Tracklist, Album Covers and Info
Side one
1. "Draw the Line" 3:23
2. "I Wanna Know Why" 3:09
3. "Critical Mass" 4:53
4. "Get It Up" 4:02
5. "Bright Light Fright" 2:19
Side two
1. "Kings and Queens" 4:55
2. "The Hand That Feeds" 4:23
3. "Sight for Sore Eyes" 3:56
4. "Milk Cow Blues" 4:14
Total length: 35:14
Aerosmith Band Members / Musicians
Steven Tyler – lead vocals, harmonica, piano on "Kings and Queens", backing vocals on "Bright Light Fright"
Joe Perry – lead guitar; rhythm guitar on "Kings and Queens", "I Wanna Know Why", "The Hand That Feeds"; slide guitar and second solo of "Milk Cow Blues"; backing vocals, lead vocals on "Bright Light Fright"
Brad Whitford – rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Kings and Queens", "I Wanna Know Why", "The Hand That Feeds", and first solo of "Milk Cow Blues"
Tom Hamilton – bass guitar
Joey Kramer – drums, percussion
Stan Bronstein – saxophone on "I Wanna Know Why" and "Bright Light Fright"
Scott Cushnie – piano on "I Wanna Know Why", "Critical Mass", and "Kings and Queens"
Karen Lawrence – backing vocals on "Get It Up"
Jack Douglas – mandolin on "Kings and Queens"
Paul Prestopino – acoustic guitar, banjo guitar on "Kings and Queens"
Production
Jack Douglas – producer and arrangements with Aerosmith
David Krebs, Steve Leber – executive producers, management, art direction
Jay Messina – engineer
David Hewitt – remote truck director
Sam Ginsberg – assistant engineer
George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York
Al Hirschfeld – cover illustration
Draw the Line is the 5th studio album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released in December 1977. It was recorded over several months in an abandoned convent near New York City called The Cenacle. The album cover features a caricature portrait of the band by famous artist Al Hirschfeld.
By that time, Aerosmith had achieved major success with their previous albums, especially Toys in the Attic (1975) and Rocks (1976), which catapulted them to stardom. However, during the making of Draw the Line, the band’s excessive lifestyle, constant touring, and heavy drug use began to take a toll, affecting their creativity and cohesion.
Guitarist Joe Perry admitted that during this period the band had become "drug addicts dabbling in music rather than musicians dabbling in drugs." Although the album sold over a million copies within six weeks of release, Perry later referred to it as "the beginning of the end" and "the decay of our artistry."
Both Perry and lead singer Steven Tyler were less involved in the songwriting and recording than on previous albums, largely due to their drug use and declining focus. Other band members and collaborators took on more responsibility for creating the songs. Tyler confessed that he was often absent or too stoned to participate fully in the studio, while Perry recalled losing important demo tapes temporarily.
Notable tracks include the title track “Draw the Line,” the medieval-inspired “Kings and Queens,” and Perry’s solo composition “Bright Light Fright,” which was influenced by the Sex Pistols and features Perry on lead vocals. Producer Jack Douglas also contributed lyrics, notably writing the words for “Critical Mass” based on a dream he had.
The album closes with a cover of Kokomo Arnold’s “Milk Cow Blues,” a song the band frequently performed live in their early days.
Overall, Draw the Line reflects a period of turmoil and fragmentation for Aerosmith, where drug problems and internal disarray undermined both their creativity and band chemistry, marking the start of a challenging phase in their career.
