Steven Tyler to Sign w/ Big Machine & Release a Country Record
Move over Sheryl Crow and Darius Rucker, apparently Steven Tyler and his size 14 lips will be belting out “country” tunes as early as this November according to a report from Billboard. Sources say the Aerosmith lead singer is getting ready to sign with Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Records and is gearing up to go country in a big way.
Steven Tyler first expressed the desire to record a country-influenced solo album in October of 2014 in the midst of a Twitter Q&A. “I’m going down to Nashville January, February, March, April to write and see what we get,” Tyler said. “You know, doing an album is kind of like panning for gold. You get so much sand and dirt until you find a little nugget and you work on the nugget…you know I grew up with The Everly Brothers. Even ‘Cryin’s’ got a little [twang]. Of course I had to do it more Aerosmith-ish which was rocked out. There’s just a piece of me that loves country so much, and I’m not sure what kind of country that is, but it’s got the 5th harmony…it’s just those kind of melodies that are just so so good.”
Apparently Tyler did relocate to Nashville, and has been working with songwriters on the upcoming project, including Brett James and Jaren Johnston from Big Machine’s The Cadillac Three. Word is Big Machine is the company helping to arrange the co-writing sessions. Tyler has also been listening to a lot of country according to sources. “He’ll hear a song and go, ‘Who was that?'” says a Billboard source…not exactly reassurance that Tyler is well-versed in the genre he’s getting into.
Of course Aerosmith songs have been featured prominently in popular country music in the past, including Garth Brooks’ cover of “Fever,” Mark Chesnutt’s version of “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” and Carrie Underwood has covered numerous Aerosmith songs live over the years. Aerosmith also performed at the 2011 ACM Awards with Underwood.
There’s also an American Idol connection between Steven Tyler and Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta. Tyler was once a judge on the show, and Borchetta recently signed up as Idol‘s mentor who will eventually sign the winner to Big Machine. On Wednesday night’s episode, Steven Tyler was featured in a Scott Borchetta introduction. Borchetta has also showed an affinity for hair metal over his career. He once playing bass in his own metal band, and releasing a Mötley Crüe tribute recently.
Both Big Machine and Steven Tyler have declined to comment on the impending deal.
March 13, 2015 @ 2:30 pm
Ho
Ly
Crap
One sentence I never even imagined hearing
March 16, 2015 @ 3:26 pm
Ok what’s next
Skillet going country
Lecrae going country
Skrillex going country(I just threw up)
March 16, 2015 @ 3:26 pm
Only time will tell
March 13, 2015 @ 2:35 pm
Darn, It’s only March
March 13, 2015 @ 2:37 pm
……………I’m absolutely speechless. I really don’t know what to say this is so mind-numbing and shocking….
This is the DEATH of country music. I thought Sam Hunt was the death of country but now we have to worry bout Mrs. Asslips. I think pop country artists are the least of our worries now. If this clown gets any charted music I’m done listening to country radio.
March 14, 2015 @ 9:57 am
I’ve been done listening to “country radio” for years. What would they ever play that I want to hear? 1 in 40 songs? No thanks.
March 14, 2015 @ 1:38 pm
Do you really still listen to “country” radio?
March 14, 2015 @ 5:47 pm
Not often. I like the pop country music, but this new stuff that’s been out the last few months has not even been pop country….I don’t even know what you’d call it.
March 13, 2015 @ 2:45 pm
Stephen Tyler is forever on my list of rock’s greatest frontmen, but there’s no way I would buy a Tyler solo country album sight unseen. Just no.
May 22, 2015 @ 10:03 pm
Never say never
March 13, 2015 @ 2:55 pm
Surely the end is nigh .
I’m building my ark as we speak .
I’m rounding up two of everything except ‘country’ singers , artists formerly known as ‘country’ singers and artists who’d like to BE ‘country ‘ singers .
You’re welcome .
March 13, 2015 @ 2:55 pm
Stephen has been spending a lot of time with Rebecca Lynn Howard (“Forgive”) and her new band, Loving Mary. That quartet is made up of Nashville producer/musician Marti Frederiksen, Canadian pop star Suzie McNeil, Howard and songwriter/producer Elisha Hoffman. That band has opened some shows for Tyler and Aerosmith and has a country-ish vibe of Fleetwood Mac.
March 14, 2015 @ 12:37 am
Fleetwood Mac has never had a “country-ish” vibe or sound. It’s beginnings were blues and some general pop like stuff, but with Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, there was no country vibe. Their biggest selling album to this day, Rumours, has nothing country sounding about it at all. Think you need to give them another listen. If you mean that Loving Mary has a country-ish vibe and some vibe of Fleetwood Mac then I get the countryish, but they don’t remind me of Fleetwood Mac at all. I don’t know what you’d call them since ultimately I only care if the music is catchy.
March 14, 2015 @ 7:36 am
I would disagree. I know that for a lot of folks, Fleetwood Mac is your parent’s soft rock, but I think there was significant country influence in “Rumors.” It’s also well-regarded as one of the best produced albums of all time. I’m not saying it’s a country record by any stretch, but if you can’t hear the country influences in “I Don’t Want To Know” then we’re listening to two different songs.
Also, what was being pointed out here was simply more info on who else might be working on the album, not necessarily making a case of why it will more more country or less. In the end though it’s fun to give out opinions of what Steven Tyler country might sound like, none of us really know until we hear it.
March 14, 2015 @ 9:03 am
Blue Letter from the “Fleetwood Mac” album (right before Rumours) always struck me as a country rock song.
March 14, 2015 @ 10:10 am
I appreciate SCM’s balanced and ‘let’s see’ viewpoint.
Aerosmith did a good job on the blues with Honkin’ on Bobo, and Steve Tyler has always appreciated country music and retained a soft spot in his heart for one of country music’s legends, Willie Nelson….
Tyler & Nelson: Once is Enough/One Time Too Many
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBJQg255lN4
Happy Birthday wishes for Willie. From Steve Tyler and found on Willie’s channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKvfO7dOs1M
March 14, 2015 @ 12:36 pm
Lindsey Buckingham played banjo during the live performance of Say You Love Me for The Dance live album (not that having a banjo in a song automatically qualifies it as being country but…) Blood On The Floor from their Kiln House album is probably Fleetwood Mac’s most country sounding song and one of my all-time favorites.
March 14, 2015 @ 12:45 pm
Also I have to mention the country works of Fleetwood Mac members Billy Burnette and Bekka Bramlett. Burnette’s Coming Home is a fantastic country album though admittedly I love everything of his. I also highly recommend the Bekka & Billy album from 1997. A fantastic and criminally underrated country album.
March 16, 2015 @ 2:29 pm
I still strongly disagree with you about Rumours having a significant influence from country. God knows I’ve read about that album enough since when it came out, and such a statement hasn’t been part of those readings. It is still a top worldwide selling album. I’m not sure what it matters though, and why people are talking about other bands who have done country-like or country-influenced song. So have the Rolling Stones from 40 years ago, Neil Young, Crosby Stills & Nash, and others. But Steven changed his tune about what this album was to be like. It was supposed to be out in early 2014 with electronica on it, so he said. I’ve read interviews with Tyler since the 70s. He’s always expressed liking the Everly Brothers, though their hits were pop. However, he hasn’t expressed much about country music, and singing with Willie Nelson doesn’t mean much. He put out a single in 2012 which could have been country but it was pop.
This just smacks of Nashville country bandwagon since he’s had no passion to stick with any idea for many years. Since country doesn’t mean the same thing to people anymore, and young people are calling country-pop the “new country” or lukewarm rock country such as Florida Georgia Line “new country,” the lines are blurred. Some people joke about throwing in a southern accent and/or steel guitar, and voila you’ve got country. Forget that Robert Randolph plays steel guitar and is anything but country.
Ultimately it doesn’t matter since you either like the song or not. But some of us here are discussing artist integrity, and that is sorely lacking in this case. So it’s as much a image thing as the actual music. When you have someone like Taylor Swift making more money off her “brand” (a noxious word) than her albums, it’s getting away from the music. Tyler is very concerned with his “brand”. Besides, why so many articles about what he plans to do – why don’t people just shut up and do it? It’s like, just wait until it comes out!
June 19, 2017 @ 7:36 am
I’m a couple of years late on these posts but for the record, let me add my two bits. This morning I heard Fleetwood Mac’s “I don’t want to know” on a talk show. It was a top of the hour lead in to highlight that the album “Rumours” was released 40 years ago!! Wow – made me feel old and I’m only 68!! I’ve been a Country Western/Rock/+Hard Rock fan since forever. When I heard “I don’t want to know” this morning, all my brain could hear was the pedal steel guitar that was not there! A Country version is GOLD just waiting to be mined. I went to Napster to see if a Country version of the song was there. The only cover was unworthy Goo Goo Dolls rendition. Anyone who can’t hear the non existing steel guitar should give it another listen. Also, “Never Going Back” is an open string pickin’ beauty. I may be reaching but a 5 string banjo in slow motion comes to mind. Am I right or just a bit senile? Hint: I’m not senile
March 13, 2015 @ 3:09 pm
This is what happens when Little Red Wagon, Something Bad, Parmalee, and a good deal of Jason Aldean’s work are allowed to exist. I just feel so gutted right now.
March 13, 2015 @ 3:24 pm
What’s wrong with Parmalee?
March 13, 2015 @ 3:49 pm
They’re more rock than country, in my view. This seeping in of what Tom Petty wild call bad rock with (out) a fiddle has allowed Steven Tyler to think it’s okay to release a country album.
March 13, 2015 @ 4:04 pm
would call
March 14, 2015 @ 12:47 am
I listened to a Florida Georgia Line song “Dirt,” a band who claimed that Steven Tyler said is his new favorite band. It sounded to me like generic rock with heavy southern accents. It seems that some people think a southern accent means rock. Now if they want to go the Lynyrd Skynyrd route of rock (no “southern” was ever needed since it was rock), then don’t call it country. Some young people on the video were calling it “new country.” OK, but then there are young people making new music that we would describe as old country.
The bigger thing here is this bandwagon of making country music in Nashville since country is doing well. Part of that is because a lot of it is just pop really. While Steven has talked about the Everly Brothers since 70s interviews, the Everly Brothers got famous on their pop songs; he’s hopping on a trend. Last year he had said he was going to do some electronic music like Shrillex and work with that Korean Psy guy. Then his tuned changed months later to country.
The Rolling Stones did country-like songs back in the early 70s, but they didn’t make an announcement of it or jump on a bandwagon, they just did it. That’s the difference between authentic artists and not authentic people. Tom Petty is right too.
March 13, 2015 @ 7:12 pm
Heard Parmalee live and left after three or four songs. Not a good live act. I wasn’t there for them to begin with but thought I’d stick around just in case. Didn’t last long …
March 13, 2015 @ 3:10 pm
And I’m sure it is going to be every bit as good as his other solo work…..
March 13, 2015 @ 3:13 pm
More grade-A satire, Trigger. Nice job. You had me going there for….
…wait, what? This is legit? Holy balls, dude. I heard way back when that ST was a big Alan Jackson fan so I figured he had at least some respect for the genre. And that in itself is a good thing, but that doesn’t make him any more promising a “country” artist than my love of metal makes me a promising metal act.
March 13, 2015 @ 3:28 pm
Yep. First thing I did too was look for that “fake news” tag – although I didn’t expect to find it. This is just the kind of shit that’s always real even if it shouldn’t be.
March 13, 2015 @ 3:31 pm
He will therefore be eligible for ACM and CMA male vocalist and album of the year and we will have to watch him perform. Why is this happening to country music?
March 13, 2015 @ 6:37 pm
Maybe he’ll beat Justin Moore to the 2015 New Artist of the Year award…
March 13, 2015 @ 6:42 pm
Ha ha, yes. And if he does release an album in November it is a mortal lock that he will perform at the CMAs.
March 13, 2015 @ 3:53 pm
On one level, I’m enthusiastic for this. I can’t wait to see Tyler make an @$$ of himself on the CMA/ACM stage. I would hope then that this would be the moment where the casual fan realizes how low we have sunken.
March 14, 2015 @ 12:51 am
He’s already performed on those stages. Once with Carrie Underwood and last year with Brad Paisley, neither of which were country songs. The one with Paisley was the blues cover Run Run Rudolph. Tyler also said that night that “country is the new rock and roll.” A dumb comment, mind you. That wasn’t even the case in the 50s where country got infused in rockabilly. Rock stars aren’t always the smartest people especially when they’re trying to justify themselves.
March 13, 2015 @ 4:05 pm
This is great. and great quotations.
A Steve Tyler attempt at a country album definitely won’t be the end of country music, or anything else.
After he does his album, he can still go out and tour and sell out stadiums around the world whenever he feels like it with Aerosmith.
Maybe Rod Steward will do a country album too. or Mick Jagger. or A.C. D.C.
I hope so.
March 13, 2015 @ 4:19 pm
When’s Nellys country cd coming out?
March 13, 2015 @ 4:20 pm
He’s not going to last long, trust me.
When corporate country radio is obsessing over satisfying the most youthful demographics, Steven Tyler (who is 57) is going to stand starkly at odds with the marketing end of the equation.
Sure, Darius Rucker just picked up another hit with the dreadful “Homegrown Honey” (surprised you haven’t reviewed that one yet, Trigger)……………but Rucker had to bend over backwards and pander to the most egregious trends in order to make that possible. It also helped he’s riding off the coattails of his career cover hit “Wagon Wheel”.
I am certain we won’t have to worry about a Tyler incursion. What we’re more likely to see is someone like the Canadian country star and former Default frontman, Dallas Smith, eventually succeeding in an American crossover. Or maybe the frontman of Shinedown or Theory of a Deadman going country.
March 13, 2015 @ 4:30 pm
Don’t knock the shinedown frontman, that dude can sing with the best of em. Wouldn’t mind seeing that at all.
March 13, 2015 @ 5:19 pm
I’ve seen them live three times (not entirely by choice), and I wholeheartedly disagree. Guy can’t sing for shit. I don’t mind some of the songs, but he’s not top-tier vocal talent at all.
March 13, 2015 @ 7:41 pm
I assure you I didn’t intend to include Shinedown in my previous post to knock them down. I merely mentioned them as an example of a probable country crossover from rock radio we’ll see in the next several years.
Shinedown have always had a Southern rock and vaguely country-ish vibe to not so much their sound, but their songwriting. I can easily see Brett choose to go the solo country career route.
And Theory Of A Deadman have always had blatant nods to commercial country on their albums. If he were to tone down his use of profanity and more juvenille songs that have surfaced on their several most recent albums (“Hate My Life”, “Little Smirk”, “Lowlife”, “B**** Came Back”, etc.)……..it’s easy to see Tyler Connolly potentially get away with at least two hit solo country hits.
Also, can’t forget that Halestorm has been touring with Eric Church quite a bit in the past year, and Lzzy Hale has performed alongside Church during “That’s Damn Rock & Roll” on several televised occasions………so we may very well see Halestorm try and expand their demographic reach (although I think it’s a little less likely we’ll see a straight-up Halestorm country album anytime soon)
March 13, 2015 @ 4:59 pm
Wikipedia says he will be 67 in a couple weeks.
March 13, 2015 @ 7:43 pm
I stand corrected! =)
Of course that only reinforces my point of ageism and music across most commercial genres. Steven Tyler just isn’t going to have sustained success beyond a possible moderate lead single hit.
March 13, 2015 @ 7:59 pm
Agreed. It’ll get lots of attention from Billy Bones style wacky morning shows but won’t have much traction because he’s like all old and stuff…
March 13, 2015 @ 4:22 pm
That is great I really like Steven Tyler he is a funny man. Welcome to country music Steven. I just bought his cd today Aerosmith “Greatest Hits” That is excellent news!
March 13, 2015 @ 4:23 pm
What’s next Justin Bieber? I can’t stand that prick.
March 13, 2015 @ 4:25 pm
I can’t stand that creep what I meant to say.
March 15, 2015 @ 3:49 pm
Did he kick your dog or something?
March 15, 2015 @ 4:46 pm
hell no
March 15, 2015 @ 4:56 pm
HELL NO
March 15, 2015 @ 9:49 pm
I need to calm down and listen some George Strait and Merle Haggard and some George Jones.
March 13, 2015 @ 4:46 pm
Two thoughts, if I may…
First, I would hope he is “respectful” of country, and doesn’t do what the Stones did with their over-twang and hokey-hickness… If he does the former, it might be interesting ~ if the latter, (and with Borchetta involved it could be), then, well…
Second~ Robert Plant and Alison Krause were an interesting pairing. Country? Wellll….
March 13, 2015 @ 6:26 pm
…….don’t get me started on Plant and Krauss . One of those two lost a bet and I still can’t figure out which one .
March 13, 2015 @ 9:24 pm
The Plant-Krauss collaboration was terrible. It was one of those records that people had in their record collections to show they had “good taste” but never actually played.
March 15, 2015 @ 10:33 pm
I have that cd there is some songs were good and some are not so good.
March 14, 2015 @ 1:02 am
The Rolling Stones had only one deliberate hokey sounding song because it was satire – The Girl With Faraway Eyes. Their early 70s songs such as Dead Flowers may sound a little like that, but it’s actually Mick’s twangy singing voice. In other songs his voice has that and you hear it on stage now. Call it a semi-nasally twangy sound. In an interview, Steven said the Aerosmith song “Cryin'” was country, and he belted out a little of it in an exaggerated twang. If any of these songs he does comes out with a twang it’s just fake as all heck, because he has no natural twang in his voice unlike Mick. Some people thing steel guitar and a southern twang is all you need to make a country song. Lol.
March 13, 2015 @ 5:02 pm
Can’t wait for his cover ‘He Stopped Loving Her To-day-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-yay’
March 13, 2015 @ 5:56 pm
Nobody knows what “going country” means anymore. They hear Luke Byran and Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line and Eric Church and they just think it’s pop/rock music with a southern accent and theme. And they also see that it’s a very popular genre. That’s why Darius Rucker and Sheryl Crow “went country.” That’s why Kelly Clarkson and Justin Timberlake think they should “go country.” But they’re not making country music. They’re making a country-influenced version of their boring pop music. Did the Eagles “go country”? Did Lynyrd Skynyrd “go country”? Some of John Mayer’s music could definitely be perceived as country, but he certainly doesn’t advertise it as such. Yet we’re stuck with former pop or rock stars thinking that they’re releasing music as part of a genre that has nothing to do with them. Steven Tyler isn’t going to release a country album. He’s going to release a rock album with a bunch of songs that sound like Cryin’ and Can’t Stop Loving You (feat. Carrie Underwood). I would be way more interested in an Aerosmith cover album of classic country songs, even though that does not sound very interesting, but at least it wouldn’t be selling lies.
March 14, 2015 @ 1:20 am
Wish I had seen your comment before I posted above some of what you’re saying. I’ve had a grand old time on a Florida Georgia Line video in the comment section where people are arguing about what genre “Dirt” fits in. I see it as generic rock with southern accents. This recording in Nashville country music by non-country stars is a trend, a bandwagon. Steven previously had said he was going to do a solo album with some electronica similar to Shrillex, and it was also written in articles that he was going to work with Psy, the Korean dance music guy. Fast forward six or so months, and suddenly he’s going to do a country influenced album. He’s talked about doing a solo album for a zillion years, but apparently has no original ideas, and his solo album will be a song-doctored album. I feel like there’s not a lot of passion and honesty about all this, though it’s nothing new to go with trends. I just expect musicians who have been around for decades not to jump on trends, especially when they’re 67 years old and have a band. It comes off desperate, especially when one is out of the target market. As far as the young bands, I guess it comes down to if the music is good or not however you want to define it. What I see happening, though, is a lot of stuff is sounding similar like “indie” rock does. I’m not seeing any stand outs yet. People try fooling around with different genres and influences, but again, be honest about why you’re doing it, and don’t tell people FGL is your favorite new band when you can maybe name one song. The BS meter has gone way up. How to put this…a bunch of aging artists are doing odd things to stay in the relevancy game even though they don’t need to. People are still seeing them live. Most of the fans don’t care about new albums from them, and the sales show it.
BTW, why would you want Aerosmith to do an album of country cover songs and not just write original music? They already did an album of blues covers. It looks cheesy if you keep putting out cover albums like artists doing Christmas albums. All of the sudden a bunch of aging rockers are putting out Christmas cover albums. Zzzzzz.
March 14, 2015 @ 7:29 am
Never smart to get too engrossed in or take too much away from comments on YouTube. It makes Facebook look like an Ivy League debate class.
March 15, 2015 @ 9:12 pm
Ha! You ain’t shittin’! 😀
March 14, 2015 @ 6:00 pm
Isn’t it Billy Joel who says he won’t release new music because people keep coming to his shows and nobody would listen to the new stuff? Probably the only older dude that has his head screwed on straight.
Also, I didn’t say I *wanted* an Aerosmith country cover album, I said it would be preferable to a Steven Tyler “country” album because at least a cover album would be advertised as rock music.
March 14, 2015 @ 7:38 am
Lynyrd Skynyrd did go country a few years back, but I believe they did it under a different name.
March 14, 2015 @ 6:02 pm
I name-dropped Skynyrd and The Eagles and Mayer because all of them have influences in their music that if heard in the right context absolutely sound like country music. But nobody in their right mind would consider them country, just like nobody would consider Steven Tyler to be country just because he delivers a southern rock album.
March 13, 2015 @ 6:23 pm
What next …Bon Jovi releasing a country single ? …..what ?….they what ?
….Bon Jovi did that ?……..really ?
never mind
March 13, 2015 @ 6:36 pm
… Or Elvis Costello?
No, not Abbott and Costello… Elvis… Costello… Oh, yeah… What you said… Never mind…
March 13, 2015 @ 7:22 pm
How about Garth Brooks release a country cd. oh yeah he did; not good.
March 13, 2015 @ 7:56 pm
Big deal. Tesla lead singer Jeff Keith has had a country band on the side for years. Johnny Salinger of Skid Row and Mac Powell of Christian rock band Third Day have released country albums on the side in recent years. Jon Bon Jovi had a big country duet with Jennifer Nettles a few years back. And in spite of all that, the world is still turning.
Not saying it’s not newsworthy, just that it’s probably not going to have much of an impact on anything.
March 13, 2015 @ 8:04 pm
Two words: Scott Borchetta.
March 16, 2015 @ 11:30 am
As I said, it’s not that it’s not newsworthy, and Borchetta’s involvement is really what makes it so. And Borchetta’s involvement might mean that the project gets a little more recognition that similar country projects of established rock acts.
My point was just that I don’t see Steven Tyler’s decision to record a country album any kind of indicator that we’re going to see similar projects from artists like Tommy Shaw or Robin Zander coming out of the woodwork.
March 16, 2015 @ 11:51 am
Tommy Shaw did do a bluegrass album a few years back. I remember that Engine 145 remarked positively on it at the time.
March 16, 2015 @ 12:53 pm
Yeah, Robin Zander has done a country album as well now that I think about it, so those were both bad examples. Although Zander’s was only available online and it was pulled after two weeks so I’m not sure if it counts.
March 13, 2015 @ 11:29 pm
Here’s what sucks about this: it will be more country than 90% of the crap played on mainstream country radio and it still won’t be country. Hell, Kid Rock’s new record is more country than 90% of what’s played on country radio.
It’ll be just like Bon Jovi’s dabble into country. May have a hit, but will always return to selling out arenas and amphitheaters with Aerosmith.
And I agree, the only thing that makes this even newsworthy is the Scott Borchetta angle. But with today’s 24 news cycle it will be yesterday’s news today.
March 14, 2015 @ 10:51 am
Really, can Tyler be any worse than a “country” act like FGL?
I’m willing to wait to listen to the finished product before declaring it The End of Civilization as We Know It.
March 14, 2015 @ 11:37 am
GENERATION X OF COUNTRY MUSIC
pass it on
March 14, 2015 @ 12:54 pm
“I just expect musicians who have been around for decades not to jump on trends, especially when they”™re 67 years old and have a band. It comes off desperate, especially when one is out of the target market.”
” Desperate” is the key word in your comment here , I believe . An act spends a significant amount of time honing their craft based on their true musical inspirations , creative ambitions and desires , ..they ply that product religiously …and by staying true to it they build a fan base who BELIEVE that they are what they’ve portrayed themselves as . Then , in an obvious act of desperation , they change horses midstream and the ” faithful” are expected to change along with them , to embrace the same ” mindset ” the act has succumbed to whether for financial or career-saving reasons. This is not an artistic move by these trend -chasers …yet they’d have you believe it is.
If you want to consider an artist that REALLY doesn’t give a SHIT about what the fans think of his artistic decisions ,how ’bout Willie ….or how ’bout Neil Young
. I am NOT a Neil fan but I love that this guy does what he wants when he wants …damn the torpedoes and the faithful just about each and every time out . He doesn’t CLAIM to be one thing so he’s not obligated to BE that thing to anyone …labels , fans , his bands or himself . This guy has been genre-jumping for his entire career ….he’s a folkie he’s a protest singer , he’s a grunger , a rocker , a solo act , a band guy , he’s done cover albums , themed albums , blues albums , , soundtracks , electronic albums , he’s recorded music under the shitiest and under the best of recording conditions . Point being , if THAT is your motus operandi – not giving a flying fuck what ANYONE thinks and making an artistic career work that way-good on you . THAT’S the way you are from the get-go …call its schizo , call it artistic , call it whatever you want but when you’ve never tried to suggest that you are ONE thing and then basically lie to folks about it by chasing a market ( Tyler , Crow , Bon Jovi , Shelton and countless others ) you are being honest on all fronts . Neil didn’t care what labels thought of his projects …he lost a fortune over the years on musical adventures that weren’t embraced by fans , critics or labels …but he kept going and never apologized for it ,or altered his’ trajectory’ ( whatever the hell that is for him ) or stopped following the artistic muse . When you’re Steven Tyler pushing 70 and decide that you are really a country artist THIS WEEK …” DESPERATE ” doesn’t even BEGIN to describe this move . How ’bout words like FOOLISH , SHALLOW , INSINCERE ,DISRESPECTFUL to the folks who HAVE built the genre by being honest to it and themselves, ARROGANT in expecting fans to flock and bow down to your whims,….and about 50 other words not including “douche” on that list . GIVE US A BREAK !!
March 16, 2015 @ 2:07 pm
Albert, you make good points. Here’s something to add to your comment. In 2013 Tyler said (easy to google in articles) that he would have an album out around Spring of 2014. He had talked about having Shrillex sounding music on it and said he liked them. That made some fans gag. It was also said he would work with Psy, the Korean performer who had that one-hit wonder. Then he changed his tune several months ago to country. Why did he ditch the idea of the electronica and Psy music idea? He also has talked about making a solo album for years, which once again, one of his band mates pointed out, and we knew that too. Talking talking. In 2011 he put out one single – Feels So Good – and made a video for it, if that is any indication of his solo quality. Of that song he thought it would be a hit – a summer song type hit. It bounced up the charts and down, and is largely forgotten. Immature pop stuff. Of course all his songs are co-written, as has the majority of Aerosmith songs been since the late 80s — their hits were all co-written since the late 80s. He also thought that some songs on Aerosmith’s last 2012 album, such as a duet with Carrie Underwood, would be hits. They were not. He is very concerned about hits and his own popularity. He has not spent time over the years working on songs for both Aerosmith or himself. That shows no passion to me.
These latest articles are leaving out the fact that he was supposed to have an album out in early 2014 according to him, and that he changed his genre tune and has jumped on the country Nasville song-doctors bandwagon. So, yeah, it really does make you question an artist’s (or performer’s) integrity and genuineness. So, be it, but given what I said, he is overly concerned with hits and his own “brand” and popularity.
I don’t know how well you know the Rolling Stones, but they have been consistent genre experiments throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s, so nothing was much of a surprise as with Neil Young. Not all fans like all of it, some do, but its consistent. One can say people were jumping on trends of that time, e.g. disco, but they all did that in the 60s anyway. But there is something disturbing about how quick Tyler changed his tune, started talking about the Aerosmith’s song Cryin’ being initially country, and such bs he’s never discussed before over the years.
It is disheartening when you see old artists jump on bandwagons, work with young artists to feed off their young audiences, and don’t try to be different. For Tyler, the solo album he’s been talking about doing for 20 years dovetails with his working on his “brand,” which is by his own admission. He wants to be popular apart from Aerosmith and plasters himself everywhere reaching the level of over-exposure. Fame is an addiction for him. I don’t think all is befitting of a decades old artist. People like Neil, Tom Petty, Frampton, AC/DC, and so on are just blowing folks like Tyler away in the artist integrity department. Sad, huh? Or maybe just pathetic and desperate as you said.
People will say, “Then you don’t have to buy it or listen to it!” Well, of course, but that’s besides the point. If an artist is going to sit there and bs, they ought to be called on it. A band member can also hurt the image of a band in an incidental way, and according to comments I’ve seen, that is already happening. BS’ing is disrespect for fans. Who cares about photographs and autographs, treat fans with respect!
March 14, 2015 @ 2:19 pm
Won’t be long before Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan and Steven Tyler host an ACM show. I just wonder what KIND of country music he’ll record.
March 14, 2015 @ 2:41 pm
Who knows, could be good. Not that his track record with Aerosmith has shown much indication of that over the last 35-40 years, but if the guy genuinely loves country music, it should show on the album. Steven Tyler’s a likeable enough guy, I’ll give it a chance and judge it when it comes out.
March 16, 2015 @ 2:13 pm
Yeah, except as with Aerosmith, he’s got all these song doctors working with him, so it’s not like it’s all him writing these songs. He also had initially said his solo album was to be out during the Spring 2014 which never happened. That album he said was going to have some electronica on that (e.g. Shrillex) and hope to work with Psy. Then around six months ago he changed his tune to country. So, he’s talked about doing a solo album for over 10 years and has exhibited no passion in what to do and to do it. Really, all these articles…just shut up and do it! He put out one solo song in 2012 which was pop. He could have done a country song, but he didn’t. You see where I’m going with this? Country bandwagon right now. Well, whatever, but it’s more co-written stuff, which is not necessarily bad, but passion is zilch. He’s had plenty of time to work on a solo album over the years – no more or less than right now. He’s becoming a joke.
March 14, 2015 @ 2:45 pm
You know what? I’m going to be hopeful. Maybe he might make a great country album. You never can tell. I’d rather not damn the album until I hear it.
March 14, 2015 @ 2:47 pm
So now do we get to hear every other new song name drop Aerosmith like they did with Petty or Springsteen or countless other aging rockers? On a side note, I’ve always wanted to hear a Van Hagar “country” album. Just follow the blueprint of “Finish What You Started” Get paisley urban and hayes to guest pick on it. It couldn’t be worse than the Motley Crue tribute album.
March 14, 2015 @ 2:54 pm
Also, Scott Borchetta declined to talk to you? That’s weird…
March 14, 2015 @ 6:15 pm
“Borchetta has also shown an affinity for hair metal over the years.” I didn’t know this but it explains a lot.
March 15, 2015 @ 4:23 pm
You know what would be great? If he got Lenny Kravitz to play the guitar on the album.
March 15, 2015 @ 4:51 pm
That would be awesome. Maybe they could sing a duet, too.
March 15, 2015 @ 4:56 pm
That would be four middle fingers to flip at the CMA Fan Fest crowd.
March 15, 2015 @ 5:14 pm
Well, maybe the crowd will get down with love next time.
March 15, 2015 @ 8:34 pm
That is what I was thinking.
March 15, 2015 @ 6:23 pm
From Jr. High Taylor to the Senior Center and AARP. One was never country, the other one of the greatest rock stars ever now signed to a country label. As much as its sounds as bizarre as a Lyin Brian tall tale, somehow Borchetta has taken over the world. Must give credit where it is due however. Scott is the only guy who negotiated performance royalty for terrestrial radio so no wonder everyone has made their home there. He shits gold from every he touches, swiftly!i
March 16, 2015 @ 1:44 pm
Performance royalty for terrestrial radio is a terrible idea. Just shows how far the greed has gone. Radio is advertising. Greedy music business as always.
March 15, 2015 @ 6:35 pm
Strangely, I don’t think this will be so bad. I’m a huge Aerosmith fan (although country is my favorite genre, they are definitely my favorite band) and trust me when I say that Steven Tyler knows his music. He respects and listens to all different kinds. I don’t think he will try to “go country” and make a career of it; I think this is more of a side project to show off another aspect of his musical career. I really do believe he’ll be respectful of the genre and put forth his best effort to make a solid country album.
Then again, Scott Borchetta is involved. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I know I’m in the minority, but I’m more optimistic than pessimistic about this. Like I said, I guess we’ll just wait and see what happens.
March 15, 2015 @ 8:18 pm
Steven Tyler did 2 other duets one with Willie Nelson and other with Keith Anderson.
March 16, 2015 @ 8:24 am
Saturday night I filled in for a friend at a show down in Florida. Good mix of people from all ages but what impressed me was the young people couldn’t get enough old country. The DJ came on after my set and half the room wound up going out on the sidewalk. We had a big sing outside. The DJ got pissed cause we were distracting from his set. I told him usually it’s the other way around. Anyway, by the time I got loaded out the room was only 1/10 of what it was during my set. My partner said “man, did you see how that place died after we quit?” Cool!
March 16, 2015 @ 11:32 am
I’ve commented similarly here on SCM in the past so I’m completely familiar with your experience .We’re a cover band and play country clubs all over western Canada .People want to dance and sing along in those clubs …not slink around wondering what the hell they’re supposed to do to THIS or THAT undance-able groove or count how many rhymes that last generic ‘singer’ crammed into one line which they STILL didn’t understand . If you’re drunk , stoned or NOT a fan of trad country , the music you listen to won’t matter when it comes to being able to sing it or dance to it because you likely aren’t capable of either . We play what the folks in the clubs wanna hear and dance to and a good 80% of the time that’s NOT contemporary ‘country’ music .We leave THAT to the DJ and most times even THEY ‘get it ” .
March 16, 2015 @ 11:49 am
No thanks!
March 16, 2015 @ 1:16 pm
Can’t knock it till you’ve tried it.. it might be the country-est country to come out of Nashville in the last 24 months. We won’t know till we hear it…
As for Fleetwood Mac, certainly not much of their mainstream hits had a whole lot of country vibe, but many of the other tracks on the albums certainly did.
By today’s standards, anything is country music anyway… even if it sounds like a rest-stop bathroom at lunch time.
March 16, 2015 @ 2:46 pm
“Gold Dust Woman” had a good country vibe, at least when Waylon sang it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRLDj76ORoo
March 16, 2015 @ 5:32 pm
I will be releasing a country music album soon. Check out my new song “I stabbed a man in Oslo (Just To Watch Him Die)”
March 16, 2015 @ 5:34 pm
My band, Gorgoroth, will be releasing a country album too.
March 16, 2015 @ 7:09 pm
Journey country album?
March 16, 2015 @ 7:10 pm
Kansas country album?
March 17, 2015 @ 2:56 pm
DETHKLOK Country Album!!!!!!
March 16, 2015 @ 9:18 pm
I got the scoop from cmt.com Steven Tyler might release his country cd in the summer or by the latest in November this year.
March 17, 2015 @ 12:29 am
Re: Fleetwood Mac being a ‘country-ish band ” We have this completely backwards .
Todays country music is really just yesterday’s pop music( and today’s RAP ) . In the 90’s and 2000’s country borrowed heavily from rock and pop and the Fleetwood Mac songs ( already 30 years old and still being played on classic rock stations ) were HUGELY influential to the ” country’ bands / artists . Hence , country started sounding like Fleetwood Mac . If you listen to country music from the 60’s and 70’s it was polar opposite to what FM were doing then . FM and its 40 plus year career is the influencer while country music is the influencee .
March 17, 2015 @ 12:05 pm
Who really gives a shit! I like this idea. You all are focusing on stupid genres.. If a brain surgeon wants to become a general practitioner or a damn landscaper, that’s their business… Good music is Good music no matter who or what is writing and/or performing it. You are not the artist, they are! They can do whatever the hell they want to if it inspires them at all. Follow, don’t follow, bad mouth or whatever, but stop being ignorant to the fact that a musician-singer-songwriter is just “that”, They write songs and perform them. Genre really doesn’t matter does it? Taylor Swift went Pop, but does anyone care? No. She’s still selling out arenas and selling more records than anyone.. it doesn’t matter- Steven is just making a new record, trying to reinvent himself.. I welcome it. If the record sounds good, then I’ll buy it, if it sounds like shit, then I won’t… I don’t give a damn what stations play it, or what section of the music store is his cd in, a good record is a good record… I don’t care if Kermit thee Frog records a record (which he did), if it’s good, then buy it, if it sucks, then don’t.. but by all means- shut up about it and see what happens cause no one else gives a shit…
March 17, 2015 @ 12:22 pm
“If a brain surgeon wants to become a general practitioner or a damn landscaper, that”™s their business”
Yeah, but I don’t want a landscaper being my brain surgeon just because he “wants” to. I think a lot of people cared about Taylor Swift going pop in both the country and pop worlds.
If you want to lobby for the idea of actually hearing Steven Tyler’s album before we pass judgement on it, I’m all for that. But genre distinctions and an artist’s history with music are still important. Taylor Swift just proved that in a massive way.
March 17, 2015 @ 12:33 pm
Well, if a general practitioner or a landscaper wants to become a brain surgeon, then it might not be so easy…
March 17, 2015 @ 3:27 pm
“You all are focusing on stupid genres.”
Well, the site IS called “Saving COUNTRY Music”, after all. So I’m really not sure why anyone would be surprised.
I like all kinds of music. Country. Pop. Heavy Metal. Hip-Hop. Show Tunes. Gregorian Chant. You name it, I probably listen to it. So I get not letting genre determine whether or not a song is good.
But I don’t necessarily like it all mixed together in a bowl. I like Roy Acuff and I like New Order. But I don’t have them on the same playlist on my MP3 player because when I’m in the mood to listen to “Wabash Cannonball” I’d rather not have it followed up with “Bizarre Love Triangle.”
I’m completely willing to withhold judgment until Tyler’s album comes out. If it’s a solid country offering, great, I hope country radio plays the hell out of it.
But the possibility exists that it will end up being typical Aerosmith with some token country arrangements thrown in, or that it will simply be bad. So I don’t see any point to assuming everything will be fine and dandy.
March 17, 2015 @ 12:56 pm
Still focusing on the wrong things- (I don’t expect much more from you), The brain surgeon and the landscaper are irrelevant. Bottom line- music is music.. If it’s good, then buy it, if it’s not your cup of tea, then by all means discard it.. Why do you put so much worry about what genre someone “use” to be in, or what they (as an artist) feel like doing now..? An artist (painter) could paint ocean scenes for 20 years straight, and one day decide to paint barns or animals instead. It’s their choice. Have you never changed your mind or wanted to explore something new in your field? Think if we still operated in DOS systems instead of the current windows or Apple world of computers… Then we wouldn’t have the internet or IPhones. Things will always evolve and change. It’s a good thing. Embrace it, you might find something good in it. (and you might not), but at least you’ll know either way what you yourself prefer to have in your life and what or who you don’t. For instance- I despise Kenye West… Can’t stand him… BUT, if he actually wrote and cut a record that I actually liked, then I would buy it if it was good… I doubt he will because he sucks, but hey, it could happen. I don’t care what section of the music store his record would be placed in, that doesn’t concern me, only- is it good or not?
March 17, 2015 @ 1:23 pm
This observation has nothing to do with anything in this thread . It just came to me like a divine revelation and I felt compelled to share it .
Maybe the reason country radio doesn’t play much female stuff is because of the damage the likes of Shania Twain and Ms. Swift did to the genre in duping the uninformed into believing they were listening to ACTUAL country music .
The reason I hope this holds even a few drops of water is that with a little luck ( and sites like this ) , the light will go on for the industry in terms of recognizing the damage the Bro-Boys have done and the pendulum could swing away from THEM next time . Discuss …….or not .
March 25, 2015 @ 8:32 pm
You must be lost. I hear Taylor Swift songs on every country station at simultaneous times. Just today, I couldn’t find a good station, because 5 different country stations each had a Taylor Swift song being played at the same time. Who told you country stations don’t play females?
lol
March 17, 2015 @ 2:58 pm
My bands, Dethklok, wills be releasings a new country musics albums called Countryklok.
I guarantees…..it will be brutals!!!!
March 17, 2015 @ 3:17 pm
Caveat: I’m not a country music purist.
What is being shoved down the throats of the dumb masses via mainstream country radio is pure drivel. There is no such thing as country in the mainstream. It’s strictly pop. And bad pop at that.
I grew up listening to George Strait and AC/DC. Chris LeDoux and Def Leppard. We need to concentrate on saving good music and drawing lines between the genres.
If I want to listen to country music, I should be able to listen to country music. Right now I can’t on radio.
If Tyler comes out with a record of good music, I’ll like it. If not, I won’t, regardless of genre.
Mainstream country has lost its soul. I’m not confident it can ever get it back.
The Hodgepodge: Mainstream Country Music Has Produced Big Disappointments in 2015 | Country Perspective
March 19, 2015 @ 8:02 am
[…] Tyler is releasing a country record. Yes, this is the same Tyler who was the frontman for Aerosmith. Perfect timing with this […]
March 21, 2015 @ 5:14 pm
ANAL C— COUNTRY ALBUM!!!!!! GRINDCORE AND COUNTRY!!!!
March 25, 2015 @ 8:28 pm
Hope Big Machine doesn’t turn it into some kinda Bro Country/Pop Rock bull crap…it will probably suck.
I love Tyler to death, and highly respect him….but, I would put money on it that it turns out some kinda formulated bulls***.
Please don’t make a legend out to be a laughing stock.
March 26, 2015 @ 7:55 am
So how would you feel if someone like Paul McCartney or Jimmy Page were to release a country record? Not that Steven Tyler isn’t respected, but the nature of his music gives him something of a low brow reputation, which I’m sure is part of why nobody is keen to hear what he’s working on (and also because it’ll likely be country in name only like the majority of the stuff on the radio).
April 2, 2015 @ 1:57 pm
Hey Trigger,
I saw on Aaron Watson’s Facebook that he bumped into Steven Tyler in the Opry’s bathroom. Now that actually worries me; now he’s showing up at the Opry? Good Lord, could you imagine, Steven Tyler headlining a night at the Opry. I’m sure he spent some personal time with Opry management. It’s like he’s on a headlong journey to immerse and enlighten himself in Country Music culture.
I can’t imagine how that exchange went down.
April 2, 2015 @ 2:00 pm
Steven Tyler officially announced he was making a country record on the same night Aaron made his Opry debut. I fully expect Tyler to headline a night at the Opry, and I expect it to happen sooner than later. Remember Jessica Simpson made her big move into country through an Opry appearance.
April 2, 2015 @ 3:20 pm
Cool.
Next they should invite Nelly and then Good Charlotte.