AEROSMITH – Get Your Wings 12" Vinyl LP Album
- The 1974 album where Aerosmith found their hard rock identity in the smoke-filled rooms of the Record Plant.

Album Front Cover Photo of AEROSMITH – Get Your Wings Visit: https://vinyl-records.nl/

Released in March 1974, Get Your Wings marked Aerosmith’s transformation from a hungry Boston bar band into one of America’s defining hard rock acts. Recorded at the Record Plant Studios in New York City, the album fused blues swagger with razor-sharp riffs and sleazy confidence. Tracks like “Same Old Song and Dance” and “Train Kept A-Rollin’” would become timeless staples, shaping the gritty signature sound that would soon explode on Toys in the Attic and Rocks.

Album Description
Album Key Details
Production & Recording Information
Band Members / Musicians
Complete Track-listing
Video: Aerosmith – Same Old Song and Dance
Video: Aerosmith – Train Kept A-Rollin'

"Get Your Wings" (1974) Album Description:

Released in March 1974, Get Your Wings marked a turning point for Aerosmith — the moment the Boston-based band began to shape the swaggering, streetwise sound that would define their legacy. The album captured a raw but confident energy, bridging bluesy grit and arena-rock ambition with a polish that their debut only hinted at.

Recorded at the Record Plant Studios in New York City and produced for Frank Connelly’s Contemporary Communications Inc., the sessions were engineered by Jay Messina, Jack Douglas, and Rod O’Brien. Although Douglas was not yet officially credited as producer, his behind-the-board guidance helped refine Aerosmith’s attack and set the template for their future classics.

The band lineup was solid and fearless: Steven Tyler’s gritty vocals and harmonica cuts through the mix, Joe Perry and Brad Whitford weave layers of electric, slide, and acoustic guitars, Tom Hamilton anchors each groove with steady bass lines, and Joey Kramer’s drumming adds the percussive muscle that drives the album’s pulse.

Side One launches with “Same Old Song and Dance,” an irresistible blend of horns, riffs, and Tyler’s sleazy charm. “Lord of the Thighs” dives deeper into bluesy territory, showing the band’s swagger and confidence. “Spaced” follows — not an instrumental, but a moody, space-tinged vocal track that expands their sonic palette — and “Woman of the World” closes the side with a touch of melancholy grandeur.

Flip the record and “S.O.S. (Too Bad)” bursts out with streetwise urgency before giving way to “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” Aerosmith’s powerhouse reinterpretation of Tiny Bradshaw’s 1951 rhythm & blues number (via the Yardbirds). “Seasons of Wither” delivers the emotional heart of the album — a haunting ballad written solely by Tyler — and “Pandora’s Box” wraps it all up with funky confidence and sly humor.

Get Your Wings stands as the album where Aerosmith found their identity. It’s the sound of a hungry band stepping into its own mythology — loud, dangerous, and unapologetically American. What began here would soon explode on Toys in the Attic and Rocks, but this record remains the gritty cornerstone of the Aerosmith legend.

Collector’s Note: Hidden Hands Behind the Console

When I first picked up my copy of Aerosmith – Get Your Wings (1974), I noticed something odd on the back cover: no mention of Jack Douglas as producer. Instead, it politely says, “Produced for Frank Connelly / Contemporary Communications Inc.” At the time, I didn’t think twice—half the credits on my shelves looked like business paperwork. But years later, once the dust settled and Douglas became a rock-production legend, the omission started to itch.

The truth is that Douglas was the real producer in the studio. He shaped the sound, coaxed performances, and gave the band that gritty clarity they’d been missing. But in 1974, Columbia Records was still wary of handing production credit to a young engineer without a formal contract. Frank Connelly, Aerosmith’s manager, held the paperwork and therefore the official credit. Bureaucracy over artistry—an old record-industry classic.

Back in those days, we didn’t have cloud backups or convenient metadata. Credits were hammered onto the sleeve once, like carving initials into stone. If your name didn’t make it onto the artwork, it might as well have been stored on a floppy disk in a locked desk drawer. So while the back cover says “Produced for Frank Connelly,” every groove of Get Your Wings hums with Jack Douglas’s fingerprints—and anyone with working ears can hear it.

Album Key Details: Genre, Label, Format & Release Info

Music Genre:

American Hard Rock / Blues Rock

Hard Rock / Blues Rock combines the raw, riff-driven power of heavy rock with the soulful depth of the blues. Emerging in the early 1970s, this style became Aerosmith’s signature sound—gritty, swaggering, and steeped in both streetwise rhythm and bluesy emotion.

Label & Catalognr:

CBS / Columbia Records – Cat#: AL 32847

Album Packaging

Standard single sleeve with printed back cover credits.

Media Format:

12" LP Vinyl Stereo
Total Weight: 230g (cover + record)

Year & Country:

1974 – Made in USA

Production & Recording Information:

Producers:

Frank Connelly / Contemporary Communications Inc. – Official production credit
Credited on the album sleeve as producer. In reality, the creative production was led by Jack Douglas, who was then a staff engineer at Record Plant Studios and not yet contractually recognized as producer by Columbia Records.

Frank Connelly was an influential New York-based manager who helped launch Aerosmith’s early career alongside David Krebs. His company, Contemporary Communications Inc., managed several major rock acts during the 1970s, guiding their transition from club stages to international tours.
Jack Douglas – Actual producer (uncredited)
Douglas was instrumental in shaping Aerosmith’s sound and arrangements during these sessions. His involvement marked the beginning of a long partnership that continued on Toys in the Attic and Rocks.

Later, Douglas became one of the most respected producers in rock, working with John Lennon, Cheap Trick, Patti Smith, and the New York Dolls, earning industry acclaim for his ability to balance grit with studio precision.

Sound & Recording Engineers:

Jay Messina – Chief Recording and Mixing Engineer
A veteran engineer of the Record Plant team, Messina later built an extensive career mixing and mastering records for Aerosmith, KISS, Lou Reed, and Miles Davis, known for his warm analog sound and technical perfectionism.
Jack Douglas – Engineering / Production Assistance
Rod O’Brien – Assistant Engineer
O’Brien went on to work on sessions for artists such as Blue Öyster Cult, Meat Loaf, and Hall & Oates, building a solid reputation in the New York studio circuit of the late 1970s.

Recording Location:

Record Plant Studios – New York City, USA

One of the most famous studios of the 1970s, the Record Plant hosted legendary sessions by Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, and Bruce Springsteen, becoming synonymous with the golden era of analog rock recording.

Mastering Engineer & Location:

No specific mastering engineer is credited on the sleeve. The original U.S. mastering was handled internally through Columbia’s mastering division.

Columbia’s in-house mastering team during the 1970s included some of the most experienced lacquer cutters in the industry, ensuring consistent high-quality pressings for major artists across the label’s roster.

Management & Direction:

David Krebs, Frank Connelly, Steve Leber

Krebs and Leber were powerhouse rock managers behind Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, and AC/DC’s U.S. breakthrough. Their management style combined hard-nosed business tactics with a keen sense of stage showmanship.

Crew:

Bob Kelleher (“Kelly”) – Road Manager
Nick Spigel – Crew Chief

The touring crew kept Aerosmith’s notoriously chaotic 1970s road schedule running. Kelleher’s work as road manager became part of the band’s early legend, maintaining order amid constant travel and high decibel chaos.

Publishing:

Daksil Music Corp. & Frank Connelly Music (BMI) except for “Train Kept A Rollin’,” published by Fort Knox Music (1951, BMI)

Special Thanks:

Nils Kersgard, John O’Toole, Gary, Paul, Maxanne, Jack Douglas, Laura Kaufman, Karen Shields, Pepper, Ingrid & Francine, Ron Robin, Herb Spar, Sal Ingeme, Ed Hynes, George Ryan, Kevin McShane, Noel Love & Howard Rosen, Arma Andon, Roy Ericson, E.U. Wurlitzer Company, Mark Lehman, Paul McAlpine, Al Teller.

Band Members / Musicians:

Band Line-up (Vocals, Guitars):

Steven Tyler – Lead Vocals, Harmonica
Frontman and co-founder of Aerosmith, Tyler became one of rock’s most recognizable voices and performers. Known for his flamboyant stage presence and raspy blues-rock delivery, he helped define the sound of 1970s American hard rock.
Joe Perry – Electric, 12-string, Slide and Acoustic Guitars
The band’s lead guitarist and primary riff architect, Perry’s blues-infused solos and swaggering tone became central to Aerosmith’s identity. He later fronted The Joe Perry Project and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Aerosmith in 2001.
Brad Whitford – Electric Guitars
Often the quiet counterpart to Perry, Whitford contributed some of Aerosmith’s most refined guitar work. His technical precision and melodic phrasing anchored classics like “Last Child” and “Nobody’s Fault.”

Band Line-up (Bass, Drums):

Tom Hamilton – Electric Bass
Hamilton’s bass lines provided the rhythmic glue of Aerosmith’s sound, combining groove and melodic sensibility. His co-writing credits include the hits “Sweet Emotion” and “Janie’s Got a Gun.”
Joey Kramer – Drums, Percussion
As the rhythmic powerhouse of the band, Kramer’s tight grooves and explosive fills fueled Aerosmith’s live energy. His drumming style mixed rock aggression with funk-inspired syncopation, helping define the band’s signature swing.

AEROSMITH – Get Your Wings Album Photo Gallery:

Album Front Cover Photo

The front cover of Aerosmith’s 1974 album Get Your Wings is an iconic black-and-white photograph featuring the band in a tightly framed, moody composition. Set against a deep, shadowed background, the five members appear relaxed yet defiant, embodying the gritty energy that would soon propel them into hard rock stardom.

At the top, the bold Aerosmith logo—with its stylized wings and a central “A” shaped like a dripping emblem—is printed in gold, commanding attention. Just below it, the red-angled album title Get Your Wings cuts through the monochrome palette, adding a splash of heat to the otherwise cool tones. Each band member’s pose conveys a distinct personality: Steven Tyler leans forward, eyes challenging and lips slightly parted; Joe Perry, shirt unbuttoned, exudes effortless swagger; Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer balance the composition with calm intensity.

The image captures the essence of Aerosmith at their breakthrough moment—young, hungry, and fearless. The photo was used on the original U.S. Columbia Records LP release (catalog number KC 32847), which introduced the band’s now-famous logo and cemented their visual identity for decades to come.

Album Back Cover Photo

The back cover of Aerosmith’s 1974 album Get Your Wings presents a bold minimalist design — a glossy black surface dominated by the band’s iconic winged logo printed in bright white across the center. The striking contrast between black and white gives the sleeve a timeless, almost heraldic quality that reinforces the band’s emerging identity as America’s loudest export of hard rock swagger.

The tracklist for both sides appears neatly flanking the logo, each song title accompanied by songwriting credits. Above, a line of small print lists the production team: produced by Jack Douglas and Ray Colcord for My Own Production Co. Ltd., with executive producer Bob Ezrin. Below the logo, the credits expand to include band member roles, engineers Jay Messina and Rod O’Brien, and the recording studio — Record Plant Studios, New York.

The lower margin carries the legal imprint and CBS manufacturing details, printed in the understated typeface typical of Columbia’s early 1970s releases. Despite its simplicity, the design radiates authority — it’s part technical document, part rock proclamation — a fitting close for an album that helped define Aerosmith’s identity both visually and sonically.

Close up of Side One record’s label

This close-up image captures the Side One record label from Aerosmith’s 1974 Columbia Records LP Get Your Wings. The label is printed in the distinctive red and gold color scheme used across Columbia’s U.S. pressings during the 1970s.

The band name Aerosmith and the album title Get Your Wings are centered in bold black lettering above the spindle hole, framed by Columbia’s circular logo motif repeating around the perimeter in metallic gold. The left-hand section lists the catalog number “KC 32847” and “STEREO,” while “SIDE 1” appears clearly to the right.

The four track titles—“Same Old Song and Dance,” “Lord of the Thighs,” “Spaced,” and “Woman of the World”—are printed below in neat alignment, each followed by writing credits and durations. At the bottom rim, the © 1974 CBS, Inc. notice and “Printed in U.S.A.” marking confirm its authenticity as a first-generation Columbia pressing. The precision and typography reflect the label’s professional consistency typical of mid-70s vinyl production.