Album
Rock in a Hard Place
Rock in a Hard Place is Aerosmith's seventh studio album, released on 27 August 1982. It arrived at an awkward point in the band's story. Joe Perry had left in 1979, and Brad Whitford departed part-way through the sessions in 1981, which makes this the only Aerosmith record without Perry on guitar. The band spent $1.5 million making it, and it brought them back together with producer Jack Douglas.
It sits between Night in the Ruts and 1985's Done With Mirrors, so it catches the group in a stripped-down, transitional state, working in a hard rock and blues rock vein. It was certified gold on 10 November 1989. For anyone tracing how Aerosmith got from their 1970s peak to their later return, this is the odd one out in the catalogue, and it is worth hearing for that reason.
Rock in a Hard Place: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 40:17Tracklist
- 1JailbaitJimmy Crespo and Steven Tyler4:39
- 2Lightning StrikesRichard Supa4:26
- 3Bitch’s BrewJimmy Crespo and Steven Tyler4:13
- 4Bolivian RagamuffinJimmy Crespo and Steven Tyler3:33
- 5Cry Me a RiverArthur Hamilton4:06
- 6Prelude to JoanieSteven Tyler1:30
- 7Joanie’s ButterflyCrespo, Douglas, Tyler5:32
- 8Rock in a Hard Place (Cheshire Cat)Crespo, Douglas, Tyler4:41
- 9Jig Is UpJimmy Crespo and Steven Tyler3:10
- 10Push Comes to ShoveSteven Tyler4:27
- Produced by
- Tony Bongiovi, Jack Douglas, Steven Tyler
- Recorded at
- Criteria Studios (Miami), Power Station at BerkleeNYC, Power Station, New York City
- Recorded
- 1981–1982
- Mixed at
- The Record Plant
- Engineered by
- Tony Bongiovi, Godfrey Diamond, Jack Douglas
- Labels
- CBS, Columbia
- Length
- 40:17
Line-up
- Jimmy Crespo · electric guitar
- Jack Douglas · percussion
- Rick Dufay · electric guitar
- Tom Hamilton · electric bass guitar
- Joey Kramer · drums (drum set)
- Steven Tyler · percussion, keyboard, harmonica, lead vocals, piano
- Brad Whitford · electric guitar · guest
- John Lievano · guitar · guest
- Reinhard Straub · violin · guest
- John Turi · saxophone · guest
- Paul Harris · piano · guest
Singles
- “Lightning Strikes” · 1982
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1982 | 32 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1982 | 24 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada | Gold |
| United States · 1989 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
53.6
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
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Wikipedia views, last 12 months
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Also released on 27 August
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More from Aerosmith
Full discography →
Aerosmith
1973
Get Your Wings
1974
Toys in the Attic
1975
Rocks
1976
Draw the Line
1977
Live! Bootleg
1978
Night in the Ruts
1979
Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits
1980
Done With Mirrors
1985
Classics Live!
1986
Permanent Vacation
1987
Vacation Club
1987
Gems
1988
Pump
1989
Pandora’s Box
1991
Get a Grip
1993
Pandora’s Toys
1994
Big Ones
1994
Box of Fire
1994
Nine Lives
1997
Made in America
1997
A Little South of Sanity
1998
Classic Aerosmith: The Universal Masters Collection
2000
Just Push Play
2001
Young Lust: The Aerosmith Anthology
2001
O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits
2002
Honkin’ on Bobo
2004
Rockin’ the Joint
2005
Devil’s Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith
2006
Tough Love: Best of the Ballads
2011
Music From Another Dimension!
2012
Greatest Hits
2023
One More Time
2025
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 27 August 1982 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 27 August 1982 | |
| Wikidata | 1 August 1982 | |
| US release | 27 August 1982 | earliest US date |
18 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | PT | CBS | other | |
| 1982 | — | CBS | 5099746671921 | other |
| 27 August 1982 | US | Columbia | original | |
| 1984 | US | Columbia | 07464380611 | other |
| 1988 | US | Columbia | 07464380612 | other |
| 1993 | DE | — | other | |
| 1993 | — | Columbia | 5099747497025 | other |
| 1 February 1993 | JP | Sony Records | 4988009626222 | other |
| 7 September 1993 | US | Columbia | 074645736822 | other |
| 21 November 1996 | JP | Sony | 4988009905297 | other |
| 26 August 2011 | XW | Columbia | 074645736822 | other |
| 5 September 2011 | XW | Columbia | 074645736822 | other |
| 23 November 2011 | JP | Sony Records International | 4547366062458 | other |
| 2 November 2012 | XW | Columbia | 886443692329 | other |
| 19 April 2014 | US | Columbia | 888837614412 | other |
| 7 December 2022 | XW | Aerosmith P&D – Sony | 00602448778017 | other |
| 7 December 2022 | XW | Aerosmith P&D – Sony | 00074645736822 | other |
| 24 May 2023 | US | Capitol Records | 602455104915 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3600x3600, downscaled to 3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3600×3600 | native: native 3600x3600, downscaled to 3000 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |