Band:	Aerosmith
Album:	Night In The Ruts
Style:	Hard rock, Blues rock
Release date:	December 1979

01. No Surprize
02. Chiquita
03. Remember (Walking In The Sand) [George "Shadow" Morton cover]
04. Cheese Cake
05. Three Mile Smile
06. Reefer Head Woman
07. Bone To Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy)
08. Think About It
09. Mia

It is a comfy rut at least.

So, is the album that would see the cracks in the band's wall of sound crumble apart as bad as its assumed reputation would suggest? No, for the most part Night In The Ruts is an enjoyable listen; it isn't a hidden diamond by any means but it is a gem that is well worth keeping in your collection.

Given how good some of these tracks are, I can only imagine their lack of inclusion on compilation albums once their resurgence was in full swing was a political decision by the band for whatever reason, because on merit I would say some of these tracks could stand amongst the rest in their collections; it won't pip a "Walk This Way" but they belong in the same sentence as they can hold their own. "Three Mile Smile", "No Surprize" and "Chiquita" are strong tracks and each has their own unique selling point that endears them to listener. "Three Mile Smile" has some of the most underrated guitar work in the band's catalogue while "No Surprize" has a fun lyrical perspective; "Chiquita" is a barn burner of a track and will force you to sit up and pay attention to it.

While the rest of the album doesn't hit the same high points, it does feature other good tracks, like "Bone To Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy)" and "Mia", two songs that show that the middle of the road moments on Night In The Ruts were a step up from Draw The Line.

Perhaps the most telling aspect of this album is the fact it includes three covers, usually a good indicator that a band is running on empty in terms of ideas. Whether the band had enough material to fill the album with originals I don't know, but surprisingly the original songs on here are well stocked in terms of good ideas. As for the covers? They serve to be amongst the worst moments of the album personally; the band perform them well but at the same time suck out much of the energy and personality from them, leaving them faithful interpretations but bland ones in comparison to the originals. "Reefer Headed Woman" limps along while "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" will send you to sleep. "Think About It" is the best of the three but loses the charm of the Yardbirds original.

The band improve in terms of sounding stoned out of their heads at the very least (though that explains the three covers); compared to Draw The Line and Rock In A Hard Place, the drugs don't bleed through the speakers (contact high for headphone users?) and the songs sound more vital as a result. The band sound very solid for one that was imploding; the guitar work while not as memorable as a "Walk This Way" or "Last Child" is still very strong, the rhythm section is tight and Tyler's voice isn't addled by chemicals yet.

What Night In The Ruts falls victim to I think is the circumstances onto which it was released; overshadowed by the departure of Perry and sitting in the middle of the twin peaks of Rocks and Permanent Vacation, I can see how many would overlook the album and as a result it is forgotten about by many. This situation is compounded by the main song being hung on "Remember (Walking In The Sand)", meaning the one selling point is a turn off to cap the situation.

Worth seeking out if you have yet to listen to it before and worth re-listening to if you are someone who has written it off.