Permanent Vacation (1987)

Where the lyrics of Permanent Vacation take you, and where it was really made.

This album was partly written by outside songwriters, and it is often seen as Aerosmith's true comeback, even though the 1985 album Done with Mirrors was meant to mark that comeback.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1987)

Recording site Little Mountain Sound Studios — Permanent Vacation was recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada, from March to June 1987. The point uses the studio's building coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Permanent Vacation: ninth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith
• Released by Geffen Records on August 25, 1987
• Marks the band's shift to a pop-metal sound, which it maintained up to Get a Grip (1993)
• Often considered Aerosmith's true comeback
• Over five million copies sold in the U.S.

Background

• Done with Mirrors (1985) was intended to mark the band's comeback
• Permanent Vacation became the band's first truly popular album since the reunion
• Outside songwriters were recruited, having written commercial hits for Bon Jovi, Heart, and Starship
• The suggestion to use outside writers came from executive John Kalodner
• Kalodner also pushed the band to work with producer Bruce Fairbairn, who stayed for two more albums
• It was the first Aerosmith album promoted by heavy music video airplay on MTV

Recording

• Recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada, from March to June 1987
• Line-up on the album: Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Boston in 1970 by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Brad Whitford after the Jam Band and Chain Reaction merged.
• The name was suggested by Joey Kramer, who had seen the word "aerosmith" in his school notebooks.
• Their first gig was at Nipmuc Regional High School in Mendon, Massachusetts, on November 6, 1970.

Members

• Current lineup: Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry and Brad Whitford (guitars), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums).
• Perry and Whitford left in 1979 and 1981 and returned in 1984; the original five were reunited from 1984 onward.
• Tyler and Perry are the main songwriting team, nicknamed the "Toxic Twins".

Career

• Debut album in 1973 and Toys in the Attic (1975) and Rocks (1976) established their blues-based hard rock sound.
• The 1986 Run-D.M.C. collaboration on "Walk This Way" revived their career, followed by Permanent Vacation (1987), Pump (1989), and Get a Grip (1993).
• "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (1998) was their only Billboard Hot 100 number one.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001; sold more than 150 million records worldwide.
• Retired from touring in 2024 after Tyler's vocal injury; released the EP One More Time with Yungblud in 2025.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone: Deborah Frost wrote that Aerosmith had made one of the dumbest moves of a checkered career by recruiting last year's hitmakers to make a hit record
• Frost still said the band had never sounded better or more charged, even though the heavier songs lacked the hooks of their finest moments
• Robert Christgau graded the album a C+
• Metal Forces: Dave Reynolds called the album very strong and said he would play it often

Reappraisal

• AllMusic: despite mostly stellar songwriting, the album's production has aged poorly, with an exaggerated sleekness typical of mid-1980s pop-metal
• Martin Popoff: rated the album four-fifths brilliant or good, and cited Angel as a career low
• Loudwire: ranked it Aerosmith's 6th best album and said it still ranks among the greatest musical comebacks of all time
• Loudersound: placed it on its list of the 20 best albums from 1987

Records

• Over five million copies sold in the U.S.
• UK: the first Aerosmith album to reach both Silver (60,000 units) and Gold (100,000 units) certification, in July 1989 and March 1990
• Rag Doll, Dude (Looks Like a Lady), and Angel all charted in the Top 20
• Billboard: 11th place in the U.S. according to the French article
• UK chart: 37th place, the band's first UK chart entry according to the French article

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• A 1988 VHS titled Permanent Vacation 3x5 compiled promotional videos for three songs and also included behind-the-scenes footage
• Rag Doll, Dude (Looks Like a Lady), and Angel became major hits, all three charting in the Top 20
• Desmond Child, one of the outside writers, had already worked on hit songs for Kiss and Bon Jovi
• Loudwire placed the album at No. 4 on its 2017 list of the 10 best hard rock albums of 1987

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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