12@12

Aerosmith – Dude (Looks Like A Lady) (Tyler/Perry/Child) b/w Love In An Elevator (Live) (Tyler/Perry) & Walk This Way (Live) (Tyler/Perry)

1987

This was the track which confirmed Aerosmith as a credible hair metal act perfectly suited to capitalise on the MTV boom.

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry brought hitmaker supreme Desmond Child on board to beef up their late 80s songwriting and the transformation was awesome. Slick pop rock tunes combined with cutting edge video clips breathed new life into the Toxic Twins and sparked a golden era in Aerosmith’s chequered career. This three-track 12 incher, culled from the chart busting Permanent Vacation, was released in the same year as Hysteria, Whitesnake’s 1987 and numerous other rock classics. In fact for fans of a certain generation it’s difficult to point to a better year for pure pop metal excess.

Dude is still one of the most requested rock anthems in clubs the world over and truly stands the test of time. Brilliant stuff.

footnote: The single pictured was released in 1990 – after Permanent Vacation‘s follow-up, Pump, had continued Aerosmith’s rich vein of form. Backed with live versions of mega-hits Love In An Elevator and Walk This Way, it features three of the band’s best second generation tunes.